Horton sphere

CB&I built the first field-erected spherical pressure vessels in the world at the Port Arthur, Texas refinery in 1923,[2] and subsequently claimed 'Hortonsphere' as a registered trademark.

Horton was issued a patent on Sept 23, 1947, describing how to make the welded steel support columns resistant to thermal expansion and wind load of the sphere.

This makes spherical tanks the optimal solution for the storage of large amounts of liquefied gases, where liquefaction is achieved by pressurization, cryogenic refrigeration, or a combination thereof.

Minimization of heat transfer is due to the sphere being the solid figure with the minimum surface area per unit volume.

[6] However, if the gas is prone to boiling liquid vapor expanding explosions (BLEVE), spills should be directed away from the leaking tank.