Flexible skirt seal - for floating roof in separator for two liquids of different densities

摘要

In the apparatus for separating two liquids of different densities contained in a storage vessel and having a roof floating at the interface between the product, e.g., crude petroleum, and the other phase, e.g., seawater, and able to move up or down with some play between its periphery and the vertical walls of the tank against which it is sealed by a very flexible, relatively thin sealing skirt, which can turn inside out like a glove without causing the phases to mix as the direction of motion of the roof changes in passing from a filling to an emptying phase or vice versa, the thickness (e) of the flexible skirt is less than or at most equal to emax where: emax = k(10-5E), 1/3 R/R+1 r E = mean value of the bending modulus of the skirt material in Newtons/m2 R = radius of tank wall in cm. r = radius of curvature (max.) in cm of the skirt at the position where U-forms the seal on the tank wall. k = coefficient = d2 - dm, d2 = density of denser liquid. dm = mean density of skirt material and densities are relation to water.