tank volume formula

J

Thread Starter

John Olivier

We have a tank that measures 10 feet in diameter and is 15 feet tall that we are needing a formula for determining the gallon capacity for. Can you help?
Thanks
[email protected]
 
D
John,

You can use the following formula.

((pDH)*7.485) = Gallons of liquid in the tank.
((3.14 * 10 * 15)*7.458) = 3512.72 Gallons

Hope this helps!

Dale
 
A

Art Bourdeau

I assume you are measuring US gallons.
If so, the volume would be (pi * ((radius)**2)*height))/ 231 --- all measurements in inches.
If you are using Imperial gallons, you should divide by 277.420.
In any case, you did not mention the liquid being stored and the temperature range. You may have to compensate for the thermal expansion of the liquid as well as the tank.
All of this and other information like this can be found in the "CRC handbook of Chemistry and Physics"
Good luck with your project!
Regards,
Art Bourdeau,
[email protected]
Phone:(518)765-3667
Fax: (518)765-4033
Mobil: (518)573-4745
Fax:(518)765-4033
 
W
Okay, you have to tell us some more information:

Is the tank vertical or horizontal?

If vertical, is it cylindrical with a flat bottom, or is it dished or coned at the bottom?

If horizontal, is it cylindrical with dished ends or flat ends?

Basically, the answer to your question is simple geometry. Break the tank into simple geometric sections and calculate the volume of each, then add them up.

Lots of level meters have this sort of software in residence. It can be tough to write, but easy to use in practice.

Remember that the accuracy of your measurement will be determined by how straight the sidewalls are, and how well you can measure the appropriate
variables.

You may want to do a pumpdown test to verify your numbers. The easiest way to do that is to hire a contractor's water truck. Fill the tank to its
maximum.

Empty the water tank, fill the truck's gas tank, and have it weighed at a commercial truck scale that is close by. Then fill the water truck's tank from the tank to be measured. Weigh it. Calculate the amount of water.
QED.

You might have to do this in stages if the water truck isn't large enough.

Another way to do it, but perhaps with a little less accuracy is to put a flowmeter on the discharge of the tank, fill the tank full and then empty it through the flow meter.

Hope this helps.

Walt Boyes

------------------SeaMetrics Inc.-------------
Innovative Flow Meters and Controls
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.seametrics.com
----------------------------------------------
 
W
Dale,

The fomula you've given does NOT give the correct answer. It yields the surface area of a cylinder of diameter 10 feet and height of 15 feet.
The correct equation is: PI * r^2 * height * conversion factor.

Wayne


-----Original Message-----
From: Dale Witman

John,

You can use the following formula.

((pDH)*7.485) = Gallons of liquid in the tank.
((3.14 * 10 * 15)*7.458) = 3512.72 Gallons

Hope this helps!
 
P

Paul McGuire

Dale -

This looks more like the surface area (pi*D*H) of the tank, converted to gallons (?).
Volume (assuming the dimensions given were for a cylindrical tank) is:

( (pi*D^2)/4) * H ) = ( ( 3.14 * 10*10 ) / 4 ) * 15 ) * 7.4805
gal/cu-ft = 8808.3 gal

If the tank has rounded ends, then the volume will be somewhat more - this formula assumes flat ends, like an oil drum.

-- Paul
 
R

Ricardo Zuniga

From the point of view of geometry the last formula it is Ok (Volume = Base Area x Height).
But, real world will be quite different.
There are standards to measure the volume of tank. I only know API/ASTM for cylindrical vertical tanks to storage hydrocarbon liquids without pressure. In that case and for a plane floor, you have to measure the perimeter of the
tank (almost one measurement) in each ring and the thickness of the plate.
Calculate the external diameter = perimeter/3.1416
Calculate the internal diameter = external diameter - 2 * thickness
With that value you can calculate the volume for each tank's ring using the formula.
If the tank has in/out and/or internal structures, the volume of each has to add or subtract from the calculated volume
If you register calculations to different levels from bottom to top you can obtain a Tank Capacity Table. (a volume for each level).
Be careful, if you are planning to use that table in a SCADA application, because values in table are rounded and SCADA applications usually compute
volume by linear interpolation. Additionally you may need to correct volume value in function of
temperature.
Ricardo
[email protected]
 
J
It is assumed by reading your description that this is a vertical cylindrical tank. The formula does not account for flanged and dished or cone bottom vessels.

