The structural forms of spherical tanks are segmental and hybrid types. How to choose between them, and what are their respective advantages and disadvantages?

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Orange-petal manufacturing is less difficult, while mixed manufacturing is more difficult; however, it uses less material and offers better stress resistance.

Shell structures are divided into three types based on their design: football-leaf type, orange-leaf type, and mixed type. The football-leaf type is also known as the equal division method. The advantages are high material utilization, shorter assembly welds, and reduced welding and inspection workload. The disadvantages include complex weld layout, difficult construction and assembly, and high requirements for the manufacturing precision of the spherical shell plates. Due to the constraints imposed by steel plate specifications and the structure itself, it is generally suitable only for manufacturing spherical tanks with a volume of less than 120 m3. The shell division of an orange-slice type spherical tank is similar to that of orange segments, and it represents the most common design format. The advantage is that the weld layout is simple, assembly is easy, and the fabrication of the spherical shell plates is straightforward; the disadvantage is low material utilization. The hybrid spherical tank combines the advantages of both the orange-petal and football-petal structural forms, offering higher material utilization, reduced weld lengths, fewer shell plates, and is particularly suitable for large-scale spherical tanks.