Cargoes loaded and unloaded at the liquid bulk terminal are mostly flammable,toxic and corrosive.Liquid bulk terminals are typically equipped with dozens of pipes,which are arranged on pipe racks above hydraulic structures.The pipe span,which refers to the spacing between pipe racks,is closely related to the safety of pipe laying and the structural of the scheme of the terminal structure.Currently,the terminal pipe span calculation mainly rely on methods related to the petrochemical industry.However,due to significant differences in application scenarios,the calculation results often deviate greatly from the actual operating conditions of the terminal,leading to investment waste or potential safety hazards.To solve above issues,various basic pipe span models are established based on the three-moment equation.Through comparison and analysis,the five-equal span pipe model is selected as the basic model for terminal pipe span calculation.Meanwhile,adaptive research is conducted on key calculation parameters of pipe spans in combination with characteristics of terminal pipes.Based on above research,this paper propose an improved calculation method for pipe spans which suitable for liquid bulk terminal.Compared with the calculation results under multiple conditions using common methods in the petrochemical industry,the improved calculation method can improve the performance utilization rate of pipe while ensuring the safety of pipe.It can increase the maximum allowable pipe span by 6.22%-14.01%,effectively reduce the number of pipe racks and bents,and save investment in terminal engineering,especially for long-distance pipe gallery on water.