Product Quality in Light Product Storage and Handling Operations

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1640 FIRST EDITION, AUGUST 2013

Special Notes

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Users of this Recommended Practice should not rely exclusively on the information contained in this document. Sound business, scientific, engineering, and safety judgment should be used in employing the information contained herein.

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Information concerning safety and health risks and proper precautions with respect to particular materials and condi- tions should be obtained from the employer, the manufacturer or supplier of that material, or the material safety data sheet.

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Copyright © 2013 American Petroleum Institute

Foreword

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iii

1. General 1

   1. Scope and Purpose 1

   2. Non-Applicability 1

2. Normative References 2

3. Terms and Definitions 3

4. Health, Safety, Security, Environment 9

   1. General 9

   2. Management Responsibility and Accountability 9

   3. Quality Assurance System 9

   4. Training 10

   5. Risk Assessments 11

   6. Incident Management 12

5. Storage Terminals—Equipment Design 13

   1. General 13

   2. Tankage 15

   3. Product Receipt System Design 17

   4. Pipework within Storage and Distribution Terminals 17

   5. Component and Fuel Blending Systems 18

   6. Road and Rail Transport Loading and Unloading 18

   7. Filtration 19

6. General Operating, Maintenance, Inspection and Test Requirements 19

   1. Planned Maintenance, Inspection, and Testing 19

   2. Filtration Equipment 19

   3. Tank Movement Indicators (Level Alarms) 20

   4. Tank Vents 20

   5. Tank Inspections and Cleaning 20

   6. Piping Systems 21

7. Strainer and Filtration Equipment Management 21

   1. Strainers 21

   2. Filters 22

   3. Element Change Criteria 23

   4. Filter Vessel Change Out Procedure 23

8. Sampling and Testing 24

   1. General 24

   2. Sampling—Basic Requirements 24

   3. Testing 26

   4. Sample Retains 26

9. Fuel Quality Control 27

   1. General 27

   2. Product Segregation 27

   3. Additives 28

   4. Product and Component Inventory Variations 29

      
      

   5. Settling 29

   6. Post-receipt Tank Testing 30

   7. Product Release for Custody Transfer 30

   8. Oversight Testing 31

10. Receipt Procedures 31

    1. Receipt—General 31

    2. Receipts from Pipeline 35

    3. Receipts from Ocean Tanker Coastal and Inland Waterway Vessel 35

    4. Receipt by Truck or Rail Car 37

    5. Other Receipts 38

    6. Interface 38

11. Storage Procedures 38

    1. Routine Checks 38

    2. Storage Tank Changes 39

    3. Storage of Biodiesel 42

    4. Storage of Ethanol 43

    5. VRU Procedures 44

    6. Product Returns 44

    7. Water Management 45

12. Product Blending 46

    1. General 46

    2. Product Blending (in-tank) 46

    3. Ethanol Blending 47

    4. Biodiesel Blending 48

    5. Transmix Blending 50

13. Delivery Procedures 51

    1. General 51

    2. Documentation 52

    3. Product Delivery from Running Tanks 53

    4. Product Transfer 53

14. Transportation Equipment from Storage Terminals 56

    1. General 56

    2. Pipelines 56

    3. Waterborne Vessels 57

    4. Road Vehicles and Rail Tank Cars 57

    5. Grade Change Procedures for Road Tankers and Railcars—Switch Loading 57

    6. Transport and Delivery of Biodiesel Blends 58

15. Fuel Additives, Dyes, Markers 58

    1. General 58

    2. Receipt and Storage 58

    3. Additive Transloading 60

    4. Check Valves and Recycle Systems 60

    5. Inventory Control 60

       
       

16. Butane Blending 60

    1. General 60

    2. Butane Quality Oversight 60

    3. Quality Oversight of Gasoline Blended with Butane 61

17. Documentation 62

    1. Records 62

    2. Records—Construction and Commissioning 62

    3. Records—Quality Control 63

    4. Volumetric Additive Reconciliation (VAR) 63

    5. Records—Maintenance 64

Figures

1 Illustration of Common Spot Sample Positions 6

Tables

1. Spot Sample Requirements 7

2. Tap Sampling Requirements 7

3. Material Compatibilities with Biodiesel (B100) 15

4. Minimum Sample Size, Storage Container Type and Retention Time 26

5. Potential Effects of Cross Contamination of Products 29

6. Basic Testing for Management of Change and Oversight Testing 32

7. Typical Handling Properties for Biodiesel Manufactured from Different Feedstocks 49

8. Minimum Cleaning Requirements for Tank Trucks and Tank Cars 54

9. Minimum Cleaning Requirements for Marine Vessels 55

10. Recommended Oversight Testing 56

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 is intended to provide recommended practices, rather than set rigid guidelines. 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, 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 a number of 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); US 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.

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.