Numerical Study on the Influence of Various Design Variables on the Behavior Characteristics of Oil and Gas in Internal Floating Roof Tanks

Abstract

With the development of the petrochemical industry, the number of storage tanks has continuously increased, exacerbating the issue of oil evaporation losses. Therefore, it is urgent to find efficient and economical measures to reduce oil evaporation losses. This paper establishes a diffusion model for internal floating roof tanks (IFRTs) and uses numerical simulation methods to study the mass fraction distribution, pressure distribution, and the variation patterns of oil vapor inside the tanks at different floating roof heights. The results show that the closer to the top of the tank, the lower the oil vapor mass fraction, and the mass fraction distribution is almost symmetrical. As the floating roof height decreases, the vapor mass fraction in the mixed gas region inside the tank gradually decreases, showing a distribution below the lower explosive limit (LEL), indicating improved safety. Furthermore, the study found that in the benchmark model, the behavior characteristics of gasoline vapor are reflected in the changes in mass fraction, velocity, and pressure distribution, where the oil vapor concentration in the upper part is lower but evenly distributed. By comparing the behavior characteristics of oil vapor inside the tank at different floating roof heights, it was found that the floating roof height significantly affects the diffusion and accumulation of oil vapor. The presence of vents effectively reduces the accumulation of oil vapor concentration, improving the stability and safety inside the tank. For different floating roof height scenarios (such as CASE 1, CASE 2, and CASE 4), the oil vapor behavior characteristics are similar. The study results provide important theoretical support for the future development of oil vapor recovery technologies and the design of enclosed energy-saving recovery devices inside tanks, indicating that optimizing the floating roof height and vent system design can significantly reduce oil evaporation losses.

Keywords

• internal floating roof tank
• oil volume fraction
• vent
• oil and gas diffusion
• numerical simulation