Fuel for thought

01 Dec 2010

While recently introduced environmental legislation is demanding that stringent compliance criteria are met by all bulk-fuel storage facilities, Broadcast Australia’s ongoing tank inspection and replacement program is more than meeting these requirements.

In order to ensure the ongoing delivery of broadcast services, Broadcast Australia’s key network facilities all feature emergency power plants (EPPs). These provide an alternate source of power in the event of disruptions to the mains feed to site. There are approximately 200 of these EPP systems spread across the network—with almost half of these having a bulk-fuel storage capacity in the order of 30,000 litres.

According to Patrick Maraun, Broadcast Australia Power & Building Services Manager, different states in Australia have varying environmental requirements for fuel-tank installations, many of which have recently been amended. “Our policy has been to develop in-house standards and a program to meet even the most stringent of these new environmental legislation amendments, whatever the location,” he said.

Mitigating the risk

As part of this program, each facility has been risk assessed to help prioritise necessary tank upgrades. “We are constantly reviewing the list of tanks that need attention, and are now four years in to a capital works program to optimise bulk-storage operations,” said Patrick. “The aim is to upgrade tanks on a rolling program—to meet the environmental legislation, and to improve reliability and autonomy of the EPPs.”

Where tanks need to be replaced, the company follows a rigorous procedure involving site assessment, environmental reporting and site works. “The installation involves decanting fuel to a temporary storage vessel to enable the existing tank to be removed,” said Patrick. “Soil testing and environmental reporting is then completed by environmental consultants and National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratories, with soil remediation  activity supervised where required.”

 Once this is completed, new double-skinned fibreglass tanks are installed, tested and commissioned. Continuous leak-monitoring systems and fuel-transfer upgrades have been incorporated into the design to enhance environmental performance.

 ‘Green’ reliability

To date, 25 large storage tanks have been replaced, and an average of nine further tanks will be upgraded per year on an ongoing basis. As most of the company’s bulk fuel-storage facilities involve underground tanks, the double-skinned design of the new tanks—in conjunction with the enhanced gauging, monitoring, and leak-detection systems provided—will virtually eliminate environmental impacts from fuel leakage or spillage.

The results of this program are two-fold. “It will provide a valuable additional level of reliability to our back-up power systems to help maximise broadcast uptime,” Patrick explained. “Moreover, the program will ensure that our operations continue to work in harmony with the environment.”

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