Cork insulation; a complete illustrated textbook on cork insulation ...

482 CORK INSULATION
ECONOMY OF GASOLINE STORAGE TANK INSULA-
TION.
In a paper prepared by the Armstrong <strong>Cork</strong> and Insulating Co., of
Pittsburgh, Pa., in April, 1918, an interesting detailed description is
given of various methods of manufacturing gasoline from both gas
well and oil well products, on the distillation, compression and ab-
sorption methods of gasoline separation from gas and oil.
By permission the following reproduction of that portion of the
paper referring particularly to the economical results secured through
cork <strong>insulation</strong> of gasoline storage tanks in three separate refining
plants, has been extracted:
Early in March, 1917, the United Fuel Gas Company, of Charleston,
West Virginia, requested quotations on <strong>insulation</strong> for a number
of gasoline storage tanks located at their various stations. Upon
calling on the above company at Charleston, West Virginia, it w^as
learned that they were losing by evaporation approximately 600 to
1,800 gallons of gasoline per day at each of their several plants in
operation. Before proceeding further the reason for this loss shall
be explained.
The temperature of the gasoline as it passes from the coolers and
condensers to the storage tanks is much lower than the temperature
of the air, due to the cooling methods employed. This product is
of low boiling point and readily evaporates even at the low tempera-
ture at which it leaves the condensers. As the temperature increases,
the evaporation becomes more pronounced and for this reason it is
desirable that the gasoline be kept at as low a temperature as pos-
sible. The tanks in which the material is stored are, as a rule, located
outside of buildings and exposed to the weather. If the tanks are
not insulated the gasoline contained therein soon acquires the same
temperature as the outside air and in the summer months when the
hot sun constantly beats down upon the tanks the temperature of
the gasoline becomes very high. The gasoline evaporating freely
increases the pressure in the tanks, which are equipped with safety
valves to permit of the vapors passing off whenever the pressure
exceeds that at which the valve is set.
In cool or cloudy weather the valve does not "blow off" as often
as in hot weather and the evaporation loss past the man-hole cover
is reduced. The evaporation loss in the summer months is naturally
considerably more than in the cooler months of the fall and winter.
At the Cobb Station of the United Fuel Gas Company the evapora-
tion loss early in the spring averaged close to 600 gallons of liquid
gasoline per day, and at the Sandyville Station of the same company
the loss ran as high as 1,500 gallons per day. The gasoline lost by
evaporation is valued at 20c per gallon by the company producing
the material, and it was obviously necessary for the United Fuel Gas
Company to take steps to reduce their evaporation loss which
amounted to approximately $300.00 per day at each plant.