Design and Construction of LPG Installations

API STANDARD 2510

NINTH EDITION, AUGUST 2020

Special Notes

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Classified areas may vary depending on the location, conditions, equipment, and substances involved in any given situation. Users of this specification should consult with the appropriate authorities having jurisdiction. Users of this specification should not rely exclusively on the information contained in this document. Sound business, scientific, engineering, and safety judgment should be used in employing the information contained herein.

Users of this Standard should not rely exclusively on the information contained in this document. Sound business,

scientific, engineering, and safety judgment should be used in employing the information contained herein.

The following examples/samples are merely examples for illustration purposes only. Each company should develop its own approach. They are not to be considered exclusive or exhaustive in nature. API makes no warranties, express or implied for reliance on or any omissions from the information contained in this document.

Where applicable, authorities having jurisdiction should be consulted.

Work sites and equipment operations may differ. Users are solely responsible for assessing their specific equipment and premises in determining the appropriateness of applying the Standard. At all times users should employ sound business, scientific, engineering, and judgment safety when using this Standard.

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Information concerning safety and health risks and proper precautions with respect to particular materials and conditions should be obtained from the employer, the manufacturer or supplier of that material, or the safety data sheet.

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Copyright © 2020 American Petroleum Institute

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Foreword

This standard provides minimum requirements for the design and construction of installations for the storage and handling of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at marine and pipeline terminals, natural gas processing plants, refineries, petrochemical plants, and tank farms. This standard takes into consideration the specialized training and experience of operating personnel in the type of installation discussed. In certain instances, exception to standard practices are noted and alternative methods are described.

This standard does not include information on the production or use of liquefied petroleum gas.

It is not intended that this standard be retroactive or that it take precedence over contractual agreements. Wherever practicable, existing codes and manuals have been used in the preparation of this standard.

This standard requires the purchaser to specify certain details and features. Although it is recognized that the purchaser may desire to modify, delete, or amplify sections of the standard, it is strongly recommended that such modifications, deletions, and amplifications be made by supplementing this standard rather than by rewriting or incorporating sections of this standard into another complete standard.

As used in this standard, “shall” denotes a minimum requirement to conform to the specification. “Should” denotes a recommendation or that which is advised but not required to conform to the specification. “Shall consider” directly before a design or construction factor (such as a force or safety) indicates that the factor’s effects and significance shall be evaluated using good engineering judgment-through an examination or test if appropriate-and the design may or may not be adjusted accordingly.

Suggested revisions are invited and should be submitted to API, Standards Department, 200 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20001, standards@api.org.

Contents

Page

1. Scope 1

   1. General 1

   2. Refrigerated Storage 1

   3. Pressurized Storage 1

   4. Numerical Units Used 1

   5. Excluded Items 1

   6. Retroactivity 1

   7. Characteristics of LPG 1

   8. Safety 2

2. Normative References 2

3. Terms and Definitions 3

4. Design of LPG Pressure Vessels 5

   1. Applicable Design Construction Codes 5

   2. Design Pressure and Temperature 5

   3. Design Vacuum 5

   4. Materials of Construction 6

   5. Vessel Connections 6

   6. Previously Constructed Vessels 6

5. Siting Requirements and Spill Containment 6

   1. Siting 6

   2. Drainage 9

   3. Spill Containment 9

   4. Remote Impoundment 10

   5. Diking 10

6. Foundations and Supports for LPG Storage Containers and Related Piping 11

   1. Applicable Codes, Standards, and Specifications 11

   2. General Design Requirements 11

   3. Foundation Design 13

   4. Corrosion Protection 14

7. Container Accessories, Including Pressure and Vacuum-Relieving Devices 15

   1. Mandatory Equipment 15

   2. Tank Accessory Materials 18

8. Flammable Product Piping Requirements 18

   1. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code for Pressure Piping 18

