Oil is widely used across many industries; fuel that is stored for commercial vehicles needs to be in a safe tank that is designed for storing petrochemical solutions. Oil tanks do, however, require regular care and maintenance to ensure safe storage and failure to maintain such a tank could lead to a serious incident. Under normal circumstances, the oil tank would be serviced by the original supplier, who signs off after every inspection, certifying that the tank complies with the regulations.
We don’t need to remind you of the severe penalties that governments impose on companies that have an oil leak, and with that in mind, here is some information on oil tank care and maintenance.
Initial tank assessment
You can commission an oil tank qualify survey from Thailand’s leading oil tank management company, which would give the maintenance team a starting point. Oil tanks can be installed below ground or above ground and regardless of size or location, the tank management team have seen it all. Of course, it is possible that you have inherited the oil tank from the previous business owner and without knowing the history, it would be essential to have the tank surveyed and inspected.
A thorough tank inspection would be called for and this would involve the following:
- External tank inspection – Checking the exterior skin for signs of corrosion, while all pipes and joints are carefully inspected. Any vegetation should be cut back to leave the tank free from any growth, while valves and dials are inspected and the small controlling panel might need cleaning, depending on the environment.
- Internal surface check – The interior of the tank can be inspected using digital camera devices, which is necessary during a service session. The engineer writes a detailed report, which is handed to the business owner, along with any recommendations and details of components that were replaced.
- Contamination check – The last thing you need is fuel contamination, which could render the fuel unusable and if there is sludge at the bottom, this needs to be removed. There should be a special tap where you can take a sample of oil for testing; pipe erosion can cause contaminants and fuel needs to be checked for purity on a regular basis.
- Thermal analysis – The tank’s integrity can be tested using thermal analysis and the results would indicate any issues.
- Safety signage – Signs stating the presence of an oil tank are essential; ‘no smoking-highly inflammable zone’ would be one sign that needs to be in place, plus details of the chemicals contained within, which is crucial information for a clean-up team.
- Site security – There should be a level of security to stop an unauthorised person from accessing the tank; fencing needs to be checked, as does any gating.
After the initial inspection, you would be given a full report and if the tank passes the inspection, the engineer would sign off that the tank meets government guidelines.
Types of oil tanks
There are many different reasons to store oil on-site, including:
- Aviation fuel storage
- Truck fuel storage
- Used for commercial processes
- Vertical production tanks
- Waste treatment
The Thai government takes industrial safety very seriously and there are heavy fines imposed on businesses that cause oil to leak into the local environment. Failure to maintain an oil tank could easily cause a disaster and you simply can’t afford that to happen, which is why you should schedule regular oil tank inspections. Here is an interesting article that compares oil and water heating systems.
Online solutions
If you are wondering how to contact an oil tank management company, look no further than Google’s search engine; once you have a list of websites, you can browse until you find a specialist company that has the experience you need. Once you have made contact, the provider would wish to send an engineer to survey the tank and surroundings, then they would be able to quote for the initial inspection, plus they can compile a maintenance schedule that ensures full compliance. Your tank management partner is always available, should you need any advice and they probably have a 24/7 chat window on their website.
Emergency support
Should there ever be an emergency that involves your oil tanks, you need round the clock expert help and your maintenance partner provides you with 24/7 contact numbers. If the worst happened and the oil tank ruptured, you can’t afford to wait and your oil tank maintenance provider would be there in record time.
The Thai government does have emergency oil spill management programs in place to deal with any oil spillage and with many offshore oil rigs in place, it is essential to be prepared for every situation.