Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
GROTH CORPORATION into the tank. In short, the tank EMERGENCY VALVE
needs to breathe in order to elimi-
Groth Corporation was estab- nate the possibility of rupturing or The primary function of the emer-
lished as Groth Equipment imploding. Because of its’ primary gency relief valve is to provide a
Corporation in Houston, Texas in function, a pressure/vacuum valve controlled opening on a tank that
1960. In 1971 Groth began manu- is commonly referred to as a will be large enough to prevent
facturing pressure/vacuum relief “breather valve”. rupturing of the tank under severe
valves and flame arresters. Today, pressure increases caused by
Groth is a global leader in manu- FLAME/DETONATION proximity to intense fire.
facturing pressure/vacuum relief ARRESTERS
valves, flame and detonation Each of these safety devices
arresters, blanket gas regulators Flame arresters are fire safety are used on the atmospheric,
and other low pressure relief prod- devices. They prevent flames from fixed roof, non-refrigerated, stor-
ucts. In September 1999, Groth entering a tank and also provide age tank.
became a part of the Continental protection from flashes within a
Disc Corporation family of compa- tank. They can also be used as an
nies that produce pressure relief in-line flashback prevention device.
products for industrial applications.
Continental Disc Corporation is
PRESSURE VACUUM
headquartered in Liberty, Missouri. RELIEF VALVES
We constructed a new manfactur-
ing facility in Stafford, Texas in 2002.
PRESSURE/VACUUM
RELIEF VALVE
WHY PRESSURE/VACUUM oz. pressure and 1/2 oz. vacuum. IN MOST CASES A
RELIEF VALVES ARE API 2521 states that 1/2 oz. is the PRESSURE/VACUUM
REQUIRED usual setting. RELIEF VALVE WILL PAY
FOR ITSELF BEFORE YOU
1. Saves money by saving product. CALCULATING TANK PAY THE INVOICE
2. Protects tank from over or under PRODUCT LOSS
pressure when sized properly. The results of these tests indicate
3. Protection against fire hazard when A multiple correlation for tanks 20 that the evaporation loss on a tank
conforming to API standards. feet in diameter or larger, based with a 55,000 barrel capacity
4. Minimizes evaporation loss. on model equation, derived from would be 2,000 barrels per year if
5. Reduces atmospheric corrosion the tests on the tanks, yielded in an open vent was installed, and
of tank. the case of gasoline: only 1,382 barrels per year if a
6. Generally in all cases required pressure/vacuum valve was uti-
by OSHA, EPA, etc. lized, thereby saving 618 barrels
Ly = TPY ( P ) D1.73H.51T.50Fp
.68
per year, every year. This study
1,000 14.7-P
PRESSURE/VACUUM also coined a new catchword,
VALVES “Conservation Vent.” So if you
SAVE MONEY hear the term conservation vent,
Where: you know that the valve referred to
Actually, any properly sized opening Ly =
the breathing loss in barrels is a pressure/vacuum valve or
per year.
in the tank’s upper structure protects TPY = turn overs per year breather valve.
the tank from damage, but utilizing a P = the true vapor pressure at
pressure and vacuum valve also bulk liquid temperature in If the product in the tank cost $40
serves to accomplish other advan- pounds per square inch per barrel, this would be a savings
tages. Two of the more important absolute in one year of $24,720 per tank.
are: economic savings and fire haz- D = tank diameter in feet Pressure/vacuum relief valves
ard protection. In 1952, American H = the average outage in feet provide savings of millions of dol-
T = average daily ambient tem-
Petroleum Institute developed a for- perature change lars and millions of barrels
mula to determine tank evaporative Fp = the paint factor of product in a large facility such
losses. The API equation was for- as the one illustrated on page 4.
mulated after the results of a total of Depending on size and materials
A modification of the above equa-
256 individual tests were compiled. of construction, a breather
tion was then required which
Of the 256 tanks tested (1/2 with valve can pay for itself in less than
would accommodate small-diame-
open vents and 1/2 with a month.
ter tanks.
pressure/vacuum valves), only 178
were considered valid. The remain- Ly = TPY ( P ) D1.73H.51T.50FpC
.68
An advantage of using a pres- 1. Closed tank principle. When a An additional reason for using
sure/vacuum valve is that the pressure/vacuum valve is pressure/vacuum valves, they
valve provides fire protection for closed, vapors are not escaping help reduce overall corrosion in
the tank. A pressure/vacuum valve to support combustion. the plant. Plant corrosion
is normally closed except when is reduced due to less product
venting due to pressure or vacuum 2. Pressure when open principle. escaping from the tank and there-
conditions. An open vent When the valve is open, the fore less corrosion is produced
always has a free passageway velocity of the relieving vapor is by escaping vapors. This means
between the vapor in the tank and greater than the flame speed. overall plant maintenance
atmosphere. Therefore, a pres- is reduced thereby saving labor
sure/vacuum valve is usually 3. Over rich principle due to equi- and dollars.