   2. Flammable Piping—General 18

   3. Fittings 19

   4. Plugs 19

   5. Unions 20

   6. Valves 20

   7. Location, Installation, and Flexibility of Piping, Valves, and Fittings 20

9. Loading, Product Transfer, and Unloading Facilities 21

   1. General 21

   2. Rates of Loading and Unloading 21

      Contents

      Page

   3. Transfer, Loading, and Unloading Equipment 21

   4. Grounding and Bonding 22

   5. Hose and Other Flexible Connectors for Product Transfer 23

   6. Blowdown or Venting of Loading and Unloading Lines 24

   7. Marking of Valves in Loading and Unloading Systems 24

   8. Metering Equipment Used in Loading and Unloading 24

   9. LPG Odorization 24

10. Fire Protection 24

    1. General 24

    2. Access for Firefighting 24

    3. Fire Water Use 24

    4. Fire Detection Systems 27

    5. Fire Extinguishers 28

    6. Fire-fighting Foam 28

    7. Fireproofing of LPG Vessels 28

    8. Fireproofing of Structural Supports 28

    9. Burying and Mounding 29

    10. Electrical Installations and Equipment 29

    11. Critical Wiring and Control Systems 29

    12. Safety Precaution Signs 29

    13. Lighting 29

    14. Fencing 29

    15. Roadways 30

11. Refrigerated Storage 30

    1. General 30

    2. Design Requirements 30

    3. Siting Requirements 30

    4. Thermal Considerations 32

    5. Tank Accessories 32

    6. Instrumentation 32

    7. Piping Requirements 32

    8. Refrigeration System 33

Annex A (informative) Piping, Valves, Fittings, and Optional Equipment 34

Annex B (informative) Applicability of API 2510 and NFPA 58 37

Bibliography 42

Figures

1. Pipeline Terminal that Receives LP Gas from Pipeline for Delivery to Transporters, Distributors, or Users .. 37

2. Pipeline Terminal Associated with Refineries, Petrochemical Plants, or Gas Plants 38

3. Marine Terminal Whose Purpose is the Receipt of LP Gas for Delivery to Transporters, Distributors,

   or Users 39

4. Refinery, Petrochemical Plant, or Gas Plant 40

   Contents

   
   

   Page

5. Marine Terminal Supplying Refineries, Petrochemical or Gas Facilities or Delivery of LP Gas to Marine Vessels 41

Tables

1 Minimum Horizontal Distance between Shell of an LPG Pressure Vessel and Line of Adjoining Property That

May Be Developed 8

Design and Construction of LPG Installations

1. Scope

   
   

   1. General

      
      

      This standard covers the design, construction, and location of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) installations at marine and pipeline terminals, natural gas processing plants, refineries, petrochemical plants, or tank farms. It also addresses the use of storage vessels, loading and unloading systems, piping, and related equipment.

      
      

   2. Refrigerated Storage

      
      

      Design and construction considerations specific to refrigerated storage are covered in Section 11 of this standard.

      
      

   3. Pressurized Storage

      
      

      Design and construction considerations specific to pressure vessel storage are covered in Section 4 of this

      standard.

      
      

   4. Numerical Units Used

      
      

      In this standard, numerical values are presented in the U.S. Customary (USC) units.

      
      

   5. Excluded Items

      
      

      1. This standard does not apply to the design, construction, or relocation of frozen earth pits, underground storage caverns or wells, and underground or mounded storage tanks.

         
         

      2. This standard does not apply to the following installations.

1. Those covered by NFPA 58 and NFPA 59.

   
   

2. U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) containers.

   
   

3. Gas utility company facilities; refinery process equipment; refinery and gas plant processing equipment; and transfer systems from process equipment before upstream LPG storage.

   
   

4. Those tanks with less than 2000 gallons of storage capacity.

1. Retroactivity

   
   

   The provisions of this standard are intended for application to new installations. This standard can be used to review and evaluate existing storage facilities. However, the feasibility of applying this standard to facilities, equipment, structures, or installations that were already in place or that were in the process of construction or installation before the date of this publication, must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering individual circumstances and sites.

   
   

2. Characteristics of LPG

LPG is customarily handled in a liquid state achieved by its liquefaction under moderate pressure or refrigeration. Upon release of the pressure or warming of the refrigerated liquid, LPG is readily converted into the gaseous phase at normal ambient temperature.