Fuel Storage Tank Maintenance: Fuel Tank Cleaning Best Practices Examined

In the course of running a business or managing facilities, there’s often a tension between meeting regulatory requirements and pursuing the extra mile - what you know to be best practices. Regulations function ensure a baseline level of compliance and safety, but they often fall short of fully addressing the complexities and nuances of every situation. Following only the minimum standards might keep you compliant, but it may not always ensure your operations run their best.

The business environment today was transformed by the global pandemic a few years ago. With the economic challenges that followed, businesses today are operating with tighter margins and more constrained budgets than ever before. In such an environment, it’s easy to justify doing just enough to get by, focusing on short-term survival rather than long-term resilience. However, this approach can be risky. Cutting corners might save money now, but it could lead to bigger problems down the road—problems that could have been prevented by adopting best practices.

Taking a proactive approach, even when it goes beyond what’s required, can help you avoid costly issues in the future. Whether it’s investing in better maintenance, using higher-quality materials, or implementing more thorough training programs, the extra effort can pay off in terms of improved efficiency, reduced downtime, and fewer unexpected expenses. In the long run, doing what’s best, rather than just what’s necessary, can be the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving.

regulatory minimums can fall short

Let's use diesel fuel properties as an example. The properties of #2 diesel fuel are defined by pointing to a test slate from the ASTM (“D-975”). This lists the minimum levels the fuel needs to meet in order to be called “diesel fuel”. We used to say "legally", not in the sense that the Federal Government writes "diesel fuel is only diesel fuel if it meets D975", but in the sense that federal agencies like the EPA will reference specific parts of D975 in their rules about certain fuel properties. Maybe it's better to say D975 is the "market standard" for the properties of diesel fuel oil.

Take one property from D975 - cetane rating. Cetane rating is important – your engine can’t run well if the fuel’s cetane value is too low. D975 says you only have to have a minimum cetane rating of 40. But if your fleet’s diesel engines need 45 or 47, then just meeting the allowed minimum is going to cost you more in the long run through lost performance. The cost of doing the minimum vs. what the best practices recommend.

Private groups may have a better pulse on the real world than the government when recommending higher standards. D975 says you can get away with 40 cetane in the diesel fuel. But groups like the SAE and EMA (Engine Manufacturers Association), along with groups in Japan and Europe are pushing for a cetane rating of 50 as the minimum standard for cetane. They’ve seen in the real world that the market minimum isn’t good enough.

Another good example of this involves fuel storage tanks. For many, storage tanks tend to be a set-and-forget situation.

Tanks do require a certain amount of maintenance. Regulations vary by state, but many times, they are only required to do tank “servicing” every 3-5 years. Mind you, that doesn’t count the actual repair of tanks if they have a structural issue. But the servicing and cleaning of fuel storage tanks isn’t an annual requirement. But, remember, there's often a substantial difference between doing the minimum vs. what the best practices recommend.

Speaking of fuel storage tanks, we can see a big difference in "the minimums vs. the best practice" if we look at risk prevention. Sure, there are rules around how often you need to check for leaks.  But good companies that aim to do to do what's best go beyond mere compliance. They invest in advanced monitoring systems that continuously check for leaks, temperature changes, or other signs of potential issues, even when not required by law. Additionally, they may install secondary containment systems, upgrade to corrosion-resistant materials, or design fuel storage facilities with redundancy and resilience against extreme weather conditions. This proactive approach not only reduces the risk of environmental damage but also ensures that the company is prepared for unexpected situations, protecting both their operations and the surrounding community.

Those on the ground level think differently

Now it comes out that private groups (i.e. Exxon, Texaco) are telling their associates that it’s a best practice to clean their fuel storage tanks on an annual basis. These groups on the ground level have seen the effects of recent fuel changes on how the fuels behave in storage. ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel) fuels have seen exponential increases in microbial contamination and sludge formation. They’re telling those they influence that they need to do tank servicing and cleaning every year as a best practice.

What do fuel tank services and fuel tank cleaning look like in this context? It involves monitoring for and removing the water, filtering the fuel, killing the microbes, and cleaning the sludge and dead organic matter out of the tank. It involves a certain amount of upfront cost, but smart businesses that follow these best practices include these costs in their PM budget. They know that PM is unavoidable and would rather spend the PM dollars than deal with the headaches.

So for your business, your fleet, and your facility, who are you going to listen to? A government bureaucrat or someone in your field who has firsthand knowledge of what’s happening and knows the best thing to do to prevent problems?