Heat Loss Oil Tanks

Reference data and engineering information about heat loss oil tanks for thermodynamics applications.

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Overview

Engineering reference data for Heat Loss Oil Tanks in thermodynamics.

Key Formulas

First Law

$\Delta U = Q - W$

Energy is conserved — heat added minus work done.

Ideal Gas Law

$PV = nRT$

Relates pressure, volume, and temperature of an ideal gas.

Heat Transfer

$Q = mc\Delta T$

Sensible heat transfer.

Carnot Efficiency

$\eta = 1 - T_C/T_H$

Maximum efficiency between two temperatures.

Variables

Symbol	Description	Unit
$U$	Internal energy	J
$Q$	Heat	J
$W$	Work	J
$P$	Pressure	Pa
$V$	Volume	m³
$T$	Temperature	K

Heat Transfer Rate Data

11 rows

Typical overall heat transfer coefficients (α) for oil tanks and pipelines. Values are approximate and depend on specific conditions.
Application	Temperature Difference (ΔT)(°F)	α (Uninsulated)(Btu/(hr ft² °F))	α (Insulated)(Btu/(hr ft² °F))
Sheltered Tank	< 50	1.2	0.3
Sheltered Tank	50 - 80	1.3	0.33
Sheltered Tank	80 - 100	1.4	0.35
Exposed Tank	< 50	1.4	0.35
Exposed Tank	50 - 80	1.5	0.38
Exposed Tank	80 - 100	1.6	0.4
Tank in Pit	All	1.2	—
Sheltered Pipe	< 80	1.5	0.4
Sheltered Pipe	80 - 260	2.3	0.58
Exposed Pipe	< 80	1.8	0.45
Exposed Pipe	80 - 260	2.75	0.7

Source: Engineering ToolBox

Unit Conversions

Useful conversion factors for working with this data:

Heat Transfer Rate: $1 \, \text{Btu/(hr ft^{2} °F)} = 5.678 \, \text{W/(m^{2} °C)} = 4.882 \, \text{kcal/(h m^{2} °C)}$
Temperature (°F to °C): $T(°C) = \frac{5}{9} \left( T(°F) - 32 \right)$

Interactive Charts

Content in Horizontal - or Sloped - Cylindrical Tanks or Pipes

References

Original Source

Source: engineeringtoolbox.com