Product Quality in Light Product Storage and Handling Operations

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1640 SECOND EDITION, FEBRUARY 2021

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Copyright © 2021 American Petroleum Institute

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Foreword

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Contents

Page

1. General 1

   1. Scope and Purpose 1

   2. Non-applicability 1

2. Normative References 2

3. Terms, Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations 3

   1. Terms and Definitions 3

   2. Acronyms and Abbreviations 10

4. Quality Assurance System Health, Safety, Security, and Environment 10

   1. Management Responsibility and Accountability 11

   2. Quality Assurance Components 11

   3. Training 13

   4. Risk Assessments 14

   5. Incident Management 15

5. Storage Terminals—Equipment Design 16

   1. General 16

   2. Tankage 19

   3. Product Receipt System Design 21

   4. Pipework within Storage and Distribution Terminals 21

   5. Component and Fuel Blending Systems 22

   6. Road and Rail Transport Loading and Unloading 23

   7. Filtration 23

6. General Operating, Maintenance, Inspection, and Test Requirements 24

   1. Planned Maintenance, Inspection, and Testing 24

   2. Filtration Equipment 24

   3. Tank Movement Indicators (Level Alarms) 24

   4. Tank Vents 24

   5. Tank Inspections and Cleaning 24

   6. Piping Systems 26

   7. Valve Maintenance 26

7. Strainer and Filtration Equipment Management 26

   1. Strainers 26

   2. Filters 26

   3. Element Change Criteria 27

   4. Filter Vessel Change Out Procedure 28

8. Sampling and Testing 28

   1. General 28

   2. Sampling—Basic Requirements 29

   3. Testing 31

   4. Sample Retains 31

9. Fuel Quality Control 32

   1. General 32

   2. Product Segregation 32

   3. Additives 34

      Contents

      Page

   4. Product and Component Inventory Variations 34

   5. Settling 35

   6. Post-receipt Tank Product Testing 35

   7. Product Release for Custody Transfer 36

   8. Oversight Testing 36

10. Receipt Procedures 39

    1. Receipt—General 39

    2. Receipts from Pipeline 42

    3. Receipts from Ocean Tanker Coastal and Inland Waterway Vessel 43

    4. Receipt by Truck or Rail Car 45

    5. Other Receipts 46

    6. Interface 46

11. Storage Procedures 46

    1. Routine Checks 46

    2. Storage Tank Changes 47

    3. Storage of Biodiesel/FAME 49

    4. Storage of Ethanol 51

    5. Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) Procedures 51

       11.7 Water Management 52

12. Product Blending 53

    1. General 53

    2. Product Blending (in-tank) 54

    3. Ethanol Blending 55

    4. Biodiesel/FAME Blending 55

    5. Transmix Blending 58

13. Delivery Procedures 59

    1. General 59

    2. Documentation 60

    3. Product Delivery from Running Tanks 60

    4. Product Transfer 60

14. Transportation Equipment from Storage Terminals 64

    1. General 64

    2. Pipelines 64

    3. Waterborne Vessels 65

    4. Road Vehicles and Rail Tank Cars 65

    5. Grade Change Procedures for Road Tankers and Railcars—Switch Loading 65

    6. Transport and Delivery of Biodiesel/FAME Blends 65

15. Fuel Additives, Dyes, and Markers 66

    1. General 66

    2. Receipt and Storage 66

    3. Additive Transloading 68

    4. Check Valves and Recycle Systems 68

    5. Additive Cross Contamination 68

    6. Inventory Control 69

       Contents

       Page

16. Butane or Pentane Blending 69

    1. General 69

    2. Butane and Pentane Quality Oversight (U.S. Regulation Only) 69

    3. Quality Oversight of Gasoline Blended with Butane or Pentane 70

17. Documentation 71

    1. Records 71

    2. Records—Construction and Commissioning 71

    3. Records—Quality Control 72

    4. Volumetric Additive Reconciliation (VAR) 72

    5. Records—Maintenance 73

Bibliography 74

Figures

1 Illustration of Common Spot Sample Positions 7

Tables

1. Spot Sample Requirements 8

2. Tap Sampling Requirements 8

3. Material Compatibilities with Ethanol and Ethanol/Gasoline Blends 17

4. Material Compatibilities with Biodiesel/FAME 19

5. Minimum Sample Size, Storage Container Type, and Retention Time 32

6. Potential Effects of Cross Contamination of Products 33

7. Post-receipt Tank Product Testing Guidelines 35

8. Recommended Properties to Test for Oversight 37

9. Recommended Properties to Test as an Element of MOC 37

10. Minimum Properties to Test for Receipt Samples 42

11. Typical Properties to Test for Line Samples 44

12. Typical Properties to Test for Drain Samples 45

13. Typical Handling Properties for Biodiesel/FAME Manufactured from Different Feedstocks 56

14. Minimum Cleaning Requirements for Tank Trucks and Tank Cars 62

15. Minimum Cleaning Requirements for Marine Vessels 62

16. Recommended Oversight Testing for Delivery Conveyances 64

Product Quality in Light Product Storage and Handling Operations

1. General

   
   

   1. Scope and Purpose

      
      

      This recommended practice (RP) is intended to provide guidance on the minimum equipment standards and operating procedures for the receipt, storage blending and delivery of non-aviation light products, their blend components, and additives at distribution and intermediate storage terminals, including related operations of pipeline, marine vessel (barge or ship) and road and rail transport.

      
      

      This publication recognizes the variety of conditions and the means to address product quality. Thus, this publication is intended to provide recommended practices, rather than set rigid guidelines. However, to demonstrate that site has addressed variances to the recommended practices, a documented risk assessment shall be created. It is up to the organization what form the risk assessment may take.

      
      

      Users of this publication should be aware that due consideration shall be given to the effect of any unusual or abnormal circumstance on which it is not possible to generalize within the scope of this publication. Specialist advice shall be sought in these cases.

      
      

      This publication should assist those involved in fuel handling at distribution and intermediate storage facilities. Every effort has been made by API to assure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in this publication; however, API makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with this publication and hereby expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use or for the violation of any local or regional laws or regulations with which this publication may conflict.

      
      

      This RP is intended to provide guidance on the minimum equipment standards and operating procedures for the receipt, storage, blending of light products, including but not limited to gasoline, kerosene, diesel, heating oil and their blend components (i.e. ethanol, biodiesel/FAME, and butane) at distribution and storage terminals, as well as light product shipments directly via a pipeline, marine vessel (barge or ship) or road and rail transport.

      
      

      In addition, this RP provides guidance for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of light products

      storage and distribution terminals with the specific intent of protecting or ensuring product quality.

      
      

      This document incorporates by reference several other standards and recommended practices. The distinction between mandatory, recommended, and optional provisions in the referenced documents is not changed by nature of their reference in this standard.

      
      

      The values stated in this RP are International Units (SI); U.S. Customary (USC) units are in parentheses.

      
      

   2. Non-applicability

This document is not intended to cover fuels addressed in other applicable documents (i.e. aviation fuels) covered under API 1595 or EI/JIG Standard 1530.

This RP does not cover intermediate or residual fuels (i.e. bunker fuels, #4 oils and #6 oils).

The design and construction provisions of this standard are intended for application at new facilities. Application of the design and construction provisions of this standard to facilities, equipment, structures, or installations that are already in place, that are in the process of construction or that are installed before the date of this publication should be evaluated when circumstances merit. Such an evaluation should consider the site-specific circumstances and detailed accounting for both the potential and tolerance for risk, existing conditions at the installation, and overall benefit for applying the required design and construction provisions.