Aliaga, Mersin and Samsun ports host tank farms storing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. A single tank is 50,000-100,000 m3; the Buncefield 2005 blast caused damage within a 1 km radius. NFPA 30 covers flammable liquids, API 650 tank design and dike dimensions.
NFPA 30 Classification
- Class IA: Flash <23 C, BP <38 C
- Class IB: Flash <23 C, BP >=38 C (gasoline)
- Class IC: Flash 23-38 C
- Class II: Flash 38-60 C (diesel)
- Class IIIA: Flash 60-93 C (fuel oil)
Tank Setback Distances
- Class I tank: 1.5x tank dia to neighbor
- Dike: 110 percent tank volume
- Dike wall: 1.8 m min height
- Tank-dike: Dia/2 min 3 m
- Property line: 1x dia min
Foam and Cooling
- Rim seal foam: 12.2 L/min/m2
- Full surface: 6.5 L/min/m2
- Dike foam: 6.5 L/min/m2
- Cooling water: 2.0 L/min/m2 burning tank
- Neighbour cooling: 4.1 L/min/m2 within 30 m
Lightning and Overfill
- API 2003: Lightning grounding
- Bypass ring: Upper rim bonded
- Overfill protection: 95 percent alarm, 98 percent stop
- Tank gauging: Radar + servo
- Cathodic protection: Bottom CP
Major Incidents
- Buncefield UK 2005: Overfill - 43 injured
- Caribbean BP 2009: Lightning
- Tupras Izmir: 12 Mt/y
- Alsancak port 2013: Tank fire
- CSB investigation: Large incident analysis

Tank Farms with SprinkCalc
SprinkCalc sizes tank-farm 110 percent dike volume, rim-seal foam 12.2 L/min/m2, cooling water 2.0 L/min/m2 and NFPA 30 setback.
Download SprinkCalc on the App Store
Sources & Further Reading
NFPA 30, NFPA 11, API 650, API 2003, FM DS 7-88. NFPA 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids.