ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the problems of storage vessels, which must be correctly designed in order to perform their function of containment of a fluid safely over a reasonable lifetime. The design problem is of course very similar to that of pipes, as described in Chapter 6. The consequences of failure can be catastrophic if the stored contents are released into the environment, as occurred in some of the examples described in this chapter. Historically, a variety of materials have been used to store fluids but the choice nowadays is narrow, with metals and plastics the main contenders. Large glass vessels, for example, were once very common, but they have been displaced by tougher materials capable of resisting imposed loads safely. Materials and manufacturing costs limit the choice further for mass-produced products such as domestic water storage tanks, where polypropylene has largely displaced galvanized steel. Widely different shapes can be produced quickly in plastics by injection molding or rotational molding, although manufacturing defects must be eliminated by effective quality control to prevent failure when the tank is put into service. Galvanized tanks suffer corrosion problems in time or through faulty installation, and can have equally dire consequences when failure occurs suddenly.
