News

Bill Atkinson from Adler and Allan discusses key environmental considerations for fires, and how to rebuild a compliant business once the smoke has cleared MAJOR accidents such as the 2005 Buncefield oil storage depot fire prove that industrial blazes can swiftly escalate into catastrophic pollution events. As witnessed during the disaster in Hemel Hempstead in the UK – which released a…
Read More »

Protecting your tanks from lightning strikes using a retractable grounding reel THE roof of an external floating roof tank rests directly on the surface of the stored liquid, leaving little vapour space and consequently leading to a much lower risk of rim space fire. Proper lightning protection is critical for fire prevention –the floating roof tank roof and the outer shell must be bonded…
Read More »

Lightning strikes are always a risk on a storage tank, but effective bonding between the floating roof and the shell can reduce the risk of sparks SINCE 2013, at the Iranian Oil Terminal facility located in Kharg Island, more than 12 fire incidents have occurred due to lightning strikes. In 2015, one strike resulted in simultaneous fires in five tanks, and staff noticed that all damaged tanks…
Read More »

Hytrans looks at how to choose the right hose, couplings and recovery unit for your needs INDUSTRIAL firefighting asks for more water and more pressure, and this needs larger hoses and larger pumps. The mobile water supply systems need to be more flexible and more powerful to provide this flow and pressure. However, while flow and pressure are important, they are not the only things that make…
Read More »

AP Sensing’s novel solution addresses the need for monitoring storage tanksand pipelines THE susceptibility of modern-day assets in the oil and gas industry canpose significant challenges. For example, storage tanks are filled with chemicals that are flammable and often explosive, but these tanks can be ten or more years old and geographically located in regions with substantial lightning…
Read More »

Tank Storage Magazine talked to Implico CEO Tim Hoffmeister about ongoing structural reorganisations within the oil and gas industry, the need for a standardised supply chain and the upcoming online check-in for trucks at tank farms. DIGITALISATION is still on everyone’s lips. What is your understanding of the term ‘digitalisation of the tank storage industry’?   Terminal…
Read More »

A look at the points raised by Ollie Folayan in Tank Storage Magazine’s October webinar DIVERSITY and inclusion are buzzwords that seem to be everywhere at the moment. But in a world where differences, at least by many people, are now being celebrated, is the tank storage sector doing enough to encourage people of colour, or women, or people with disabilities, or members of the LGBTQ+…
Read More »

Spill control manufacturer HalenHardy charts the changes and developments that ultimately led to its new recycled sorbent ANCIENT Greek and Roman texts and artwork document the use of terracotta, metal and wooden containers to transport and store liquids – and with the storage of liquids came the potential for anything holding those liquids to leak and spill. The same ancient texts and…
Read More »

How computational fluid dynamics helped in the development of innovative jet mixers for tanks NOT MANY people understand that the oil used to fry chips meets many challenges on its route from the field to the frying pan. Some of them arise during the liquid bulk storage phase, such as layering of the oil and building of sediments in the shore tank due to inefficient mixing. This, in turn,…
Read More »

Navigator Terminals turned to drones for safe, reliable tank inspections   MORE than ever before, drones are becoming invaluable tools in a variety of sectors – including the tank storage world. With their ability to increase efficiency and improve safety, drones have become important tools for inspection, enhancing condition monitoring. Until recent years drones were only able to…
Read More »

New-generation perimeter intrusion detection sensors combined with video analytics and intelligent lighting can dramatically enhance detection, deterrence and response capabilities while meeting budgetary constraints and operational realities THE PHYSICAL security of storage facilities for oil, natural gas, and refined products is critical for public safety. A deliberate attack on a facility…
Read More »

Meet the Netherlands’ remote controlled fire-fighting robot: the Inferno Beater HOLLAND Holland Special Pumps (HSP) is the only firefighting robot manufacturer in the Netherlands. Last year the company launched the Inferno Beater, a remotely-operated fire extinguisher robot, which can be used in tank farms, as well as other applications such as houses, industrial buildings and parking…
Read More »

A guide to choosing the most suitable foam for your fire protection needs IN 1902 Russian chemist and engineer Aleksander Loran developed and patented the first fire suppression foam for extinguishing flammable liquid fires, by physically mixing two powders and water. Many innovations to fire-fighting foam have since been developed, including Aerofoam (Percy Lavon Julian, 1942), high-expansion…
Read More »

An innovative method using the world’s most sensitive optical gas imagery cameras IN ADDITION to their current support services to storage tank operators, which includes infrastructure projects, maintenance and UHP tank cleaning services, WSG are further growing their offering as a leak detection and repair specialist (LDAR) with the addition of WSG Enviro to the WSG Group. WSG’s aim was…
Read More »

VPS single-flow twin screw pumps can adapt to a variety of flow media with low operating costs A TECHNOLOGICAL change is emerging in tank farm and chemical applications. Single-flow twin screw pumps have started to replace conventional positive displacement pump technologies at flow rates up to 500 m3 per hour. This is as a result of an increasing demand in flexibility, the permanent…
Read More »

Michele Nazzaro and Harold Kempinga from Aereon Europe discuss the Aereon CEB, the EU-certified best available technology for gas flaring operations MANAGING vapour recovery and the containment of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions is a must. Not only are atmospheric emissions regulated by increasingly stringent legislation, but many companies have a growing culture and commitment for a…
Read More »

The 2020 Tank Storage Magazine Environmental Performance Award winner looks back IN THE midst of the pandemic we are all living through, advanced environmental technology solutions company Tecam is celebrating 15 years in business. In August 2005 Borja Maestro founded Tecam Soluciones Medioambientales in Barcelona, Spain, as an environmental technology distribution company. That small…
Read More »

Find out the benefits of risk-based inspection for API RP 581 and EEMUA 159 CHALLENGING times strongly drive the need to optimise existing procedures and systems while minimising business risks with day-to-day operations. When talking about tank integrity management, we deal with the challenge of balancing efforts and benefits while complying with safety regulations and standards requirements,…
Read More »

Inspection specialist Eddyfi Technologies has launched a new tank bottom inspection scanner, the FloormapX. The FloormapX is a multi-technology magnetic flux leakage (MFL) array tank bottom inspection solution, which Eddyfi says is designed to increase productivity with unprecedented efficiency and is capable of addressing almost all tanks. It offers an ‘unmatched probability of detection’,…
Read More »

One of the UK’s leading bulk liquid storage companies has put in place a new strategic growth plan and unveiled a name change. UM Terminals managing director Bryan Davies explains. UNTIL quite recently, UM Terminals was known as UM Storage. But the Liverpool, UK-headquartered business has ambitious growth plans and felt that their old name did not do full justice to today’s…
Read More »