Fuel Quality Program
Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel is known to be a catalyst and breeding ground for microorganisms. Microorganisms can wreak havoc on tank interiors, STPs, truck filters and injectors. It’s important for tank owners to be proactive when it comes to tank maintenance. One way to ensure a tank is kept free from microorganisms is through bottom sampling, tank cleaning, and consistent fuel treatments. We recommend pulling bottom samples from your storage tanks on a quarterly basis. We will send pictures to the tank owner, allowing them to see if there is water, microbial growth, or particulates in the fuel. The samples can also be sent to a lab for testing. See sample results below.
Once the samples have been tested, a tank cleaning may be necessary. Tank cleanings come in many different forms. There is a basic bottom sweep, jetted or gamma jet method, fuel polishing, and manned entry cleaning. Each method uses a variety of specialized techniques to remove heavy particulate and free water from the bottom of the tank as well as on the tank walls.
Using an additive is also a way to maintain your fuel quality. It is critical to abide by the recommended dosing rate of the additive being used. Using too much or too little will prove to be ineffective and expensive. If you’ve got questions or concerns about any issues your site has experienced, please call the Beneficial Systems’ Service Department, and they can formulate a maintenance plan to better service your site.
EPA Corrosion Report
In July of 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report regarding corrosion of underground storage tanks. They concluded that 83% of the USTs they studied exhibited moderate or severe corrosion and unfortunately, less than 25% of the owners knew the corrosion existed prior to the inspection. The EPA found that corrosion was an issue for all metal components, “including submersible turbine pump shafts, automatic tank gauge probe shafts, risers, overfill equipment like flapper valves and ball valves, bungs around tank penetrations, inner walls of tanks, and fuel suction tubes.”
As these problems continue, it becomes extremely important to proactively maintain your fuel site’s equipment. The EPA recommends that site owners visually inspect fuel filters and inside of the UST system for corrosion, hire properly licensed inspection companies to perform tank integrity tests, and repairing or replacing equipment to ensure proper functionality. To view the EPAs recommendation report, click here.
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