TRANSFER PUMP OPERATIONS

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TRANSFER PUMP OPERATIONS

• Baltimore County Fire Department
• Hazardous Materials Response Team
• C-Shift
• August, 2006

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OVERVIEW

• The five Ws of Product Transfer
• Golden Rules of Product Transfer
• The Kits
• Drilling Procedures
• Off-Loading Procedures

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WHAT is product transfer?

• The physical transfer of product from a damaged
  or compromised container to an undamaged container

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WHO can do product transfer?

• Hazmat Team members (HM114, SHM13, SHM15)
• MDE response personnel
• Combined operations (BCoFD MDE)
• Delivery contractor
• Product specialists
• Container specialists
• Qualified rigging specialists or crane operators
  with proper oversight by specialists.

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WHY do product transfer?

• Overall site safety
• The leak cannot be stopped
• The vehicle must be towed or righted
• Overturned tankers must be off-loaded prior to
  the salvage company moving them
• It is easier to pump product into another
  container, than to pick it up with
  absorbentresulting in greater recovery
• To expedite the reopening of the highways

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WHERE does product transfer take place?

• Typically, product transfer will take place
  on-scene.
• Primarily in Baltimore County.
• Surrounding jurisdictions via mutual aid
  agreements.
• Other locations by special request.

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WHEN does product transfer take place?

• Whenever it will make the scene safer for
  operating personnel.
• Whenever it will minimize environmental damage.
• Prior to vehicle or container righting and
  removal.

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Golden Rules of Transfer

• Rule 1
• If product is being removed from a container,
  the loss in volume must be replaced by an equal
  amount of air at a similar flow rate.
• Translation If you take something out, you must
  put something back in.

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Golden Rules of Transfer

• Rule 2
• If a product is placed in a container, the
  container must be permitted to displace an equal
  amount of air/vapor at a similar rate of flow.
• Translation If you put something into a
  container, you must take something out.

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Golden Rules of Transfer

• Rule 3
• Failure to abide by both of these rules may
  result in a catastrophic failure of the
  container.
• Translation No matter how bad your day might
  be, Rules 1 and 2 never change!

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The Kit

• Craftsman plastic tool box
• Double-diaphragm pump
• Air Hose
• Pneumatic drill
• Regulator
• 4 2 Hole saw bits

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The Kit

• PVC Stingers (long short)
• 1 ½ Petroleum hose
• 1 Petroleum hose
• ¾ Petroleum hose
• Reducers

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DRILLING PROCEDURES
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Safety First!

• Hands, eyes and hearing protection is mandatory
• Be mindful of the sharp edges created
• Make sure that the container is secure before
  beginning operations
• IMS functions and overall scene safety procedures

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Primary Tests

• Test for aluminum
• A magnet will stick to steel and not aluminum
• The drilling procedure for steel is slower and
  uses cutting oil
• Identify where the baffles and bulkheads are
• Mark them for reference
• Have someone on the ground spot the location of
  valves and loading holes for you
• When drilling orient yourself to the natural
  openings on the tank

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Drill Parts

• Pneumatic drill
• Air Line
• Mandrel with pilot drill bit and hole saw
• All parts need to be assembled with blue LocTite
  to prevent slipping and losing the bit inside the
  tank

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Drilling the Pilot Hole

• The pilot hole drill bit will completely
  penetrate the tank before the hole saw contacts
  the surface creating a hole that can be
  temporarily plugged with a golf tee.
• Once the pilot hole is drilled you must check for
• Liquid
• Suction
• Blowing
• Metal Edge

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Liquid

• Liquid escaping indicates you have drilled below
  the vapor space
• Not a good sign!
• Tap in a golf tee to plug the hole and move
  higher on the tank

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Suction

• Any negative pressure or sucking in indicates a
  leak lower in the tank creating a vacuum from
  product loss
• If possible, plug the pilot hole, fix the leak
  and continue the drilling operation
• Ground crews need to be alert to the possibility
  of leak rates increasing
• Remember that any air rushing into the tank to
  replace the vacuum is oxygen bearing

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Blowing

• Blowing or air escaping indicates a positive
  pressure on the tank
• This is usually a good sign if you are dealing
  with a product with a high vapor pressure, such
  as gasoline
• Temporarily plug the pilot hole
• Determine why the tank is pressurized
• Continue with the drilling operation

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Metal Edge

• The presence of a metal edge indicates that you
  have drilled into a baffle or bulkhead
• This will make insertion of the stinger very
  difficult or impossible
• Reposition and redrill the hole

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DRILLINGTECHNIQUE
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General Notes

• Always maintain control of the blank created by
  the hole saw
• If dropped into the tank, it could become an
  obstruction and cause damage to the pump
• Use a light touch
• Keep the drill turning so that it does not bind
• Gently rock
• Rocking between the 3 oclock and 9 oclock
  positions speeds up the cutting process
• Use an angled approach
• Dont try to cut the entire hole at one time,
  angling used in conjunction with rocking will
  speed up the process greatly.

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CAUTION!

• We will off-load primarily combustible materials
  such as diesel fuel and home heating oil. The
  off-loading of flammable materials involves
  bonding and grounding and is much more dangerous
  to personnel.

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Steel and Stainless

• Slower speeds are required.
• Cutting oil is required (not lubricating oil)
• Cutting oil may smoke during operations
• A new hole saw is required (a new hole saw will
  normally last up to 3 holes)
• If the tailings are long strands this indicates
  good progress.
• If the tailings are dust, this indicates a new
  hole saw is needed. Save the worn hole saw for
  aluminum tanks.

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Aluminum

• Higher drill speeds are required
• No cutting oil is needed
• Worn hole saws work better, even if missing a few
  teeth
• Remember, cutting NOT drilling.let the saw do
  its job.

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OFF-LOADINGPROCEDURES
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Site Safety

• Secure the scene (traffic, bystanders, emergency
  personnel)
• Secure the vehicle/container
• Consider marking the orientation of the tank to
  the guardrail/ground to indicate movement
• Use appropriate levels of PPE based on the
  products chemical and physical properties
• Have charged hoselines for protection, when
  appropriate.

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Stage Tools Materials

• Pump-Off Kits
• Air and product hoses
• Air Supply
• Recovery drums
• PPE
• Absorbent materials
• Cribbing material
• Hand tools
• Ladders

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Assemble the Pump

• Position pump between container and drum
• Remove caps and hook the product hoses to the
  pump (be sure to lock down the cam-locks)
• Use the largest diameter hose possible
• The other end of the in hose goes to the
  damaged container
• The other end of the out hose goes to the
  recovery drum

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Air Supply

• Establish air supply
• Vehicle air brakes
• Scott Air Carts (Recommended)
• On-board cascade systems
• Connect air hoses
• BCoFD uses long tails
• MDE uses short tails
• The kits contain adapters
• Open quarter turn valve to control pump
• Off-load product to recovery container

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Safety Reminders

• Be aware of slip, trip and fall hazards
  attributed to the weather, spilled product and
  container condition
• Use appropriate ladders for access
• Be aware of possible load shifts during
  off-loading
• Remember the chemical and physical properties of
  the product you are handling
• Monitor the atmosphere
• PPE and fire protection as warranted
• Follow IMS/NIMS
• Always have a safety officer
• Rotate and rehab personnel as necessary
• Always plan for the worst-case scenario

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Review

• The 5 Ws of Product Transfer
• The Golden rules of Product Transfer
• The Kit
• Drilling Procedures
• Drilling Techniques
• Off-Loading Procedures

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Questions?

• Call Station 14 _at_ 4564