Fire is engulfing a storage tank—will the venting system save it?

Hi ,

Quick question:

If fire engulfs your storage tank right now, will it survive?

Some engineers design tank venting for normal operations—liquid filling, thermal breathing, routine pressure changes.

But fire changes everything.

When external fire surrounds a tank, vapor generation rates skyrocket to 10-50x normal levels. Your standard PVRV—designed for gentle overpressure scenarios—cannot handle this flow rate.

The result? Tank rupture, product release, catastrophe.

That's why API 2000 requires emergency venting devices such as:

🔥 Emergency Hatches – Handle massive vapor flows, reclosable, most reliable

🔥 Frangible Roofs – Fail safely to prevent total destruction

🔥 Rupture Discs – Instantaneous relief for extreme scenarios

Each has specific applications. Each must be sized using the wetted area method from API 2000.

I've written a comprehensive guide covering different types of tank venting devices and when they are typically used. You can read it here (14 min):

👉 Tank Inbreathing, Outbreathing & Venting Requirements in API 2000

Have a nice day!

Mohamad