Why Are Spherical Storage Tanks Prevalent in Oil & Gas Facilities?
Many oil and gas producers prefer spherical tanks to store high-pressure fluids over other simpler tank designs. Why is this? Here are a few of the reasons.
Spherical Storage Tanks Are Stronger
Other types of storage tanks commonly found in the oil and gas production industries such as the common fixed roof tank and the external floating roof tank, use many parts that need to either be bolted or welded together. For high-pressure storage, these bolted or welded seams are weak points where the pressure may compromise the tank’s integrity over time. This high-pressure also causes stress on these tanks’ surfaces unequally, contributing to faster wear and tear within the tank itself.
Spherical storage tanks have fewer separate parts, so they have fewer seams or welded connection points which make them stronger. The spherical shape distributes the stresses created by the high-pressure evenly which also improves the strength of the tank.
Spherical Tanks Have Less Surface Area
The pressure inside of a storage tank is related to the temperature of the liquid in the tank. The temperature outside of the tank dramatically influences the temperature inside the tank. Because spherical storage tanks have less surface area than other storage tanks, the outside temperature’s influence has less of an effect on spherical storage tanks than it does on fixed roof and floating roof tanks.
Spherical Tanks Resist Corrosion Better
Because of the shape of fixed roof and floating roof storage tanks, snow and rain can accumulate on the roof. Prolonged contact with snow, rain can accelerate corrosion on the roof of the tank. The rain and snow tend to roll off of spherical tanks a lot faster, reducing the amount of time they are in contact with them, reducing possible opportunities for corrosion.
Spherical Storage Tank Designs Are Better for Large Storage Tanks
Fabricating spherical storage tanks are more expensive than building the other common storage tank designs but is more affordable when constructing large storage tanks.
Forged Components Manufactures ASME Pressure Vessel Connections for Spherical Storage Tanks
FCI manufactures ASME pressure vessel connections for various ASME code pressure vessels, including spherical storage tanks (aka “Spheres”) used in downstream applications. For more information, call us at (281) 441-4088 or contact us online to get a quote from our sales staff.