Application Prospects of New Composite Materials in Crude Oil Storage Tank Floating Roofs

New composite materials (such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers and fiberglass) have broad application prospects in crude oil storage tank floating roofs. Their lightweight characteristics (density ≤1.8g/cm³) can improve the buoyancy efficiency of the floating roof, and the modular design reduces the construction cycle to 1/3 of that of traditional metal floating roofs. The corrosion resistance (H₂S concentration resistance ≥500ppm) and explosion-proof performance (compliant with API 650 standards) of carbon fiber composite materials can significantly extend the service life of the floating roof to more than 20 years, while reducing maintenance costs by 40%.

Application cases show that after a 100,000 cubic meter storage tank adopted a honeycomb structure carbon fiber floating roof, the tank capacity utilization rate increased by 6%, and VOC emissions decreased by 90%. The zero gas space design of the composite material floating roof completely eliminates the risk of sinking, and real-time stress monitoring (accuracy ±0.5MPa) is achieved through intelligent sensing technology. At the policy level, Document No. 86 of 2024 has clearly prohibited the use of traditional floating roofs in storage tanks above 5000m³, providing a mandatory standard basis for composite material replacement.

Future trends point to multi-functional integration: 1) Self-healing coating technology can automatically repair micro-cracks; 2) Photovoltaic-energy storage integrated design realizes self-sufficiency in floating roof power supply; 3) Nano-modified materials will increase the temperature resistance level to 200℃. It is predicted that the global composite material floating roof market size will exceed 5 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 25%.