Regulatory and widely-accepted industry standards require that a storage tank receiving ethanol-blended fuels must be free of all water, debris and accumulated sodium salts before introduction of the fuel.
According to industry experts, the presence of these constituents in ethanol-blended fuel poses serious consequences for retailers and their customers – they are simply not compatible with ethanol.
Ethanol and Water Don’t Mix
The introduction of ethanol to gasoline storage tanks brings with it some significant concerns to the operator. The first and largest concern is water – ethanol and water simply are not compatible. It takes a small amount of water to cause what is known as “phase separation” in a tank. Therefore, it is critical that ethanol-blended gasoline is not exposed to water at any time.
Debris or particulates, and accumulated sodium salts create similar problems in tanks containing ethanol-blended fuels. For this reason, it is critical that all tanks receiving ethanol fuels should be carefully inspected prior to the first introduction of the fuel to ensure that there is no water, debris or accumulated sodium salts.
We are the nation’s leader in ethanol conversion inspection and preparation services. Working with major oil companies and regulatory officials throughout the country, we have developed specific protocols for tank inspection and ethanol preparation services. We have performed these services on thousands of tanks, all across the country.
You can rely on us to ensure that your fuel tanks are in optimum condition for that first delivery of ethanol-blended fuels – or to help you if a problem arises later.
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