AU723852B2 - Bund for storage facilities - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01i1 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETIESPECIFICATION

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0 Name of Applicant: STANDARD PATENT Piacentini Son Pty Ltd Colin Michael Piacentini WRAY ASSOCIATES 239 Adelaide Terrace Perth, WA 6000 Actual Inventor Address for service is: Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "Bund for Storage Facilities" Details of Associated Provisional Application No(s): PP0394 filed 13 November 1997 The following statement is- a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-.

-2 TITLE: "Bund for Storage Facilities" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bund facilities for storage vessels.

Background to the Invention In the past it has been established that bulk storage vessels which are used for the storage of noxious materials can present a significant potential environmental hazard and possibly health hazard due to the possibility that spillage may occur in transferring the contents of the vessels to another vessel and the possibility that the storage vessels may suffer leakage. Such noxious S 10 materials can include fuel for vehicles such as petrol and diesel, fuel oil, lubrication oil and a range of chemicals that are used in the mining industry, agricultural industry and pest control industry. In the event of a leakage or spillage of such materials from their storage vessels the materials can contaminate the surrounding ground and underground aquifers unless the o o 15 leakage or spillage is contained. In order to reduce the potential hazard which o0oo0 is presented to the environment by the- storage of such noxious materials it has 00.. become established practice to provide bunds in association with bulk storage vessels which is intended to contain any spillage or leakage from the storage vessels. Conventionally such bund facilities comprise a concrete dam structure surrounding the storage vessel or an earth walled dam, where the floor of the dam is sealed utilising concrete, a clay lining, a bituminous lining and/or a lining formed a of plastics or a like membrane which is resistant to the material being stored. The purpose of the bund facility is to prevent the escape of any leaked or spilled fluid into the surrounding environment.

However, a difficulty is created when it becomes necessary to move or decommission the storage facility which-creates a problem in relation to the disposal and/or storage and/ or treatment of the contaminated materials, soil -3and ground which make up the bund. In this regard it is established practice to remove the contaminated materials and soil which make up the bund and locate the removed material in an appropriate area at which it can be treated for the purposes of decontamination or securely stored until the contamination has reduced to a satisfactory level. In addition on the event of the storage facility being moved it is necessary to build a fresh bund at the new location of the storage facility.

A further difficulty of existing bund facilities is that they do not facilitate the ready reclamation any of the spilled or leaked materials for reutilisation or recycling.

A further difficulty of existing bund facilities arises in the event of the bund wall and/or the floor of the bund cracking as a result of ground movement, weather conditions or damage caused by a vehicle or the like.

S It is an object of this invention to provide a bund facility which can be used with storage vessels which subject to the correct practices, reduces the likelihood of S• 15 contamination of the site and which can be readily used at each location of the storage facility.

Summary of the Invention

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Accordingly the invention resides in a transportable bund for at least one storage vessel, said bund comprising an enclosure defined by a floor, side wall and cover, an opening provided in a portion of the side wall between the cover and an upper edge of said portion, the volume of said enclosure below said upper edge being greater than that of the at least one storage vessel, the floor being adapted to support the storage vessel, the underneath of the floor being provided with ground support means which is adapted to enable the transportable bund to be moved over the ground, a towing fixture provided on at least one side.

-4- According to a further preferred feature the ground engagement means comprises skid members extending underneath the floor.

According to one embodiment the skid members extend between opposed sides of the floor and the towing fixture is mounted adjacent to at least one end of the skid members.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the bund accommodates pumping means for transferring the contents of the storage vessel to or from the storage vessel, logging means for logging the particulars of the delivery of fluid to or from the storage vessel and monitoring means for monitoring the flow of fluid.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the bund accommodates a plurality of storage vessels.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the bund is provided with accessways to enable personnel to have access to the storage vessels.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the bund is of a i 9-*9substantially rectangular plan and said portion of the side wall extends along at least one side of the transportable bund.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of several specific embodiments.

Brief description of the Drawings .9 S: The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which; 4i-.

9 4u Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bund facility according to the embodiment; and Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the bund facility of the embodiment.

Description of Several Embodiments of the Invention The first embodiment relates to a bund facility which can be utilised with a storage vessel which is used to accommodate diesel fuel for use by earthmoving machinery which are involved with earth works associated with a land development site or a mine site.

