CEW Features

Considering the fact that combining pump

manway with other manway may severely
jeopardise the maintenance of other
internals (eg, instrument dip pipes etc)
inside the vessel and the requirement of
more than one manway is mainly for above
ground vessel, where increase in number
of manway will not necessarily increase
the length of the vessel, the following
approach may be used as a guide in
deciding the number of manways without
increasing the vessel tan-to-tan length
1 manway for general maintenance,
irrespective of the length, and
1 separate manway for each of the
sump pumps

Figure 1. Buried Vessel on Concrete Saddle with Golden Joint

Notwithstanding the above guidelines,

a close coordination among various
engineering disciplines is a prerequisite
for early finalisation of the selection and
design and minimising changes during the
detailed engineering stage.

Figure 2. Combining of smaller nozzles

Figure 3. Vessel Buried in Sand Filled Pit

etc, as shown in Fig 1 above.

4. The project philosophy for covering
the pit.

of 1 to 3 above. This may call for increase

in the vessel tan-to-tan length required
from process consideration. Hence,
other than Process, Civil department also
needs to be consulted before finalising
the vessel tan-to-tan length.

While requirement of code is complied

with by carefully locating the nozzles
on the top of the vessel and providing
combined reinforcement pads, the
challenge of avoiding damage of too
many slender nozzles on the top of the
vessel is addressed by either providing a
temporary horizontal stiffener connecting
all the small nozzles (as shown in Fig 1
above) or by locating two or more small
nozzles on a single larger nozzle with a
blind cover as shown in Fig 2 above.
In order to have easier access to the
vessel pit, project philosophy may opt for
concrete covers supported on removable
cross beams, instead of a thin layer of
concrete. In case of former, the nozzle
center-to-center distance will be governed
by the width and number of the cross
beams over and above the considerations
34 July 2015

Number of Manways
In the absence of specific project
philosophy regarding the number of
manways in buried horizontal vessel,
we tend to adopt the same philosophy
as is being specified for above ground
horizontal vessel which is generally
governed by the vessel tan-to-tan length,
eg, 1 manway for vessel length upto X
m and 2 manways for length larger than
X m etc. This approach results is longer
than required vessel tan-to-tan length,
as discussed in the previous paragraph,
and in order to limit the vessel tan-to-tan
length sometimes the second manway is
combined with the manway for the sump
pump, which is an integral part of these
types of buried vessels.

References
1. EEUMA-190: Guide for the design,
construction and use of mounded
horizontal cylindrical steel vessels for
pressurised storage of LPG at ambient
temperatures.
2. EN 12285-1: Workshop fabricated steel
tanks - Horizontal cylindrical single
skin and double skin tanks for the
underground storage of flammable and
non-flammable water polluting liquids.
3. IS 10987-1992: Code of practice
for design, fabrication, testing and
installation of underground / above
ground horizontal cylindrical steel
storage tanks for petroleum products.

Authors Details
Ritabrata Pramanik
Mechanical Engineering
Fluor Daniel India Pvt Ltd
E: ritabrata.pramanik@fluor.com
Chemical Engineering World