US1360170A - Storage-reservoir - Google Patents

Description

. 1 I /4 40 W \30 /0 32* 22 I I i I '1" Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

UNITED STATES JOHN J. ALLINSON, 0F BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA.

STORAGE-RESERVOIR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 23, 1920,

Application filed August 12, 1918. Serial No. 249,393.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JosnPH ALLIN- sort, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bartlesville in the county of VVashington, State of jlklahoina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage-Reservoirs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to storage reservoirs and more particularly to reservoirs for storing crude petroleum oil.

Heretofore it has been the practice to store oil as it is pumped from a Wall in steel storage tan rs. These steel tanks generally rest upon the ground so that all portions of the tank except the bottom are OETPOSBtl to the heat of the sun. The heat evaporates the oil in the tanks, and although the tanks may have tight covers, the evaporation loss is very high because the tanks have to be vented toprevent an excess gas pressure in the tanks and to avoid explosions.

In the California oil fields, oil has been stored in concrete lined reservoirs. These reservoirs are located below the surface of the ground so that the suns heat acts only upon the surface of the oil in the reservoir. The reservoirs are provided with covers, but owing to the large dimensions of the reservoirs, the covers were not made gas-tight and are not sealed at the junction of the covers with the reservoir. With this type of reservoir, the loss by evaporation is less than the evaporation in steel tanks but the character of the reservoir cover has been such that the from evaporation is very high.

The object of the present invention is to provide a reservoir in which oil or volatile liquids may be effectively stored and. which will overcome the objections above noted.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved oil storage reservoir hereinafter described and claimed.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a partial. plan view with parts broken away of a storage reservoir embodythat type of concrete lined reservoirs having a depth of from 30 to 40feet, a diameter of 300 to 400 feet or more, and is capable of holding from 300,000 to 800,000 barrels of oil. In the preferred construction ofthe reservoir, the reservoirbasin is located below the surface of the ground and the banks of the reservoir are formed with the earth which is excavated to form the basin. The. basin 10 is preferably circular in shape having a reinforced concrete floor 12 and a reinforced concrete sloping side wall or embankment 1d. The floor 12 and side Wall 14 are made of relatively coarse concrete and the upper surface is finishedwith a waterproofing material such as gunite to prevent leakage of the oil or volatile liquid to be held in the reservoir.

The reservoir cover 16 consists of a sheet of reinforced concrete which is supported above the reservoir on a wooden structure. The cover and supporting structure for the cover may be made entirely of concrete or may be made of steel, but it is preferred that the cover be made of concrete since the con crete has a low heat conductivity,is fire proof, and is very resistant to the corrosive action of the oil vapors. The cover 16 consists of a continuous slab of concrete which is reinforced with a sheet metal lath 18 and iron or steel rods 20 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The

metal lath 18, known in the trade as hyrib, U

rests upon rafters 2?. andthe ribs of the metal lath are arranged eircurnferentially of the reservoir. The reinforcing rods 20 rest on topof the ribs of the lath l8 and are arranged substantially at right angles to the ribs of the lath or radially of the reservoir.

In making the cover, the lath l8 and reinforcing rods are secured in position and a concrete filling 2d poured over the lath 18 and rods 20 to embed them in the reservoir cover. To make the cover vapor or gas-tight and water-tight, a layer of cement mortar 26 is spread over the upper surface of the concrete 24. To protect the under face of the metal lath 18 and to securely embed the lath in the concrete slab, the lower face of the lath is coated with a layer of gunite 28 by means of a concrete gun. The rafters 22 for supporting the cover rest upon girders 3O 7 which are supported upon posts 32 mounted on piers 34 formed in the reservoir floor 12.

The reservoir cover is a continuous integral sheet of reinforced concrete having only a valved exhaust outlet and one or more openings for a winch and to permit access to the interior of the reservoir. There are no expansion joints in the cover and the reinforcing material keeps the con- 'crete sheet from cracking as it undergoes expansion and. contraction. lVith a reservoir having a diameter of 300 to 400 feet, the lineal expansion at the mud-sill of the reservoirbasin for changes in temperature of 100 F. will be approximately 2 inches so that it is impossible to have a fixed joint between the reservoir basin and the cover. The. cover is loosely mounted on the rim ormud-sill 36 of the reservoir basin to cover l6, the reinforced concrete cover slab is provided with a downwardly projecting flange 40 which is positioned in a gutter 42 surrounding the mud-sill 36. The flange 40 is made with a form to have substantially the same construction as the cover 16 and is unitedintegrally with the cover to give u vapor-tight structure. The gutter is formed of reinforced concrete and made waterproof to hold water for making a liquid seal between the cover and reservoir. The water seal between the cover and the .reservoir basin effectively provide. for the expansion and contraction of the cover. A serles of drains 44 are placed at intervals in thegutter to keep the water of the gutter at a predetermined level and to conduct away water which may run into the gutter from the cover 16.

The reinforced concrete cover will supporta comparatively heavy load so that it may be covered with earth or other suitable heat insulating material to prevent tie oil in'the reservoir from becoming heated sufficiently to cause evaporation. This form of construction further is very effective in preventing evaporation in that the heat of the sun will act only on the cover and the cover may be insulated suilicicntly to prevent the oil in the reservoir from becoming heated high enough to cause an evaporation that will form a vapor pressure under the reservoir cover. F or this reason the cover does not necessarily have to be capable of resisting a high pressure but only nccds to be suliiciently gas-tight to hold a vapor pressure which will prevent evaporation. The cover, further, does not require the usual explosive doors because an excessive pressure will break the water seal and allow the gas to escape around the water seal flange 40.

To recapitulate, the invention provides :1 reservoir which has a liquid-tight basin and a gas-tight cover having a v: per-tight seal with the basin, thus avoiding losses due to volatilization or evaporation. The structure, further, is effectively insulated from heat and therefore holds evaporation to a minimum so that the cover does not have to be constructed to withstand losses due to high gas pressures.

The preferred form of the invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. An oil storage reservoir having in combination, a reinforced concrete basin. :1 heat-insulating cover for said basin relatively very large and having wide limits of expansion and contraction. said cover being made of a continuous. jointlcss sheet of reinforced concrete, and a 'apor -ligbt seal between said basin and cover comprising a fluid-tight concrete gutter secured to the edge of said basin and having a reinforccment therein connected with the concrete of the basin and a reinforced i'onci'cic flange integral with said continuous cover extending into said gutter.

2. An oil storage reservoir having in (Ollibination, a reinforced concrete basin. a heatinsulating cover supported for free expansive movement over said ba in made of a continuous, liointless sheet of reinforcwl concrete having a downwardly cxtcnding integral flange built on rciniorccincnt int.- gral with said sheet rcinforccmenl. and :1 vapor-seal between said cover and ba in comprising a liquid-tight concrete gutter formed integral with the peripheral edge of said basin and arranged to receive said downwardly extending flange. said gutter being relatively large to permit said flange to move freely therein under expansion and contraction of said over.

3. An oil storage reservoir having in combination. a reinforced concrete bas n. :1 heatinsulating cover supported for free expansive movement over said basin, a suppmrting frame mounted in said basin and arranged for expansive movement relatively thereto, a continuous, jointless body of reinforced concrete supported on said frame and arranged for free expansive movement relatively to said frame, and a vapor-seal between said basin and cover comprising a comparatively Wide concrete gutter formed integrally With the peripheral edge of said basin and a reinforced concrete flange inte- 10 grally formed With the peripheral edge of said cover and normally extending. oWn' into the central portion of said gutter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

J. J. ALLINSON.

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