White Paper

June24,2009

StillingWellRecommendations

Thisdocumentdescribesgeneralrequirementsforstillingwells

usedforradartankgaugingapplications.

Automation solutions for oil & gas, defense and aviation applications
 Contents

Contents
Contents...............................................................................................2
ExecutiveSummary..............................................................................3
StillingWellRequirements...................................................................4
Minimumdiameter.........................................................................................4
Supportofpipe...............................................................................................5
Guidingofpipe................................................................................................5
Lower/Bottomend..........................................................................................7
Perforationsvs.slotted...................................................................................7
APIrecommendations....................................................................................8
Location...........................................................................................................8
Grounding.......................................................................................................8
Vaporseals......................................................................................................9
Handdipping...................................................................................................9
Manualsampling...........................................................................................10
Material.........................................................................................................10
InstallationofcoaxialstillingwellsforATGapplications..............................10
Weldingofstillingwellsandtanks................................................................10
SpecificATGrequirements...........................................................................11
Credits................................................................................................12
AboutVarec..................................................................................................12
References....................................................................................................12
Copyright...........................................................................................13

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ExecutiveSummary

Executive Summary
Tanks,particularlyfloatingrooftanks,arefrequentlyfittedwithstand
pipes,stillingwellsorguidepipes.Thenamingofthesetheoretical
identicalpipesorwellscanallbetracedbacktotheoriginalintentat
thetimeofinstallation:
Stillingwelloriginallyinstalledtoprovideaquietandstable
surfaceformanualorautomatictanklevelmeasurement
Guidepiperelativelylargesizestillingwell,typicallyusedin
externalfloatingrooftankstoprovideanantirotationdevice,which
facilitateshanddippingandsamplingatthesametimewitha
minimumof(floating)roofpenetrations
Standpipeverticalcolumnusedtoprovideastablegauging
platform
Throughtheevolutionoftankdesign,wehavenowreachedanindustry
standardfortankconstructionandtheexactdifferencesbetweenthe
variousversionsaredifficulttodistinguish.Fortheremainderofthis
document,thetermstillingwellwillbeusedforallformsoftechnical
solutions.
Thispaperhastriedtocreateareadableoverviewandhence,notall
formsofspecialdevelopmentsoverthelast50yearshavebeenincluded.

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 StillingWellRequirements

Stilling Well Requirements

In the relevant API documents (see references), you can find detailed
information on stilling wells. The primary reasons for having a stilling
wellare:
Providesastablegaugereferencepoint(limitsverticalmovement)
Providesarelativelyquietproductsurfaceduringfillingand
emptyingofthetank,especiallyifswirlexists,andisrequiredfor
mechanicaltypesofautomatictankgauges(ATGs)orfortanksin
whichproductswithaverylowreadvaporpressurearestored,such
asLPGs.
Preventsfloatingroofrotationandallowsaccesstothestoredliquid
productatthesametime
Note: With the invention of radar for tank gauging, the stilling well is
increasingly appreciated. For example, in LPG applications, the stilling
wellactsasawaveguidefortheradarenergy.Intheseapplicationsthe
wellhelpstobundletheemittedsignalandminimizethesignallossa
mustonproductswithanintrinsicallylowproductreflectivity(causedby
a low dielectric constant) and surface phenomena like boiling off and
vapormist.

Minimumdiameter
API suggests a minimum diameter of
8.Ingeneral,8shouldbesufficient,
butforverylargeexternalfloatingroof
tanks, larger diameters of up to 12
should be considered. Diameters
above 12 are not particularly useful.
For relatively small tanks (maximum
height 30 ft), 6 diameters can be
considered. For horizontal cylindrical
(bullet) tanks (maximum diameter 13
ft),astillingwellof2diametercanbe
considered.
A bad example of a radar gauge/stilling well
junction

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StillingWellRequirements

Itisadvisedtomakethewholestillingwellthesamediameter,especially
inthecasewhenaradarlevelgaugeisused.Changesinpipediameter
changethespeedofradarand,thus,theabsoluteaccuracyofasystem.
Thisislesscriticalwithothergaugetechnologies,suchasservogauges.
For larger sized stilling wells (8 and up) the use of a reducer can be
considered,inwhichcaseitisadvisedtomakethetransitionpiecelong
enough(refertothematerialrequirements).

