City of Nashua Fuel Tank Cleaning and Inspection Service

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CommTank provided a storage tank cleaning and inspection service for a 10,000-gallon aboveground storage tank (AST), containing diesel fuel, at the Four Hills Landfill in Nashua, NH. The City of Nashua required an inspection performed in accordance with the STI SP001 standard. Prior to the inspection the fuel was pumped out, stored in a temporary AST, and then polished before being returned to the tank.

 Fuel Tank Pumpout, Cleaning and Internal Inspection

• Provided a written health and safety plan
• Provided a confined space entry permit per D-129 CFR 1910.146
• Provided retrieval system, ventilation equipment, supplied air system, communication equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), lighting, safety barriers, ladders, etc.
• Removed manway
• Pumped out approximately 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel from AST using filtration system and placed into temporary AST
• Performed pre-entry testing
• Purged gases from the tank and tested for flammable vapors in accordance with NFPA and all other applicable regulations
• Removed and disposed of non-pumpable tank bottoms
• Entered tank and cleaned inner tank walls with absorption pads to remove residual fluids
• Performed a visual inspection
• Performed an ultrasonic steel thickness test using a GE Panametrics Model 37DPIUS Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
• Re-installed manway, complete with new seal
• Performed meter calibration using 5-gallons of fuel

Fuel Tank External Inspection

• Performed a walk-around inspection to visually identify damage to the tank exterior
• Inspected vent piping and emergency vent
• Performed overall visual appearance inspection
• Inspected for localized defects
• Inspected piping and connections, and fittings
• Inspected supports for corrosion or any type of damage
• Inspected tank foundation for signs of settlement, cracking, pitting and spalling
• Inspected anchor bolts for distortion or significant cracking around the bolts
• Verified that the leak detection equipment was operating properly

Fuel Tank Fuel Filtering/Polishing

• Filtered and transferred usable fuel from temporary tank to the 10,000-gallon storage tank.

CommTank provided a written outcome report that included an inspection summary, recommended date for the next external inspection based on the calculated corrosion rate and a statement that the inspection was performed in accordance with the latest standards of Steel Tank Institute SP001.

About the Author: Dan Hoag

Dan Hoag has worked in the environmental and tank storage industry for 16 years. Dan’s range of expertise includes designing systems for oil spill clean-ups, treating soil contamination through "in situ" oxidation and testing, and inspecting underground storage tank systems. As head of Marketing and Information Technologies at CommTank, Dan draws from field experience to write about fuel, water and chemical storage technologies, and the regulations that affect them. He has developed training courses in home inspection, underground storage tank operator, ultrasonic thickness and tank tightness testing. Over the past decade, Dan has published over 60 articles about industry trends and has documented commercial, residential, and environmental projects through illustration, videos, and photography. When Dan unplugs from technology, he spends his time backyard farming, hiking, and kayaking, while masquerading as a hockey player during the wee hours of the morning.