FUEL SYSTEMS NEWS: Vol 22
Winterize Your Fuel System
With winter approaching now is the perfect time to review your fuel storage safety and maintenance procedures. Ensuring uninterrupted power and safe dispensing systems begins with preventative maintenance. Tank owners should be performing regular maintenance and inspection on their tanks as required by warranty and by many state/local codes. Water is one of the most harmful elements to the integrity of your fuel storage system. Therefore owners should remove snow from the top of aboveground tanks. Water from melting snow can cause rust and corrosion on the exterior of steel jacketed tanks and can significantly damage your fuel system leading to corrosion, clogged fuel filters and fuel injectors and possibly even tank failure. While ConVault aboveground storage tanks are covered with a low maintenance concrete exterior which requires much less maintenance than traditional steel tanks, they should still be regularly inspected and monitored for leaks.
Maintenance tips include:
- In Winter Remove Snow From the Tank Top
- Use A Biocide Additive To Maintain Fuel Quality (Purchase Biocide Online)
- Visual Inspection to Check for Leaks and/or Tank Failure
- Fittings and Pipe Nipples Should Be Repainted / Powder Coated to Prevent Rust (Except Stainless Steel)
- Seal Any Cracks In the Concrete
- ConVault tanks can be sealed with an acrylic for added protection
- Monitor Tank For the Presence of Water!
Eliminating Water from your fuel storage system will increase tank life. Water causes corrosion by providing the right environment for microorganisms to thrive. How does water enter your fuel storage system?
- Through your Fuel Jobber
- Air Moisture During Rainstorms/Snowstorms
- Air Moisture from the Tanks Normal Venting Process
- Improperly Sealed Tank Connections
- How can you prevent water from entering your fuel system?
- Seal and caulk all tank Connections
- Obtain fuel from a reputable supplier
- Install PVV caps instead of your normal vent caps
- Use a filtration system with a coalescing element in it
What to do if water has contaminated your fueling system?
- Use a Biocide Additive!
- Remove Water with a Small Hand Pump (Thief Pump)
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SPCC Update
Amended Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Requirements Finalized in November 2009The SPCC rule outlines requirements for prevention of, preparedness for, and response to oil discharges as part of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation (40 CFR part 112). Regulated facilities must develop and implement SPCC Plans that establish procedures and equipment requirements to help prevent oil discharges from reaching navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.
Who is subject to the SPCC rule?
The SPCC rule applies to owners or operators of facilities that: Drill, produce, store, process, refine, transfer, distribute, use, or consume oil or oil products; and Could reasonably be expected to discharge oil to U.S. navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.Facilities are subject to the rule if they meet at least one of the following capacity thresholds:
Aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 U.S. gallons, or completely buried oil storage capacity greater than 42,000 U.S. gallons.The following are exempt from the rule:
- Containers with a storage capacity less than 55 U.S. gallons of oil;
- Permanently closed containers;
- Motive power containers;
- Wastewater treatment facilities;
- Hot-mix asphalt and hot-mix asphalt containers;
- Residential heating oil containers at single family residences;
- Pesticide application equipment and related mix containers;
- Completely buried storage tanks subject to all the technical requirements of the underground storage tank regulations;
- Intra-facility gathering lines subject to U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline regulations; and Underground oil storage tanks at nuclear power generation facilities.
SPCC Amendments
On December 5, 2008, EPA amended the SPCC rule to provide clarity, tailor requirements to particular industry sectors, and streamline certain requirements while maintaining protection of human health and the environment (73 FR 74236). On November 5, 2009, EPA promulgated revisions to the December 2008 amendments. EPA either retained or provided minor technical corrections for the majority of the December 2008 provisions. EPA removed provisions that excluded farms and oil production facilities from the loading/unloading rack requirements, exempted certain produced water containers at oil production facilities, and provided alternative qualified facilities eligibility criteria for oil production facilities.
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ConVault is CARB – EVR Certified
Enhanced Vapor Recovery or “EVR” refers to a new generation of clean nozzles and equipment that control emissions at gasoline dispensing facilities in California. ConVault aboveground storage tanks are CARB – EVR certified for new and existing fuel tank systems.
By April 1, 2009, nearly 13,000 gasoline dispensing facilities in California will need to obtain permits, purchase EVR equipment, and have the installation performed by a certified contractor.
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FEMA: LCV Fuel Storage System
In An Emergency…Emergency Power Won’t Be A Concern For FEMA, Berryville
FEMA Logistics center in Berryville, VA is one of 8 centers within the continental US designed to support first responders with equipment needed to manage an emergency situation as well as providing life-saving and life-sustaining resources for disaster victims. For employees at FEMA, Berryville, having safe and reliable emergency power and boiler fueling systems to support these operations is absolutely vital.
For maximum security FEMA chose to use an innovative vault (LCV) to house their emergency power and boiler fueling tanks. The Liquid Containment Vault (LCV) is a unique a concrete sectional vault created from specially formulated concrete mix, factory poured in two parts that encompasses a steel tank. LCV systems offer uncompromising protection to soil and groundwater, corrosion, rising water tables and even the sudden trauma of earthquake activity or an external explosion. Because the storage tanks are located within a vault that allows for easy accessibility and visual inspection by your personnel, they may be classified by the EPA as Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST) even though they are located at or belowgrade.
FEMA issued Core Engineered Solutions a BPA (blanket purchase agreement) for 11 task orders (encompasing 22 tanks) to replace existing UST’s with the more secure LCV systems. In addition, Core provided FEMA with another four 15,000 Gallon LCV systems purchased through a private contractor.
To discuss your above or belowgrade fueling applications with a Core specialist or to learn more about our capabilities, contact us at 800-628-5502 or email us at info@core-es.com
