SAFETY IN BULK

STORAGE OF
HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS

S.S. Gautam
Dy Director (Industrial Hygiene)
Regional Labour Institute, Kanpur
 STORAGE

Intermediate
Raw Material Raw Material Primary Storage
Transport Storage Processing

Secondary Processin
Finished Product
Transport. Finished Product
Storage Waste
Transportation.
STORAGE RELATED MAJOR
ACCIDENTS

• Mexico Disaster on 19th November 1984

– LPG Storage
• Bhopal Disaster in 3rd December 1984
– MIC Storage
• Feyzin Refinery Disaster in 1966
– Propane Storage
 BULK STORAGE OF
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
• Safety Considerations in-
• Site selection
• Layout planning
• Selection of storage mode
• Bund Walls
• Safety related fittings in the tanks.
• Examples of ammonia, chlorine, flammable
liquid, LPG etc.
SAFETY POINTS WHILE SITE SELECTION

• Away from operating units, traffic and people

movement.
• Down wind and down hill from the plant.
• In between plant and filling terminal.
• Approachable by two roads in apposite direction.
• Avoid trenches furrows, sumps and underground
pockets nearby.
• Avoid sources of ignition in down wind direction.
• Site should be free from water logging.
 LAYOUT OF TANKAGE
• Group the materials of similar nature requiring
similar emergency measures.
• Segregation of tanks not requiring bund walls.
• Tank to tank distance, process to tank distance,
free area for the bund wall etc. should receive due
consideration.
• Drainage facilities provided for releasing
emergency water should be provided with the oil
water interceptor.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TANKS

Cylindrical riveted end Cylindrical dished end

horizontal tank welded horizontal tank

Vertical
Horizontal bullet bullet
Dished End Tanks
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TANKS (Contd.)

Vertical cylindrical cone Vertical cylindrical dome roof

roof tanks tanks
 FLOATING ROOF TANK
ULP
Spherical tank (Horten Sphere)
Cylindrical Vertical Tank with Flexible Diaphragm
Inverted Drum Gas Holder
Spheroidal Tank
Floating Deck Coned / Domed
Roof Tank.
 Storage Conditions
•Atmospheric Storages (Under atmospheric
Pressure)

•Pressure Storages (Under Higher Pressure )

•Refrigerated Storages (Cooled to liquefaction)
•Semi Refrigerated Storages (Cooled up to a
fixed Temperature)
TYPES OF TANKS USED FOR
ATMOSPHERIC STORAGE
•Cylindrical Riveted Flat End Horizontal Tanks
•Welded Dished End Horizontal Tanks.
•Cylindrical Coned Roof Vertical Tanks.
•Cylindrical Domed Roof Vertical Tanks.
•Cylindrical Floating Roof Vertical Tanks.
•Flexible Diaphragm Tanks.
•Floating Deck Coned / Domed Roof Tanks.
 Atmospheric Tanks
• Pressure Tanks • Non Pressure Tanks
(Venting through PV/ (Free vent to
breather valves) atmosphere)
– Limited to 128 ft Dia, – Limited to 128” dia,
designed for 8” WG designed for 3” WG
pressure and 2.5” WG pressure and 2.5” WG
vacuum + super vacuum+super
imposed snow load. imposed snow load.
• Vapour Loss is less. • Vapour loss is more.
Note: Floating roof tank is a pressure
tank. It causes minimum loss of vapour.
 Low Pressure Storages
• 0.5 to 15 PSIG
• Such tanks are used for the storage of gases
liquefied at low temperature and
atmospheric pressure.
• Horizontal Dished end tanks, or vertical
cylindrical tanks, or hemispheroidal tanks
or spherical tanks are used.
 Pressure Storages

• Horizontal or vertical cylindrical dished end

Tanks or Bullets.
• Spherical Tanks (Horten Spheres)
(With specified temperature limits.)

Horizontal bullet
 Refrigerated Pressure (or Semi
refrigerated) Storages
• Bullets.
• Horten Spheres.
(With specified temperature limits.)

