The diesel tank farm was replaced with a fuel oil tank farm
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Hello everyone, we are currently carrying out the preliminary work to convert a diesel tank area into a fuel oil tank area. The diesel tank sets (10,000 M3 each, 5 in total) are to be transformed into tank sets for storing fuel oil. Due to the high viscosity, high freezing point, and high sulfur content of fuel oil, it is not yet possible to determine with accuracy whether it is a distillate fuel oil or a residue fuel oil, nor its grade. At this stage, there are some things that aren’t entirely clear to me, and I would like to ask for your advice: 1. Is it necessary to add an agitator inside the tank (the original diesel tank doesn’t have one)? ； 2. Whether to install slag removal holes, and whether a bottom oil pumping system is required (the original diesel tank only had a semi-automatic drainage valve) ； 3. Is it necessary to add facilities for cleaning the tanks? I’ve seen mentions of mechanical cleaning for COW tanks, but I have no experience with this; could someone please provide some guidance? ； 4. Is steam or electric heating required? This tank farm is located in Malaysia where temperatures are relatively high; local crude oil storage tanks do not have insulation or heating systems. Is heating necessary for the fuel oil tank farm? ； 5. Due to the water and sulfur content in the fuel oil tank, is it necessary to re-evaluate the anti-corrosion requirements for the tank bottom plates and wall plates? ； 6. Does the instrumentation system need to be modified due to the differences in viscosity between diesel and fuel oil? I’m not an expert in this area, so I hope someone with experience can offer some guidance. 7. There are other aspects related to changing the fuel from diesel to fuel oil in the tank farm that I have not considered; I would appreciate any guidance you can provide, as I have no prior experience with tank farm renovation projects. I am deeply grateful for all the help you can offer; thank you in advance
1. Stirring is optional. It’s best if there is one. 2. There must be slag removal holes. 3. Cleaning facilities are not required. 4. Steam heating is essential. Electric heating is the best. 5. Corrosion protection is necessary when the sulfur content in residue oil is high. 6. A reliable level gauge is necessary. 7. The tank needs to be insulated; it is best to insulate the top as well.
Steam heating is preferred, as it also allows for an additional steaming tank to be used during the maintenance of the oil tank. The level gauge in the oil tank must be replaced; since the level gauges used for diesel do not require high viscosity, they certainly cannot be used for measuring fuel oil ； Due to the large number and large size of the oil tanks, it is advisable to install anode protection blocks at the bottom of the tanks for anti-corrosion purposes, and to replace the breather valves on the diesel tanks with venting tubes.
First of all, I am very grateful for the guidance and assistance provided by those on the second/third floors. The pour point of this oil is 21.1 degrees, while the extreme temperature of the surrounding environment is 15.5 degrees. My question is: since all the crude oil storage tanks in this area lack insulation and steam heating, why does the fuel oil require such measures? If I present this plan to the client, they might have the same question. Could you please offer some suggestions? Since radar level gauges (RTG) are being used in this project, is it then unnecessary to replace them? I am also very thankful for the suggestion to use anode protection blocks; are these blocks lifted from the top of the pipe to the bottom inside the pipe, with regular inspections and replacements required? What is the purpose of replacing the vent valve with a ventilation stub? I really haven’t figured that out yet. Thank you
How should the explosion-proof issues related to electric heating in oil tanks be addressed? Are there qualified manufacturers?
The pump needs to be replaced with a screw pump, and the pipes need to be insulated