Tanks collapsed

When the corrosion had reduced the wall thickness from 6 mm to 2 mm, the floor of the tank collapsed along a length of 2.5 m, and 30,000 m3 of hot fuel oil came out. Most of it was collected in the dike. However, some leaked into other dikes through rabbit holes in the earth walls. 

The report also includes a list of other similar tank collapses six in the U.S. in the period 1978-1986 (p. 102). A similar incident involving a liquefied propane tank occurred in Qatar in 1977 (see Section 8.1.5). 

Obviously, a multidisciplined safety review committee may have detected the problems of the ill-advised use of a combination vent/overflow line, but this type of collapse is viewed as somewhat of an oddity. Several variations of this type of collapse have been reported on low-pressure and atmospheric tanks. Another incident occurred when a company requested the operating team to fill a tank as high as possible for storage needs, so they ignored the high-level alarm. After the tank level reached the overflow, the liquid started pouring out of the overflow faster than it was being pumped in and the tank collapsed. [4]... 

A Well-Intended Change Yields a Storage Tank Collapse... 

In another tank collapse incident, a tank containing a solution of ammonia and water was being emptied and cleaned. After employees emptied the tank of liquid ammonia, they added water to rinse the vessel. While the water was being added the sides of the tank were sucked in. The ammonia vapor remaining in the tank dissolved in the water so rapidly that air could not enter through the vent to prevent the collapse. [8]... 

Lack of Respect for an Open Vent as a Vacuum-Relief Device Results in a Partial Tank Collapse... 

J. Campbell atid A. Soast, "Reassembled Oil Tank Collapse Sending Slick... 

A large fermentation tank fitted with a 2-in. open vent was sterlized for 30 minutes by blowing in live steam at 35 psig. After the steam supply was shut off, a cold liquid substrate was quickly added to the tank at which point the tank collapsed inward. 

Containers for low pressure storage (under about 60 psi) can be bladder tanks, pillow tanks, collapsible pressure vessels or LPG tanks. Most flexible tanks store gases at just a little above atmospheric pressure. Manufacturers such as Aero Tec Laboratories offer flexible storage devices. 

Film, rubber Finger cots, rubber Flooring, rubber tile or sheet Foam rubber Fountain syringes, rubber Friction tape, rubber Fuel coils, rubber Fuel tanks, collapsible rubberized fabric Funnels, rubber Gloves e.g., surgeons , electricians , household— rubber... 

A well-intended change yields a storage tank collapse... 

Figure 2.16 Tank collapsed during pump out and was destroyed beyond repair.

Lack of respect for an open vent as a vacuum-relief device results in a partial tank collapse... 

The present investigation was originally carried out for particular values of input pressure, input area, vent area, and tank volume (Fig. 1). The purpose was to determine causes for occasional tank collapse which had been experienced in the lox loading of the Titan. 

The problem, in this case, is to make a realistic choice for the difference between the wall temperature and the temperature of the air in the tank. Since the pressure drop which causes tank collapse occurs very rapidly, the air in the tank will not have much time to cool. For AT = 20°C the equivalent droplet mass evaporation is 1 mole/sec. In any case it appears that mi 2 ccoupled with mi 2 6 will be most competitive with conduction and convection absorption of heat by droplets from the surrounding air. 

Numerous steel tanks, especially tall (slender) tanks, are anchored with bolts or straps. However, these anchors may be insufficient to withstand the total imposed load in strong earthquake events and can be damaged, in the form of anchor pullout, stretching, or rupture. One should consider that failure of an anchor does not necessarily lead to tank collapse or loss of tank contents. On the other hand, failure of a significant number of bolts may lead to failure of the tank supporting system and eventually to tank overturning and loss of contents. 

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