DP Fuel Tank Services has been helping to ensure fuel flows freely to the huge fleet of ground transport that is required to keep planes flying from Gatwick, the UK’s second largest airport.
DP FTS was called in to clean and check two of the tanks at the airport’s own petrol station, run by Gatwick’s Transport Command, which looks after the scores of buses, bowsers, tugs and many other vehicles that keep the airport moving.
The maintenance contractor had noticed that it was being called in more frequently than normal to change the filters on pumps drawing fuel from two 13,386ltr underground tanks, indicating a possible build-up of sludge; so tank cleaning experts, DP Fuel Tank Services was asked to help.
Before cleaning could commence, the tanks had to be drained and gas-freed to make them safe to work on. To ensure all sludge is removed completely, a DP operative in full PPE enters the tanks to clean it thoroughly. While the de-gassing process leaves the atmosphere in the tank safe and breathable, as an extra safety precaution anyone entering tanks uses full-face breathing apparatus.
Further safety precautions include a safety harness attached to a winch on the surface and two other operatives standing by in case of a problem. This safety consciousness has ensured DP FTS has only had one reportable accident in 44 years of operation.
Once the tank had been cleaned, and the sludge taken away for environmentally safe disposal, DP FTS carried out an ultrasound test on the fabric of the tanks, to ensure that there were no areas where corrosion was thinning the skin to the point where leaks may occur.
Says DP FTS director Nigel Plumb: “While sludge and bacteria problems can usually be efficiently dealt with by remedial cleaning such as this, it will always mean an unexpected closure of the facility – usually at the most inconvenient time. It would be much more efficient for forecourt operators if they were to schedule regular cleaning at a time convenient to them. It only needs doing about every 10 years, but it does save a lot of hassle.”