General Guidelines for Underground Diesel Tanks

Diesel-fueled generators (gensets) are used for primary power at many electricity
generating stations. Furthermore, emergency and standby diesel units are relied upon at
many more sites, including coal and nuclear power plants, as well as industrial,
commercial, medical, and educational facilities. This means that diesel fuel is stored almost
everywhere power is generated.

While it may seem simple to fill a tank with diesel fuel, there are detailed storage
requirements outlined in several codes and standards, including the National Fire
Protection Association’s NFPA 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code and NFPA
110 Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems. There are also a number of
best practices for designing safe and reliable diesel fuel storage systems.

Underground Tanks

Underground storage tank is defined as anyone or combination of tanks that

(1) is used to contain an accumulation of “regulated substances,” and (2) whose volume
(including connected underground piping) is 10% or more beneath the ground.

The minimum recommended separation distance from any underground tank to any
building line is at least 2 m, to avoid undermining the building foundations. It is advisable
to increase this distance to 6 m for a basement or pit, to minimise the risk of vapour
accumulation.

Storage and Tank Requirements

The tank shall be designed, constructed, installed and tested to meet any of the following
or other equivalent standards:

(i) British Standards (BS 2594): Carbon Steel Welded Horizontal Cylindrical Storage
Tanks.
(ii) Underwriters Laboratories (UL 58): Steel Underground Tanks for Flammable and
Combustible Liquids.
(iii) Standards Association of Australia (1962): Steel Tanks for the Storage of
Flammable and Combustible Liquids.
(iv) NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code.

Underground Tanks and Access Pits

All underground tanks shall be in accordance with the following requirements:

(a) The road surface above the underground tanks shall be of reinforced concrete of the
thickness necessary to support itself and any superimposed loads, but not less than
150mm.

(b) The depth from the road surface to the top of the tank shall be not less than 450mm.

(c) Each access pit shall be fitted with a cover that is water tight or raised above the level
of the surrounding ground to prevent the entry of surface water and of strength sufficient
to withstand any superimposed loads. The strength of such a cover shall not be inferior to
those of 5mm low carbon steel.

Corrosion Protection

Any underground tank and its associated piping shall be protected from corrosion by one
or more of the following methods:

(a) Protective coating or wrappings

(b) Cathodic protection

(c) Corrosion-resistant materials of construction.

Venting

Each tank shall incorporate a vent to atmosphere for the vapour space above the liquid.

Filling Connection

The filling connection to a storage tank, which is filled from a tank vehicle, shall incorporate
a vapour-tight connection. A cap or cover with lock shall be provided for the filling point.
Means shall be provided to prevent accumulation or abnormal discharge of vapour during
refilling by having a vapour recovery system.

Location of Filling Point The location of the filling point for any storage tank intended to be
filled from a tank vehicle shall comply with the following requirements (see Annex B): (a)
The length of any hose required to connect a tank vehicle to the filling point shall not
exceed 5m (b) The filling point shall be protected from accidental or physical damage.
Guardrails or any necessary measures shall be installed to prevent damage by collision.

Fire Hydrant Fire hydrant must be within 50m from any part of the fire engine access road.
The actual travel distance from the edge of the fire engine access road to the most remote
point of the petroleum service station usable space must not be more than 50m.

Diesel Fuel Storage and Supply

According to NFPA 30, storage requirements are based on whether the liquid fuel is
“combustible” or “flammable” as assessed by the fuel flash point. The fuel flash point is
the lowest temperature at which the fuel will ignite in the presence of an ignition source.
NFPA 30 defines combustible liquids as having a flash point equal to or greater than 100F
(37.8C) and flammable liquids as having a flash point less than 100F (37.8C).

The flash point of conventional diesel fuel typically ranges between 126F and 204F (52.2C
and 95.5C). Therefore, diesel fuel is considered a combustible liquid. It is further classified
as Class II if the flash point is less than 140F or Class III if flash point is greater than 140F,
depending on the specific fuel.

However, it is important to note that when diesel fuel is blended with ethanol (E-diesel) to
reduce emissions, the blended diesel fuel has a low flash point of about 68F (20C). The
blended fuel is therefore considered a flammable liquid, requiring management of
associated fire and explosion hazards. For simplicity, this article considers only
conventional diesel fuel.

Storage tanks used for ethanol-blended diesel fuel need to be fitted with a flame arrester
at the vent pipe outlet. This is because ethanol-blended diesel fuel is a flammable liquid
with a low flash point.

Day Tank

The day tank is located between the bulk storage tank and the diesel engine. The fuel is
delivered from the bulk storage to the day tank by means of the bulk storage deliver pump.
The fuel from the day tank is transferred to the diesel engine by the engine-driven fuel
transfer pump, which is mounted on the engine assembly.

The day tank is required when the engine-driven fuel pump is unable to draw fuel from
the bulk fuel tank due to distance or elevation issues. The day tank is also used to ensure
efficient fuel flow to the engine by eliminating any externally induced pressure head
generated by the location of the bulk tank or from the bulk storage delivery pump. The
day tank also serves as a heat sink to collect the hot, unused fuel returned from the engine
via a cooler.

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References:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace
health and safety. It prevents work-related death, injury and ill health.

2. Regulated Underground Storage Tanks, An informational brochure prepared by the

South Dakota Legislature to provide funds for clean-up of contamination caused by the
release from petroleum underground storage tanks.

3. https://www.powermag.com/understanding-diesel-fuel-storage-requirements/

4. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is a uniformed organisation under

the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The main role of SCDF is to
provide fire-fighting, rescue and emergency medical services; mitigating
hazardous materials incidents, as well as formulate, implement and enforce
regulations on fire safety and civil defence shelter matters.