Supportofpipe
Preferably, the stilling well
should be supported out of the
tank bottom. In areas where
the ground on which the tank
sits is very unstable, it is
suggestedtosupportthestilling
well out of the lowest part of
the tank shell (less than 1 foot
from the tank bottom as
shown).
Fortankfloorsupport,asimple
tripodissufficient.Fortankshellsupport,itisimportantthatacertain
amount of tank bulging (due to hydrostatic tank
deformation) can be tolerated without extreme
mechanicalstressexertedonthetankshellitself.

Guidingofpipe
The top end of the stilling well should be properly
guidedandallowforverticalmovementofthetank
shell and tank roof in respect to the stilling well.
Normally,aconstructionwiththreecenteringbolts
is considered to be enough. The bolts can be
adjusted for reducing horizontal and vertical
tolerances.

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 StillingWellRequirements

Lefttoright:1)6UNIFlange,2)Centeringofstillingwell3)Goodexample.Stillingwell
canmoveverticallyfreefromtheplatform.4)Badexample.Stillingwellisfixedtothe
platform.

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StillingWellRequirements

Lower/Bottomend
Thelowerendofthestillingwellshouldextendtowithin12ofthetank
bottom.

Perforationsvs.slotted
Slotsorperforationsareamustonany
stilling well used for level gauging,
independent of whether it is by
manualorautomaticmeans.
Typicalhydrocarbonsshowanaverage
thermal expansion coefficient of 0.1%
everyC.Mosthydrocarbonscanvary
largelybycomposition.
TopAbadexample.Slotsaretoobig;made
with a torch. They are affecting the radar
signals and absolute accuracy. Servo is not
influenced. Bottom A good example as the
grindedslotsarenotoversized.

If a stilling well is not slotted or

perforated, the product in the stilling
well will be pushed in from the
bottom. This may include water or
sediment, which is not representative
of the rest of the tank. The product
pushed in can have a different
temperature and composition as well
and,therefore,adifferentbasedensity
andobserveddensity.Asaresult,the
productcolumninsidethestillingwell,
withadifferentactualdensitythanthe
averageproductinthetank,canshow
a different level per the physical law
called communication vessels. A
difference as small as 0.1% in density
(0.8kg/m3onatypicalproductof800kg/m3)inatankcontaining33ft
ofproductwillresultinaleveldifferenceof0.5.

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 StillingWellRequirements

Note: It is assumed that the top of the stilling well is open and not
hermaticallysealed.Theopeningcanbeinsidethetankandbelowthe
roofprovidedthehighestholeorperforationiswellabovethemaximum
safeoillevelforthetank.Failuretofollowtheseguidelinescanleadto
serious level errors and, in worst case situations, even to overfills and
productspillage.

APIrecommendations
IntherelevantAPIstandard(Ch.3.1A),tworowsofoverlappingslotsor
holes located on opposite sides of the pipe are recommended. This
recommendation is slightly overdone and current insights are that this
requirement can be reduced, allowing for attractive cost reductions. If
radarisconsidered,thetotalsizeofslotscannotonlybeanissueforthe
radar measurement, but also for the resulting forces internally in the
pipe,causingthepipetobend.Inaddition,thematerialburrsproduced
whenmakingtheslotsareadisadvantageforradargauging.
Formosthydrocarbonapplications,itisproposedtohaveadoublerow
of1to1holesonoppositesidesofthepipe,withtheholesstaggered
onbothsideswithapitchofapproximately2ft.Itisalsosuggestedtolet
the holes be radial on the center of the tank (minimizing product flow
throughthepipe).Allholesshouldbeproperlydeburred.
For very light products, like LPGs stored in bullet tanks with a 2 to 3
stilling well, the hole diameter caneven be further reduced to 0.25 to
0.5.

Location
APIrecommendsthatthecenterlineofthestillingwellbeapproximately
18to30fromthetankshellinordertominimizetemperatureeffects
fromthetankshell.

Grounding
Itisessentialthatthestillingwellisextremelywellgroundedtothetank
potential. It is advised to have at least two braided wiresbetween the
tankshellandstillingwell,preferablyoneatthebottomandoneonthe
tankroof.

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StillingWellRequirements

The braided wires should be at

least 2 x 0.25 mm and
preferably welded or connected
with shark rings. A simple nut
and bolt isdefinitely not enough,
as paint and rust will prevent
propergalvaniccontact.

Vaporseals
A vapor seal is recommended in
all cases in order to minimize
vaporemissions.Asimplerubberbootclampedonthewellandfixedto
theroofisnormallysufficient.

