Petroleum: Determining the Surface Area of an Oval Tank.

  1. Find and simplify a formula for the surface area of the oval tank shown to the right.
  2. If the diameter is D = 2.5 meters and the length is L = 6.5 meters then what is the surface area in square feet?

Solution:

  1. The formula for the surface area of the tank is:

    We have discovered that the area is equal to the area of an open cylinder L units long (one with no ends).

  2. The surface area in square meters is

    The surface area in square feet is

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Written by Graham Cocksedge, September 21, 1997