Ensuring the safety of storage tanks through design——Fire at an methanol storage tank in Anhui on August 1
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This post was last edited by bastia2004 on 2009-11-29 at 16:27. In terms of design, safety must be ensured first, and a thorough process hazard assessment must be conducted. What are everyone’s thoughts on the cause of the following accident?
Phew, what a close call! This fire should serve as a wake-up call for us in the chemical industry: we must carry out construction in accordance with relevant design standards and ensure compliance with those standards.
It has a diameter of 15 meters and a height of 18 meters; the length-to-diameter ratio of this tank is problematic, as it’s so tall.
We strive to be thorough, but it’s impossible to avoid mistakes entirely; we just need to minimize them as much as possible
What does lightning have to do with design?
Anti-static systems, lightning protection systems, fire sprinkler systems, flame arresters, vapor condensers, and breathing valves are all essential. Other requirements include physical specifications such as the distance between tanks.
Is there anything else we need to pay attention to? Please add it. This problem is likely caused by an imperfect lightning protection system
It may be related to lightning; therefore, the static grounding of equipment is very important, especially for equipment that is highly protruding. Our firefighters acted quickly; thank you for your hard work!
“The storage tank may have caught fire after being struck by lightning, and an explosion was heard. ”It’s unlikely. Under normal circumstances, when the thickness of the tank wall reaches a certain level, it’s not necessary to install a lightning arrester, and there will be no problems even if struck by lightning. It seems that the professionalism of these journalists needs to be improved.
There are standards for installing lightning rods; there are also regulations regarding when it is not necessary to install them.:)
Anyway, there are more than one or two reasons for this problem; a conclusion can only be drawn after the causes are identified. As for the design, we need to try our best to think things through thoroughly; this is beneficial for both designers and manufacturers. One should do their job accordingly.