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MANAGEMENT OF EVAPORATION LOSSES OF GASOLINE'S STORAGE TANKS

Article · March 2009

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 MANAGEMENT OF EVAPORATION LOSSES OF GASOLINE'S
STORAGE TANKS

Abdelmajeed, M. A.1; Onsa, M. H.2; Rabah, A. A.3

1. PERCON Engineering, Khartoum.
2. Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Khartoum.
3. Chemical Engineering Department, University of Khartoum.

Received July. 2008, accepted after revision Feb. 2009

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ABSTRACT
Gasoline is a volatile organic compound (VOCs) which consists of different
hydrocarbons with different boiling points in the range of 30-200oC. The light
compounds that have boiling point of less than 40oC constitute about 10%. Khartoum,
Sudan is characterized with an average of 10 hrs of sunshine and solar radiation of
3.05-7.62 kWh/m2/day and average temperature of 32 to 40oC. Under these conditions
high evaporation rate is expected from storage tanks. The objective of this study is to
evaluate the evaporation loss of gasoline from internal floating roof storage tank. The
case study is based on metrological and operation data for the year 2008. The result
revealed that the total evaporation loss is 0.5%. This is significantly higher than that set
by the ministry of energy [i.e.0.25%]. The results should be of concern to the petroleum
industries and government. The reduction of evaporation loss of gasoline will give
attractive economic returns as well as reducing air pollution and hazards.

Keywords: Gasoline, Benzene, evaporation loss, storage tank

1. INTRODUCTION nitrogen react in the presence of sunlight.

Resulting health problems include coughs,
Gasoline is composed of different
eye irritation and poor air quality in
hydrocarbons with different boiling points
addition to flammability hazards.
in the range of 30-200oC. Some
hydrocarbons can be released into the Transportation and handling of gasoline
atmosphere at ambient temperature. It involves many distinct operations each of
contains about 10% of light products that which represents potential source of
can evaporate at a temperature of about evaporation loss. The first operation is the
40 °F as can be seen in Figure 1 [1]. transportation of gasoline from refinery to
Besides the energy loss due to the main strategic and bulk storage
evaporation, the emission of hydrocarbons terminal. Then from these terminals to the
give rise to photochemical oxidants when end fuel consumers sites or distribution
hydrocarbon compounds and oxides of services stations. It is final destination is