Horizontal bullet
 Fully Refrigerated Storages
• Well insulated atmospheric tanks to withstand 1
Kg/cm2 pressure.
(With specified temperature limits)

Vertical Vertical cylindrical

cylindrical cone dome roof tanks
roof tanks
 Safety Aspects of Atmospheric
Storages
• Bund walls (For all flammable, toxic and
corrosive substances.)
• Earthings and bonding
• Level monitoring
• Overflow devices
• Venting devices
• Tank material
• Tank and base corrosion
• Inlet, outlet and drain pipes
• Gauges etc.
 Bund Walls
Walls or pits around the ULP
tanks to retain the 50KL

contents on leakage or
complete loss of
containment to render it
safe.
 U
Bund Walls (Contd.) LP
50
K
• Required for flammable liquids of class A &
L B
(Petro. Act) and Toxic and corrosive substances
(Fact. Act.)
• Class C liquids are provided if storage is above its
flash point. (a low wall is still required)
• Capacity to hold the contents of the tank and the
substances required to be added for neutralisation.
• Material should be resistant to the contents of the
tanks.
 Bund Walls (Contd.) U
LP
50
• Common bund walls of capacity to hold the K
contents of largest tank, if the contents of all the
L
tanks have similar hazard and have similar
emergency control measures and do not interact.
• Floor impervious, sloped to a sump having a drain
pipe with valve approachable from outside. Valve
to be kept closed under normal conditions.
 Bund Walls (Contd.)
• Approach steps at two diagonally opposite
points in each wall.
 Bund Walls (Contd.)
• Bund walls around the flammable substance
tanks should not be too high to restrict
ventilation.
• The distance of the wall and height should
be so adjusted that jets ejecting from the
surface of the tanks should not fall outside
the wall.
 Bund Walls (Contd.)

h x h’

x x = 0.67 (h-h’)
x = 0.67 h
 Earthings and Bonding
•All the components of the tanks should be
electrically bonded.
•The tanks should be doubly grounded.
•Earth testing should be done periodically to
ensure that the earthings and bondings are
adequate.
•While filling the tank of flammable material,
ensure bonding of tank with vehicle.
 Level Monitoring

•If glass level indicating tubes are provided

ensure to guard them properly against breaking
due to external impact.
•If float gauges are provided , ensure that the
material of the rope is resistant to the contents.
•Dip hatch should be provided to measure the
level of liquid by dip rod or tape.
•Operating procedure for safe dip gauging.
 Level Monitoring
Dip Hatch
Float
gauge

Glass level
indicator
 Overflow Devices
• Provide overflow pipes with receiving
vessels.
• If providing overflow pipe is not practical,
ensure that high level alarm, and pump trip
systems are provided.
• Provide water seals at the overflow outlets
to avoid venting through overflow outlets.
Overflow Devices
 Venting Devices
•Vent for the tanks open to the atmosphere
Vent
•Diameter should be enough to ensure
free passage without development of
pressure even when there is fire in
vicinity.
•Protect from entry of rain water.
(Avoid canopy in case of flammable
liquids)

•Height enough to prevent exposure of workers on the roof.

•Provide flame arresting devices in flammable liquid tanks.
•Periodic maintenance to ensure free venting.
Venting Devices (Contd.)
U- Cano
End py
 Flame Arrestors
• Flame arrestors are
the devices that
prevent ingress of
flame into the tank
through the vent in
case of fire at the
outlet of the vent.
Flame arrestor
 Flame arrestors
The arrestor
absorbs the heat and
does not allow the
ignition
Wire mesh temperature at its
other side.

Flame arrestor

Packings of Flame Arrestors

 Moisture Traps
• Moisture traps are Silica gel
require for the tanks,
with hygroscopic
substances
• Moisture is removed in
the air entering the tank
by silica gel column or
by sulfuric acid
scrubbing
 Moisture Trap

H2SO4 –98%

Moisture removal from the entering air by H2SO4 scrubbing

 ATMOSPHERIC TANK WITH
INERT GAS PURGING
Low
pressure
nitrogen PV Valve or terrace
Valve.
NRV

Atmospheric storage with inert gas purging.

