Several issues regarding methanol floating roof tanks
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I have read the posts on the forum regarding internal floating roof tanks, and I find them very useful; however, I still have some questions, and I hope everyone can offer some guidance. There are two options for installing a 2500 m3 methanol storage tank: 1) a fixed-roof tank + vent condenser + nitrogen blanketing; 2) an internal floating-roof tank. For safety reasons, we chose option 2. There are three questions below; I’m not sure how to approach them properly. (1) Given the high temperatures in summer, is it really necessary to have process cooling water (not fire-fighting cooling water)? Can insulating the storage tank without installing cooling water meet the requirements? (2) Is a flame arrester required at the vent of an internal floating roof tank? (3) Also, aside from safety and environmental considerations, what is the economic efficiency of internal floating roof tanks compared to dome tanks (initial costs, operating costs)?
For methanol storage tanks with internal floating roofs, no process cooling water is required in summer, nor is insulation necessary. From a safety perspective, it is safer to equip the vent of an internal floating roof tank with a flame arrester. I also would like to ask the original poster whether nitrogen sealing for methanol floating roof tanks needs to be considered
1. What is the maximum surface temperature of the tank in summer? If it exceeds 30 degrees, a spraying system should be considered to reduce the temperature; insulation around the tank can provide cooling effects, but it cannot serve as a substitute for such a system, and applying an insulating ceramic layer is a more viable solution. 2. Due to the toxicity of methanol, a nitrogen sealing system should be considered for methanol storage tanks with floating roofs.
Our company’s methanol floating roof tanks are equipped with a spraying system to facilitate cooling during the summer. Due to the toxicity and safety concerns associated with methanol, nitrogen sealing for these floating roof tanks is necessary. A flame arrester is installed at the vent of the internal floating roof tank
(1) It is necessary to install summer spraying or insulation. It’s just that the environment created by spraying is not favorable, and it also accelerates the corrosion of carbon steel components. Insulation requires a larger initial investment, and the tank top needs to be coated with cooling gel. (2). A flame arrester must be installed at the vent. (3) The initial cost and operating costs of internal floating roof tanks are definitely higher. (4) Currently, there is a proposal to use a nitrogen seal on the floating roof of methanol tanks, primarily to prevent moisture from affecting the quality of methanol. (5) You can take a look at the following posts on the forum: http://bbs.hcbbs.com/viewthread.php?tid=104662&page=1#pid464778 http://bbs.hcbbs.com/viewthread.php?tid=86637&page=1#pid451238 http://bbs.hcbbs.com/viewthread.php?tid=110260 This post was last edited by titicaca2006 on 2008-1-11 11:52.]