PETROLEUM STORAGE TANK DESIGN AND INSPECTION USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS MODEL FOR ENSURING SAFETY RELIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

This quantitative, cross-sectional, case-based investigation examines the extent to which finite element analysis (FEA)–informed design practices and structured risk-based inspection strategies contribute to improved safety, reliability, and sustainability performance in petroleum storage tank systems. The study addresses a persistent industry problem: large-scale enterprise tank facilities continue to face risks of structural instability, leakage, and subsurface contamination, even though advanced computational design tools and systematic inspection frameworks are widely available. Using a single major storage facility as an embedded case, data were collected from 120 engineers, inspectors, maintenance personnel, and health, safety, and environment (HSE) managers through a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire measuring FEA-informed design practices, risk-based inspection and monitoring, safety performance, reliability performance, and sustainability outcomes. These perception-based data were complemented with FEA simulations of five representative storage tanks to quantify stress distributions, deformation patterns, and utilization ratios under operational loads. Descriptive statistics indicated consistently high implementation levels for both FEA-enabled design and risk-focused inspection programs, with construct means ranging from 3.94 to 4.18. The FEA simulations further demonstrated that critical stresses remained safely below allowable code thresholds, with utilization ratios between 0.69 and 0.93, suggesting robust structural integrity at the modeled facility. Psychometric evaluation confirmed strong internal consistency across all measurement scales, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.87 to 0.90, indicating reliable construct measurement and adequate sampling adequacy for multivariate analysis. Pearson correlation analysis identified statistically significant and positive associations among FEA practices, inspection rigor, safety, reliability, and sustainability indicators (correlation coefficients up to r = 0.68, p < 0.01), supporting the hypothesized interdependence of technical design quality and operational performance. Multiple regression analysis revealed that FEA-informed design and structured inspection jointly explained 52 percent of the variance in safety outcomes and 47 percent of the variance in reliability outcomes. Further, safety and reliability together accounted for 44 percent of the variance in sustainability performance, highlighting their mediating influence between technical practices and longer-term environmental and asset stewardship outcomes.