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(January 2010)| Storage tanks are containers that hold liquids,
compressed gases (gas tank) or mediums used for the short- or
long-term storage of heat or cold. The term can be used for
reservoirs (artificial lakes and ponds), and for manufactured
containers. The usage of the word tank for reservoirs is common
or universal in American English and moderately common in
British English. In other countries, the term tends to refer
only to artificial containers. In the USA, storage tanks operate
under no (or very little) pressure, distinguishing them from
pressure vessels. Storage tanks are often cylindrical in shape,
perpendicular to the ground with flat bottoms, and a fixed or
floating roof. There are usually many environmental regulations
applied to the design and operation of storage tanks, often
depending on the nature of the fluid contained within.
Aboveground storage tanks (AST) differ from underground (UST)
storage tanks in the kinds of regulation