The bund facility of the first embodiment comprises an enclosure 11 which is intended to accommodate a storage vessel 12. The enclosure comprises a substantially rectangular floor 16 which is bounded by four side walls 18 to form an enclosure of rectangular prismatic shape. The upright junction between the side walls 18 and the horizontal junction-between the side walls 18 and the floor 16 are closed by a welded junction therebetween and/or the use of a suitable sealing medium which is compatible to the materials accommodated by the 10 storage vessel. The upper surface of the floor is provided with a pair of Stransversely spaced longitudinal support members 20 which provide support for the storage vessel 10 while the underneath of the floor is provided with a pair of transversely spaced longitudinal skid members 22 which extend the length of the bund facility. Each end of the skid members 22 are provided with towing fixtures 15 20. At one end 26 of the enclosure the floor is inclined upwardly to provide a forward edge which is configured to facilitate the movement of the enclosure over the ground when it is pulled over the ground, using the towing fixtures 24 located at the end of the skids 22 adjacent the one end 26.

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The volume of the enclosure is greater than that of the storage vessel and is S 20 preferably 110% of volume of the storage vessel.

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The enclosure is provided with a cover 14 comprising a roof 28 which is supported to be spaced above the open upper face of the enclosure to overlie storage vessel. Three of the faces between the open upper face of the enclosure and the roof 28 are closed by side panels 30 while one of the major side faces is open.

The other end of the enclosure is provided with a drain 32 and associated valve which enables any liquid which is contained by the enclosure to be removed from the bund. The drain 32 is associated by a pair of plate elements 34 which are located to opposite sides of the drain 32 and serve to provide the drain and valve with some protection against impact.

The enclosure is provided with pumping facilities for the pumping of fuel from the storage vessel together with the associated logging facilities which are able to record the particulars of each delivery to and from the storage vessel and monitoring facilities which control and measure the delivery to and from the storage vessel. The pumping facility may be such that it can effect both a high flow rate of fuel for purposes of filling large fuel tanks and a low flow rate of fuel for the purposes of filling smaller fuel tanks.

5* 10 The bund facility according to the first embodiment provides a means of ensuring that any diesel which has leaked or spilled from the storage vessel will be retained by the enclosure and will not escape into the environment. In the event of there being a significant leakage the facility provides a means or 0 0° reclaiming the spilt fuel. When it becomes necessary to relocate the storage 0* 15 facility it is possible to tow the bund facility including the storage vessel over the ground or alternatively the facility can be lifted or located onto a suitable transport vehicle for transport to the new location. Once the bund facility and storage vessel has been removed there is no necessity to clean the site of the contaminated soil since by its nature the bund facility will not permit the escape S 20 of fuel to contaminate the site.

Although the first embodiment has been described in relation to the storage of diesel fuel it can have application to any storage facility capable of storing noxious liquids.

In addition the bund can be used to accommodate number of storage vessels.

For instance, in the case of a bund being used at a mine site or earthworks the bund can be used to accommodate all of the fluids required to refuel and service the vehicles operating at the site which can include fuels, lubricants, hydraulic fluids and coolants in order that the required refuelling and servicing of the -7vehicles can be effected in the vicinity of the bund. This can assist in reducing the likelihood of contamination of the site by the inadvertent leakage or spillage of such fluids from their respective storage vessels. In such an instance the bund may be provided with the necessary facilities to deliver the respective fluids from the storage vessels and if desired log and monitor such delivery. In addition the bund can accommodate the necessary storage facility to receive waste fluids which may be extracted from the vehicles during such servicing and to deliver such stored fluids when required.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word 10 "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood *oo to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

0 It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment above.

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Claims (9)

1. A transportable bund for at least one storage vessel, said bund comprising an enclosure defined by a floor, side wall and cover, an opening provided in a portion of the side wall between the cover and an upper edge of said portion, the volume of said enclosure below said upper edge being greater than that of the at least one storage vessel, the floor being adapted to support the storage vessel, the underneath of the floor being provided with ground support means which is adapted to enable the transportable bund to be moved over the ground, a towing fixture provided on at least one side.

2. A transportable bund as claimed at claim 1 wherein the ground engagement means comprises skid members extending underneath the floor.

3. A transportable bund as claimed at claim 2 wherein the skid members extend between opposed sides of the floor and the towing fixture is mounted adjacent to at least one end of the skid members. 15 4. A transportable bund as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the bund accommodates pumping means for transferring the contents of the U. storage vessel to or from the storage vessel, logging means for logging the i particulars of the delivery of fluid to or from the storage vessel and monitoring means for monitoring the flow of fluid.

5. A transportable bund as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein .the bund accommodates a plurality of storage vessels. i* U

6. A transportable bund as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the bund is provided with accessways to enable personnel to have access to the storage vessels.

7. A transportable bund as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the bund is of a substantially rectangular plan and said portion of the side wall extends along at least one side of the transportable bund, -9-

8. A transportable bund substantially as herein described. Dated this TWENTY SECOND day of JUNE 2000. PIACENTINI SON PTY LTD Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant(s) 99 9* .4 9 9 99 9 9

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