Ra’s Ghareb is the northernmost municipality in the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, situated on the African side of the Gulf of Suez. The tank farm has 29 crude oil storage tanks with a total capacity of 175,000 m3 for each storage tank and a diameter of 110 m in areas.

Mechartes conducted extensive Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for various tanks on a farm, specifically focusing on the 52” and 12” bottom connections associated with crude oil tanks. The project scope included analyzing these connections under operating conditions and occasional loads from the connected piping network.

The analysis was performed according to ASME Section 8, Division 2 standards, encompassing 3D shell modeling of the bottom connection pipes with supports based on provided information and dimensions. Maximum stresses and deflections were evaluated and compared against guidelines stipulated in the standard.

Additionally, fatigue assessments were conducted using peak stress data derived from the FEA results and the S-N curve specified in ASME Section VIII standards. Re-analyses were carried out to ensure compliance with ASME Section VIII, Division 2 requirements and to meet acceptable deflection criteria.

Mechartes provided comprehensive recommendations based on the FEA findings, aiming to optimize the design and ensure structural integrity and reliability of the crude oil tanks’ bottom connections under various operational scenarios.