Tanknology Products

While pressure tests are conducted with bar reading gauges, VacuTect collects the pressure readings in kilopascals which is hundredth of a bar. Therefore, it is 100 times more sensitive than pressure testing.

In pressure testing, tanks are isolated from fill and vent lines as all three of them cannot be tested together under such method. This brings up new HSSE risks, higher costs and the need to test the fill and vent lines separately, increasing the tank downtime. By comparison, in VacuTect, fill and vent lines are blind capped from the furthest point possible and tested altogether with the tank under one single test. In the end, the HSSE risks are minimized, more reasonable costs are achieved and since there’s no need for separate fill and vent line tests anymore, the tanks can be operational with safety in the shortest amount of time possible.

In pressure testing, installing the blind caps wrong or loose might cause catastrophic events as with the pressure applied, fuel can be pumped to environment. In VacuTect, since vacuum is applied to the tanks, even in such failure, no fuel is spread and maximum level of job safety is attained.

Usually in pressure testing, due to cost reasons and contrary to all known HSSE rules, tests are applied when there’s still fuel inside the tank. This is because, transferring the fuel inside the tank to a different one or to a delivery truck brings up significantly higher costs and great amount of loss of time. For this reason, if tanks are tested with pressure when still having fuel inside, in case of a leak, fuel spillage becomes inevitable. Compared to this in VacuTect, since tanks are being kept at a vacuum state, even if there’s a hole, no fuel spillage occurs.

Usually, the calibration reports of the tank gauges used in pressure testing are not questioned or asked for. Therefore the reliability of the results generated by such tests are always questionable. However in VacuTect, prior to each test the test probe is calibrated with atmospheric pressure and in case this is not read correct, the system will not allow for the test to start. Therefore the human error factor is eliminated.

Especially in sites with high water table, if the pressure level outside the tank wall matches the pressure inside the tank during a pressure test, then the leak point will not be recognized. Compared to this, in VacuTect as there are no such two forces to balance each other, such risks are out of question.

In pressure testing, fill and vent lines are connected back to the tank upon the completion of the test however such connection points are not controlled for leakages again. In VacuTect, however, since the tanks are not isolated there are no issues related to reconnection of these lines.

In pressure testing, data such as test period, and fuel, pressure and water levels prior to and after the test are manually entered and therefore is open to human error and interference. However, in VacuTect all the data, beyond the control of the operator, are entered into a system log minute by minute which can be then shared with the client upon request. Thus by this means, VacuTect is the most customer friendly and reliable system in the industry.