Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Fuel Storage Tanks in Italy

Abstract

Seismic hazard represents one of the possible triggering causes for NaTech accidents in refineries and production plants. The vulnerability of steel storage tanks was evaluated within the framework of a rapid risk assessment. Tanks dataset is composed of 70 refinery items in located in various parts of Italy and the seismic calculations are performed in accordance to API 650 Annex E Standard. The paper summarizes the results of the investigation through two normalized parameters related to the masses and to the seismic load. Some trends in the solution are highlighted. The empirical fragility curve obtained from the analysis is compared with similar curves found in the literature and the resulting similarities (and dissimilarities) are critically discussed.