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245

Technical Specifications Sheet No. 40

Technical Specification of SS Storage Tank
1. Scope
Design, supply of materials, fabrication, inspection and testing at suppliers works and
erection at site of cylindrical, vertical, special dished head SS 316L tanks for DM water
as mentioned in the technical specifications and drawings.
2. Relevant Standards
Latest revision of following standards shall be strictly followed. In case of any variation in the
technical specification, the more stringent specifications shall be followed as desired by EIC.
IS-2825

Code for unfired pressure vessels

IS 804

Specification for rectangular pressed steel tank

ASME section-IX

Welding procedure qualification and welders qualification

IS 813

Scheme of symbols for welding

IS 814

Covered Electrodes for manual metal arc welding of carbon and carbon
manganese steel- Specification.

IS 816

Code of practice for use of metal arc welding for general construction in
mild steel

IS 5206

Specification for covered electrodes for manual metal arc welding of

stainless steel and other similar high alloy steels

IS 6419

Welding rods and bare electrodes for gas shielded arc welding of
structural steels- specification

IS 9604

Tungsten-inert gas ITIG) welding equipment-specification

IS 9595

Metal arc welding of carbon and carbon manganese steels recommendations

IS 13007

Tungsten electrodes for inert gas shielded arc welding and for plasma
cutting and welding

IS 2811

Recommendations for manual tungsten inert-gas arc welding of

austenitic steel

IS 3664

Code of practice for ultrasonic pulse echo testing by contact and

immersion methods

IS 822

Code of practice for inspection of welds

IS 3658

Code of practice for liquid penetrant flaw detection

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IS 13805

General standard for qualification and certification of non destructive

testing personnel.

ASTM A262

Standard practice for detecting susceptibility to intergrannular attack in

austenitic stainless steel.

IS 2062

Steel for general structural purposes

IS 1079

Hot rolled carbon steel sheets and strps-specification

ASTM A240

Standard specification for chromium-Nickel stainless steel plate, sheet

and strip for pressure vessels and for general applications

IS 6911

Stainless steel plate, sheet and strip-specification

ASTM A 479

Standard specification for stainless steel bars and shapes used in boilers
and other pressure vessels.

3. Technical Parameters
Approximate capacity

as per schedule of quantities

Quantity required

as per schedule of quantities

Material of fabrication

conforming to AISI SS 316L

Liquid to be stored in the tanks

DM water

Applicable code for design

ASME B & PV code section viii

div-1

Applicable code for inspection

ASME B & PV code section ix

ASME B & PV code section v

Applicable code for materials

ASME B & PV code section ii

ASTM A 240 and ASTM A 480
for stainless steel

Thickness of shell plate shall be as mentioned in schedule of quantities. Dimension and

location of nozzles, different openings and bottom supports for the storage tanks shall be as
per the application. However, detailed design procedure for nozzles, different openings,
reinforcements, welded joints, flanges etc. shall be in conformation with the referred code.
Neck of nozzles in general shall be trimmed in flush with the internal surface of the tanks.
Tank shall be complete with necessary accessory as water level indicator, air vent, drain with
valve, makeup line, etc as per drawings and specifications and cost of same shall be included
in the cost of item for Tank itself.

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4. Material of Construction
S.S. structural steel shall be of SAIL / Tata / Jindal / Reputed equiv. make.
The tanks, their openings, mounting framework and other accessories shall be fabricated out
of material as per Sch B.
All S.S. Plates should conform to the following points:
a) Plates shall be passivated.
b) Surface finish 2D as per ASME Section II SA 480.
c) Chemical composition and mechanical properties as per ASME Section II .
d) All the plates used shall be fairly straight, flat and free from surface and internal defects
such as pitting laminations, cracks etc.
5. Fabrication procedure
Cutting:
Parts may be cut to shape and size by mechanical means such as machining shearing,
grinding to produce a smooth finish surface. Exposed edges (inside and outside) shall be
rounded to a radius of at least 3mm.
Forming shell section and head:
All the parts for shell section shall be trimmed to the required shape by any process that will
not unduly impair the physical properties of the material.
If the plates are to be rolled the adjoining edges of longitudinal joints of cylindrical tank
shall first be shaped to the proper curvature by preliminary rolling or forming in order to
avoid objectionable flat spots along the completed joints.
6.

