MATEC Web of Conferences 143, 01008 (2018)

https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201814301008
YSSIP-2017

Modeling of storage tank settlement based on

the United States standards
Alesya Gruchenkova1,*, Aleksandr Tarasenko2, and Petr Chepur2
1
Surgut Institute of Oil and Gas, Surgut Branch of the Tyumen Industrial University, 628404 Surgut,
Russia
2
Tyumen Industrial University, 625000 Tyumen, Russia

Abstract. Up to 60% of storage tanks in operation have uneven settlement

of the outer bottom contour, which often leads to accidents. Russian and
foreign regulatory documents have different requirements for strain limits
of metal structures. There is an increasing need for harmonizing regulatory
documents. The aim of this study is to theoretically justify and to assess the
possibility of applying the U.S. standards for specifying the allowable
settlement of storage tanks used in Russia. The allowable uneven
settlement was calculated for a vertical steel tank (VST-20000) according
to API-653, a standard of the American Petroleum Institute. The calculated
allowable settlement levels were compared with those established by
Russian standards. Based on the finite element method, the uneven
settlement development process of a storage tank was modeled. Stress-
strain state parameters of tank structures were obtained at the critical levels
established in API-653. Relationships of maximum equivalent stresses in
VST metal structures to the vertical settlement component for settlement
zones of 6 to 72 m in length were determined. When the uneven settlement
zone is 6 m in length, the limit state is found to be caused by 30-mm
vertical settlement, while stresses in the wall exceed 330 MPa. When the
uneven settlement zone is 36 m in length, stresses reach the yield point
only at 100-mm vertical settlement.

Introduction
Uneven settlement is one of the causes that give rise to limit states in metal structures of
vertical steel tanks (VST), which often lead to accidents [1–3]. Effects of uneven
foundation settlement on the stress-strain state of storage tanks were studied by Russian
scientists, such as V. B. Galeev, V. V. Lyubushkin, V. A. Burenin, P. P. Borodavkin and
others, as well as by foreign scientists — J. S. Clarke [4], E. E. DeBeer [5], D. A.
Greenwood [6] and others. However, despite accumulated research findings and long-term
experience in tank construction, researcher have failed to resolve a number of issues related
to assessing the stress-strain state of VST, which is subject to uneven foundation settlement
[7]. For non-axisymmetric strains of a tank shell, it is not always possible to determine
high-stress zones in metal structures [8].

*
Corresponding author: [email protected]

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
MATEC Web of Conferences 143, 01008 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201814301008
YSSIP-2017

To prevent unacceptable stresses in the VST structure, Russian and foreign regulatory
documents specify the criteria that determine allowable uneven settlement levels. For
example, regulatory documents of the Russian Federation (GOST, RD, SA, RB) and the
USA (API) contain the specific formulas, relationships and tabular values, which allow the
maximum settlement level to be determined for VST of various designs and sizes.
Internationalization, globalization of energy markets, and, therefore, the involvement of
foreign contractors for constructing storage tanks in the Russian Federation make it
necessary to harmonize the Russian regulatory framework in the field of storage tank
construction. An important problem is that the storage tanks constructed according to
Russian and western standards have some differences in terms of design and materials [11].
In turn, this affects the overall stiffness of the structure, which determines the deformation
behavior of the VST shell in case of uneven settlement. Thus, the authors aim to
theoretically justify and to assess the possibility of applying the U.S. standards for
determining the stress-strain state of storage tanks of Russian standard sizes.

Materials and Methods

The authors suggest considering the possibility of using the requirements of API-653
standard (Appendix B) [12] for specifying allowable settlement levels in Russian storage
tanks. In order to justify the possibility of using the American API standard, it is necessary
to perform a number of verifications of the stress-strain state for VST structure at given
uneven settlement parameters, to determine effective stresses in structural elements, and to
compare them with allowable values for a certain steel grade (09G2S). The authors will
consider the most common storage tank of the Russian Federation — VST-20000 with a
fixed roof and reinforced concrete foundation ring.
To perform the tasks set in the paper, the authors applied the classical principles of
structural mechanics, the theory of elasticity, deformable body mechanics, and the finite
element method. Being a numerical method, the finite element method can be used to solve
a wide range of physical problems, which are mathematically formulated through systems
of differential equations. This method is suitable for a deep analysis of the stress-strain state
in metal structures. Theoretical studies were carried out using methods of mathematical
analysis and numerical modeling with the ANSYS software certified by the Federal
Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority of Russia.
The reliability of the obtained results is confirmed by satisfactory correlation with
widely known analytical solutions. Moreover, it is supported by the research methodology
proposed by Russian and foreign scientists, using regulatory documents and statistical data,
minimal errors of calculated and experimental data, and the compliance of the data with
scientific concepts.
The methods described above made it possible to obtain new relationships of the VST
stress-strain state to dimensions of the uneven settlement zone. These relationships reflect
the real deformation behavior of metal structures, taking into account the physical and
geometric nonlinearity of the applicable model.

Experimental Part
According to API-653 [12], the maximum allowable settlement level is calculated on an
individual case basis for each storage tank with uneven settlement components. For this
purpose, it is necessary to level the outer bottom contour and to plot a distortion curve.
Then uneven settlement zones are identified, and their length Sarc, the so called “settlement
arc”, is determined. The maximum allowable vertical component, S max, is calculated for

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each settlement arc according to the formula (1). This formula (API-653, Appendix B.3.2.2)
takes VST diameter, height, and steel grade into account. Table 1 presents additional
dimensionless coefficients and type of VST design selected according to the tank diameter.

