This publication addresses the design, operation, and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facilities from the standpoints of prevention and control of releases, fire-protection design, and fire-control measures. The history of LPG storage facility failure, facility design philosophy, operating and maintenance procedures, and various fire-protection and firefighting approaches is presented. Since this publication supplements API 2510 and provides the basis for many of the requirements stated in that standard, it shall be used in conjunction with API 2510. In case of conflict, API 2510 shall prevail. Alternate designs are acceptable provided equal safety can be demonstrated.
The storage facilities covered by this publication are LPG installations (storage vessels and associated loading/unloading/transfer systems) at marine and pipeline terminals, natural gas processing plants, refineries, petrochemical plants, and tank farms. The following types of LPG installations are not addressed:
a) underground storage, such as buried tanks, storage caverns, salt domes, or wells;
b) mounded storage tanks;c) refrigerated storage at pressures below 15 psi (104 kPa) gauge;d) installations covered by NFPA Codes 58 or 59;e) Department of Transportation (DOT) containers;f) those portions of LPG systems covered by NFPA Code 54 (ASME Z223.1);g) small installations with a single LPG tank of less than 2000-gallon capacity;h) process equipment for LPG manufacture or treatment preceding LPG storage.
It should be noted that since the casing down which stimulation fluids are pumped is typically casing in MFHWs, this standard will henceforth only use the term “casing” instead of “casing or tubing”. This nomenclature is solely for the sake of convenience and concision; the testing protocols in this standard are equally applicable to casing and tubing connections.
The provisions of this publication pertain to new installations, but may also be used to review and evaluate existing storage facilities. The applicability of some or all of these provisions to facilities and equipment already in place or in the process of construction or installation before the date of this publication will have to be considered a case-by-case basis.
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