Explosion of fixed roof atmospheric storage tanks, part 1: Background and review of case histories

Many flammable products are stored in large tanks at atmospheric pressure. Ignition of a hydrocarbon–air mixture in such tanks can lead to an explosion and cause lethal casualties or damage the surrounding facilities and buildings. To apprehend this, safety distances for humans, structures and equipments need to be defined. Several simple methodologies have been set up to estimate safety distances in case of an atmospheric storage tank explosion.