closed allowing the tank vapor to librium being reached in a
reach true vapor pressure. closed tank and therefore the RECOMMENDED AND
vapors are too rich to burn. REQUIRED
Under true vapor pressure, the When emptying or pumping
vapor in the tank is too rich to from the tank, oxygen rich Pressure/vacuum valves are rec-
burn. The tank is also closed vapors are susceptible to burn- ommended by API 2000 for use
off eliminating a free passageway ing and flame arresters should on atmospheric storage tanks in
for fire or sparks to ignite the be installed between the pres- which oil with a flash point below
potentially combustible vapor in sure/vacuum relief valve and 100° F is stored. OSHA states
the tank. If the valve has been tank nozzle. that tanks storing Class 1 liquids
activated by excessive tank pres- shall be equipped with venting
sure, the now open valve is 4. The vacuum created during devices which shall be normally
causing a condition where any pump out of product will prevent closed except under pressure or
vapors escaping are under posi- fumes from escaping which vacuum condition.
tive pressure and the fire hazard normally does not present a
will be kept away from the vapor fire hazard. Generally speaking, the majority
content of the tank. If flames are in of the regulatory bodies dealing
the area and the tank is being with tank safety, API, OSHA,
emptied, vapors are not escaping NFPA, Insurance Companies etc.
and combustion is not likely to require installation of these
occur even though the tank may devices on flammable liquid
have a combustible mixture. storage tanks.
EMERGENCY VALVES order to carry off the additional 5. A connection between the roof
volume resulting from the fire and shell which is weaker than
Emergency valves are required by exposure the tank is experiencing. the weakest vertical joint in the
API on storage tanks in order to API 2000 states emergency vent- shell or shell to bottom connec-
protect the tank against excessive ing my be accomplished by the tion (weak roof to shell weld).
pressure caused by external fire use of:
exposure or flashes within the
tank. The excessive pressure 1. Larger or additional open vents.
caused by an external fire is gen- 2. Larger or additional MODEL 2000A
erally because an adjacent tank is pressure/vacuum valves or
on fire or some other structure in pressure relief valves.
proximity is on fire. Flashes 3. A gage hatch which permits the
are generally caused by a cover to lift under
chemical reaction in the tank. abnormal internal pressure.
Regardless of the cause of the 4. A manhole cover which
excessive pressure, an opening permits the cover to lift under
larger than the normal pressure/ abnormal internal pressure.
vacuum valve is necessary in (ERV Model 2000A/2400A)
With the implementation of the Clean Air Act of 1990, most Liquid Product Storage terminals and hydrocarbon
processing plants must control evaporative hydrocarbon emissions from loading and storage operations. Two types
of recognized technologies are vapor recovery using carbon absorption or vapor combustion. Both systems require
pressure/vacuum valves and flame or detonation arresters to minimize emissions and maximize safety.
CONCLUSION
Tank protection equipment is specialized. Understanding this equipment
and how it should be applied will ensure that your storage tank is protected
properly from any number of potential hazards. Protection from
rupturing or imploding, and protection from fire hazards are the major
considerations. Environmental and conservation features enhance the value
of these products.
Blanket Gas Regulator, a blanket
gas is supplied to prevent a vacuum
from developing and to maintain the CAL-Q-SIZE PRODUCT CAPACITY RATINGS
desired blanket pressure. In addition PC compatible sizing program for Pressure/Vacuum Valves in accordance
to preventing outside air and mois- with API 2000. Download from our web site at www. grothcorp.com or con-
ture from entering the storage ves- tact Groth Corporation Sales Department.
sel, a blanket gas pressure, as low
as 1/2” W.C., reduces the evapora-
tion of the stored product to a negli-
gible amount. The result not
only conserves product but also
greatly reduces emissions. These
advantages are in addition to the fire
protection that is provided.
Available in aluminum (type 356), carbon steel, stainless steel, fiberglass, and other materials, in most models.
10 Groth Corporation, a Continental Disc company, Stafford, TX, USA
EMERGENCY RELIEF VALVES
Most Groth valves and flame arresters Model 6000 Series Model 8110
can be steam jacketed. • Gauge hatch. • Back Pressure Check Valve
• Sizes: 4" through 10". • Sizes 2" through 12"
TEST STANDS
Groth is committed to the total
quality improvement process.
GROTH CORPORATION
13650 N. Promenade Blvd.
Stafford, Texas 77477
tel 281-295-6800 • fax 281-295-6999
800-354-7684
12 Groth Corporation, a Continental Disc company, Stafford, TX, USA 92880 Rev. A, ProdSelGuide.qxd, 5m, 4/02 ©Copyright 2002 Groth Corporation