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Secomoc: a partnership in frangibility expertise

The oil companies that are Secomoc’s customers are obliged to substantiate the frangibility of their hydrocarbon fuel tanks for safety reasons.

In situations where the Codres rules do not apply, the tank supplier systematically calls on Cetim as we have a partnership with them.

The French Regional Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing (Les Directions Régionales de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et du Logement, Dreal) obliges oil companies to substantiate the frangibility of their tanks to guarantee containment of the liquids stored. However, an old tank that is still in operation is not necessarily frangible.

“When that is the case, our customers ask us to modify the structure of the tank and to set up a head fuse to make the tank frangible”, explains Michel Belguiral, CEO of Secomoc and chairman of the Codres Management Committee (Construction Code for Vertical Cylindrical Storage Tanks).

One of the Codres rules uses a simple formula to substantiate the frangibility of liquid storage tanks. However, some existing tanks – especially small tanks, which are more rigid than larger ones – do not necessarily comply with the Codres application conditions. When this is the case, there is only one possible solution: to verify the behaviour of each tank using numerical simulation.

Cetim, specialist in verifying the frangibility of vertical tanks, uses the Abaqus structure calculation software for this purpose. At Secomoc’s request, approximately twenty small hydrocarbon tanks have been modelled in this way over the last three years. By calling on Cetim, Secomoc benefits from its expertise in frangibility and the intense calculation resources at its disposal.

To find out more, go to cetim.fr - "Services" then "References".

Contact:

sqr@cetim.fr

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