Why use floating roof?

Safety

Reduces chance of fire as vapor because the vapor space is normally well below the explosive limit

Effectiveness

No filling & evaporation losses. Controls HCs emissions

Economy

Most cost effective method of controlling vapor. The vapor saved is the money saved!!!

Evaporative loss control

It depends upon:
1. Liquid temperature
2. Space above liquid
3. Ventilation of liquid
4. Available liquid surface area

External Floating Roof Appurtenances

Roof support legs

When
the tank is empty,
the floating roof
needs to be
supported at some
distance above the
tank floor.

Necess

ary so that the roof

does not foul any
heating coils, drain
lines, etc.

Also

access will be required via the shell manholes for the maintenance personnel.
The legs consist of two concentric tubes. The outer, shorter tube forms a housing which is welded
into the roof. The inner tube, which forms the support and is secured to the housing with a steel
pin which passes through both tubes.

Guide pole

Its purpose is to prevent the floating roof from rotating in the tank.

The lower end is connected to the tank floor and at the top to the gaugers platform, which is an

extension to the tank top access stair.

Radial movement of the roof is not restrained here as this is provided by the roof seal system

which tends to centralize the roof in the tank.

The guide pole is very often used to house level-indicating equipment. To ensure that the product
level in the pole is the same as the level in the tank, slots are cut in the pole to allow the liquid
levels to equalize.

Roof seals
The gap between the inside of the tank shell and the outer rim of the floating roof is normally about 200
mm. To prevent the escape of vapor from this gap and to minimize the amount of rain entering the
product here, a sealing system is required.
Characteristics of sealing system
Sealing system has to be flexible enough to

Allow for any irregularities in the construction of the roof and shell when the roof is travelling up
and down.
For any radial or lateral movement of the roof due to wind or other action.

Types
Mechanical seals
The seal consists of a ring of thin galvanized or stainless steel plates each about 4 meters long and 1.2
meters deep bolted together with sealing strips and countersunk bolts. This ring of sealing plates is kept
in close contact with the shell by a series of weighted or spring-loaded pantograph mechanisms mounted
on the outer rim of the pontoons. The lower edge of the plates is immersed in the product and the upper
edge is roughly level with the top rim of the pontoons. The gap between the plates and the pontoons is
sealed by a flexible-shaped fabric which is connected to the top of the ring of plates and to the pontoon
rim by clamp bars and bolt. Vapor can escape however where irregularities in the shape of the shell allow
gaps between the plates and the shell. To alleviate this problem the seal ring can be made to

accommodate such changes in shape by the introduction of flexure points in the seal plates. These
flexure points are formed by vertical shallow V-shaped creases in the plates at about 560 mm centers
and the open top of these creases is capped to prevent vapour emission. The creases, as well as allowing
the seal ring to conform to the shape of the shell, also act as stiffeners where the thrust from the
pantograph mechanisms is transmitted to the seal ring. To ensure the dispersal of any static or lightning,
a series of thin flexible stainless steel shunts are connected between the bolt rings of the roof and the
seal ring,

Liquid-filled fabric seal

The liquid-filled fabric seal consists of a petroleum and abrasion resistant synthetic rubber type tube
filled with 200 to 250 mm depth of sealing liquid. This tube is positioned in the rim space and is
supported at its lower end by a bottom ring on a hanger system. The sealing liquid ensures close contact
of the tube on the tankshell and the outer rim of the floating roof. The liquid may be fuel oil or the same
liquid as that stored in the tank. In non-freezing climates water may be used as the sealing liquid. The
sealing liquid makes the tube take up whatever rim space is available around the circumference and
automatically compensates for discontinuities in the shell or roof rim profile.. This flexible ring has a
fixed circumference and therefore automatically aligns to any discontinuities in the major or minor axes
of the tank and roof.

Resilient foam-filled seal

This type of seal, is similar to the liquid-filled seal except that the tube is filled with pre-formed blocks of
resilient urethane foam, rather than a liquid and there-fore does not require a bottom hanger support
system Advantages of this type of seal are that when it is mounted just above the liquid level in the rim
gap, any small tears or abrasions in the tube will not cause a serious collapse of the seal. Also, when
replacement is finally necessary this may be done entirely from above the roof.

Compression plate type seals

Secondary seals
It was found that even properly maintained primary seals, permitted vapour losses from the rim gap due
to the swirling, scouring action of the wind within the tank. To counter this, independently mounted
spring action compression plate secondary seals, formed from thin galvanized steel or stainless steel
sheet, were mounted above the primary seal thus excluding the wind from the rim gap. The spring
action, due to the induced compression in the plates ensures a close seal between the abrasion resistant
polymer seal tip and the shell.
Primary seals
The success of compression plate secondary seals led manufacturers to develop this type of design as a
primary seal also the main difference being that the primary seal deflects downwards such that the tip of
the seal is usually just above the level of the stored liquid.

