Understanding API Tank Requirements

Posted: 2017-6-19

By: Cassandra Thomason

Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

http://www.etha...nk-requirements

Every 3,000 miles, the car goes into the shop for an oil change and tire rotation. At the biannual teeth cleaning visit with the dentist, X-rays or fillings may be called for. Parental worries that inevitably set in once a newborn goes home from the hospital will be soothed by the confident words of her pediatrician at the first of many scheduled wellness exams. These checkups are all preventative procedures designed to catch a problem before it becomes more dangerous or expensive, or to pinpoint the cause of a malfunction.

Ethanol storage tanks require such inspections to find points of weakness in a tank that could lead to leaks. Leaks that go unnoticed are dangerous and can lead to expensive cleanups and repairs.

Unlike regularly scheduled physicals or dentist appointments, inspection intervals followed for ethanol tanks are not always clear cut. Steel tanks that hold oil are built to standards set forth by the American Petroleum Institute—API 653. The objective of these standards is to prolong the functional life of oil storage tanks and to ensure the safety of people and communities surrounding the tanks. API 653 covers the maintenance, inspection, alteration and repair of steel, field-erected aboveground storage tanks built to API 650 or API 12C standards.

This standard contains the minimum requirements for ensuring the integrity of such tanks. When having an API tank inspection, it is paramount to hire a reputable tank company that offers certified API 653 inspections for bulk storage, petroleum and chemical storage tanks. API 653 inspections must be performed by a licensed API 653 inspector. These inspectors have completed the strenuous API 653 certification program, preparing them to provide thorough, code-specific tank inspections.

Read the full article at EthanolProducer.com.