When are combustible liquid storage tanks not allowed to be buried?
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Dear experts, a few days ago I was at a chemical plant, and the on-site technicians said that they have now removed all the buried flammable liquid storage tanks and no longer use such storage tanks. However, I don’t see in the standards (mainly petrochemical regulations, building codes, oil depot specifications, etc.) any requirement stating that combustible liquid storage tanks in chemical plants are not allowed to be buried. This factory is quite old; many of its designs date back several decades. And I recall that combustible liquid storage tanks are generally not buried in chemical plants, while they are often buried in places like oil depots, such as gas stations. Is there some other regulation or requirement that mandates this?
This post was last edited by Hukejia on 2019-10-23 at 13:54. I don’t know. However, standards such as those for the petrochemical industry and building codes do not prohibit burying tanks underground; the petrochemical industry standards explicitly state that the fire separation distance required between buried storage tanks and other facilities can be reduced by 50%, which means that it is acceptable to bury storage tanks underground. The building codes also state that small intermediate tanks for flammable liquids are usually placed near the exterior walls of the building. For safety reasons, it is required that the exterior walls that may be exposed to fire be equipped with firewalls, and it is recommended to bury the storage tanks directly in the ground. ”It also advocates burial underground. But there must be other reasons why this isn’t done.
Is it because the inspection results of the buried tank are not satisfactory, or has the tank reached the end of its service life (usually, buried tanks suffer from more severe corrosion)?； Currently, there are no relevant regulations prohibiting the use of buried tanks.
I don’t know what the regulations in this area are; I only know that for gas stations nowadays, above-ground storage tanks have to be used, and the gas stations have been modified accordingly.
Is it because the original design can no longer meet current regulations when buried, that’s why burrowing it is not an option?
For buried storage tanks, it is now required that they be double-walled, and the tank foundation must be leak-proof; the double-walled tanks also need to undergo leak detection. Meanwhile, the pipes connected to it also need to be jacketed pipes. In the past, many failed to meet the standards
After consulting, it’s not a safety issue; it’s an environmental requirement – environmental regulations do not allow the use of buried tanks