Design of electric tracing system for semi-buried floor-mounted LNG storage tanks
Compared to traditional elevated LNG storage tanks,floor-mounted or semi-buried floor-mounted LNG storage tanks adopted low platform structure,with parts of the tank in direct contact with the surrounding soil and has no space for air circulation.The low temperature inside the tank is conducted through the tank body to the outside,thereby affecting the temperature of the soil around the tank.When the soil temperature is≤0℃,it can cause soil frost heave and uplift,leading to uneven stress on the tank.To address this issue,this paper first analyzes and discusses the tank's cold insulation structure,and then studies the thermal conductivity of different insulation materials for calculating the heat leakage at various locations of the tank.An electric tracing system design scheme is then selected based on these calculation results.Finally,software modeling and simulation analysis are used to further verify the rationality of the electric tracing system design.This system can eliminate the impact of low temperature on the soil around the tank and ensure the consistency and continuity of the tank's body temperature,effectively preventing the boiling of LNG inside the tank.The research findings can provide reference and guidance for the design of electric tracing systems for semi-buried floor-mounted LNG storage tanks.