ENV-97-17 CONDITIONS RISK ASSESSMENT OF IN-GROUND REFINERY SEWERS WITH SEISMIC SCANNING TECHNOLOGIES

Description:

The most recent integrated refinery in the United States was commissioned in 1967. Many of the present refinery operations have been on-line since the 1920s some even date back to the turn of the century. Part of the refinery construction included sewers. Sewers were constructed to convey off-spec product, stormwater, sanitary waste, steam drips, contaminated waters, product mixes, and other materials away from the process area. The sewers were typically below grade, buried, and were not considered for replacement unless some failure occurred that indicated an immediate repair and/or replacement was necessary. This can lead to dangerous conditions. Potential failure could not be determined through conventional pipe condition assessmentsw ithout taking a sewer off Iine for inspection because of safety concerns.