When you’re operating in a highly regulated and hazardous environment, there’s no room for error, safe operations and adhering to the regulations is critical. But that doesn’t mean sticking with the status quo.
We look at the ways we’re harnessing innovation and technology in our tank maintenance to improve safety – and prolong the life of our assets. There are risks involved with storing fuels but with good management and safety procedures in place these risks can be managed.
Our Reliability and Integrity team are responsible for managing our assets including tanks, pipelines, electrical and instrumentation, pumps, fire systems and piping.
They are at the frontline of our commitment to ensuring that we meet all required regulations and that safe work practices are adhered to at all our facilities from terminals in Devonport and Cairns to pipelines in Sydney.
All tanks great and small
我们在澳大利亚运营和维护3000多辆储罐，包括吉朗的新型100ml原油箱 - 澳大利亚最大的油箱。这款巨型罐高21米，直径为84米。
从钢铁、不锈钢立式坦克卡尔ying a range of petroleum products to fiberglass and steel underground tanks at retail service stations, the range of sizes and models of tanks is impressive and requires detailed management.
We also manage customer tanks at a number of mining facilities across Western Australia and Queensland.
Best practice is the new standard
坦克完整是安全储存燃料的至关重要。但无论坦克在哪里，储存燃料都是危险的操作，严格的法规需要彻底检查和维护方案。
对于垂直储罐，坦克地板的地板腐蚀是潜在泄漏的主要威胁，防止腐蚀需要防止水在罐底下。为了降低我们的垂直储罐中腐蚀的风险，已经开发出密封罐基金柱的新的最佳实践过程。“天气条设计” - 由工程服务经理，Tony Toko设计 - 防止水进入，并已被证明可以降低地板腐蚀速率，这增加了坦克的寿命和服务间隔的长度。
“This design is now used for all of our new tank builds within Viva Energy and has even been adopted by other companies in the industry,” Tony says.
创新仍然存在
在建造新坦克时是一种确保最佳实践的一种方式，当大部分基础架构都是建立资产的时候，你做了什么？对于我们而言，它意味着采用创新措施来防止腐蚀，延长我们的坦克的寿命，定期检查和维护，确保他们符合严格的规定和安全标准。
严格的维护制度至关重要。“在过去的10年里，我们在坦克诚信中走了很长的路，”托尼说。“我们对我们的检查标准，工作范围和规格，我们使用的承包商以及维修的质量。”这一切都是关于拥有正确的流程，正确的检查工具，重要的是合适的人。
Operators working at our terminals are a key part of the front line of tank maintenance and best practice. Being at the coal face, the operators work every day in and around our assets which means they get to know the assets and, in partnership with the site engineer, they ensure the safe operation of the tanks.
Highlighting our long-term commitment to best practice, 10 years ago we partnered with a local inspection company to bring the first SLOFEC Floor Scanner to Australia from Germany. This high-resolution scanner can differentiate corrosion on the top side of the tank floor versus the underside of the tank floor.
Thanks to the high-resolution data and the ability to detect issues if they are occurring, the SLOFEC has helped us extend our tank maintenance period from the typical seven-to-eight-year to an impressive 15-year interval, taking into account the age of the asset.
此外，在内部开发的基于风险的检查（RBI）工具用于确定下一个维护期。“它使我们能够对我们的坦克的行为有更多的信心，因为它使用一系列数据来了解坦克在环境中暴露在环境中并保护坦克完整性的风险。这是一个优选的方法，与纯粹基于坦克的年龄和自上次维护事件以来的时间相比。访问此信息意味着我们可以评估和考虑每个坦克的维护要求，因为我们现在知道在我们打开坦克之前发生了什么。因此，我们可以在预定时间段内自动安排维护的方法，而不是通过预定时间段来定制维护计划，这可能导致坦克或多或少地保持坦克。“托尼说。
Tough maintenance regime
But innovative technology is just one part of the puzzle. A rigorous maintenance regime which adheres to the various regulations, has thorough written processes and procedures, uses qualified inspectors and has good communications between staff is all essential to keeping such a large pool of assets maintained. ”On average we spend 21,600 man-hours conducting maintenance turnarounds on around 15 of our tanks each year.”
“当我们在坦克上工作时，我们确保我们加强了安全消息，识别危险，人们意识到他们一天发生的事情，并将控制在100％的时间内，”托尼说。“
“这是高风险的工作，”他解释道。“可能发生事件，特别是当从最初计划的发生变化时。”
Whether that change is due to using different tools, a different scope of work, new staff or a change in the weather, it’s vitally important to “recognise the change, then stop work, take five, and review hazards and controls before we restart and complete the job,” he says.
在同一页面上
与承包商的良好关系也至关重要，以确保合规性，强调托尼。“他们的价值观必须是我们的价值观。他说，您的安全消息必须是他们的安全消息，“他说。“然后你在同一波长上运行并朝着相同的目标工作。”
It’s the same when dealing with customers. Jeremy Teo, Product Support Engineer at Viva Energy, who offers on-site assistance to help our customers comply with the AS1940 standard and state regulations in relation to tank inspections and maintenance.
“我们帮助客户识别他们的存储罐，他们可以从澳大利亚和行业标准中遇到差距，并帮助他们关闭这些差距，以便他们能够安心，从运营和监管的角度来看，减少他们的风险简介，”他说。
但是，正如Jeremy解释的那样，除了提高风险概况之外，合规性提供了福利。“拥有良好的坦克和良好的存储实践意味着您可以保持燃料的质量和清洁度，”他说。“良好的产品质量意味着您将拥有更少的设备故障，更少的运营停机，更长的设备寿命和降低维护成本。”
Which means it’s great for business too.
To learn more about tank compliance emailTechnicalHelpdesk@vivaenergy.com.au.