Tank structural supports

[ssctsa1]

Regarding tank capacity and structural supports.

I have a tank that was designed to be filled with a fluid that has a density that is less than water. A hydrostat test was performed with water. Is it a requirement to design the stuctural supports of the tank to support the weight of the water + the factor of safety OR is it only required to add the factor of safety based on the weight of the fluid that the tank is designed to be used for.

The reason that I am asking is because I would like to fill the tank with something else and need to know how many gallons I can put in it.

 

[ARenko]

Unless the manufacturer says it was designed according to a specific standard we're only guessing how it was designed. The manufacturer needs to either look at your specific application and tell you how much you can put in or give you some type of rating chart, formula, info, etc... for you to determine for your various fluids.

 

[JoeTank]

Aside from a specific spec or code requirements, the tank, its supports and foundation should be designed for both conditions. That said, it is not unusual for the test condition (with a heavier product = water) to use a slightly lower factor of safety. This is often done by using a nominal increase in allowable stress, say 10%.

Joe Tank

 

[Ron]

Think about what assumptions might be made in the future if you are not involved with the tank and your design info is not availabe. It would likely be assumed that water was the design criterion. While other, heavier materials might be contemplated, at least the future analyst's starting point would be water. If you designed for some liquid with a specific gravity less than water, no one would know in the future, what that material might have been.