FROM:	David Randall, RTI International

TO:		Nick Parsons, EPA/OAQPS

FOR:		EPA Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0871

DATE:	January 17, 2012

SUBJECT:	Geodesic Dome Costs

1.	Purpose

This memorandum presents the data used to estimate costs of geodesic
domes for storage vessels.

2.	Analysis

In 2001, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)
obtained cost information from three manufacturers of geodesic domes for
storage vessels. The SCAQMD then used these costs to estimate costs for
most of the storage vessels in the District that would be subject to
proposed rule 1178. The resulting costs were plotted in Figure 6-1 of
the final staff report for rule 1178.1 That figure was part of an
embedded spreadsheet in the report. Table 1 presents an excerpt of costs
from that spreadsheet for a range of storage vessel sizes. The SCAQMD
final staff report also noted that one refiner estimated the cost of a
geodesic dome for a storage vessel that has a 25-ft diameter; this cost
is also presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Geodesic dome costs estimated by SCAQMD in 2001

Tank diameter (ft)	Estimated total capital investment of geodesic domes
based on data from a petroleum refiner and dome manufacturers (2001
dollars)

	Refiner	Temcor	Conservatek	Ultraflote	Average

25	19,700



19,700

59.4

67,600	61,560	52,138	60,400

80

102,900	90,720	81,344	91,700

98

131,800	109,080	113,957	118,300

120

185,000	162,000	153,360	166,800

150

248,000	246,240	243,000	245,700

201.5

455,000	438,480	429,482	441,000

230

525,000	583,200	570,240	559,500



We escalated the costs in Table 1 to 2010 dollars using the Chemical
Engineering Plant Cost Annual Indexes. The indexes are 394.3 for 2001
and 550.8 for 2010.2,3 The escalated costs are presented in Table 2. We
then developed an equation for the best-fit line through the average
values as shown in Figure 1.

Table 2. Estimated geodesic dome costs in 2010

Tank diameter (ft)	Estimated total capital investment of geodesic domes
(2010 dollars)

	Refiner	Temcor	Conservatek	Ultraflote	Average

25	27,519



27,519

59.4

94,431	85,994	72,832	84,400

80

143,742	126,727	113,630	128,000

98

184,112	152,374	159,187	165,200

120

258,428	226,299	214,229	233,000

150

346,433	343,974	339,448	343,300

201.5

635,592	612,515	599,946	616,000

230

733,376	814,676	796,572	781,500



Figure 1. Plot of geodesic dome costs versus storage vessel diameter

3.	References

1.	South Coast Air Quality Management District. 2001. Further Reductions
of VOC Emissions From Storage Tanks at Petroleum Facilities. Final Staff
Report Proposed Rule 1178. December 11, 2001. Retrieved from:
http://www.aqmd.gov/hb/2001/011233a.html. Last accessed in November
2011.

2.	Economic Indicators. Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (CEPCI).
Chemical Engineering. Published by Access Intelligence. April 2011.

3.	Economic Indicators. Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (CEPCI).
Chemical Engineering. Published by Access Intelligence. April 2004.

  PAGE   \* MERGEFORMAT  2 

