3647x
001089
2017-02-22

Butadiene Storage Sphere in La Wantzenau, France

The butadiene storage tanks of the French company ARLANXEO Emulsion Rubber France, one of the biggest producers of NBR synthetic rubber in the world, had to be recalculated to comply with the seismic requirements of Eurocode 8.

Butadiene is an essential element in the production of nitrile rubber. It is stored in a liquid state in storage spheres.

Calculation

The existing storage tanks have been subjected to seismic analysis to comply with the French regulation “Classified Installations for the Protection of the Environment (ICPE)”. Initially, the spheres were designed according to the French seismic code PS92, using the site‑specific response spectrum. However, Eurocode 8 and the Decree of October 4, 2010 have redefined the design spectrum, specifying the seismic rules for installations classified as involving risks. Therefore, new analysis of the butadiene sphere was required.

Structure and Modeling

The storage sphere is supported by eleven steel columns welded around the envelope of the structure. The columns are interconnected by a bolted circumferential ring. Braces ensure increased horizontal stability of the storage sphere in cases of wind and seismic loads.

A 3D model was created in structural engineering software RFEM. All the components were entered as surface elements (spherical envelope, columns, circumferential ring, braces, gusset plates, anchor plates, and other components). The soil-structure interaction was taken into account by using elastic supports, transferring the stiffness of the deep foundations in each spatial direction.


Project Specifications

Do you have any questions?