Sudan Engineering Society Journal, March 2009, Volume 55 No.52 39

 EVAPORATION LOSSES OF GASOLINE STORAGE TANKS
motor vehicle gasoline tank.
Transportation of gasoline can be made
by pipelines, rail ways, marine vessels
and road tank trucks. In this operation
there are basically two types of
evaporation losses: loading and transient
losses. In the Sudan the most utilized
mean of gasoline transportation is pipeline
for bulk delivery and exportation, and road
tank trucks to service stations and sub-
storage facilities. Another Gasoline
evaporation factor is the filling of the
vehicle tank. This can be considered as
handling loss [2].
Figure 1: Distillation curve for petroleum
product
For bulk storage there are basically three
types of tank designs that are used for
organic liquid storage vessels: fixed roof,
external floating roof and internal floating
roof [domed or coned). Detailed
description of these tanks may be found in
API standards [2].
Evaporation loss of gasoline in storage
occurs because of evaporative of the
liquid during its storage and as a result of
changes in the liquid level. The
evaporation loss sources vary with tank
design and metrological conditions such
as temperature, wind speed and solar
radiation. The main types of evaporation
40 Sudan Engineering Society Journal, March 2009, Volume 55 No.52
loss in fixed roof tanks are standing (also
known as breathing) and working losses.
Standing storage loss from tanks is
evaporative loss of stock vapor resulting
from thermal expansion and contraction of
air-vapor mixture resulting from the daily
temperature cycle. Working loss from a
tank is the vapor loss that is expelled from
the tank resulting from a change in liquid
level in the tank and the combined effect
of both filling loss and emptying loss.
In floating roof tanks the main evaporation
losses are normal operation and roof
landing losses. Normal operation losses
are those losses through rim seals, deck
fittings, and/or deck seams and withdrawal
losses. The roof landing loss includes
standing idle loss and filling losses.
Control of losses from the storage tank
can be done by methods which are
introduced in [2]. However, the standing
storage loss from storage tanks is very
much lower than the losses from
distribution systems. Distribution losses
should, therefore, be considered as a
priority. A short term modification to
reduce displacement loss during loading
gasoline was done by connecting a vapor
vent line which returns displaced vapor
from the headspace back to the storage
tank. A future method for controlling
evaporative losses is to adapt a vapor
recovery system. The cost of this method
is quite high because it needs special
equipment to convert hydrocarbon vapor
to liquid before liquid fuel is sent back to
the storage tank [3]. Furthermore during
gasoline loading, the splashing of liquid
gasoline can cause small droplets to
disperse into the vapor within the tank.
This emission can be controlled by
reducing the amount of turbulence created
when the liquid is introduced. With splash
loading, liquid is introduced at the top of
the container and there is significant
turbulence and entrainment of small liquid
droplets in the expelled vapor. Using
bottom or submerged loading significantly
reduces the turbulence lowering the vapor
generation [4].
This work is intended to estimate the
evaporation loss of gasoline in an external
floating roof tank.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.3 Operation and Metrological data
2.1 Gasoline Khartoum, Sudan is located in semi arid
region characterized with high sunshine
The gasoline is produced in Khartoum
hours (about 10 h) and solar radiation and
refinery. It has an average Reid vapor
temperature. The operation conditions
pressure (RVP) of 8.3 spite true vapor
such as the average monthly liquid
pressure of gasoline at this RVP is given
temperature, outage and etc…is taken
by Antoine equation as:
from an oil service company located in
B Khartoum, Sudan. Table 2 shows the
ln P = A −
T + 460 operation and metrological data.
Where P is the true vapor pressure in psi
2.4 Calculation Procedures
and the temperature in oF and the
constants A=1.649 and B=1.3225. Total floating roof tank emissions are the
sum of normal operation losses and roof
2.2 Storage tank
landing loss. The normal operation losses
The Government of Sudan does not are the sum of rim seal, withdrawal, deck
permit the use of storage tank other than fitting and deck seam losses as
internal floating roof tank for gasoline in
strategic depots. Table 1 shows the L T = L R + L WD + L F + L D
specification of the tank used in this work.
Where:
Table 1: Tank technical details
LT = total loss, lb/yr
Internal floating roof LR = rim seal loss, lb/yr
Tank type
tank LWD = withdrawal loss, lb/yr
Tank height 12.8m LF = deck fitting loss, lb/yr
Tank diameter 12.5m LD = deck seam loss (internal floating roof
tanks only), lb/yr
Tank roof type Cone roof
The roof landing losses is sum of the
Tank roof height 0.98m
standing idle losses during roof landing
α tank paint solar and filling losses during roof landing.
0.17
absorptance These losses are calculated in
Mechanical-shoe seal accordance American Petroleum Institute
Rim seal type
Primary only
(API) procedures [5]
Table 2: Operation and metrological data

Solar Wind Mean QTY In- Stock Product

Month Ship
radiation Speed Temp Received transit Balance height
o
MJ/m2 m/s C Lit Lit Lit Lit (ft)
1 18.45 3.00 26.95 287,944.00 286,180.87 9,255 280,847.40 7.46
2 21.58 3.00 27.88 293,099.14 308,622.36 4,509 680,205.07 18.07
3 22.74 3.50 30.48 276,867.81 279,805.52 - 928,029.55 24.66
4 24.01 4.00 36.13 210,821.97 138,970.57 47,954 357,324.00 9.49
5 22.35 3.00 37.35 78,204.84 27,785.77 68,623 462,009.61 12.28
6 20.78 2.50 36.48 353,962.17 352,868.33 - 646,710.23 17.18
7 20.42 3.50 33.23 307,279.48 313,953.10 - 755,292.26 20.07
8 20.72 3.50 32.03 328,099.90 337,376.71 - 824,617.68 21.91
9 20.52 3.00 34.63 282,032.07 243,849.33 - 599,063.13 15.92
10 19.59 2.50 35.98 360,154.13 370,745.03 - 894,039.23 23.76
11 19.63 3.00 32.25 289,581.60 293,440.97 - 616,361.47 16.38
12 18.71 3.00 27.93 324,975.29 339,150.13 - 775,879.68 20.62

