by Deborah Ulbrick, VP Sales, Core Engineered Solutions
The Challenge
When fuel storage is needed, but neither an aboveground or an underground tank is suitable due to site issues like the following:
- Space – Proximity to utilities or buildings; same space is needed for parking or pedestrian walkways
- Environmental protection – The soil and groundwater need to be protected; proximity to wells or aquifers
- Safety – Risk of corrosion; risk of earthquake activity
- Aesthetics – A green space is preferable to a fuel tank
- Cost – Leakage liability insurance
- Onerous code/regulatory compliance
The Solution
The UL listed SafeSite Fuel Vault Storage System can solve these challenges. This underground system is comprised of a steel fuel tank enclosed in a seamless vault. Fuel is safely contained and water is sealed out. Because the fuel tank is located within a vault that allows for easy access and visual inspection, the system is classified by the EPA as an aboveground storage tank.
Representative SafeSite Fuel Vault Installations
- Security and space – FEMA Logistics Center in VA supports first responders with equipment needed to manage emergency situations. In addition to space limitations, they required maximimum security for their emergency power and boiler fueling tanks.
- Aesthetics and space – A prestigious universitiy in the Midwest needed a fuel tank in front of a stadium where aesthetics was a concern. Additionally, there was a need for parking in the same area.
- Safety and space – At another university, pedestrian access was needed in the same space as a fuel tank. The SafeSite Fuel Vault provided safe underground fuel storage with no obstruction to the pedestrian walkway.
- Environmental protection – Turkey Hill’s newest convenience store location was in danger of being abandoned. Blasts from a nearby quarry and close proximity to a protected watershed caused enough concern that local officials would not allow fiberglass underground tanks. The SafeSite Fuel Vault system allowed Turkey Hill to complete the construction of the store without compromising the township or it’s surrounding watershed.
- Safety, environmental protection, and space – Novartis Institute required a unique solution to run their emergency power systems. The institute is located within blocks of a railroad and an open waterway preventing the use of an underground storage tank. Space limitations and public safety concerns caused city officials to ban the use of an aboveground tank.
