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Spillsandoverfillsofregulatedsubstances(suchasgasolineordiesel)oftenoccurwhenthe
productisbeingdeliveredintoastoragetank.Whenaspilloccurs,itcanseepintothedirt
(orsoil)aroundastoragetank,possiblycontaminatinglocalwatersupplies.Contamination
ofsoilorwatercanaffectthehealthofpeopleandnegativelyaffectourenvironment.
Inthismodule,youwilllearnaboutthedifferentmethodsofspillandoverfillprevention
forastoragetanksystemandtheregulatoryrequirementsforyourstate.Spillandoverfill
preventionmethodsareintendedtopreventreleasesorspillsfromoccurringduringthe
deliveryofproduct,suchasgasolineordiesel,toyourstoragetanksystem.
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Topreventspillingassociatedwiththetransferofregulatedsubstances,suchasgasolineor
diesel,toaneworupgradedstoragetanksystem,stateregulationsrequirethateach
owneroroperatormustusespillcontainmentequipment(suchasacatchmentbasin)to
preventreleaseofregulatedsubstanceswhenthetransferhosefromthetankertruckis
detachedfromthefillpipe.
Topreventoverfillingassociatedwiththetransferofregulatedsubstances,eachowneror
operatormustuseoverfillpreventionequipmentthatautomaticallyshutsoffflowintothe
tankwhenthetankisnomorethan95%full,alertsthedeliverydriverwhenthetankisno
morethan90%fullbyrestrictingtheflowofproductintothetankortriggersahighlevel
alarmaudibletothetransferoperator.
Alternativespillandoverfillequipmentmaybeusedifitisdeterminedby,andapprovedin
writingbytheOfficeofStateFireMarshalltobenolessprotectiveofhumanhealthand
theenvironmentthanthesemethods.
AUSTthatisfilledbytransfersofnomorethan25gallonsatonetimedoesstillrequire
spillcontainment,butdoesnotrequireoverfillprevention.
Wasteoiltanksmustalsobeequippedwithspillcontainmentdevicesatallfillandretrieval
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Beforeproductisdeliveredtoatank,theowner,operatororpersonincharge(suchasa
deliverydriver)shouldmakesurethatthevolumeavailableinthetankisgreaterthanthe
volumeofproductbeingtransferredtothetank.
Duringadelivery,theowner,operatororpersoninchargemustconstantlymonitorthe
transferofproducttopreventoverfillingandspillingandensurethatdeliveryisbeing
performedinaccordancewithmanufacturerspecifications.
Theowneroroperatormustensurethatspillpreventionequipmentiskeptclean,dryand
inspectedmonthly.Priortodispensingproduct,thedeliverydriverorpersonincharge
shouldalsoverifythattheequipmentiscleananddry,beforetransferring.
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Theowneroroperatormustensurethatallfilllinesforthestoragetanksystemareclearly
markedtoindicatethetypeofregulatedsubstance,suchasunleaded87ordiesel,being
stored.Itisrecommendedthateachtankisadditionallymarkedtoindicatetanksize.
Thefollowingmethodscanbeusedasproperlabeling:
Installingapermanenttagorsignimmediatelyadjacenttothefillpipeswhichstates
thesizeofthetankandthespecifictypeofsubstancestored;or,
Applyingacolorcodethatconformstothefollowingrequirements:
ColormarkingsinaccordancewithAPI1637ProductIdentification,mustbe
paintedorplacedaroundthefillormanholecoverinamannerthatwillreadily
identifythesubstanceinthetank;or,identificationinaccordancewithindustry
standardsorbusinesscolorcode
Owners,operatorsorotherresponsiblepartiesarerequiredtoreport,investigate,and
cleanupanyspillsandoverfillsthatoccur.
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Spillbuckets,orspillcatchmentbasins,arelarge,drumshapedcontainersthat
surroundthefillportand,insomecases,thevaporrecoveryporttoastoragetank
whereahoseisconnectedfromtheproductdeliverytrucktothetankduringre
fueling.
Spillbucketscanrangeinsize,andifinstalledafterMay1,2003arerequiredtoholda
minimumof5gallonsofproduct.Bucketshavingcapacitiesupto25gallonsare
currentlyinuse.Spillbucketsareinstalledtocontainorcatchdripsorspillsoffuel
thatcanoccurduringproductdelivery.TheirintendedpurposeistheTEMPORARY
storage,orcontainmentofthespilledfueluntilitcanbeproperlycleanedup.
Sometimes,fuelingstationscontainremotefills.Thismeansthatthedeliveryports,
includingthespillbuckets,arelocatedawayfromthetopofthestoragetanks.Remote
fillsaretypicallyusedatsmallerfacilities,facilitieswithhighervolumeorwhere
deliverytruckscannotaccessthetopsofthestoragetanks.
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Spillbucketsaredesignedtotemporarilycontainproductspillsthatmightoccurandare
NOTdesignedtocontainproductforextendedperiodsoftime.Spillbucketsshould
haveacapacitylargeenoughtocontainanyproductthatmayspillwhenthedelivery
hoseisuncoupledfromthefillpipe,andifinstalledafterMay1,2003arerequiredto
holdaminimumof5gallonsofproduct.
