All
gases and liquids produced in gas plants need to stored properly. In some
cases, the pure form of gas is distributed through pipelines to the desired
destinations. But in most cases, the gases thus produced are stored in tanks
or cylinders. While tanks are large sized storing vessels for holding
liquids and gases, cylinders are small sized storages and are easily
portable.
Industrial Gas Tanks
A container or a construction in spherical or cylindrical in shape, tanks
can be mounted in fixed areas as stationary vessels or on railroad car and
truck chassis for easy transportation. Tanks are available in various sizes,
ranging from 300 gallons to 420,000 gallons. The unit measure of capacity of
tanks for gases is usually the gallon. One basic reason for the shape of a
tank to be cylindrical, or to have rounded corners is to withstand hydraulic
pressure of contained liquid/gas. A large tank when mounted on a lorry
trailer is called a tanker.
These tanks or tankers are designed in such a way so that they can deal
with a heavy sloshing load and the risk of collision or other accident. Some
of these include and LNG carriers, railroad tank cars, ocean-going oil
tankers, the road and highway traveling tank trucks. Some common styles of
tanks are standard, vapor tight, cone bottom, and open top.
A typical spherical shaped tank for storing liquid or gas is shown
below:
Cylinders
Cylinders are specially designed pressure vessels used to store gases at
high pressure. In other words, cylinders are storage containers of liquefied
gas such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen or natural gas or a compressed gas or
ultra high purity gases or specialty gases like standards mixed gases,
electronic gases, chemical gases.
These gases are distributed by cylinders under pressure. These cylinders
are built in such a way so that they can withstand the sometimes immense
pressures exerted by the contents. In order to avoid hazardous situations
and for ready identification, it is essential that all cylinders are
identified by name gas (by color or label).
Materials of Construction
Steel is the most common material for the construction of cylinders and
tanks. GRP, fibreglass, aluminum, and thermoplastic tanks are increasing in
popularity. These tanks and cylinders have greater chemical resistance,
especially for storage of specialty chemicals and gases. The space between
inner and outer surface of a tank are vacuum and usually contains insulated
powder to protect heat transfer from outside. Safety relief valves are there
to protect the tanks and cylinders for the pressure and temperatures
involved.
Linings and Coatings
- Epoxy
- Glass
- Cement
- Galvanizing
- Polyurethane foam
Buying Tips
Specifications to consider are as follows:
- Sizes
- Design
- Pressures
- Tank Heads
- Linings and Coatings
Tanks
and Cylinders
