As the world continues to shift towards decarbonization in chemical production, and strong market demand drives the transition to carbon-free energies, ammonia’s role in the green energy economy continues to expand. In Black & Veatch's recently release Hybrid LNG & Ammonia Infrastructure: Key to a Green Economy eBook, we explore cost saving design solutions to prepare for a transition to carbon-free energy.
From that eBook, this section discusses the optimum design for ammonia-ready LNG storage tanks.
Design Parameters
Table 8 compares the properties of LNG and anhydrous ammonia, which will impact the design of ammonia-ready LNG storage tanks.
It is also critical to adhere to storage tank design codes including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 59A, American Petroleum Institute (API) 625, API 620 Annex Q and Ammonia: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/CGA G-2.1, API 625, API 620 Annex R.
Tank Configurations
A single-wall, single-containment tank system can be used for refrigerated ammonia storage but is not used for LNG storage because of its limitation on insulation performance. This type is not suited for an ammonia-ready LNG storage tank. Figure 6 (API 625: 2018) shows a configuration of a single-wall, single-containment tank system.
Table 9 shows the main materials for single-wall, single containment tanks for refrigerated ammonia.