Storage Tanks

Brendan,

Beyond 35-40 ft, concrete tank foundations become very expensive, are subject to cracking and are diffcult to inspect.

A sand pad can be a reasonable low-cost alternative when coupled with a layer of clay and/or a membrane with tell-tale piping.

The selection of tank size, roof type and foundation design must all "work together"

The local codes and envirnmental restrictions of the site will govern.

What size of tank were you considering ?

Thanks for the reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here tank size consideration is 30 mtr dia...........the reason for not using sand pad.......is i refered to a case study of cryogenic tanks (Ammonia ) with sand pad foundation + concrete curb ring around the tank.......due to defects in concrete curb ring rain water entered and ice formation occured and ther was deformation in tank height..............what solution can be provided to avoid this effect?????????

For cryogenic tanks, concrete foundation coupled with foam glass insulation at bottom (for flat bottom tanks) may be a better choice.

Think about walking barefoot on a sandy beach. The larger the tank, the lower the base thickness is as a percentage of the base area. As the weight comes on while the tank is filling, the tendency is for it to squeeze the sand into shape so that the load is spread over the maximum area with no sharp spots arising, which might otherwise penetrate the base.