Seals incorporating foam dams

It is a short vertical steel wall that ensures that as the top-injected fire fighting foam spills down the
inside face of the shell; it is concentrated within the rim space and does not spill out over the surface of
the roof

Rim vents
To vent off excessive vapors, a vent tube may be fitted between the outer rim and the upper deck of the
pontoon where either a pressure relief valve or a free vent is fitted.

Drain plugs
Used when tank is out of service to drain rainwater etc.

Fire fighting
Fires in floating roof tanks are usually limited to the area between the shell and the rim of the floating
roof i.e. the rim space. Several sets of foam generating and injection equipment are
Provided, equi-spaced around the tank periphery which ejects foam incase of fire
Rim fire detection
1. A small bore Plastic tube which runs around the whole circumference of the rim area. This tube is
connected into a more substantial piping system in both flexible and hard piping, which is
connected into a fire fighting alarm or initiation control unit on the gaugers platform. The rim
tubing is subjected to an internal pressure and in the event ofa fire, the tubing melts releasing
the pressure thus triggering an alarm and/or actuating the fire fighting system.
2. Another method is to have a series of tensioned wires with fusible links managed around the rim
space. Again, in the event of a fire a fused link would cause the alarm to be raised.

Roof drains
The rainfall which accumulates on the surface of the floating roof is drained to one or more sumps set
into the low points of the top roof membrane. The sump is drained through a closed pipe work or hose
system which operates within the tank.

Articulated piping system

This type of drain uses a solid steel piping system with a series of articulated knuckle joints; it is of
rugged construction but can suffer from seizure of the articulated joints due to the slow movement of the
roof or lengthy periods of inactivity due to the roof being stationary

Armoured flexible hose

This type of system eliminates the need for articulated joint, but it has been known for the hose to snag
on internal tank fittings or for it to be trapped under a roof support leg as the roof grounds on the tank
floor.

Syphon drains
This system automatically drains water from the roof membrane and discharges it directly into the
product where it gravitates to the bottom of the tank, to be collected in the floor sump

Bleeder vents
lts purpose is to vent the area below the landed roof in its stationary position, allowing air to enter the
space under the roof as the product is evacuated from the tank, thus avoiding a vacuum in the space and
then to allow the air under the roof to escape when the tank is being refilled, avoiding a pressure under
the roof.
The valve is a simple device consisting of a short vertical trunking which forms a valve seating and this is
welded to a corresponding aperture in the deck. Through the centre, and supported off of this trunking,
passes a vertical guide tube which houses a push rod on to which is attached a disc which forms the
valve lid. The length of the push rod is such that as the tank is emptied, the rod contacts the floor plating
before the roof support legs land and the valve opens. Freely venting the space beneath the deck.
Similarly, on refilling the tank the valve closes after alI the air beneath the roof has been expelled and
the roof floats.

The gaugers platform

The gaugers platform is a small access area of about 4 square metres; the platform overhangs the shell
to allow the guide pole to pass through it so that access can be gained to the guide pole which usually
houses the product level indicating equipment .Also the platform is used as an attachment for the rolling
ladder which gives access to the floating roof.

Rolling ladder
The rolling ladder is the means of access on to the floating roof from the gaugers platform. The upper
end of the ladder is attached to the gaugers platform by hinged brackets. The lower end is provided
with an axle with a wheel at each side of the ladder .The wheels run on a steel track mounted on a
runway structure supported off the roof so that, as the roof moves up and down, the hinged ladder can
take up a varying angle as required.

Deck manholes
One or more of these square or circular manholes are provided in the deck of the roof to allow access to
the underside of the roof from the top, when maintenance work is required whilst the tank is out of
service

Pontoon manholes
Each pontoon of a floating roof is a separate buoyancy compartment and must be periodically checked to
ensure that it is dry and free from leaks. Hence each compartment has its own inspection manhole

Sample/dip hatch
The sample/dip hatch is fitted either to a nozzle which projects through one of the pontoons or it is fitted
to the top of the gauge pole. It is illustrated in Figure 6.31 and may be used as follows:

To measure the depth of product in the tank using a dip tape. This may be done as a check on the
correct functioning of the automatic level gauge.
To take a sample of the tank contents
To take the temperature of the tank contents

Electrical continuity
In the event of a lightning strike on the tank, or a build-up of static electricity within the tank due to
product movements, there needs to be a secure electrical bond between the roof and the tank to make
certain that any electrical charge is conducted directly to earth, thus ensuring that a spark cannot be
created between the roof and the tank which could cause a fire