Internal floating roof issues?
Thread Content
On September 2nd, I had the privilege of going to Xi’an to attend a training course organized by the National Committee for Standardization of Boilers and Pressure Vessels; well-known experts in the field gave lectures on internal floating roof storage tanks. Several projects are truly spectacular; dozens of internal floating roof storage tanks almost fill up an entire island. Unfortunately, internal floating roof tanks have a high accident rate. One such large internal floating roof tank caught fire on its own, and the fire persisted for a considerable length of time before an explosion occurred; it was a truly terrifying scene. The expert concluded by saying that internal floating roof storage tanks have come under scrutiny and sparked considerable debate. Why do internal floating roof tanks catch fire spontaneously? It’s indeed hard to understand.
Is there a direct connection between spontaneous combustion and internal floating roofs? The three elements of combustion – personally, it seems like there’s no protective nitrogen gas in the tank; without oxygen being blocked, how can it ignite on its own? There are volatile substances in the tank; when exposed to oxygen under appropriate conditions, a reaction will definitely occur. Injecting nitrogen should help improve the situation.
In this accident, all three members of the boss’s family were killed in the explosion. It’s extremely tragic!
Without a detailed account of the accident, it’s impossible to draw conclusions lightly.
Several major accidents occurred this year involving internal floating roof storage tanks, which has led to doubts from well-known experts in this field across the country. As of now, there is no definite conclusion; everyone is simply skeptical.
As long as operations are carried out in a standardized and proper manner, spontaneous combustion is impossible according to the rules; ultimately, it is always due to human factors
The latest safety standards require that floating roof tanks storing flammable and explosive materials use non-melting materials, meaning aluminum floating decks are not allowed. If an aluminum floating disc is used, a foam liquid inlet should be added, along with a nitrogen protection inlet.
The spontaneous combustion of internal floating roofs is related to the storage medium; high sulfur content leads to the formation of ferrous sulfide, and there is no nitrogen sealing system.
Most accidents are caused by improper operation