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Ameron Dualoy° Pipe Monitoring System <br /> 5.0 DISCUSSION <br /> The use of a brine-filled interstice for leak detection purposes is a viable method <br /> for preventing loss of product to the environment. It must be emphasized that the brine <br /> reservoir size, initial brine level, and spacing of the sensors are important factors for <br /> preventing nuisance alarms. These should be considered in the design of the <br /> equipment and identified by the manufacturer regarding the maximum length of pipe the <br /> reservoir and sensor will service. With the Ameron system, any dual point sensor with <br /> dimensions that will fit into the brine reservoir can be installed. The sensors must then <br /> be attached to the proper monitoring equipment, which in many cases can be the ATG <br /> already installed at the test site. It is important that the high level alarm be configured to <br /> shut down the turbine immediately to prevent possible loss of product from the <br /> reservoir. <br /> The pressure tests indicate that only very small changes occur as a result of <br /> pressurizing the inner pipe. The Ameron Dualoy°pipe is fairly rigid so this small effect <br /> is not unexpected. <br /> There are two types of temperature changes that could be important for this <br /> system. First, there are short-term effects from the delivery of fuel with a large <br /> temperature difference between the fuel added to the tank and the existing ground <br /> temperature. Dispensing of fuel of a different temperature can produce relatively large <br /> short-term changes in the temperature of the pipe including the interstice. This type of <br /> change is fairly fast as can be seen in the temperature data in Appendix D. <br /> A second more important type of temperature change is a result of the slow <br /> seasonal effects that are manifested as a slow change in the ground temperature. <br /> These effects produce a slow change in the brine level between summer and winter. <br /> The magnitude of this effect is the same as for a more rapid temperature change. <br /> Seasonal ground temperature changes are of the order of 30 deg F. The effects of both <br /> types of temperature changes can be minimized if trapped air is removed from the pipe <br /> and fittings. <br /> The Ameron Pipe Monitor will sense the cumulative effect of small leaks. It will <br /> alarm when approximately 1 liter of fluid is added or removed from the reservoir no <br /> matter what the time interval has been. It operates in a true continuous fashion in that it <br /> does not need to wait for quiet periods or other factors that might delay the detection of <br /> a leak. <br /> Page 13 of 13 <br />