(41au) Process Safety for Tank Farms

Tank farms are some of the most important assets in a refinery or petrochemical facility, storing millions of dollars’ worth of raw materials and finished products. When an issue arises in a tank farm, the outcome can rapidly escalate to include catastrophic consequences that may result in the loss of one or more tanks, environmental harm, and unwanted adverse media coverage.

In some parts of the world, tank farm storage facilities are considered to be high-hazard facilities, subjecting them to regulations consistent with operating process units. However, in the US, storage tank facilities are not generally covered by the OSHA PSM standard and the EPA RMP programs; allowing safety-related issues to potentially be overlooked.

There are many applicable codes and standards that specifically apply to tank farms, including both API and NFPA publications. Overfill protection has gained a lot of attention in recent years, especially after incidents such as Buncefield and CAPECO; but there are many other process safety concepts to consider. For example, emerging standards and recommended practices such as API RP 545 Recommended Practice for Lightning Protection of Above Ground Storage Tanks for Flammable or Combustible Liquids reflect the global changes in weather patterns that are changing the type and severity of hazards faced by tank farm operators.

Drawing on the author's experience, and lessons learned from past incidents, and using API Standard 2610 Third Edition Design, Construction, Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of Terminal and Tank Facilities as a framework for the discussion, this paper explores various process safety topics that relate to tank farms, and looks at issues concerning design considerations, construction challenges, and maintenance practices. Safe operations, and emergency response approaches are also discussed.