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Expansion tanks are in general designed as
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open tanks
closed compression tanks
diaphragm tanks

The net expansion of water can be expressed as

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Vnet = (v1 / v0) - 1 (1)
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Vnet = necessary expansion volume of water (gallon, liter)
Link to this Page! v0 = specific volume of water at initial (cold) temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)
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v1 = specific volume of water at operating (hot) temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)

Open Expansion Tanks

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Required volume of open expansion tanks can be expressed as
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Vet = k Vw [(v1 / v0) - 1] (1)
Volume
Vet = required expansion tank volume (gallon, liter)
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v0 = specific volume of water at initial (cold) temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)
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1 of 4 Velocity 2007.08.27. 13:22

Calculating Expansion Tanks http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/expansion-tanks-d_885.html

v1 = specific volume of water at operating (hot) temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)

An open expansion tank has the disadvantage of allowing air to enter the system via absorption in the
water. In general it must be located in the top of the building where it also may be exposed to freezing.

Closed Compression Expansion Tanks

Closed compression tanks can be designed as

adjustable expansion tank - air is evacuated or injected by an automatic valve to the tank to
control the system pressure when the temperature and expansion of the water rise or falls
pump-pressured cushion tank - water is evacuated or injected to compensate temperature rice or
fall
compression tank with a closed gas volume - the tank contains a specific volume of gas which is
compressed when the temperature and system volume increase.

The required volume of closed expansion tanks can be expressed as

Vet = k Vw [ ( v1 / v0 ) - 1 ] / [ ( pa / p0 ) - ( pa / p1 ) ] (2)
pa = atmospheric pressure - 14.7 (psia)
p0 = system initial pressure - cold pressure (psia)
p1 = system operating pressure - hot pressure (psia)

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Calculating Expansion Tanks http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/expansion-tanks-d_885.html

initial temperature 50oF

initial pressure 10 psig
maximum operating pressure 30 psig

Diaphragm Expansion Tanks

The required tank volume of diaphragm expansion tank can be calculated as

Vet = k Vw [ ( v1 / v0 ) - 1 ] / [ 1 - ( p0 / p1 ) ] (3)

initial temperature 50oF

initial pressure 10 psig
maximum operating pressure 30 psig
safety factor aprox. 2
acceptance factor aprox. 0.5

Example - Volume Open Expansion Tank

The minimum volume of an open expansion tank for a system with 1000 gallons of water heated from
68oF to 176oF can be calculated as

Vet = 2 (safety factor) 1000 (Gallons) [(0.01651 (ft3/lb) / 0.01605 (ft3/lb) ) - 1]

= 57 (gallons)

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Calculating Expansion Tanks http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/expansion-tanks-d_885.html

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