Welding procedure

All stainless steel welding shall be made by tungsten inert gas welding technique (T.I.G.).
Weld Joints:
Supplier shall prepare his own fabrication drawing indicating detailed welding joint
specifications and submit it for purchasers approval prior to start with fabrication.
Welding process:
All welding process should satisfy the minimum requirement of ASME Sec. VIII and all the
welders involved in welding should be qualified as per ASME Sec. IX Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code.

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No mechanical blow shall be applied except as permitted for peening, providing minimum
permissible dimensional changes.
Fillet welds:
In making fillet welds the metal shall be deposited in such a way that adequate penetrations
in to the base metal at the root of the weld is as per code requirement.
Parts to be joined shall be smooth, uniform and free from the loose scales.
Plates that are being welded shall be fitted, aligned and retained in position by suitable
means during the welding operations.
Tacking or other appropriate means may be used to hold the edges to be welded in line.
The edges of butt joints shall be held during welding so that they should not have an offset
of more than 1.5mm for longitudinal as well as circumferential seams. When fillet welds are
used the lapped plates shall fit closely and be kept in contact during welding.
Miscellaneous welding requirements:
The welding process should be such that proper fusion and penetration are obtained and by
which the base of the weld remain free from impurities.
If the welding is stopped for any reason extra care shall be taken in restarting to get the
required penetration and fusion.
When single welded joints are used, particular care shall be in aligning and separating the
components to be joined so that there will be complete penetration and fusion at the bottom
of the joint for its full length.
Repair of weld defects
Visible defects such as cracks, pinholes, incomplete fusion and defects by the hydrostatic
test shall be removed by mechanical means after which the joints shall be re-welded. The
weld metal may be peened when it is deemed necessary or helpful to control distortion, to
release the residual stresses or to improve the quality of welds.

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7. Permissible Variations in Dimensions :

Permissible out of roundness of cylinder:
The shell of the completed tank shall be substantially round. The difference between the
maximum and minimum at any cross section shall not exceed (1%) of the normal diameter
at the cross section under consideration. If measured on the outside diameter, shall be
corrected for the plate thickness at the cross section under consideration .When the cross
section passes through an opening , the permissible difference in inside diameter given
above may be increased by two percent (2%) of the inside diameter of the opening.
Permissible tolerances in openings:
Diameter - As mentioned in ASTM-A-312.
Lengths - 0.5 mm on written dimensions.
Thickness - 0.1 mm on written dimensions.

8. Testing :
General:
The manufacturer should have the responsibility of providing to the inspector all specified
information for assuring the quality control of the tank, the detailed examinations, and tests
required that are performed at different stages of fabrication, which are necessary for the
same. The manufacturer of the tank shall arrange for the inspector to have free access to
such places of their works as are concerned with supply of material for the tank, when so
requested. The inspector should also be permitted free access to all parts of manufacturers
shop that concerns the fabrication of tank and to the site of field erected tank during the
period of assembly and testing of tank. The manufacturer shall keep the inspector informed
of progress of the work and shall notify him reasonably in advance when tank will be ready
for any required test or inspection.
Material Used in Fabrication:
All stainless steel materials used for the fabrication of the tanks shall be tested as per
relevant ASTM standards, for conformance to chemical composition, mechanical properties,
metallurgical structure and resistance to sensitization at a laboratory of purchasers choice.
The cost of such testing shall be borne by the fabricator.
The tested and approved materials shall be identified and marked by the purchasers
authorized representative. The markings are to be carried on to the portions cut from the
approved stock of material. Hence, the cutting layout is to be made in the presence of the
purchasers authorized representative.

