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Tank types and Petroleum underground storage tanks

Publish Time: 2023-03-30     Origin: Site

There are four different types of underground storage tanks:

1.Steel/aluminum cans, manufactured by manufacturers in most states to standards established by the Steel Can Association.

2.Composite overwrap, metal tank (aluminum/steel), with filaments such as glass fiber/aramid or carbon fiber wrapped around the metal tank or a plastic compound around the metal tank for corrosion protection and to create interstitial spaces.

3.Tanks made of composite materials, fiberglass/aramid or carbon fiber with metal liners (aluminum or steel).

4.Composite tanks such as carbon fiber with a polymer lining (thermoplastic).Underground water storage tanks are traditionally called cisterns and are usually constructed of brick and mortar or concrete.

Petroleum underground storage tanks 

Petroleum UST is used at automotive gas stations throughout North America and by the US military.Many have leaked, allowing the oil to contaminate soil and groundwater and enter buildings in the form of vapors that end up as brownfield or superfund sites.Many USTs installed before 1980 consist of exposed steel pipe that corrodes over time.Incorrect installation can also cause structural failure of the tank or piping, resulting in leaks.

U.S. regulation

The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1984 required EPA to develop regulations for underground storage of automotive fuels to minimize and prevent environmental damage, requiring owners and operators of UST systems to verify, maintain and clean up A site damaged by oil pollution.In December 1988, EPA regulations requiring owners to locate, remove, upgrade, or replace underground storage tanks went into effect.Each state has the authority to establish such programs within its jurisdiction to compensate property owners for cleaning up underground oil spills, set standards and permits for installers, and register and inspect underground storage tanks.Most upgrades to UST include Install corrosion control (cathodic protection, lining, or a combination of cathodic protection and lining), overfill protection (to prevent tank overflow during tank filling operations), overfill control (to capture spillage while filling), and storage tank and pipeline leak detection.During the 10-year plan, many USTs were removed without replacement.Thousands of old underground storage tanks are being replaced by new tanks made of corrosion resistant materials such as fiberglass, steel with thick GRP shells and well-coated steel with sacrificial anodes and others constructed as double wall tanks The replacement of the storage tank to create a gap between the two tank walls (tank-in-tank) allows the detection of leaks in the inner or outer tank wall by monitoring the gap with vacuum, pressure or liquid sensor probes.Pipes were replaced during the same period, and most of the new pipes were double-walled and made of fiberglass or plastic materials.Installed a tank monitoring system capable of detecting small leaks (must be able to detect leaks of 0.1 gallons per hour with a probability of detection of 95% or greater and a probability of false alarm of 5% or less) and other methods of alerting tank operations leaks and potential leaks.US regulations require UST cathodic protection systems to be tested (at least every three years) by cathodic protection experts and the system monitored to ensure continued compliance.Some industrial owners who previously stored fuel in underground tanks are switching to above-ground tanks to avoid environmental regulations that require monitoring fuel storage.However, many states do not allow the storage of auto fuel above ground for resale to the public.

The EPA underground storage tank program is considered very successful.The national inventory of underground storage tanks has more than halved, and most of the remainder has been replaced or upgraded to safer standards. [citation needed] As of 2008, there were approximately 1 million underground storage tanks in the United States,most of which were used to handle some type of fuel, and an estimated 500,000 were leaking.As of 2009, there were approximately 600,000 active USTs at 223,000 federally regulated sites.In 2012, EPA released How to Screen Buildings Susceptible to Petroleum Vapor Intrusion In June 2015, the US EPA finally released "Guidelines for Assessing and Mitigating Vapor Intrusion Pathways from Subsurface Vapor Sources to Indoor Air." Technical Guidelines" and "Technical Guidelines". Guidelines for Addressing Petroleum Vapor Intrusion at the Site of a Leaking Underground Storage Tank"

Definition in the UK

Similar to the US, the UK defines underground storage tanks as 10% of the total potential volume underground.Decommissioning of UK underground storage tanks.The Environment Agency's requirements for the decommissioning of underground storage tanks apply to all underground storage tanks, not just those used to store fuel.They provide extensive guidance in The Blue Book and PETEL 65/34.The Environment Agency said any tanks no longer in use should be decommissioned immediately.This process includes shutting down and removing the UST system (tank and any auxiliary equipment connected to it) as a whole, as well as replacing individual tanks or piping.Whether the decommissioning of a storage tank is permanent or temporary; it must be ensured that the tank and all components are free from contamination.This applies to removing and filling tanks with inert material.The Decommissioning of a tank can be via removal from the ground after any volatile gas or liquid has been removed.This is called bottoming and degassing the tank. The other option involved filling the tank with either:

  • A Sand and Cement Slurry

  • Hydrophobic Foam

  • Foamed Concrete

If any plan is made to leave the tank on site, the owner will be responsible for keeping record of:

  • The Tank's Capacity

  • The Product it Contained

  • The Method used to Decommission the tank, if any

  • The Date of the Decommissioning

If any tanks and their pipework have been deemed unsuitable for petroleum spirits then they shouldn't be used for the storage of any hydrocarbon based products without first checking their integrity.


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