Industries Step Up Underground Tank Monitoring
alexander hamp
consequences has pushed many organizations to add new leak monitoring
systems to liquid storage tanks. Underground, remote or otherwise
inaccessible tanks can't be easily monitored with sight glasses and
depend on electronic systems to ensure tanks are functioning as
expected. Inexpensive level switches can save a company hundreds of
thousands of dollars of cleanup costs by detecting problems early.
Worker and Public Safety Concerns
Very often tanks contain liquids that are highly hazardous. While
contained these liquids pose no danger but a small leak can quickly
lead to catastrophic circumstances. Flammable liquids could spread
into large pools until a stray spark ignites an inferno. Toxic
chemicals might cause both short and long term health problems to
workers on site. If the leak is severe enough, it could spread off the
company property and even into the water system, endangering public
health.
Level switches in each tank could alert operators of unexpected
changes to liquid volume that could indicate a leak. Slow leaks that
might go undetected for days or weeks can be spotted much earlier as
the switch activates a warning on an operator's control board.
Environmental Damage
Leaks and spills of toxic chemicals can contaminate the soil around
the tank, potentially leading to months of expensive remediation to
clean up the problem. In areas with shallow water tables,
contamination can quickly spread across large areas making the
remediation job that much harder. Plant and animal life in the area
can be devastated, often taking decades to recover even after the
cleanup is finished.
Companies minimize environmental effects by adding level switches as
part of internal programs to protect the environment. Chemicals that
might not be dangerous to humans can still have serious environmental
consequences. Something as seemingly harmless as a leak of warm water
from a heat exchanger into a nearby stream can fundamentally change
the ecosystem and endanger local fish and plant life.
Increased Monitoring Saves Money
Companies also have a more practical reason to increase the number of
level switches in tanks: money. Injured or sickened workers may file
legal action against the company if the organization has been
negligent and not installed enough safety systems. EPA penalties and
lost business from public backlash after environmental damage has
devastated even major corporations.
The loss of the material itself is often a major expense as well.
Leaked and spilled liquids are lost assets and have to be replaced.
Undetected leaks can cost a company thousands of dollars a day, and
yet an inexpensive level switch could detect the problem and allow
workers to correct it.
Sophisticated process monitoring and control systems are available
that allow even small companies to regulate every aspect of their
operations, but these systems are only as good as their sensors.
Install a few more level switches in your tanks to get a better
picture of plant operation.