r/ChemicalEngineering • u/ChemicalMurdoc Cell Manufacturing/10yrs • Apr 30 '25

Design Propane tanks don't require secondary containment. Right?

I'm having an argument at work that propane nor refrigerant tanks secondary containment. I don't believe they require it, as that's how I've always seen them built and I can rationalize why. But I can't seem to find anything to support that.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '25

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u/Ritterbruder2 Apr 30 '25

Propane’s vapor pressure is low enough where they store it as a liquid under pressure. Never heard of cryo propane.

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u/SpeedyHAM79 May 03 '25

It's done when storing VERY large volumes of propane. I worked on a facility recently that has a cryo-propane storage tank to avoid having to pressurize it. They have two 5 million gallon capacity tanks at -60 degrees. Each tank has 10 feet of insulation. Supply is via a pipeline from a few nearby oil refineries.