On-farm gas storage for mobile batch grain driers

Seedargrain driers come with the option of a Modulating Propane Gas burner. These burners require a constant supply of LPG via bulk gas tanks. Due to the tightening of regulations, careful thought needs to be given to the installation and site requirements for the gas tanks when designing a grain drying and storage system.

Bulk storage tanks generally come in three capacities 1200l, 2000l or 4000l. Occasionally, capacity may be measured in tonnes in which case, tanks may be 0.6, 1 or 2 tonnes. When siting the tanks it is important to bear in mind there are minimum separation distances between the tanks and buildings, boundaries and sources of ignition.  For a 1200l or 2000l tank this is a minimum of 3m for the 4000l tank it is a minimum of 7.5m. These distances may be reduced with the use of firewalls.

Other issues relating to siting bulk gas tanks are:

• multiple tanks may be installed together in groups to give sufficient storage, up to a maximum of six in a group, dependant upon tank size
• diesel, gas oil and kerosene tanks must be in excess of 6m from all LPG tanks
• a concrete plinth will be required for tanks to sit on
• access to the tanks is important for both construction (small cranes) and operation (delivery tankers)
• the area surrounding the tanks, up to 6m for a 4000l tank, must be kept clear of weeds, long grass and trees

Most agricultural LPG gas suppliers offer advice on the installation of bulk gas storage. They will undertake site surveys and identify the most suitable location for tanks on your farm and specify regulators and pipelines required to link the tanks to the gas burner. We thoroughly recommend making use of a these surveys when purchasing a Seedargrain drier with a gas burner, ensuring the safest and most economical bulk gas storage solution is implemented.