Tank owners have a variety of concerns while managing a tank farm; majority of them include process safety, cost, product quality, environmental compliance, and product loss. However, with the undeniably growing emphasis on net-zero in the green world, emissions control and compliance to EPA guidelines are some of the biggest concerns for aged as well as new assets, therefore making these a challenge.
As per EPA estimates, storage tanks are one of the largest contributors to volatile organic compound (VOC) and green-house gas (GHG) emissions in oil and gas production. With storage tanks under the radar, regulatory enforcement has also become high-tech and unforgiving, with inspectors now using an optical gas imaging infrared camera (IR camera) (image below) to detect leaks from storage tanks.