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The plates used for the fabrication shall be examined to ensure that they are free from
laminations and surface cracks.
Before attaching nozzles, manhole frames nozzle reinforcement and other accessories to the
inside or outside of the tank, they shall be examined to make certain that they fit properly to
the tank curvature.
The inspector shall satisfy himself that dimensional requirement have been met. This shall
include making such dimensional measurements, as he consider necessary.
Welding Procedure:
Inspector shall assure himself that the welding procedure employed in fabrication of tank
has been qualified under provision of section IX. The manufacturer shall submit the
evidence to the inspector that the requirements have been met.
Manufacturer shall certify that all welds on the tanks have been done only by welders and
welding operators who have been qualified under the requirements of section IX of ASME
Boiler and Pressure Vessel code.
The manufacturer shall make available to the inspector a certified copy of the qualification
test of each welder / welding operator. The inspector shall have the right at any time to call
for and witness the test for welding procedure and ability of any welder.
Weld Joint Inspection:
All welds, root pass, and final pass will be subjected to D.P. test, for the purpose of detecting
possible weld defects. Article 6 of ASME Section V shall be applied for the detailed
requirements in methods, procedures and qualifications unless specified herewith,
acceptance standard shall apply as specified in Appendix 8 of ASME Section VIII Div-1.
Unacceptable imperfections shall be removed and re-examination made to achieve the
complete removal. Whenever welding is required after defect is removed the area shall be
cleaned and welding performed in accordance with qualified procedure. Completed repairs
shall be re-examined by method originally used for detection.
All butt-welded joints are to be D.P. tested (100%).
Repair of welding shall be performed using qualified procedure and in manner acceptable to
the inspector.
The manufacturer shall certify that personnel performing D.P. have been qualified in
accordance with codes/standards.

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Visual Examination of Completed Tank:

When conditions permit the entry into the completed tank for an examination, if possible,
shall be made before final closure.
Inspector shall make an external inspection of completed tank at the time of final hydrostatic
test or pneumatic test.
Hydraulic Test Procedure:
Tank completed in all respects shall be subjected to hydrostatic test as prescribed in ASME
Sec. VIII Div 1 UG-99. The tank shall be subjected to a hydrostatic test pressure which is at
every point in the tank is at least equal to 1.3 times of maximum allowable working pressure
and inspection shall be made of all joints and connections. The inspection shall not be made
at pressure not less than 2/3 of test pressure.
Vents shall be provided at all high points of the tank in position to purge out possible air
packets while tank is filling.
Before applying pressure test equipment shall be examined, to see that they are working all
right and that all low pressure filling lines and other appurtenance that should not be
subjected to test pressure should be disconnected.
Test gauge used in testing shall be in accordance to Section VIII.
Air Leak Test:
An air leak test shall be performed following the hydrostatic test. Prior to this the parts shall
be thoroughly dried at temperature of 70C for 15 minutes while being purged with a flow of
dry air. Other drying procedure may be considered if above procedure is injurious to the
material.
The tanks are to be tested at an air pressure of 0.5 kg/cm2 and subjected to soap bubble leak
test at this pressure. The appearance of bubbles shall be the reason for rejection.
Alternately a soap solution test as per Article 10 of ASME section V may be used with the
above air pressure.
9. Documentation:
Supplier shall submit to purchaser procedures, drawings, test/inspection reports test
certificates and certificates of compliances as specified below:

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Procedure:
Following shall be submitted for approval by purchaser:

Welding and weld repair procedure

Liquid penetrant inspection procedure

Hydrostatic test procedure

Manufacturing sequence plan.

Inspection and Test Reports:

Inspection and test reports for the test carried out shall be submitted to purchaser.
Test Certificate or Certificate of Compliance:
Copies of mill test certificates / test reports shall be submitted for the materials.

10. Labelling of Tanks:

Following data to be attached permanently to tank in readily accessible position. It shall be
permanently marked by stamping, embossing or other method and shall not be painted.
o
Type code designation
o

Date of hydrostatic test (original with month & year)

Test pressure in kg/cm2

Maximum allowable working pressure in kg/cm2

Total capacity in litres

Tare in kg.

Maximum gross weight in kg.

Date of Hydraulic retest.

11. Criteria for Rejection:

Material, components and welds shall be rejected if they do not satisfy the minimum
requirements of relevant sections of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Defects found
shall be repaired in conformation with the requirements of the code.

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12. Finishing and Painting:

The tanks shall be wire brushed (with soap solution) finished to give uniform matt surface
from outside and inside. Only wire brushes made of stainless steel should be used for this
job. Both inside surface and the outside surface of the tanks shall be buffed to a uniform
smooth finish for good appearance. The tanks shall be pickled and passivated using K2
reagent manufactured by M/s Surface Innovators, Mumbai / equiv.