In the modern industrial system, industrial storage tanks are widely used as indispensable storage equipment in various fields. Whether it is oil storage in the energy industry, water supply in daily life, or slurry treatment in construction and oil mining, industrial storage tanks play a key role. According to the different storage media, industrial storage tanks are mainly divided into oil tanks, water tanks and Mud tanks, each of which has its own unique use, functional characteristics, and plays an important value in the corresponding areas.
一.Oil tanks: a key facility for energy storage
1.Uses and functions
Crude oil storage: In the field of oil extraction, oil tanks are used to store crude oil extracted from the ground. After crude oil is extracted from the well, it needs to be temporarily stored and await further transport and processing. Oil tanks provide a safe and stable storage environment, preventing leakage and volatilisation and ensuring that the quality of the crude oil is not affected by external factors.
Storage of refined oil products: Refineries process crude oil into a variety of refined oil products, such as petrol, diesel, paraffin, etc. Tanks are used to store these refined oil products. Oil tanks are used to store these refined oil products to meet the market demand. Oil tanks have good sealing performance, which can effectively prevent the volatilisation and oxidation of refined oil and ensure its stable quality. At the same time, the oil tanks can be flexibly deployed according to the market demand, and the refined oil products can be transported to petrol stations, factories and other end-users through pipeline transmission or loading by tanker trucks.
Blending and buffering: Oil tanks play an important role in the oil blending process. Different qualities of oil can be mixed in the oil tanks according to a certain ratio to achieve a specific quality standard. In addition, oil tanks act as a buffer to cope with fluctuations in the production and distribution of oil. When the production rate of oil is higher than the sales rate, the oil tanks can store excess oil; conversely, when the market demand is high, the oil in the tanks can replenish the supply in time to ensure the stable operation of the whole oil supply chain.
2.Application Fields
Oil extraction industry: In offshore drilling platforms and onshore oil fields, oil tanks are essential equipment in the crude oil extraction process. They are used to store freshly extracted crude oil for subsequent transport. For example, on offshore drilling platforms in the South China Sea, crude oil is extracted and stored in tanks on the platform before being transported to land refineries via shuttle tankers. Land-based oilfields, such as the Shengli Oilfield, are dotted with numerous tanks, forming a huge crude oil storage system to ensure a stable supply of crude oil.
Refining and petrochemical industry: Refineries and petrochemical plants require a large number of tanks to store crude oil, intermediate products and refined products. These tanks are an important part of the refining and petrochemical production process, ensuring the continuity of production.
Transportation industry: Petrol stations, as the terminal sales point for oil products, are equipped with underground tanks for storing petrol and diesel. These oil tanks are usually double-layer structures with good anti-leakage properties to ensure the safety of oil storage. Meanwhile, transport hubs such as airports are equipped with large aviation paraffin storage tanks to provide reliable fuel supply for aircraft and ensure the normal operation of air transport.
二.Water Tanks: A Vital Vehicle for Water Security
1.Uses and functions
Storage of domestic water: In urban water supply systems, water tanks are used to store purified domestic water. It regulates the pressure of the water supply to ensure that during peak periods, residents are able to obtain a stable water pressure to meet their daily needs for drinking, cooking, washing and so on.
Firefighting Water Reserve: Firefighting water tanks are an important facility for firefighting safety. In buildings, factories, warehouses and other places, fire water tanks store a large amount of fire water for use in case of fire.
Industrial production water storage: many industrial production processes require a large amount of water, such as textile, printing and dyeing, chemical, electric power and other industries. Water tanks are used to store water for industrial production to ensure the continuity of production. The material and design of industrial water tanks will be selected according to the nature of the stored water to prevent water pollution and tank corrosion.
Rainwater collection and utilisation: water tanks can also be used to collect and store rainwater, which can be used for irrigation, car washing, toilet flushing and other non-drinking purposes after simple treatment to achieve effective utilisation of water resources.
2.Application Areas
Municipal water supply systems: City waterworks regulate the flow and pressure of the water supply through tanks to ensure a stable supply of water to residents and businesses throughout the city.
Construction: All types of buildings, whether residential, commercial or public, need to be equipped with water tanks for domestic and fire-fighting purposes. In the process of building design and construction, the selection and installation location of water tanks are important considerations to meet the building’s water needs and fire safety standards.
Industrial enterprises: industrial enterprises can not be separated from the production process of water, water tanks in industrial production is extremely wide range of applications. From the cleaning of raw materials to the manufacture of products, each link may need to use water tanks to store and supply water for production.
Agricultural irrigation: In rural areas and agricultural parks, water tanks can be used to store irrigation water, achieve precise irrigation, improve water use efficiency and promote agricultural production.
三.Mud tanks: special storage equipment for industrial operations
Mud tank is a kind of container equipment for storing, treating and regulating mud, which is widely used in oil and gas drilling as well as geological exploration and other fields. During the drilling process, the mud returns from the wellhead and flows into the mud tank through the mud circulation system on the ground via the inlet pipe. Inside the mud tank, the mixing system works continuously to make the various components in the mud, such as clay, weighting agent, additives and so on, mix evenly. When mud is needed for drilling, the mud in the mud tank is transported to the drilling pump through the discharge pipe, and then the drilling pump pressurizes the mud to the wellhead and injects it into the bottom of the well through the drilling rods, thus realizing the recycling of mud.
1.Use and Function
Drilling mud storage: In the field of oil and gas drilling and geological exploration, mud tanks are used to store mud used in the drilling process.
Mud Treatment and Separation: Mud tanks are usually equipped with appropriate solids control equipment, such as vibrating screens, desanders, and mud removers. These equipments can separate the solid-phase particles in the mud step by step, and remove the rock chips, sand particles and other impurities in the mud, so that the mud can be reused, reduce costs and reduce pollution to the environment. Meanwhile, the mud tank can also be used to mix the density, viscosity and other parameters of the mud according to the requirements of the drilling process through the mud aggravation mixing system, so that it can achieve the best drilling performance.
Sewage treatment and storage: Sewage containing mud produced in some industrial production processes also needs to be stored and initially treated through the mud tank.
2.Application Fields
Oil and gas extraction: Mud tanks are indispensable for oil and gas drilling operations. Whether it is an offshore drilling platform or a land drilling site, mud tanks are one of the necessary equipment.
Geological Exploration: In geological exploration, drilling is required to obtain underground core samples, and mud tanks are used to store and treat mud used in the exploration process. When geological exploration teams are working in the field, they usually carry small movable mud tanks, which are convenient for working in different exploration sites and provide necessary support for geological research.
Building construction: During building construction, such as piling, diaphragm wall construction, etc., a large amount of mud will be generated. Mud tanks are used to store and treat these muds, preventing the random discharge of mud from polluting the construction site and the surrounding environment. At the same time, the treated mud can be reasonably used, such as for making bricks and other construction materials, to achieve the recycling of resources.
Mining: In the process of mining, whether it is open-pit mining or underground mining, it will produce mud sewage containing a large number of solid particles. Mud tanks are used to store and initially treat these effluents, and through precipitation, filtration and other processes, the useful mineral particles in the effluent will be recovered, and the clean water will be discharged or recycled after reaching the standard, so as to reduce the wastage of water resources and damage to the environment caused by mining.
Oil tanks, water tanks and slurry tanks in industrial storage tanks play a unique and important role in their respective fields. Oil tanks guarantee the storage and transport of energy, which is a key facility in the energy industry; water tanks ensure the stable supply and rational use of water resources, which is related to people’s daily life and industrial production; and mud tanks provide the necessary support for the special operations of petroleum extraction, building construction and other industries.
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