AUSTthatisfilledbytransfersofnomorethan25gallonsatonetimedoes stillrequire
spillcontainment,butdoesnotrequireoverfillprevention.
Wasteoiltanksmustalsobeequippedwithspillcontainmentdevicesatallfilland
retrievalpoints.
Anyspillbucketrepairedorinstalledisrequiredtobetestedtoensuretheyareliquid
tight.Ahydrostatictestmustbeperformedasfollows:
1)Containmentistobefilledwithwatertoaheightthatcoversthehighest
penetrationby2inches.
2)Minimalbackfillingthatmaybenecessaryforsupportofthecontainmentsumpis
allowedpriortothetest.
3)Testdurationis30minutesandperformedunderPerformanceAssuranceInspection
TimeandDateCertainrequirementswithnodropinwaterlevel.
Spillbucketsaretypicallyequippedwithavalvewhichallowsyoutodrainthecontained
productbackintothetank.Ifwaterordebrisismixedinwiththeproductinthespill
bucket,thenyoushouldNOTdrainthismixtureintothetank.Watermaycauseinternal
tankcorrosion,dispensingproblems,orincreasetherequirementtoremovethe
contaminatedwaterfromthetank.Worstofall,wateranddebriscancontaminatethefuel
inthestoragetankandcouldcausedamagetocustomervehicles.
Waterpresentinspillbucketswillalsoreducecapacityandmaycausemetalcomponents
tocorrode.
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Yourspillbucketsmaybeequippedwithamanualpumpinsteadofadrainvalvethatallows
youtopumptheproductbackintothetank.However,asmentionedpreviously,itisnot
wisetoallowwaterordebristoenterthetank.Therefore,youshouldpumpthewater,
product,anddebrismixtureoutofthespillbucketandplacethewasteinanappropriate
drumatyourfacility.Thenyoucanarrangeforproperdisposal.
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Itisveryimportanttoinspectthelidsofyourspillbucketstoensurethattheyremainin
goodconditionandarenotallowingsurfacewatertoenter.Youshouldensurethatwhen
thelidstoyourspillbucketsareclosed,thereisagoodsealandaretightlysecured.Some
spillbucketshaverubbergasketsontheinsideofthelids.Youshouldensurethatthe
rubbergasketsareingoodconditionandcreatesagoodseal.Inaddition,ensurethespill
bucketlidisnottouchingthefillcap,asthiscoulddamagethefillpipe.
Lastly,inspectyourspillbucketstoensurethattheyarestructurallysound.Cracks,holes,
ordeformationstothespillbucketswillallowproducttoleakandcontaminatesoiland/or
groundwater.Onlyonegallonoffuelleakingeachweekfromapoorlymaintainedspill
bucketcanresultinthousandsofdollarsincleanupcosts.
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Althoughnotrequired,itisrecommendedthatspillbucketsbeinspecteddailytoensure
theyareworkingproperlyandarebeingmaintainedcorrectly(or,thattheyarecleanand
dry).Theuseofachecklistmightbeausefulreminderofwhattolookforduringadaily
inspection.Pleasetakeamomenttoreviewtherecommendedspillbucketoperationand
maintenancechecklist.Itisnotrequiredtouseacontractorforspillbucketinspections,
howevertheirexperiencemaybehelpfulinrecommendingappropriatecorrective
measures.
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Overfillprotectionequipmentinstalledonundergroundstoragetankshelpspreventyour
tanksfrombeingoverfilledduringproductdelivery.Overfillprotectionisdesignedto:
Alertthetransferoperatorwhenthetankisnomorethan90%fullbyrestrictingthe
flowintothetankandtriggeringahighlevelaudibleand/orvisualalarm;and
Automaticallyshutoffflowintothetankwhenthetankisnotmorethan95%full.
Wewilldiscussthethreetypesofoverfillprotectionforstoragetanks,whichare:
1)Overfillalarms;
2)Ballfloatvalves;and
3)Automaticshutoffdevices.
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Thefirsttypeofoverfillprotectionisanoverfillalarm.Anoverfillalarmhasasensor
locatedinthestoragetankthatistypicallyconnectedtoamonitoringdevicesuchasan
automatictankgaugeorATG.
Anoverfillalarmprovidesawarningthatcanbeseenand/orheardbythepersondelivering
theproductwhentheproductinthestoragetankreaches90%ofthetankscapacity,oris
withinoneminuteofbeingoverfilled.
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Pleasetakeamomenttoreviewthebasicoperationandmaintenancechecklistforoverfill
alarms.
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Thesecondtypeofoverfillprotectionisaballfloatvalve.Aballfloatvalve,alsocalledafloatventvalve,is
installedattheventpipeinsidethetankandrestrictsvaporflowintoastoragetankasthetankgetscloseto
beingfull.Theballfloatvalveshouldbesetatadepthwhichwillrestrictvaporflowoutoftheventline
duringdeliveryat90%ofthetankscapacity.Asthetankfills,theballinthevalverises,restrictingtheflowof
vaporsoutofthestoragetankduringdelivery.Theflowrateofthedeliverywilldecreasenoticeablyand
shouldalertthedeliverypersontostopthedelivery.Forballfloatvalvestoworkproperly,thetopofthe
tankmustbeairtightsothatvaporscannotescapefromthetank.Everythingfromfittingstodrain
mechanismsonspillbucketsmustbetightandbeabletoholdthepressurecreatedwhentheballfloatvalve
engages.