Leaving all units in inches - diameter squared x .7854 x height
------------------------
--------------------------
231 cubic
inches/gallon

To calculate a horizontal cylindrical tank's volume is more involved.

120" x 120" x .7854 x 180"
------------------------------------ = 8812.8
gallons
231 in3/gal

www.indautosys.com
 
Dear Sir,

At our Gas Station site we have following sizes of underground MS tanks, we would like to know exact dip stick chart in Litters for every half Centimeters.

1) Horizontal Cylindrical Tank of 22000 Ltrs
Size: ID 2.468 Mtrs x 4.468 Mtrs

2) Horizontal Cylindrical Tank of 30000 Ltrs
Size: ID 2.468 Mtrs x 6.168 Mtrs.

Please arrange to send your advice/chart on our email: [email protected]

Thanking you,

Shailendra Shukla
 
> Okay, you have to tell us some more information: > Is the tank vertical or horizontal? CASE A: Horizontal CASE B: Vertical > If vertical, is it cylindrical with a flat bottom, or is it dished or coned at the bottom? CASE B1: DISHED BOTTOM CASE B2: CONE BOTTOM > If horizontal, is it cylindrical with dished ends or flat ends? CASE A: HORIZONTAL WITH DISHED HEADS > Basically, the answer to your question is simple geometry. Break the tank into simple geometric sections and calculate the volume of each, then add them up. NEED TO KNOW INCREMENTAL VOLUME FOR EACH CASE ABOVE
 
the area of a circle is the radius squared times Pi. Where did you get the diameter squared times .78.. ?
 
Volume of a vertical cylider holding tank is as follows:

D^2 x .7854 x 7.48 x H

D=Diameter
H=Height

To find gallons per foot do not multiply by the height.
 
K

Koblenz, Mykel MH

The .78 is pi/4, but what dows the 7.48 represent. A cylinder is area x height, and area is pi x (d x d) /4, so I am not sure unless it is a conversion ratio
 
D

Dr ir Gerrit M. van der Molen

Hi Mykel,

You are correct, the 7.48 represents the conversion factor from cubic feet to US gallons. To complicate matters: for UK gallons it would be 6.23 (both are rounded off to the nearest three digits).

Gerrit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr ir Gerrit M. van der Molen
Industrial Systems and Control Ltd.
50 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QE, UK
Tel: (+44) (0)141-553 1111
Fax: (+44) (0)141-553 1232
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.isc-ltd.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Horizontal tank 2.773m dia, cylinder length 6.121m
doomed ends .254m proud at each end giving overall length 6.629m.
need to know volume and volume at depths on 01m increments, tank horizontal

 
Okay, you have to tell us some more information:

Is the tank vertical or horizontal?

If vertical, is it cylindrical with a flat bottom,

Basically, the answer to your question is simple geometry. Break the tank into simple geometric sections and calculate the volume of each, then add them up.

Lots of level meters have this sort of software in residence. It can be tough to write, but easy to use in practice.

Remember that the accuracy of your measurement will be determined by how straight the sidewalls are, and how well you can measure the appropriate
variables.

You may want to do a pumpdown test to verify your numbers. The easiest way to do that is to hire a contractor's water truck. Fill the tank to its
maximum.

Empty the water tank, fill the truck's gas tank, and have it weighed at a commercial truck scale that is close by. Then fill the water truck's tank from the tank to be measured. Weigh it. Calculate the amount of water.
QED.

You might have to do this in stages if the water truck isn't large enough.

Another way to do it, but perhaps with a little less accuracy is to put a flowmeter on the discharge of the tank, fill the tank full and then empty it through the flow meter.

Hope this helps.

Walt Boyes

------------------SeaMetrics Inc.-------------
Innovative Flow Meters and Controls
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.seametrics.com
----------------------------------------------
 
Top