 PV Valve or breather valve
• It remains closed when there is no pressure or
vacuum in the tank.
• It acts as safety valve also.
• It gets choked due to icing particularly after
hydraulic or water filling test of the tank. This
may lead to implosion or bursting of the vessel.
Hence it is a practice to remove the valve for a
fortnight after the water filling test of the tank.
 Floating Roof Tanks
Bonding Foam
Ladder Strip
pourer
Platform
Annular
Emergency pontoon
roof drain
Dip gauge Rim seal
hatch Ptroduct
Lines
Normal
roof drain
Roof Stoppers
 Safety Aspects of Floating Roof Tanks

• Ensure that the valve at the outlet of the normal

rain water drain is is kept open.
• The rim should be provided with the risers to
allow sealing of ring by foam.
• Provide adequate number of foam pourers at the
top of the tank.
• Ensure that the tank body is bonded with the
ladder and roof with the help of jumpers and metal
strips along the rim..
 Safety Aspects of Floating Roof Tanks
• Ensure greasing of ladder wheels periodically.
• Ensure cleaning of flame arrestor periodically.
• Ensure that the pontoons are provided with
explosion vents.
• Test leakage from the rim with the help of
explosimeter.
• Periodic checking level of water in the tank and its
removal.
• While dip gauging ensure contact of tape with the
body of dip hatch.
 Safety Aspects of Floating Roof Tanks

• Ensure that emergency roof drain is

provided.
• Allow only authorised persons to approach
the roof.
• Periodic monitoring of pontoons to ensure
that there is no leakage.
 Pressure Storages
• The tank should be pressure tested.
• Leak testing should be done after every repair.
Pneumatic Pressure while leak testing should not
be above the working pressure.
• Vent should be provided with the safety valve.
• The valve in between the tank and the safety valve
should be locked in open position.
• Thickness of the tank should be measured to
ensure that the tank will work safely till the next
date of testing.
 Pressure Storages
• The venting rate should be enough to not allow
pressure even under fire.
• The material of construction should be such that it
will withstand when the lowest temperature is
reached on evaporation.
• Bund wall is generally not provided in case of
pressure storages. But in case of semi refrigerated
storage of ammonia bund wall of capacity 60 %of
the contents is recommended.
 Pressure Venting of Vessels
• Safety Valves
– Spring or weight loaded adjustable valves to open up at
a set pressure. Directly mounted on the vessels or
through isolation valves. Isolation valves kept locked in
open positions. Material of construction should be
compatible to the material in the tank.
• Rupture Discs
– Blinds of thin sheets to break and give way on pressure
rise beyond a particular pressure. Manufactured for
particular materials, at particular temperature and to
break open at a particular pressure.
 Venting of Toxic Substances
• Toxic and corrosive materials can not be
vented into open air, hence they are
required to be vented either through
neutralising systems or to be collected into
another vessel (dump vessels).
Venting of Toxic Substances

Neutralising

Dump Vessel
 Venting of Toxic and Corrosive
Substances

PI
Pair of
Storage Vessel rupture discs

Dump Vessel
Venting of Toxic and Corrosive
Substances

To neutralising system
Safety Valve

Rupture disc

CHLORINE
 Testing and Inspection of
Pressure Vessels
• Hydraulic testing once in four years up to 1.25 times the
design pressure or 1.5 times the normal working
pressure which ever is less.
• Visual inspection of internal surface once in a year and
of external surface once in six months. Failing these,
thickness monitoring or hydraulic testing once in two
years.
• Thickness monitoring should be done at vulnerable fixed
points to ensure that the thickness will remain more than
minimum required thickness up to next date of testing.
• Pneumatic Testing after each repairing to check the
leakage only up to normal working pressure.
 Thank You

Welcome to ask questions or contact me later at

0512 - 2218692 (Office)
Or
0512 - 2405121 (Residence)
S.S. Gautam