Seismic analysis of liquefied natural gas tanks.

摘要

The primary objective of this project is to study the utility of the simplified analogs for the analysis and design of liquid storage tanks constructed using conventional and protective systems. A vertical, cylindrical LNG tank that could be constructed in a region of moderate to high seismicity is evaluated using response-history analysis. Data reported and statistically sorted include (a) base shear, (b) global overturning moment, and (c) wave height in the tank (used for freeboard calculations).; The Finite Element (FE) method is utilized to model the tank, as well as the contained liquid. ANSYS, a finite element code that combines structural and fluid simulation capabilities, is used to model the structure in the three-dimensional space and perform modal and nonlinear seismic analysis. The tank is considered to have a fixed base, for the conventional design, and to respond within the linear elastic limit. Seismic isolation is implemented by introducing horizontal inelastic beam elements between the base and the ground. The responses of the conventional and isolated tanks are also reported and compared, for the two earthquake levels, and the effect of seismic isolation is investigated. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)