Creating Complete Systems for Tanks
A storage tank is just one piece of equipment when you look at all the components that make up a tank farm. While the tank is an important part, you still need all the other equipment connected to the tank to make it usable. Most people think of what we sell as simply accessories for tanks, but each works with each other to create a complete system that ensures the safety of your facility while also improving your efficiency.
A storage tank has emergency vents, breather vents, level indicators, blanket gas regulators, gages, and valves to make it operational and all this equipment needs to have maintenance completed to be more reliable and work efficiently.
The vents, for example, need to have periodic maintenance completed to ensure they will properly operate in an emergency situation to keep the tank from imploding or exploding. Also, regularly performing maintenance on vents can prevent nitrogen leakage. This will save your facility money by utilizing less nitrogen to blanket the tank. Level devices and gages need to be operational and calibrated. Accurate readings on these devices help to ensure the tank has enough material to fill orders while not being overfilled causing waste. Valves should be easy to open and close for operators that use them for filling tank trucks or rail cars. Keeping the valves current and in good condition will prevent unexpected downtime when the valve will not operate as needed.
Safety Relief Valve Testing
Most plants are required to test their safety relief valves, and as a result, that is what most valve shops are focused on. Since vents and other equipment on tanks are not code devices with required testing procedures, they are sometimes not repaired and tested as they should be. This is unfortunate because vents can still cause severe damage to a tank if not functioning properly.
Cross Company services or supplies all the equipment associated with a storage tank. We can do evaluations of the tank to determine if the equipment is obsolete or not functions. Our team has the knowledge to size devices for your tank if they are found to be unrepairable or obsolete.
Another way to minimize downtime and keep your tanks safe is to keep spare parts on hand. If you aren’t willing to hold that inventory at your facility, Cross keeps a large stock of replacement parts on hand so we can get you back up and running faster. We also recommend that you keep spare vents and valves on hand, that way if one is removed for repair or maintenance another can be put in its place to keep your tank operational.
Contact the Cross tank experts today to make sure that your tanks are working as a complete system to reduce your risk and improve efficiency for your facility.
