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[psuche03]

Hi.  I have an unusual situation, and I am looking for guidance standards to help make a decision.  Recently, an asphalt tank was converted to fuel oil service at my facility.  Asphalt storage temperature is typically 325F, and fuel oil is stored at 160F.  The flash point for fuel oil is 215F.

 

I now need to convert the tank back to asphalt storage.  Are there any safety limitations on adding hot asphalt to the heel of fuel oil?  The tank has a conservation vent on it without a flame arrester.  As the heel is heated by the asphalt, the flash point of the heel will be reached.

 

Any thought on how to do this safely?  API 2000 indicates that storing a material above the FP requires a flame arrester.

[psuche03]

I found some information in NFPA 30 and OSHA's 1910.106 standard for atmospheric tanks.  The temperature limits for materials is based upon boiling point.  For materials without a specific boiling point (crude, refined products, etc.), this is defined as the 10% point of the distillation test.