TankCam® Diesel Inspections
A 2016 study by the EPA revealed that 83% of diesel UST systems have moderate to severe levels of corrosion.
Corrosion that is being described as the most aggressive and extensive ever known to permeate an Underground Storage Tank has been developing in recent years in diesel tanks through the country.
It is affecting steel as well as fiberglass tanks – attacking the metal components in the vapor space — bungs, risers, caps, plugs, STP shafts, ball float assemblies and flapper valves.
What’s even more frightening – the EPA study found that 75% of operators who had these high levels of aggressive corrosion in their tanks were not aware of it.
Tanknology performed the fieldwork for this EPA study, using our TankCam® remote visual inspection system – the same system the EPA now recommends as a method for inspecting your diesel UST systems so that you know you’re not among the 83 percent.
The TankCam video assessment does not require your tanks to be empty of fuel and it is performed remotely from aboveground – no one needs to enter your tank.
The inspection is highly detailed, as the technician captures high resolution images of all suspect conditions; corrosion or otherwise. The result is a digital video file, which details all the key components in the tank. The photos you see here were all captured in TankCam inspections.
To learn more, or to discuss specific compliance needs for your site, call us today at 1-800-964-1250.
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At A Glance
Key findings of EPA’s July 2016 Study on Corrosion in Diesel UST Systems
- 83% of UST systems evaluated in the study exhibited moderate to severe corrosion.
- Only 25% of the affected owner/operators were aware of the corrosion prior to the study.
- Severe corrosion is not limited to the tanks themselves, but also prevalent in all the metal components of the fueling system.
- This is true in steel as well as fiberglass tanks.
- The condition is widespread – affecting diesel fueling systems in multiple regions of the country.
- Ethanol was present in 90% of the 42 tanks sampled, “suggesting cross contamination of diesel fuel with ethanol is likely the norm.”
- Many UST systems may be storing fuel that is less “clean and dry” than those standards stipulate.
- The presence of particulates and water in the fuel were “closest to being statistically predictive factors for metal corrosion,” though the EPA said the findings don’t necessarily signal causation.