(a) A vac truck attempts to load from the 3’ and finds it sanded or a tanker tries to spout load some water and with only ½ a load on runs into oil. The oil hauler gets there only to find water at the spout. In each of these cases you end up with unnecessary costs due to light loads or no loads at all.

If the trucker takes a full load to the plant, of which ½ is water, it still costs $5.73/m3 to treat the water for a further waste of $57.50.

(b) Operator unable to obtain samples and suddenly there is a fire tube failure. It is discovered that the sand built up over the fire tube and caused the failure.

Labor costs as follows; Picker truck to remove stack, then return and reinstall it. 1.5 hours per trip (3.0 hours total) at $108.00/hr for 2 men on the picker	$324.00
Labor and equipment to remove and install fire tube	$400.00
If sand is built up enough on the fire tube, the tank must be emptied and the door pulled so a crew can enter and use a jackhammer to remove the buildup	$1000.00
A steamer is then called to clean up the damaged tube prior to repair and often to clean the mess made on the tank during the change out, 1 - 2 hours at 85.00/hr	$85.00 - $170.00
The fire tube is then either repaired or replaced	$450.00 - $650.00
As you can see, this is a very expensive repair cost	$1,300.00 - $2,500.00

NOTE:

Operators have advised that the cost is seldom less than $2500.00, and quite often can be in excess of $4000.00 with a door pull, shale removal and jackhammer required. Fire tube failures happen more frequently in the winter months for exactly the reason stated.

(c) Operator attempts to take a sample but upon opening the tap he sees that the fluid is barely moving. He decides to check on something else while the frozen plug works itself free. He forgets and drives away and eventually the plug does come free resulting in a spill.

All equipment and labor to clean the spill on the ground and on the side of the tank as well as the disposal cost of the waste material. This figure will vary greatly depending on the amount of fluid spilled but can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

(d) Inability to obtain sample causes water level in tank to rise above the fire tube resulting in poor heat transfer to the oil above, increasing potential for spill as cool oil has a tendency to foam.

Steamer, man basket and chemical to clean the tank. Depending on severity	$500.00 - $2000.00
Equipment and labor for ground cleanup	$500.00 - $1500.00
Disposal of waste	$20.00 - $100.00/m3
An average cost for an incident of this kind could easily be	$3000.00

NOTE:

If the last 2 scenarios were to take place in a group tank setting, the cleanup costs could easily triple.

(e) There is also the unsightly mess left on the side of the tank from dripping sample taps.

Steamer	$85.00/hr
Degreaser	$24.00/gallon
Cost Estimate for Cleanup	$75.00 - $100.00