Tank Farm Management

Refinery tank farms are the largest units in terms of numbers of plant items in any refinery. Refineries handle a huge stock of crude oil and product inventories, which invariably involves high capital investment. Accurate inventory is critical to terminal operations and to reconciling hydrocarbons within the plant. To improve their hydrocarbon management, refineries should continuously evaluate their perception of the principles and effects of the measurement of oil movement and storage to understand the errors involved.

This should help them move towards better management of hydrocarbon inventory. Refiners are under pressure to increase refining margin by reducing inventory, optimizing crude mix and reducing product quality giveaway at the same time as producing more grades to tighter product and environmental specifications. Economic benefits result from improved planning and scheduling, coupled with tighter control and increased operational assurance and flexibility.