Sudan Engineering Society Journal, March 2009, Volume 55 No.52 41

 EVAPORATION LOSSES OF GASOLINE STORAGE TANKS

3. RESULTS To validate the result, a number of oil

Service Company was interviewed.
Figure 2 shows the stock per month. The
Almost all the interviewed companies are
average stock for most of the year is
skeptical to give their own level of losses.
about 350,000 liter per month with
Nevertheless, they agreed that the total
exception of April and May. In this period
losses are significant higher than that set
the stock is small. This is due to the
by the ministry, taking into account the in-
Khartoum refinery shutdown
transient, customer service station and
filling and emptying losses.
400 3,500
350
3,000

Evapoation Loss (lit)

300
2,500
250
QTY(liter)

2,000
200
Rim
150 1,500
Withdrawal
100 1,000 Deck Fitting
50
500
0
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Month
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Month
Figure 2: Stock monthly variation
Figure 3: Normal Operation losses
Figure 3 shows the normal evaporation
225
loss from various sources. It is clear that
200
the evaporation loss due to withdrawal
175
and rim are negligibly small relative to
Roof landing (liter)

150
deck fittings. The highest loss occurs in
the period between April and June. As 125

indicated above this period is 100

characterized with low stock and hence 75

high vapor space. 50
25
Figure 4 shows the roof landing losses.
0
During the months of low level of supply
2 4 6 8 10 12
the roof landing losses are very high.
Month
Figure 5 shows the total loss as a percent
of the total amount received. Clearly Figure 4: Roof landing losses
during the months of April to June the loss 14
is very high. This is due to low level of
stock and large vapor space. If these 12

months are considered as abnormal 10

operation and excluded, the annual
Total Loss %

8
average evaporation loss of the 10
months is about 0.52%.This is significantly 6
higher (double)that set by the ministry of 4
energy (0.25%). The ministry
recommendation is based on average 2

annual temperature of 31.5oC and for 0

gasoline with high RVP. The specification 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
of gasoline is changing over years while Month
the average ambient temperature for the Figure 5: Total Loss
year 2008 is about 32.61oC.

42 Sudan Engineering Society Journal, March 2009, Volume 55 No.52

 The reason for the high loss is attributed
to the low RVP of the Sudanese gasoline
and metrological conditions of high solar
radiation and ambient temperature. In the
other hand as can be seen in Figure 1 the
gasoline has high percent of volatile
components [about 10%] that can
evaporate at 30-40oC under atmospheric
pressure.
4. EMISSIONS CONTROL
For internal floating roof tank the following
measures are generally used for emission
control.
- Check condition of existing seals
- Replace vapor mounted primary seal
with liquid mounted seal
- Install secondary rim seal
- Install vapor recovery/destruction
system
A future method for controlling evaporative
losses is to adapt a vapor recovery
system. The cost of this method is quite
high because it needs special equipment
to convert hydrocarbon vapor to liquid
before liquid fuel is sent back to the
storage tank [6].
5. RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE
WORK
1. As described, evaporation loss from
the storage tank and loss from loading
are two of the four common sources of
evaporation loss in gasoline. The
evaporation loss from intransient and
service station should, therefore, be
further investigated.
2. Sudanese Gasoline has low RVP and
high percent of volatile organic
Sudan Engineering Society Journal, March 2009, Volume 55 No.52
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compounds (VOCs).Matching between
these specifications and the climatic
conditions need to be addressed.
3. Evaporation reduction or recovery
measures need to be developed.
REFERENCES
1. Perry, R.H., Perry’s Chemical
Engineering Handbook, 7th Ed,
McGraw-Hill 1997.
2. Ferry, R.L., Documentation of Rim
Seal Loss Factors for the Manual of
Petroleum Measurement Standards:
Chapter 19-Evaporative Loss
Measurement: Section 2-Evaporative
Loss from Floating Roof Tanks,
preliminary draft, American Petroleum
Institute, April 5, 1995.
3. Evaporative Loss From External
Floating Roof Tanks, Third Edition,
Bulletin No. 2517, American
Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC,
1989.
4. Evaporation Loss from Internal
Floating Roof Tanks, Third Edition,
Bulletin No. 2519, American
Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC,
1982.
5. Manual of Petroleum Measurement
Standards: Chapter 19: Evaporative
Loss Measurement, Section 2,
Evaporative Loss From Floating Roof
Tanks, Preliminary Draft, American
Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC,
December 1994.
6. Wongwises, S., Chanchaona, S., and
Rattanaprayoon, I. Displacement
Losses from the Refueling Operation
of Passenger Cars, TIJSAT, Vol.2,
No.1, pp22-29. 1997.
43