Tank Settlement Criteria

API 650 Appendix B

Criteria for Settlement of Tanks From Journal of Geotechnical Engineering Division, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 108, August 1982 Recommended Performance Criteria for Differential Settlement of Tanks

Chevron
Allowable Tank Bottom Differential Settlement 1) For New Tanks with Floating roofs

SHELL
Tank (bottom) settlement As a general rule, one must assume that the tank center will settle

substantially more than the tank edge because of variation in stress distribution. After settlements due to hydrostatic testing and a number of years of operational service, the remaining minimum elevation of the tank pad measured at the position of the tank wall shall be 0.60 m above the highest floor level of the bunded area. During hydrostatic testing of the tank, 30 to 70% of the total settlement will take place already and the remaining settlements will take place mainly during the first few years when the tank is in operation. Settlements will gradually become less, as can be seen in the typical settlement curve below.

MONITORING OF FOUNDATIONS Especially foundations on soft soil and weak rock should be evaluated by

2) For New Tanks with Fixed roofs s + s 2 + 0.461 D = 4

where: = Allowable differential settlement edge to center of tank, in. D = Tank diameter, ft: S = Intial bottom slope (positive when coned up), in/ft Most soils-related damage to tanks is due to differential settlement.

monitoring of settlement at intervals of: y 2 to 6 weeks during construction of the superstructure, y 6 months during the first two years after construction/water testing, y 3 to 5 years in the period thereafter. During the water test the tank settlements shall be monitored. If the maximum settlement of the tank shell during the water test is more than 50 mm, the tank settlements should also be monitored during operation. three types of differential settlements: y differential settlements along the tank shell y differential settlements between tank centre and perimeter y overall tilting

Tank Settlement Criteria

API 650 Appendix B Chevron
Differential settlement results from a number of causes: 1) Soil characteristics are never uniform. Consequently, elastic and plastic compression of the underlying soil causes differential settlement; 2) Variations in the thickness of soil layers under the tank cause variable bottom and edge settlement. Such variance may occur uniformly across the diameter of the tank resulting in a slight tilting.
Tank Problems Due to Differential Settlement Tank problems due to differential settlement are as follows: y y

SHELL

If a tank tilts while settling, but remains planar, there is generally not significant impact on tank serviceability or shell integrity. However, if portions of the tank shell settle differentially out of the tilt plane, tank rupture may result

A cone up bottom may have its drainage pattern to outside water draws disturbed by unequal settlement If the settlement causes too steep a bottom slope in a cone up bottom, creases may form in the bottom plate from the slack that develops. The creases form stress risers that can cause stress corrosion. When tanks are used for custody transfer, tank bottom movement can cause erroneous readings, by tank gages that measure quantities of crude oil or products. The bottom plate is held against the supporting foundation by the weight of the liquid on the plate. As the liquid level is lowered, the liquid pressure becomes inadequate to provide the necessary restraint and bottom snaps up in a series of minor buckles. This causes bottom sediment and water to mix with the stored product and causes a further loss of operating storage capacity, especially where product storage requires critical quality control. Edge shear failure of soil below the tank shell and in the adjacent unconfined soil outsode the tank can cause edge settlement and shellto-bottom weld failure. In intermediate soils, edge settlement caused by edge shear failure can be avoided by providing ringwalls. If ringwalls are not provide and edge settlement of this type occurs, corrective action is difficult and expensive Small differential settlement can cause variations in the annular space between the roof rim and shell. These variations may be enough to cause the roof to stick or the roof seal to malfunction.

Maximum allowable sag in the tank bottom (after settlement)

The maximum sag f should not exceed the value derived from the following equation : 2 D 100 f 0 f = + 3.75 100 D where f D fo = = = max. allowable sag in tank bottom in m diameter of tank in m deflection of bottom centre in m, in relation to

bottom edge when the tank erected (positive, zero or negative). Note: It is recommended to use a safety factor of 2 for this formula, in view of possible reduced thickness (corrosion) and distortions.