China's largest LNG storage tank completes dome lifting operation in Qingdao

China's largest LNG storage tank is located at the Sinopec Qingdao LNG receiving terminal in Dongjiakou Economic Zone in Qingdao West Coast New Area. [Photo/WeChat ID: qdxihaianfabu]

The air-jack dome lifting operation of China's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank was completed on May 17 in Qingdao West Coast New Area (Qingdao WCNA), Qingdao city, Shandong province.

Built by Sinopec Engineering Incorporation, the 270,000-cubic-meter full-capacity storage tank has a diameter of 100.6 meters and a height of 55 m, which is equivalent to the area of a football field and a 20-story building, respectively.

Its dome weighs around 1,500 metric tons, which is 25 percent heavier than the previous largest domestic 220,000-cu-m LNG storage tank's dome.

In the construction of LNG storage tanks, the dome lifting operation is crucial. For this operation, five provincial and ministerial-level construction methods were developed and 17 patented technologies with independent intellectual property rights were used.

The successful lifting of the tank dome indicates that China's R&D and construction technology for super-large-volume LNG storage tanks has advanced to a new international level, which will help improve the country's natural gas supply, storage, and sales system.

The tank is part of the Shandong LNG project's third phase, which is expected to be finished in 2023. It will improve Qingdao WCNA's ability to adjust peak supply in the winter, improve the atmospheric environment, and assist China in meeting its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals after completion.

The air pressure differential lifts the dome of China's largest LNG storage tank from the bottom to the top. [Photo/WeChat ID: qdxihaianfabu]