AFD Mello:
The heavy, cumbersome, and hazardous manhole cover you have on top of your tank is an “emergency relief” device. For first-hand information on what you have on top of your storage tank go to:
http://www.protectoseal.com/Once there, you can click on:
1) Emergency Vents
2) Emergency Pressure Manhole Cover Vents
and there you will find a good illustration and explanation of their EMERGENCY PRESSURE MANHOLE COVER VENT, Series No. 53300 (note the steel cable). This should be very similar to the emergency vent cover that you have. Your steel cover should have a chain, cable, or a hinge on it to prevent it sliding down the roof and hurting or killing somebody on the ground.
You should have a total description, serial number, and capacity for this cover in your engineering files in order to fully describe how you have furnished emergency relief to this tank.
This type of relief device is simple, but it is old technology, leaks, and is hazardous to work with. In case you are interested, look at the buckling pin technology that ProtectoSeal offers as a replacement for the bulky and cumbersome manhole plate. Their buckling pin is practically hermetic, ensuring that you suffer no Hexane losses. And I believe the buckling pin is simpler than the weighed, cover plate.
I hope this helps you out.
Art Montemayor