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AST - Tank Shell Design

The document summarizes the key requirements for designing the shell of an above-ground storage tank according to API 650 standards. It specifies the minimum shell plate thicknesses based on tank diameter, requirements for materials selection and allowable stresses, and methods for calculating the required shell plate thickness using either the 1-foot method for tanks up to 60m in diameter or the variable design point method for larger tanks.

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Antony Bruno Genewin
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289 views17 pages

AST - Tank Shell Design

The document summarizes the key requirements for designing the shell of an above-ground storage tank according to API 650 standards. It specifies the minimum shell plate thicknesses based on tank diameter, requirements for materials selection and allowable stresses, and methods for calculating the required shell plate thickness using either the 1-foot method for tanks up to 60m in diameter or the variable design point method for larger tanks.

Uploaded by

Antony Bruno Genewin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AST- Tank Shell design

Ref: API 650


Shell design - General
The constructed shell thickness shall be
the greater of the design shell
thickness plus corrosion allowance or
the hydrostatic test shell thickness
In any case the thickness shall not be
less than shown in the following table: -
NB nominal plate thicknesses shown are
as constructed ie including any corrosion
allowance.
Minimum Shell Plate
Thickness
Nominal Tank Diameter Nominal Plate Thickness
(m) (mm)

Less than 15 5

15 to less than 36 6

36 to less than 60 8

greater than 60 10
Design requirements
Shell plates shall have a minimum
nominal width of 1800mm
Plates to be butt welded shall be properly
squared.
Maximum product level and liquid specific
gravity shall be specified by the purchaser
The hydrostatic test shell thickness shall
be calculated on the basis that the tank is
filled to max product level with water of
SG = 1
Design Requirements cont.
Materials shall be selected to ensure
that the permitted stress for the
material is greater than the calculated
stress for each shell course.
No shell course shall be thinner than the
course above it.
Design wind velocity will indicate the
need for intermediate (wind) girders.
Isolated radial loads on the tank shell
shall be separately supported.
Allowable Stress
Maximum allowable product design
stress and hydrostatic test stress
for a given material shall be as
shown in the following table.
Allowable stress
calculation
Allowable Design Stress, Sd, is
equal to the lesser of 0.66 X
material yield strength or 0.4 X
material tensile strength.
Allowable Hydrostatic Stress, St, is
equal to the lesser of 0.75 X yield
strength or 3/7 X tensile strength.
(see API 650 table 3.2)
Mixing Steels
While acknowledging the foregoing information,
it is acceptable to mix steels usually only
important in large diameter tanks for reasons of
economy.
eg A537-70 plate costs about 5% more than A36 plate
but has more than 20% increase in design allowable
stresses. High strength steels tend therefore to be
used in the lower courses where thickness is an issue.
The thickness of higher courses however may be set
by minimum thickness requirements and therefore
lower strength, cheaper steels can be used.
Simple material availability may also play a part
in selecting and mixing steels.
Shell Plate Thickness
Calculation
1-Foot Method
The 1-foot method may be used for tanks
up to 60m diameter.
The 1-foot method calculates the
thickness required at design points 0.3m
above the bottom of each shell course.
The required minimum thickness of the
shell course shall be the greater of the
values computed for the product plus
corrosion allowance and the hydrostatic
test condition
The following formulae apply: -
Design Shell Thickness
Hydrostatic test shell
thickness
Shell Plate Thickness
Calculation
Variable Design Point Method
The variable design point method
should be used to calculate shell plate
thicknesses for tanks with diameters
larger than 60m.
This procedure normally provides a
reduction in shell course thickness,
thereby allowing construction of larger
diameter tanks within the maximum
plate thickness limitations.
Shell Plate Thickness
Calculation
Variable Design Point Method
Design by this method gives shell
cont.
thicknesses at design points that
result in the calculated stresses
being relatively close to the actual
circumferential shell stresses.
Compared to this method, the 1-
foot method can be viewed as
relatively conservative.
Shell Plate Thickness
Calculation
Variable Design Point Method
A worked example of the variable
cont.
design point method is illustrated
in Appendix K of API 650
Appendix K also provides tables of
precalculated shell plate
thicknesses for various plate sizes
and test conditions.

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