CTS DEVELOPS NEW SEAL FOR EXTERNAL FLOATING ROOF TANKS

Typically seals as installed on external floating roof tanks have to deal with challenging circumstances. These include travelling along corroded tank shells, negotiating heavy welds and deposits of waxy products as crude oil. Apart from that a seal will have to cover local deviations that can be significant as a result of tank settlement or other influences.

In an effort to improve the design of compression plate seals for rim gaps larger than 300 mm. (12”) CTS has developed a new seal design able to do so without requiring rim modifications. In a joint effort with a leading engineering consultant several seal designs were evaluated by analysing these in a finite element program as well as by testing these designs on our seal test bench, mechanically travelling seal designs up and down on a test rig.

By combining this study with the extensive experience available within CTS we were able to introduce important product innovations, improving the seal bending and buckling ratio for the compression plate. Not only were we able to develop a new seal design and lower geometry for the CTS' manufactured tank seals, we have also developed tools effectively predicting whether seals will be able to deal with the tank circumstances encountered.

This is one of the main reasons CTS is emphasizing the requirement of an extensive tank inspection prior to recommending a suitable seal. Both seal design as well as suitable materials depend largely on the data collected from this extensive tank inspection.

CTS would definitely be able to evaluate your tank seals, this so you can make sure your tanks will be sealed effectively, preventing significant emissions and making sure your tanks will not develop explosive or combustible vapour concentrations.

When you are interested in CTS' evaluating any of your seals in service, or in the full details of this new seal design please contact us, so we can support your request for additional information. Click here to contact us


Screen shot of the finite element programm