Handdipping
If the stilling well is
used for both
automatic tank gauging
and hand dipping, it is
essential that access is
provided. Opening and
closing should be
simple and
uncomplicated without
the need for special
tools or without parts
that can become
separatedandarelikely
to be dropped,
damagedorlost.
Good results are obtained using so called hinged door constructions. A hinged door
accesscanbeusedforbothservoandradartechnologies.

Forinstallationswhereverticalvisualaccessintothetankisrequired,itis
possible to use a swivel approach, although this type of appendage is
onlyapplicableforradargauging.
For accurate hand dipping in custody transfer applications, it is
recommendedtohavethereferenceheightofthediplocationproperly
identified next to the dip hatch. Please make sure that there is no

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 StillingWellRequirements

diameterchangeorgapsinthesealbetweenstillingwellanddiphatchin
thecasewherearadargaugeisused.Thisisnotanissueforothergauge
technologies,suchasservogauges.

Manualsampling
Thehatchshouldbelargeenoughtoalloweasyaccessandretrievalofa
samplingbottle.

Material
Materials used should be compatible with the product stored. For
smaller tanks and small diameter stilling wells (less than 4), stainless
steel can be considered, as it allows for thinner walls and does not
requireanyformalcoatingorcorrosionprotection.

InstallationofcoaxialstillingwellsforATGapplications
Note: API is aware that, for some radar applications, it is advised to
insertasecondarystillingwellintheoriginallyinstalledstillingwell.This
maybeduetoexcessivesizeoftheslots,corrosion,reducersweldedto
pipe (above or below roof) or the necessity to install an average
temperaturesensoronthesamestillingwell.
This issue was discussed in several API workgroup meetings and future
standardswillreflectthenowcurrentjointopinion:Stillingwellsusedfor
manual sampling, i.e. stilling wells that are not only used for automatic
level gauging, but where product samples are taken out for chemical,
physical and/or composition analysis, should not be
equipped to have a secondary (coaxial) stilling well
inside. It is thought that this would have a negative
influenceonhowrepresentativetheproductsampledis
comparedtotheaverageproductinthetank.

Weldingofstillingwellsandtanks
Weld the stilling well segments only on the outside.
Inside welding slags will reflect radar signals and will
haveaninfluenceonthesignaltonoiseratioandspeed
of the radar signal. It is advised to remove any
instrumentswithelectronicsbeforewelding,asyoumay
damagetheelectronicsoftheinstrument.

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StillingWellRequirements

SpecificATGrequirements
Depending on the application and type of selected or preferred
automatic tank gauging equipment, the following mechanical design
issuesshouldbeevaluated:
ReducersForradarapplications,theslopeofthereducershouldbe
kept reasonable. 6 per 1 diameter change is considered to be
acceptable(i.e.an8to6reducerneedstobe12long.a12to8
requires an 18 long reducer). In general, the longer the transition
thebetter.
Safety or isolation valves For applications requiring safety or
isolationvalves,suchasonpressurizedapplicationswithproductslike
LPGs,itisamusttoselectthepropervalvesize.Thevalveshouldbe
fullboreandtheinsidediametershouldmatchthestillingwell.Keep
thesealasthinaspossibletoavoidradarnoise.
Perforations Should be minimized in combination with radar
diameterofholesshouldbekeptwellbelow1/10thdiameterofthe
stillingwell.Donotusetorchestoburnthemin,butgrindthemto
avoidslagand,thus,falseradarreflectionsontheinsideofthestilling
well.

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 Credits

Credits
AboutVarec
Varec,Inc.deliversmeasurement,controlandautomationsolutionsandprofessional
servicesformostmajoroilcompanies,defenseorganizationsandairlinesworldwide.
Varec's FuelsManager software applications and hardware products provide local
levelmanagementandenterprisevisibilityofliquidpetroleumassetsatbulkstorage
facilities, marketing terminals, refineries, petrochemical plants and military fuel
facilities.

References
1. ManualofPetroleumMeasurementStandardsChapter3Tank
GaugingSection1AStandardPracticefortheManualGauging
ofPetroleumandPetroleumProducts(1stedition,Dec.1994)
2. ManualofPetroleumMeasurementStandardsChapter3Tank
GaugingSection1BStandardPracticeforLevelMeasurement
of Liquid Hydrocarbons in Stationary Tanks by Automatic Tank
Gauging(2ndedition,June2001)

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Copyright

Copyright
Copyright2009Varec,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybe
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These materials are subjectto change without notice. These materials are provided
byVarec,Inc.forinformationalpurposesonly,withoutrepresentationorwarrantyof
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set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and
services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional
warranty.

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