Storage Tank Design Codes and Standards
Storage Tank Design Codes and Standards
We supply tanks and vessels designed, manufactured, inspected, tested and certified to the
following codes and standards:
• The Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC (the PED)
• PD5500 construction category 1, 2 or 3
• ASME VIII Div. 1 (non code stamped)
• BS EN 13445 press vessel
• BS EN 12079/DNV 2.7-1 Offshore containers and associated lifting sets
• BS EN 12285-1 & -2 (horizontal storage tanks, steel)
• BS 799-5 (oil storage tanks, steel)
• OFS T200 (oil storage tanks, steel)
API 650 (< 2.5 psig, up to 500ºF = 260ºC) / EN 14015 (max. 500 mbar or about 7.25 psig)
treats flat bottomed tanks
API 650 storage tanks are often designed to work at temperatures of up to 500ºF (260ºC).
For these higher temperature designs, the allowable stress of the material decreases. As a
result, the required wall thickness increases in a linear fashion when using the 1-foot method
and in a slightly non-linear fashion when using the variable point method.
UL142 (cover steel primary, secondary and diked type atmospheric storage tanks intended
for the storage of noncorrosive, stable flammable and combustible liquids with a specific
gravity (spg) not exceeding 1.0 (H2O2 50% sg = 1.2) in aboveground applications, except
for tanks storing liquids with a specific gravity that exceeds 1.0, covered in Section 12.)
BS EN 12285-2:2005
Workshop Fabricated Steel Tanks. Horizontal Cylindrical Single Skin And Double Skin Tanks
For The Aboveground Storage Of Flammable And Non-Flammable Water Polluting Liquids
(British Standard)
not applicable for the storage of liquids having dangerous good
Explosives Class 4.2 Substances liable to spontaneous combustion Class
4.3 Substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases Class
5.2 Organic peroxides Class 6.2
ASME vs PD 5500 and EN 13445 = ASME heavier, others lighter and more efficient vessels.
FEA Analysis = Finite Element Analysis, verify the design
ASME VIII Div. 1 is best suit for hydrogen peroxide storage in a horizontal tank for it is
volatile, unstable, caustic, prone to pressure build up etc.
Horizontal axis, dished end tanks are ALWAYS more expensive than flat bottomed,
vertical tanks for low pressure liquid storage. You should have a good reason to be
selecting this type of tank..... "my boss said to do it this way" is not a good reason.
Flat bottomed tanks are limited to 2.5 psig design pressure under API-650 and ASME
VIII tank rules are for storage at 15 psig and above.
Based on this, the answer to your question is that low pressure horizontal tanks are
commonly designed to the rules of ASME VIII with a minimum pressure of 14 psig.
No code stamp or certification is required.
The tank cost will, of course, also be controlled by your selection of diameter, length
and accessories.
Use of ASME section VIII (no code stamp) will cover ALL TANK SIZES, ALL LIQUID
SGs and provides complete, conservative and competent designs....... like it has for
the past 75 years !
All four specifications were produced to provide guidelines for design storage tanks;
however, each specification was produce to give a specific area of the storage tank.
API 650:
API-650 is a general specification for designing welded steel storage tank for oil
storage
Large size storage tank
Temperature: -40F to 500F
Pressure: up to 2.5 psig
API 620:
API 12D:
API 12F:
NFPA 430, Code for the Storage of Liquid and Solid Oxidizers
Materials Carbon Steel Carbon Carbon Steel Carbon Steel Carbon Steel
Steel Austenitic
Austenitic Stainless
Stainless Steel
Steel Nickel Alloys
Duplex (Low Temp
Stainless only)
Steel
Aluminum
Uses/Industries Primarily for Oil, Gas, API 620 12F tanks 12D tanks
municipal Chemical, tanks are are are
water storage Water, and used for standardized standardized
or wastewater Bio-Fuel product that shop tanks tanks built in
process but storage. needs high built in accordance
also found API 650 internal accordance with API
industrially tanks are pressure with API 12F, 12D,
when water some of the such as LNG including including
storage is most tanks or dimensions dimensions
necessary common Cryogenic and internal and internal
welded tanks. and external and external
steel tanks pressures. pressures.
used in Primary use Primary use
industry. is for the is for the
Most tanks storage of storage of
in production oil production oil
Refineries, & produced & produced
Terminals, water. water.
Pipelines,
and other
process
facilities
use these
tanks.
*API – American Petroleum Institute
**AWWA – American Water Works Association