Variables
Description
What is this formula?
Horizontal Tank Volume with Ellipsoidal Heads calculates the total internal volume of a horizontal cylindrical tank with two identical ellipsoidal heads.
The total volume is obtained by adding the cylindrical shell volume and the volume of both ellipsoidal heads.
This formula is more useful than calculating the head volume alone because engineers, operators, and technicians usually need the full storage capacity of the vessel.
When to use it
Use this formula when the tank has a horizontal cylindrical body and two ellipsoidal heads.
It is appropriate for storage tanks, process vessels, petroleum vessels, chemical tanks, and pressure vessels where the head depth is known.
Example
A horizontal tank has an internal diameter of 3.0 m, an internal cylindrical length of 8.0 m, and two ellipsoidal heads with depth 0.75 m each.
Data:
D = 3.0 m
L = 8.0 m
H = 0.75 m
Formula:
V = πD²L / 4 + πD²H / 3
Substitution:
V = π × 3.0² × 8.0 / 4 + π × 3.0² × 0.75 / 3
Result:
V = 63.62 m³
The total internal tank volume is approximately 63.62 m³.
Applications
- Horizontal storage tank capacity
- Petroleum storage vessels
- Chemical process vessels
- Pressure vessel volume calculation
- Industrial tank design
- Tank inventory estimation