Chemical Engineering May 2010 - 6

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Letters
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Quality
Discussions on storage tanks
January, Letters, p. 6: Mr. G. Moczulski comments on
the November 2009 Facts at Your Fingertips " Aboveground
and Underground Storage Tanks " makes the
statement that storage tanks in vaults are regulated as
aboveground storage tanks. The inference is that only
regulations for aboveground storage tanks apply to
such installations. This is true only for the tank itself.
For installations that store flammable or combustible
liquids, the vault is governed by Chapter 25 of the 2008 edition
of NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code.
(Chapters 21 and 22 of this code apply to the tank itself.)
Chapter 25 establishes construction requirements for the
vault, including a requirement for anchoring the vault, so
that it cannot " float " due to high groundwater levels. The
chapter also includes requirements for the following: means
to admit a fire suppressing agent; possible need for hazardous
(classified) electrical utilization equipment and wiring;
containment and drainage of spills; ventilation systems;
vapor and liquid detection and alarm systems; and so on.
While NFPA 30 applies only to flammable and combustible
liquids, some of the provisions of Chapter 25 would
likely be considered appropriate for storage of liquids
with other hazards. Of course, the designer must factor in
the cost of all these features, as well as the cost of proper
inspection and maintenance. NFPA 30 is adopted in the
laws of more than 30 U.S. States.
Robert P. Benedetti, CSP, PE
National Fire Protection Assn., Quincy, Mass.
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Postscripts, corrections
January, Updating The Rules for Pipe Sizing, pp. 48-50:
Several values in Table 1 do not match exactly with the values
published in the referenced article (CE, May 1999, pp.
153-156, Table 2): 1) The value of K for 1998 does not match
as it should with the value of the original article issued in
May 1999. Specifically, in Table 2 of the 1999 article, K =
0.07 for 1998 prices, while in Table 1 of the 2010 article K
is equal to 0.04 for 1998 prices; 2) In the 1999 article (Table
2), the value of M is 0.575 for 1998 prices, while in Table 1
of the 2010 article, M = 0.102 for 1998 prices. In both cases,
the older article is in error. Meanwhile, the author further
notes that the value of K, energy cost (0.04), for 1998 year is
correct in the 2010 article but has been rounded. The value
of 0.0448 was used to obtain the corresponding value of M
(0.102) for 1998. Also, the value of K for 2008 prices (0.07)
was rounded. Considering more decimals (0.0716), the corresponding
value of M was obtained (0.064) for 2008 prices.
April, Economic Indicators, p. 80: The 2nd and 1st Q 2009
Marshall & Swift Equipment Cost Indices are incorrect.
Corrected values appear on p. 72 of this issue. Our thanks
to Peter L. Hartwell, business manager at Covanta Energy,
for bringing this to our attention.
April, Polysilicon Production, pp. 21-26: The majority owner
of Hemlock Semiconductor Group is Dow Corning (www.
dowcorning.com), not Dow Chemical Co. as reported. ■
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Chemical Engineering May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering May 2010