Itmaybedifficulttodeterminewhetherornotyouhaveaballfloatvalve,orifitisstillintactandfunctioning
properly.Youmightbeabletofindanextractorportfortheballfloatvalve,asillustrated.Otherwise,you
willneedtolookthroughyourpaperworktodeterminewhetheryourtankhasthisdevice.Youmaywantto
askyourmaintenancecontractortoinspectthetankstotellyouwhichdeviceyouhave.
Ballfloatventvalvesmustnotbeusedonanytypeofsuctionsystem.
Pleasealsonote:Theuseofaballfloatvalveisnotrecommendedwhenafacilityisequippedwithremote
fills.Insituationswhenashutoffdeviceisusedwitharemotefill,atrapdoororsimilardevicemustbe
usedbeneaththefilladaptoronthestraightportionofthefillpipetopreventfuelfromshootingupoutof
thestraightfillwhentheshutoffvalvecloses.Astandardfillcapisnotsufficienttocontainthepressure
createdatthestraightfillwhentheshutoffvalvecloses.
Ballfloatvalvesmayalsocompromisetheeffectivenessoftheflappervalveinanautomaticshutoffdevice.
Ifballfloatvalvesarepresentorusedwithautoshutoffdevices,theymustbesettoengageat95%fullor
higher(nottoexceed98%)soasnottointerferewiththeoperationoftheautoshutoffdevice.Becauseof
theseshortcomings,ballfloatvalvesarenotapreferredmethodofoverfillprevention.
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Thethirdtypeofoverfillprotectionisanautomaticshutoffdevice.Anautomaticshutoff
device,alsoknownasaflappervalve,isamechanicaldeviceinstalledinlinewiththedrop
tubewithinthefillpiperiser.Itslowsdownandthenstopsthedeliverywhentheproduct
hasreachedacertainlevelinthetank.Itshouldbepositionedsothatthefloatarmisnot
obstructedandcanmovethroughitsfullrangeofmotion.Wheninstalledandmaintained
properly,theshutoffvalvewillstoptheflowoffueltothestoragetankat95%ofthetanks
capacityorbeforethefittingsatthetopofthetankareexposedtofuel.
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Pleasetakeamomenttoreviewthebasicoperationandmaintenancechecklistfor
automaticshutoffdevices.Youmustuseaspecificallydesignedautomaticshutoffdevice
foroverfillprotectionifyourstoragetankreceivespressurizeddeliveries.Apressurized
deliveryiswhentheproductbeingdeliveredintothestoragetankisforcedintothetankby
somemechanicalmeans,notgravityfed.
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Containmentsumpspreventreleaseofaregulatedsubstanceintotheenvironment.Theyareusedfor
connectionsofpipingfromthetanktothedispenser.
OnorafterMay1,2003,atankcontainmentsumpmustbeinstalledatthetankonallnewtankswith
submersiblepumpsorAmericansuctionpipingsystems.Atankcontainmentsumpmustbealsobeinstalled
whenanexistingsubmersibleisreplacedwithanothersubmersible,orwhenpiping,flexconnectorsorother
transitionalcomponentsatthesubmersiblearereplaced.
Alltankcontainmentsumpsmustconsistofafactorymanufacturedcontainmentthatisliquidtightonits
sides,bottomandatanypenetrationsandiscompatiblewiththesubstanceconveyedbythepiping.
Europeansuctionsystemsarenotrequiredtohavethiscontainment.
Fornewdispenserinstallations(wheretherewerenonepreviously),andwhenanexistingdispenseris
replacedwithanotherdispenser,andequipmentatorbelowtheshearvalveisreplaced,underdispenser
containmentmustbeinstalled.Examplesofequipmentatorbelowtheshearvalveincludeflexconnectorsor
risersorothertransitionalcomponentsthatarebeneaththedispenserandconnectthedispensertothe
piping.Europeansuctionsystemsarenotexemptfromthisrequirement.
Containmentmustbemonitoredmonthlyforevidenceofareleasefromthetankandpiping,andmustbein
placeatthesubmersiblepumporotherlocationwherethepipingconnectstothetank,wherethepiping
connectstoadispenser,andwheredoublewalledpipingthatisrequiredconnectswithexistingpiping.
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ThisconcludestheSpillandOverfillmodule.Youshouldnowhaveanunderstandingof
controlmethodsusedtopreventspillingassociatedwiththetransferofregulated
substances,suchasgasolineordiesel,toaneworupgradedstoragetanksystem.Thisis
referredtoasspillprevention.Overfillpreventionreferstothepreventionofreleases
duringtransferofregulatedsubstancesbyrestrictingorstoppingthedelivery.
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