Storage tank material change
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I would like to ask the experts: since a fixed-roof storage tank is designed for a certain liquid chemical, can it only be used to store that chemical, or can it be modified to hold other liquid chemicals? Is there any documentation indicating the source of this? Thank you.
Yes, but the modified material still needs to be a raw material obtained through legal procedures; an internal change procedure should be followed and a record kept.
This requires analyzing the chemical properties of the two storage substances.
**Article 1 of the “Ten Provisions on Fire and Explosion Prevention in Oil and Gas Storage Areas” contained in the Notice issued by the General Administration of Work Safety regarding the issuance of the “Ten Provisions for Chemical (Hazardous Chemicals) Enterprises to Ensure Production Safety,” the “Ten Provisions for Fireworks and Firecrackers Enterprises to Ensure Production Safety,” and the “Ten Provisions on Fire and Explosion Prevention in Oil and Gas Storage Areas” (An Jian Zong Zheng Fa 15): 1. It is strictly prohibited to operate oil and gas storage tanks beyond their temperature, pressure, or liquid level limits, as well as to change the storage medium without proper authorization.
1. It is strictly prohibited to operate oil and gas storage tanks at excessive temperatures, pressures, or liquid levels, as well as to change the storage medium arbitrarily. This article mainly specifies the requirements for the use and management of oil and gas storage tanks. The storage medium, storage temperature, pressure, and liquid level in oil and gas storage tanks must comply with the design specifications and process control parameters; deviations from these parameters can lead to safety risks such as leaks, fires, and explosions. During the design phase, storage tanks are designed for a specific storage medium, with the design considerations limited to the physical and chemical properties of that medium as well as the requirements of its storage and transportation processes. If the storage medium is to be changed, it is necessary to determine whether the existing design parameters of the tank meet the requirements for storing that new medium, in order to ensure the safe operation of the tank. Arbitrarily changing the storage medium or the purpose of the storage tank can pose safety risks and lead to accidents.
It would also be possible if the change can be approved. However, changing approvals is not something that can be done simply by saying so; it must comply with the requirements of relevant laws, regulations, standards, and rules. Therefore, changes are generally not made lightly
Why the change? What is the purpose of the change? It involves process and product changes, which require going through the three-concurrent procedures again. If there are no changes to the product or process, the internal change procedure can be followed. If it does not match the design, the design should be changed.
Here, any change in the medium requires an approval process, with risk analysis carried out by the process, equipment, and safety teams
For normal cases, just follow the standard MOC procedures; for special cases, such as those where the port operation license specifies which type of material should be stored in each tank, administrative approval procedures for making changes are required
Storage tanks, as major hazard sources, are subject to daily remote monitoring; if the stored materials are to be changed, an application for such a change must be approved by the relevant authorities (ports, customs, etc.).