Cope with summer and winter temperatures with thermally insulated tanks

Thermally insulated storage tanks are an important measure for the security of supply of industrial plants as well as professional gas stations when storing temperature-sensitive media at high and low outside temperatures.

Pour, melting and flash points of operating materials

Many media such as fuels and mineral oils as well as special chemical compounds or heavy oils and paraffins have problems with high or low outside temperatures. In industry, it is common to install above-ground storage tanks in buildings or outside buildings in open spaces.

These tanks are usually thermally insulated when installed free-standing. This is usually not necessary in the building. Unless the pour point of the medium is above 30°C, e.g. B. with heavy oil or paraffins.

In winter, tanks with medium are often confronted with sub-zero temperatures when installed outdoors. Here it is common to have one high-quality thermal insulation on storage tanks to be attached using temperature-sensitive media.

If necessary, the insulation is supplemented with tank heaters to keep the storage medium above the pour point. They work electrically or using hot water registers.

Traditional fuel filling stations used to solve this temperature problem using underground tanks. This guaranteed a media temperature of approx. 8 °C in the storage tanks below the earth cover, even in winter.

These earth-covered tanks are no longer up to date for environmental reasons as well as modern logistical requirements.

Environmental reasons

When buried, the storage tank can only be controlled from the interior. The corrosion protection cannot be seen from the outside. Above-ground tanks, on the other hand, must be installed so that they can be seen from all sides. The same applies to the underground supply lines for the storage tanks (Water Resources Act / WHG). A consolation here is the double-walled design of underground storage tanks and pipelines. But 100% external control is still not possible.

Modern logistical requirements

The processing technologies of liquid media and the provision of liquid media on site are currently subject to constantly changing requirements, such as: B. the urea supply to vehicles. It is difficult to meet the expected changing fuel volume requirements in individual regions with underground storage tank systems. It is lengthy, complex, expensive and, given the gradual change to other types of drive, such as. E.g. electric cars, far too risky.

Above ground storage tanks, such as B. Storage tank containers, which are also available in an isolated version there are professional remedies available.

• Quick setup and installation
• Modern, WHG-compliant, easily controllable system modules
• Quick, easy change to larger or smaller units as needs change
• Quick and easy replacement of these units with a new generation of building blocks

Gasoline and carburetor fuels

Gasoline is a standard fuel for gasoline engines, which is used in all common vehicles and boats. Gasoline has a pour point of -45 °C or a flash point of +35 °C. The big problem when storing gasoline above ground is the transition of the gasoline into the gas phase at 35 °C. This can cause gasoline to evaporate into the atmosphere via the tank ventilation opening.

A tank can quickly reach a temperature of over 50 °C on the tank roof when exposed to direct sunlight. The simplest protective measure is a sun protection roof. The highest quality and better measure represents the complete thermal insulation of the storage tank period.

Diesel

Diesel is the standard fuel for large engines. Many cars and almost all buses and trucks run on this fuel. Its melting or freezing point is already -20 °C. The problem with diesel is that paraffin precipitates at these temperatures. A high-quality tank system counters this danger with a reliable heating register. The dewatering of diesel is particularly important here.

In the case of non-insulated above-ground tanks, small amounts of condensation constantly fall out of the air inside the tank body due to the temperature change from day to night. This condensation collects at the bottom of the tank. At temperatures above 20 °C, colonies of special microbes form in the boundary layer between condensation and diesel. In microbiology this is also called diesel plague. A thermally insulated tank significantly slows down or prevents this process.

Kerosene and aviation fuels

The same problem applies here as with diesel fuel. It's just that the condensate problem is even more serious here. Aviation fuels must be absolutely water-free. Here too is a thermally insulated tank a technically good answer.

urea

Urea is an increasingly important fuel for diesel vehicles. It is metered into the exhaust system of the diesel engine and ensures a reduction in pollutant emissions within the exhaust catalytic converter. It is not flammable, but is highly aggressive and will decompose anything that is in contact with it for too long. Storing urea is therefore a particular challenge. It freezes at -11 °C and loses significant viscosity at temperatures just above 0 °C and tends to flocculate. This flocculation can clog important supply lines and cause serious damage to the machine. There are one here too Thermal insulation and an electric tank heater are recommended.

Thermally insulated pipes

A thermally insulated storage tank is complemented by a consistent Pipe insulation. This ensures that a thermally insulated tank has as few cold bridges as possible when filling and emptying. What is particularly advantageous about pipe insulation is that it provides both heat and cold insulation. In any case, it improves the operational capability of the mobile filling station. However, a thermally insulated tank has natural limits: If the cold lasts for a long time, sooner or later it will reach the inside of the tank. Then further measures must be taken.

A heated tank guarantees operational safety

If the mobile gas station is set up in a location where there is a risk of particularly long periods of cold, a heated tank is the answer to the challenge. One Integrated tank heating keeps the operating fluids liquid and ready for pickup. This is made possible by sophisticated sensor technology. It ensures that the operating materials remain liquid, but that as little energy as possible is used. As described, problems in cold temperatures start at +5 °C. Urea in particular can begin the freezing process at these temperatures. The urea is particularly critical here because the resulting crystals are very sharp-edged. The so-called paraffin excretion is a big problem with diesel. This can be prevented by adding a certain amount of gasoline and dewatering, but both are technically difficult to implement. In order to give mobile and self-sufficient gas stations full operational reliability, a heated tank is the technically simplest solution.

Useful additions

For fuels that are particularly sensitive to cold, such as diesel and urea, this is the case Use of heated hoses also displayed. The dispensing hoses of a mobile gas station do not empty themselves, but always remain filled with the operating fluids after the first use. Even if a heated tank is used, the heat source cannot reach the fluid in the hose. Tank hoses installed in an insulated hose chamber can help here. However, maximum operational safety is the core requirement for an exposed tank system. A heated tank with a reliable heating register and appropriately heated fittings guarantee that a gas station is operational at any low outside temperature.

Heat is defied constructively

Protecting operating fluids against heat, on the other hand, is much easier to implement. The natural day-night rhythms, combined with high-performance insulation, ensure that the internal temperature never reaches critical values. A thermally insulated storage tank can therefore withstand the highest – natural – outside temperatures without the need for additional cooling. However, installing it in a particularly hot location requires increased maintenance. The transitions such as sleeves, hoses and valves in particular suffer from particularly large hot-cold cycles, so that they can become leaky. To prevent this, good service with continuous monitoring of connections and connections is urgently required.

Krampitz for maximum security of supply

Krampitz offers the ideal package from a single source for all of these technical challenges: Design and development of storage tanks for every climate zone. Individual equipment according to customer requirements and comprehensive customer service maximize the operational readiness of mobile tank systems anywhere in the world.