Why are there limits on the storage time for oil in refinery tanks?
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Why are there limits on the storage time for oil in refinery tanks?
Guess what: 1. Oil can deteriorate, whether it’s crude oil or refined oil; this happens especially at high temperatures. 2. The storage capacity is limited, so space needs to be freed up as soon as possible. 3. Energy is also required during storage, for example, heavy oil needs to be heated using coils. Just throwing out an idea to spark discussion……
Refinery storage tanks generally serve three purposes: feed tanks, intermediate tanks, and product tanks. If the refinery owner is very wealthy and runs a private enterprise, the storage tanks for raw materials and products can be larger, allowing more raw materials to be purchased when their prices are low, and more products to be stored when their prices are low as well; purchases can then be made when prices rise. However, ordinary state-owned enterprises cannot do this; therefore, for ordinary raw material tanks and product tanks, it is important that storage for buying and selling does not affect production. As for intermediate tanks, they are designed so that when the upstream (downstream) facilities are under maintenance, the upstream (downstream) facilities can continue to operate. This way, the investment can also be reduced.
It mainly comes down to the number of cycles. I remember there being information on this topic in the \"Practical Technical Handbook for Petrochemical Engineers\"; take a look at that
Everyone had a very lively discussion; let’s learn from it, hehe
I think it’s a matter of interests. I have some doubts about the point mentioned on the second floor; generally, the oil produced should be quite stable, and normal ambient temperatures shouldn’t cause the oil to deteriorate.
Reply to 6# qing610104: The finished products produced by refineries contain some unstable components, such as unsaturated olefins; therefore, it’s inevitable that the oil will deteriorate. The key lies in the speed of this deterioration. I’m not sure what specific requirements exist regarding the stability of the oil. I remember there was a joke once that said diesel produced by refineries turned into Coca-Cola after two months. Crude oil is unprocessed and constitutes a mixture with a wide boiling range; it contains asphaltenes and resins, which are factors that contribute to instability, and it is not suitable for long-term storage. I have never worked in a factory; the above is purely my personal analysis and may not be correct. Different opinions are welcome.