Safety is the number 1 concern of most companies involved in the handling and storage of petroleum fuels, protecting the environment is a close second.
Every day millions of litres of fuel are stored and transferred to and from tanks. This poses a huge risk of leaks, spills or overfills.
Any hydrocarbon leaks or spills from tanks or pipes containing aviation fuels, gasoline, diesel and other petroleum fuels into bunds around storage tanks pose an extreme danger.
There is risk of potential fires and explosions, which have been seen in recent years and significant environmental damage.
For fast above ground detection within bunds, the TT-FFS (fast fuel sensor) is able to detect a hydrocarbon fuel leak within a few seconds of initial contact. The minimum film thickness for fast detection is less than 1 mm, so the sensor is able to detect a fuel spill floating on the surface of rainwater, in a bunded area or collecting in a sump.
Response time is short enough to quickly close drain valves before fuel reaches a storm drain or surface channel. TT-FFS can be monitored by a TTC-1, SIL-2 rated controller or a flashing battery power alarm unit.
TT5000 and TT5000-HUV are two types of sensing cable that can provide a wider area of coverage. TT5000-HUV has a densely braided polyester yarn exterior, which provides a very effective ultra violet (UV) shield for the sensor cable within. It and can be clipped to the concrete around the perimeter of a tank’s base, providing detection of leaks from flanges, pipes or valves.
TT5000 cable can be installed in a buried slotted PVC conduit to detect and locate fuels leaking into the soil beneath tank floors or from buried pipes or valves. The cable itself is the sensor and every point along its length is capable of detecting the presence of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. In combination with TraceTek instrumentation, it is possible to know when a leak develops and to identify the location of the spill to +/- 1 metre accuracy.
TraceTek instrumentation and industry standard telemetry solutions are all ATEX, SIL2 and Baseefa certified. They range from a battery powered, high-intensity flashing LED leak indicators, standalone alarm panel with digital display and can be fully integrated into existing SCADA system and web-enabled solutions for remote viewing of status and alarms. TraceTek TT-FFS and TT5000 sensors are also compatible with the Emerson ROSEMOUNT smart wireless network system.
