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12 July 2014

Information About Secondary Containment Systems

By Marylou Forbes


Chemicals and other substances, be it perfectly safe for use or be it highly hazardous, have essential functions. Even the toxic and highly flammable ones are used in most industries more often and in larger quantities than one thinks. Even so, one cannot be too lenient on their handling and usage as they can be quite the pollutants. To ensure a safer work place and environment, secondary containment systems are used for a lot of various reasons.

These secondary container systems are made to accommodate all these toxic wastes in a spill proof manner until the time comes when they are to be disposed of properly. Most containing methods employ the extensive usage of spill catch mechanisms for oil filled equipment, truck decks, fuel tanks, and everything that has a great tendency to be developing a leak.

It can also take on several forms, and bunds are only one of them. They are generally used around storage tanks or drums that hold flammable and possibly highly toxic liquids. They are also sometimes used in plant buildings for reactors, to hold gases in ambient conditions, and the like. They are generally fabricated from brick or mortar. Some are even made of concrete.

There are also some equipment, like in the case of some oil pipes, that have a high chance of developing leaks. For this reason, some companies use drip trays. They act as special basins that will inhibit the liquid substance from getting to parts of the field where they should not get to. Without these drip trays, oil and flammable liquids can get to other equipment and may cause massive fire if one is not careful.

Interceptors, also called sumps, are catchers of liquid such as water. It is characterized as being a low space that manages surface water and doubles as a recharge mechanism for aquifers. Firewater drainage, sewers, storm water drains are all examples of such sumps.

Concentric pipes are also a kind of spill containment system. They are oftentimes provided with some sort of an outer shell or a secondary pipe for protection against loss of containment. The outer one could be fashioned from a much more stronger material, such as steel or anything that is sufficient enough to give further containment without any kind of failure, even for a short duration.

Gas treatment units encompass flares, scrubbers, catch pots, and precipitators. With the obvious exception of the scrubber, the other mechanisms are originally part of the process equipment. They just have the capacity to store waste, which is why they are often used as such. They are very quintessential for the concentration reduction of toxic vapors, fumes, and gases.

Pressure and its control is a very integral part of most industrial process. This is why most factories have their own expansion systems. These units can prevent the build up of pressure that can cause overfilling. Reactors, pipelines, and liquefied gas storage are just some of the mechanisms that need to be attached with this expansion equipment.

Secondary spill systems must be designed, installed and operated in such a way that it effectively prevents migration of wastes and accumulated liquid. They should also be capable of collecting wastes until they are removed. Lastly, they should be separate from the primary equipment.




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