Stability of fire barriers in tank farms in case of destruction of vertical tanks

Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Yaroslavskoe shosse, 26, Moscow, 129337, Russia

^* Corresponding author: younes.halloul1989@gmail.com

Abstract

The issue of raising the level of safety of people, lands and property from potential threats in emergency situations in oil and gas storage and processing sites is particular concern to all levels of authority in countries, whether they are legal or executive authority.

Study of the statistical data of incidents and fires at these equipment showed that the most negative effects for the damage to the company’s personnel, the population and the environment occurred during the quasi-instantaneous destruction of the vertical steel tank. The distinguishing features of such an accident are the complete loss of the integrity of the vertical oil tank hull and the release of all the liquid stored in the tank in the form of a powerful flow (breakout wave), which has a great destructive power, to the adjacent territory within a short term of time.

The most important measures to reduce oil and petroleum products leakage in tank farms are reinforced earth dams and closed walls made of materials that are vulnerable to heat (important in the case of fire), Which led to many unsolvable cases. Recently, vertical steel tank with double walls of the “glass in a glass “type have been used in some oil tanks, in practice, they have not found wide application, which is due, first of all, it needs to allocate a significant territory for their arrangement, and its high cost.