Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas | Facilities Engineering
Aboveground Storage Tank Management: Design, Integrity and Safety
Format and Duration:
3 days
5 sessions
The course provides a complete overview of various kinds of “tanks” used aboveground as well as purposes and attributes. Although the course primarily focuses on tanks used in the oil and chemical business which are large flat bottom tanks, we will also cover smaller tanks, both vertical and horizontal as well as belowground tanks. We cover the fundamentals for the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection of petroleum terminal and tank facilities. This includes the safe designs, operations, and considerations in the form of safety moments, incident reviews, and risk management from real world example. We discuss the different kinds of designs, best practices and the general considerations associated with storage tanks including the hazards of petroleum storage. Also addressed is what you need to know and how you can make a difference about keeping your tank personnel safe based on lessons learned from past incidents that have shaped the industry.
Feedback
The instructor has a very good anecdotal style, easy to relate to with real-world experiences and able to engage the class. The information presented was nicely captured with references to current documents. Upcoming developments were discussed about the standards, but the real gem was the focus on practical value
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a classroom-based course. There will be some in-class exercises on fundamental problems as well as a pre-read that helps to establish context for the course.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
- Identify the key standards for aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), such as API 650, API 653, API 2610, API 2350, API 579, NFPA 30, UL 142 and STI SP001, explaining their specific applications in tank design and integrity management.
- Describe the principles of AST design, including shell design, floating roofs, foundations, venting, hydrostatic testing, and materials of construction, highlighting how these factors contribute to tank safety and compliance.
- Explain the factors that govern the thickness of tank components and how these are determined by specific standards, focusing on their impact on tank safety.
- Differentiate between the metallurgical considerations for tanks of varying sizes, detailing how these impact the design and construction of tanks ranging from 10 to 150 ft in diameter or larger.
- Summarize the essential elements of foundation design and piping considerations in AST construction, explaining their importance in maintaining tank integrity.
- Compare the roles of API 650 and API 653 in managing tank integrity at different stages of the tank life cycle, outlining the specific damage mechanisms they address, such as corrosion, settlement, and stress corrosion cracking.
- Illustrate strategies for optimizing tank inspection programs, incorporating risk-based inspection (RBI) techniques to manage tank integrity effectively across multiple sites.
- Describe the methods for detecting leaks and implementing secondary containment practices, emphasizing their role in ensuring environmental safety and regulatory compliance.
- Explain the steps involved in conducting a fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment to evaluate tank conditions and determine maintenance needs.
- Apply best practices for tank cleaning, inspection documentation, and stakeholder communication, ensuring effective management of AST safety and integrity.
Course Content
Part 1: Design
Part 1 of the course will provide an overview of all the important tanks standards such as API 650, API 653, API 2610, API 2350, API 579, NFPA 30 and STI SP001. It will provide additional detail on API 650 and provide the basic principles of shell design, floating roofs, foundations, fixed roofs, venting, hydrostatic tests, materials of construction, and many other issues associated with building new tanks. Some issues addressed in this section are:
- What governs the thickness of tank components.
- Which standards can/should be used for various types of tanks.
- What metallurgy should be considered for tanks in the diameter range from 10 to 150 ft or for larger tanks.
- Elements of foundation design
- Piping considerations
Part 2 Tank Integrity
Part 2 of the course addresses ongoing integrity. Having designed and built a good tank the next problem is to ensure it remains safe and leak free. The focus is on the well-known tank inspection standard, API 653 as well as STI SP001.
Some of the topics covered:
- How do standards API 650 v API 653 manage tank integrity and at what point in the tank life cycle are these standards relevant?
- What are the relevant design and age related damage mechanisms including brittle fracture, corrosion, settlement, repairs, corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, and more?
- How does one optimize a tank inspection program for a population of tanks?
- What is risk based inspection and how can it be applied effectively to tanks?
- Various methods of leak detection design.
- Best practices for secondary containment.
- Best practices for documenting tank inspections and tank data.
- What is a fitness-for-service assessment and how is it done?
- Best practices for cleaning tanks?
- How to deal with top management policy, regulator, auditors, and others who are important stakeholders in the tank operation.
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This comprehensive and broad course is aimed at engineers, inspectors, regulators, administrators, auditors and managers responsible for storage tank facilities who wish to improve their overall knowledge and understanding of these facilities in the petroleum, chemical, aviation and paper and pulp industries.
Instructors
Philip Myers
Background
Philip Myers has had experience in process and project engineering in the utility, chemicals, petrochemicals and refining businesses. Midway in his career he has specialized in tank, piping and pressure vessel technology with a focus on environmental protection and safety engineering.
In addition, he did significant work in decision and risk for operations management. He has applied this work to standards technologies as well as safety. He held a CSP (Certified Safety Profession) license and Chairman of the Subcommittee for Tanks and Pressure Vessels for the American Petroleum Institute (API), vice chairman of ASME's B96.1 Committee for Aluminum Tanks and chaired many other taskgroups and committees. He served on the ASCE 7 Seismic Task Group for non-building structures.
Philip has been a nominee for the Chevron Fellows Program, reflecting his expertise and contributions. Notably, he actively participated in the official investigation of the Buncefield Incident at the request of the Health Safety Executive (HSE), earning a commendation from Chevron Vice President, Mike Worth. Serving as chairman of the Subcommittee for Tanks and Pressure Vessels for the American Petroleum Institute (API), he has played a crucial role in shaping industry standards. Additionally, his involvement in the API Storage Tank Task Force highlights his commitment to addressing regulatory and environmental issues in the field.
Affiliations & Accreditation
MSc University of California, Berkeley - Chemical Engineering
BSc University of California, Berkeley - Chemical Engineering
Courses Taught
N609: API 650, 653, and 620 Storage Tanks
Andrew Yearwood
Andrew received his Bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in Mechanical Engineering with a dual major in Mathematics. He is a registered professional engineer in multiple states and provinces. Before joining PEMY Consulting he held design engineering and project engineering roles at a leading tank manufacturing company, pipeline equipment manufacturer, and energy facility manufacturer.
Andrew is involved in the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) standard devlopment comittees. He is chairman of a Task Group to write a new Recommended Practice API 626 Inspection and Assessment of Refrigerated and Cryogenic Storage Tanks. He is Co-Chair of API 2610 Design, Construction, Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of Terminal and Tank Facilities. He is a member of API’s subcommittee on Aboveground Storage Tanks, the Fabrication sub-group, and the Refrigerated Tanks Task Group. He speaks regularly at industry events including the API Tank Conference, API Inspection Summit, National Institute of Storage Tank Management (NISTM), and the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement (ISHM).
Affiliations & Accreditation
BSc Oklahoma State University - Mechanical Engineering
Courses Taught
N609: API 650, 653, and 620 Storage Tanks
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 2.1 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 21 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.