§ 178.245-1 - Requirements for design and construction.

(a) Tanks must be seamless or welded steel construction, or a combination of both, and have a water capacity in excess of 454 kg (1,000 pounds). Tanks must be designed, constructed, certified and stamped in accordance with Section VIII of the ASME Code (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter).

(b) Tanks must be postweld heat treated and radiographed as prescribed in the ASME Code except that each tank constructed in accordance with part UHT of the ASME Code must be postweld heat treated. Where postweld heat treatment is required, the tank must be treated as a unit after completion of all the welds in and/or to the shell and heads. The method must be as prescribed in the ASME Code. Welded attachments to pads may be made after postweld heat treatment is made. A tank used for anhydrous ammonia must be postweld heat treated. The postweld heat treatment must be as prescribed in the ASME Code, but in no event at less than 1050 °F tank metal temperature. Additionally, tanks constructed in accordance with part UHT of the ASME Code must conform to the following requirements:

(1) Welding procedure and welder performance tests must be made annually in accordance with section IX of the ASME Code. In addition to the essential variables named therein, the following must be considered to be essential variables: number of passes, thickness of plate, heat input per pass, and manufacturer's identification of rod and flux. The number of passes, thickness of plate and heat input per pass may not vary more than 25 percent from the procedure qualification. Records of the qualification must be retained for at least 5 years by the tank manufacturer and made available to duly identified representatives of the Department of Transportation or the owner of the tank.

(2) Impact tests must be made on a lot basis. A lot is defined as 100 tons or less of the same heat and having a thickness variation no greater than plus or minus 25 percent. The minimum impact required for full-sized specimens shall be 20 foot-pounds (or 10 foot-pounds for half-sized specimens) at 0 °F Charpy V-Notch in both the longitudinal and transverse direction. If the lot test does not pass this requirement, individual plates may be accepted if they individually meet this impact requirement.

(c) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, all openings in the tank shall be grouped in one location, either at the top of the tank or at one end of the tank.

(d) The following openings may be installed at locations other than on the top or end of the tank:

(1) The openings for liquid level gauging devices, pressure gauges, or for safety devices, may be installed separately at the other location or in the side of the shell;

(2) One plugged opening of 2-inch National Pipe Thread or less provided for maintenance purposes may be located elsewhere;

(3) An opening of 3-inch National Pipe Size or less may be provided at another location, when necessary, to facilitate installation of condensing coils; or

(4) Filling and discharge connections may be installed below the normal liquid level of the tank if the tank design conforms to the following requirements:

(i) The tank must be permanently mounted in a full framework for containerized transport. For each tank design, a prototype tank, must fulfill the requirements of parts 450 through 453 of this title for compliance with the requirements of Annex II of the International Convention for Safe Containers.

(ii) Each filling and discharge connection must be equipped with an internal self-closing stop-valve capable of closing within 30 seconds of actuation. Each internal self-closing stop-valve must be protected by a shear section or sacrificial device located outboard of the valve. The shear section or sacrificial device must break at no more than 70 percent of the load that would cause failure of the internal self-closing stop- valve.

(iii) Each internal self-closing stop-valve must be provided with remote means of automatic closure, both thermal and mechanical. The thermal means of automatic closure must actuate at a temperature of not over 250 °F.

(e) Each uninsulated tank used for the transportation of compressed gas, as defined in § 173.115 of this subchapter, must have an exterior surface finish that is significantly reflective, such as a light reflecting color if painted, or a bright reflective metal or other material if unpainted.