Diking and containment are other important considerations when designing an EO storage area.

Protection of an EO storage vessel from possible exposure to a pool fire should be a major consideration when designing an EO storage area. A pool fire under an EO storage vessel is a very hazardous situation that can lead to an EO decomposition. If diking is used, it is very important to design the EO storage area with an adequate grade under the storage vessel and in the storage vessel dike area so that any liquid release will drain away from the vessel and cannot form a pool beneath or adjacent to the vessel. Another containment option is the use of a drainage system under EO storage vessels that routes liquid to a secondary containment area located well away from the EO storage vessel. This approach can be used to contain both EO spills and firewater or dilution water.

Fire Protection Systems

Fire protection measures are also considered in the design process. Passive fire protection, such as insulation, can provide additional fire protection for those vessels located above grade and not mounded or buried. Remotely operated, fire-resistant valves allow isolation of the storage vessel in the event of an emergency. Additionally, excess flow check valves can be used at the vessel inlet and outlet lines to minimize releases in the event of downstream piping and equipment failure. NFPA 58 and API 2510 and 2510A may apply to the design of fire protection systems for EO storage and processing areas. These codes describe fire protection systems with passive (insulation) and active (deluge/sprinkler) systems A fire protection system takes into consideration whether fire water supplies are located so as to be readily available and sufficient in volume so as to adequately dilute a spill. Drainage design for the system includes the capacity to retain emergency water whether used for cooling, fire fighting, or dilution purposes

Storage vessel design pressure and inerting of storage vessels

A primary consideration in vessel design is vessel pressure. Consult the current ASME Code for Unified Pressure Tanks for the minimum design working pressure consistent with process requirements, including consideration of the blanket inert gas pressure needed to maintain a non-decomposable vapor space.

Storage vessel contamination, backflow and inerting

Possible sources of storage vessel contamination include: Backflow from other process areas Incorrect vessel line-ups, allowing other materials to enter the storage vessel Contaminants in the inerting gas Contaminants such as water, cleaning solutions and other materials inadvertently remaining after maintenance Backflow of process fluids into EO storage vessels from other process areas, such as reactors, can result in an extremely rapid, exothermic reaction. Be aware that storage vessel emergency relief valve / device sizing and cooling system capacity (if so equipped) may not consider runaway reactions as a design case. Consequently, system engineering is critical to prevent or minimize backflow from occurring.

Dikes Enclosures Berms Drains Sumps Sprinklers Deluge systems Water curtain Neutralization Excess flow valves Flares Scrubbers Emergency shutdown