UK Are there any special regulations for wiring up fuel container pumps?

[Joemile]

Customer has decided to install a 10,000L Diesel storage tank with built in pump & hose at his business warehouse for his trucks.

The Fuel tank is sealed but has an access hatch to a small section that houses the fuel hose and a small motor for the pump that draws around 5Amps, it comes pre-flexed with about 1 metre of ordinary 3core flex.

I plan to lay an SWA from the DB to a rotary isolator away from the tank then behind the tank to a metal conduit end box and come back entry through into the access hatch to connect the flex within the conduit box.

I am just curious, are there any special regulation I need to know while dealing with a fuel container? I've checked in my 7671 Regs but can't find anything, the only concern I can think of is the TNCS earthing system possibly causing issues under fault conditions.

Many Thanks.

 

[pc1966]

Is the tank bringing diesel in to the main building, etc, via metallic pipes? I.e. will it need bonding as extraneous conductive part within the installation?

If so it might be 10mm minimum and you might want to extend the bond from the entry point to the main tank in a copper CPC so no pipe joints would have to carry any fault currents.

If fairly isolated electrically (e.g. plastic pipes or feeding and external system) then you could just TT it using maybe a 100mA delay RCD for less spurious trip risk, assuming wired in SWA so no additional protection needed.

 

[westward10]

Not worked on fuel dispensers for a while and the rules have changed/been revised but they only included petroleum dispensers and not diesel which is of much lower risk.

 

[FlashBangWallop]

All this will be covered in separate petrochemical regulations (google this regarding the hazardous/explosive zones). Definitely you will need to use explosive proof SWA glands and RCD protection with any equipment that can trip/switch positioned outside the hazardous zones.

 

[westward10]

All this will be covered in separate petrochemical regulations (google this regarding the hazardous/explosive zones). Definitely you will need to use explosive proof SWA glands and RCD protection with any equipment that can trip/switch positioned outside the hazardous zones.

What for diesel?

 

[FlashBangWallop]

What for diesel?

Still produces vapour.

 

[James]

Still produces vapour.

so does lemon juice, but a spark wont ignite that either.

 

[westward10]

Still produces vapour.

When heated to a sufficient temperature but petroleum does this at 'normal' temperature hence the special requirements. I have not been involved in petroleum for a fair few years but diesel dispensers were never included in these requirements even though on a forecourt they would have been installed in the same manner due to their proximity to the petroleum. Has this changed because a standalone diesel dispenser really poses little danger.

 

[James]

for those that are interested, although it is slightly off the original question, it gives some insight as to why special protection may not be required.

Flash Point of Gasoline | Gas Explosions - Ex-Machinery B.V.

Watch our video: the difference between igniting gasoline and diesel. Why does gasoline ignite quicker than diesel?

ex-machinery.com

 

[mainline]

Still produces vapour.

So does cow dung

 

[brianmoooore]

So does cow dung

And the gas it produces is explosive!

 

[LewisM]

Not sure about diesel but did a similar job for jet fuel storage all the SWA glands had to be special and the light fittings had to be ExE rated too, they were about £750 each

 

[Lister1987]

I thought have thought DSEAR and Ex 07-08 competency would be applicable? Not so much regarding the fuel type (Diesel) and whether or not vapours are produced but more the functionality of the equipment in question?