PROTEGO® Engineering Service

A client wants to increase the operating temperature Operating temperature Temperature reached when the equipment is operating under design conditions. of its asphalt and vacuum Vacuum Vacuum is the pressure in an enclosed space that is lower than the ambient pressure. residue tanks to beyond 200°C. 

ISO 28300 and API 2000 thermal inbreathing models do not cover headspace temperatures exceeding 55°C and suggest detailed engineering studies for such applications. 
 

PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE was commissioned to reevaluate the breathing requirements for these tanks. 

A client plans to remove the foam insulant from a propylene oxide (PO) tank and provide the tank with a white coating Coating Coating is the application of a firmly adhering layer of shapeless material to the surface of a workpiece. . Removing the foam panels allows operators to address water-driven corrosion that develops under the insulation. However, removal of the insulant exposes the tank content to larger temperatures due to solar radiation.  

PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE was commissioned to evaluate the risk of fugitive emissions from the tank, when the temperature in the uninsulated tank rises due to solar exposure and the safety device opens.

Since its foundation PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE has helped numerous clients in evaluating the
impact of vapor condensation and steam collapse on the breathing requirements of their storage tanks and 
low- pressure Pressure (gauge pressure) Pressure for which the value is equal to the algebraic difference between the absolute pressure and the atmospheric pressure. process vessels. ISO 28300 and API 2000 do not cover condensation within headspace. Several clients experience rapid steam collapse due to the introduction of a cold liquid or inert 
gas into a hot headspace during or soon after tank cleaning operations. Practical solutions were provided for the calculated inbreathing requirements.

PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE offered practical solutions and calculated the inbreathing requirements.

Internal floating roof tanks have a floating roof or cover on the liquid surface.  

Correct operation and regular maintenance of the internal floating roof help minimize VOC emissions.

Failures of internal floating roofs like overweight or burping lead to fugitive emissions into the headspace and increase the risk of tank fires and explosion Explosion Abrupt oxidation or decomposition reaction producing an increase in temperature, pressure, or in both simultaneously. .

PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE was commissioned to evaluate the breathing requirements for several floating roof tanks under normal operation and for failure modes. 

Several clients connect multiple storage tanks for the same or similar products using vent header systems.
Vent header systems allow some degree of overpressure Overpressure Overpressure refers to an increase in pressure in a system or vessel above the normal operating pressure. and vacuum compensation by enabling VOC to move between the tanks during liquid filling or removal.

However, vent header systems alone do not suffice to completely prevent external in- and out-breathing completely, such as during filling operation, thermal breathing when all tanks in the vent system are exposed to solar radiation or rain showers.

Few large breather vents on a header may be more economical than installing a smaller valve on each connected tank. However, this solution may not work when pressure losses are too large or travel time to the furthest tank is too long.

PROTEGO® ENGINEERING SERVICE was commissioned by various clients to evaluate the safety of breather vents on vent headers versus individual storage tank protection and recommend a safe and economically viable solution.