D Y
S max  min   K  S arc   , (1)
H E
where S max – maximum allowable value of the vertical settlement component,
inches
S arc – effective length of the uneven settlement arc, feet;

D – tank diameter, feet

– yield strength of tank metal, lbf/in2;
– Young's modulus, feet;
– tank height, feet;
– dimensionless parameter depending on the type and diameter of the
tank, selected according to the data in Table 1 and Table 2.
Table 1. Selection of the Coefficient K Depending on VST Diameter, according to API-653 [12].
(120…180]

(180…240]

(240…300]
(80…120]
(50… 80]

300 < D
D ≤ 50

VST diameter,
feet

K, VST with a
10.5 5.8 3.9 2.3 - - -
fixed roof

Table 2. Parameters of VST-20000 for Calculating Allowable Settlement, according to (1).

Parameter Sarc, m D, m Y(09G2S), E, MPa H, m Coefficient

MPa K

Value 6.72 45.6 325 210,000 14 2.3

In order to verify the calculated parameters of VST-20000, length of the settlement arc
Sarc was assumed to be from 6 to 72 meters. Other parameters of the tank are presented in
Table 2. Using the formula (1), we obtained maximum settlement values for points of the
outer bottom contour depending on the size of VST-20000 uneven settlement zone. In
Figure 1, these relationships are presented graphically.

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Fig. 1. Requirements of Russian and U.S. technical regulations that determine maximum settlement
values for points of the outer bottom contour depending on the size of the VST uneven settlement
zone.

The graph also shows maximum settlement values according to the industry standard
RD-23.020.00-KTN-283-09 of OAO AK Transneft [13]. It can be seen that the maximum
tolerances for uneven settlement in API-653 [12] are much broader than in the Russian
standard, which is especially evident when the uneven settlement zone exceeds 10 m. This
difference is explained by greater stiffness of tanks constructed according to API.
To calculate the stress-strain state of the VST-20000 tank at the maximum values
determined in [14], the authors suggest using the finite element model for a storage tank
developed in [15]. Based on the model developed with the ANSYS Workbench 16.1
software, it is possible to determine equivalent stresses and strains of VST metal structures
when specifying settlement parameters — length of the uneven settlement zone and vertical
component [16–18]. The calculation algorithm, boundary and contact conditions, as well as
loading parameters for the model are described in detail in [15].

Results and Discussion

Figures 2–4 show the results of numerical simulation of the VST-20000 settlement process
for uneven settlement zones with a length of 12 and 72 m and vertical components with a
size of 10, 30, 100 mm.

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MATEC Web of Conferences 143, 01008 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201814301008
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Fig. 2. Effective stresses at 10-mm settlement with 12-meter-long uneven settlement zone.

Fig. 3. Effective stresses at 30-mm settlement with 72-meter-long uneven settlement zone.

Fig. 4. Effective stresses at 100-mm settlement with 72-meter-long uneven settlement zone.

As a result of post-processing treatment, we obtained relationships of maximum

equivalent stresses in VST metal structures to the vertical settlement component for zones
with a length of 6 to 72 m. The graph below (Fig. 5) indicates three limiting zones. In
zone I, stresses in metal structures do not exceed the allowable values specified in Russian
technical regulations (188 MPa). In the second zone, stresses exceed the allowable values.
In the third zone, inadmissible plastic strains occur.

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MATEC Web of Conferences 143, 01008 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201814301008
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Fig. 5. Relationships of maximum equivalent stresses in VST metal structures to the vertical
settlement component for uneven settlement zones with a length of 6 to 72 m.

The obtained relationships indicate that the limit state in the VST-20000 design is
reached at a 100-mm vertical settlement and uneven settlement zone with a length up to
72 m. According to [12], the allowable settlement for tanks based on the API standard is
distortion with a 500-mm vertical component and uneven settlement zone with a length of
45 m. This clearly suggests that the U.S. standards are not directly applicable to assessing
uneven settlement of Russian vertical steel tanks. In order to use approaches of the standard
[12] and to harmonize the Russian standards as related to the assessment of uneven
foundation settlements, additional calculations are required.

Conclusion
The comparison of the allowable settlement levels according to [12] with those specified in
Russian standards [13] shows that the settlement tolerances established in Russian
documents are much more stringent than the U.S. ones (Fig. 1). Finite-element modeling of
settlement allowed us to determine stresses and strains caused by non-axisymmetric
deformation of the structure. The results based on the numerical model reflect the real
deformation behavior of VST metal structures, which confirms the scientific and practical
value of this study. Based on the calculations performed, it can be concluded that the
criteria presented in [12] cannot be used to determine the allowable uneven settlement of
VST tanks constructed according to the Russian standards. For this purpose, it is necessary
to conduct additional studies of the stress-strain state for determining the coefficients in
formula (1) that would reflect stiffness characteristics of the VST-20000 tank. Then the
proposed approach [12] could be extended to the Russian tank construction industry.

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This paper was prepared as the basic part of the State Assignment for project No. 7.7858.2017/BCh:
Scientific Justification of the Technique for Determining the Stress-Strain State of Large-Size Oil
Storage Tanks in Case of Uneven Bottom and Foundation Settlements.

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