Vacuum an aluminum tank as a function of volume of change

[abe_cooldude]

Hi all,

I am working on thermodynamics problems, and can't even seem to figure out how to start it.
I came across a scenario in which an 100gallon aluminum horizontal half-filled diesel fuel tank imploded because the vent was plugged. I know the basic concept behind the happening, i.e. pressure differential exerted a force on the tank causing it to crush. Since the vent was plugged, I am assuming it created vacuum in the tank, so the maximum pressure on the outside of the tank would have been 14.7psi. Am I right?

Now I am trying to do some detailed calculations to see how much pressure would be required to implode the tank sitting outside in ambient conditions if the vent was plugged and the volume of diesel inside the tank was decreasing. So pressure as a function of volume change of diesel inside the tank. I am getting confused because I would have to take into account diesel vapor pressure inside the tank, temperature change, etc, and since it won't be an ideal gas situation, I can't use pV=nRT.

Can anyone get me started?

 

[kurt.physics]

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!</code>First of all, you need to determine the vapor pressure of diesel fuel inside the tank. This will depend on the temperature inside the tank and the composition of the fuel. Once you have that information, you can calculate the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the tank. This pressure differential is a function of the volume of the diesel fuel inside the tank.Assuming that the tank is in a static condition (i.e. no flow or movement of the diesel fuel inside the tank), then the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the tank can be calculated using Boyle's Law: P1V1 = P2V2 Where P1 is the pressure inside the tank, V1 is the volume of the diesel fuel inside the tank, P2 is the atmospheric pressure outside the tank (14.7psi) and V2 is the total volume of the tank (100 gallons). Once you have calculated the pressure differential, you can use this value to determine the maximum pressure that would be required to implode the tank. This will depend on the strength of the tank material, as well as other factors such as the shape of the tank and the amount of air trapped inside the tank. I hope this helps to get you started. Good luck with your calculations!