The effect of physical properties of lost petroleum quantities in vertical tanks at (NRC) Baiji

Abstract

One of the main sources of crude oil and product losses in refineries is the storage tanks. The lightest hydrocarbons in these tanks evaporate during operation, causing not only a loss of the precious raw hydrocarbon material but also a source of dangerous gas pollution. For calculating these losses, several direct and indirect approaches have been devised. In this study, we used a method based on the comparison of the differences in the characteristics of crude oil or other products. This work aimed to find the specifications of two products, kerosene and gas oil, and calculate the losses that occur for the quantities in the dispatch warehouse in the NRC. Four samples of kerosene were used and named: kero@02-1, kero@05-2, kero@10-3, and kero@11-4, while four samples of gas oil were named: gaso@02-1, gaso@05-2, gaso@10-3, and gaso@11-4. Also, they depend on the date of certificate issue, respectively. The received quantities were calculated in ml and converted to cubic meters using the tank coefficient (kerosene tank coefficient 0.638 and gas oil tank coefficient 0.408). Calculations were made of 1500 ml for kerosene and 2500 ml for gas oil. In addition, this project dealt with a simplified method of work that includes the physical properties to find the actual quantities that are lost for the mentioned petroleum products. Moreover, the highest losses were for kerosene (5 m3) at sp. gr 0.750, and the highest losses were for gas oil (5 m3) at sp. gr 0.820. The results showed that there is a quantity of fluctuating losses that does not exceed 5 m3 / 1000 m3 and that these losses are in accordance with the permissible limits. The results recommend directing the laboratory tester's teams in the NRC Baiji to conduct periodic examinations of the petroleum products, as well as not to collusion when receiving a low product with laboratory examination specifications to reduce losses in quantities.