power line distance from tanks

[allge]

A local power company wants to put a high voltage (12,470 VAC) overhead line within fifteen feet of an oil/gas petroleum tank. The content of the tank is very flammable. The working rule of thumb is not to put a highline any closer to a tank than the length of the pole, plus ten feet. What document or article would clarify the proper distance a highline pole should be from a hazardous area tank? Thank you.

 

[JStephen]

You might check NFPA 30, which deals with placement of tanks and spacing between tanks and all. I don't recall it addressing power lines, but look anyway.

Assuming that from time to time, people will be working on the tank, you'd have a worker safety issue addressed by OSHA rules.

 

[Duwe6]

Even if you cannot find any Code citations forbidding it, allowing it to happen would be very poor engineering and safety judgment. Write a memo stating these as your reasons, have the site Safety person cosign it with you, and send it to the power company.

Make it plain that if the power company insists on that routing, they have assumed that liability. Further, that it will probably constitute Gross Negligence to continue with this routing against sound engineering judgment and valid safety concerns. The utility's Legal Dept will stop them.

 

[chicopee]

This is not in any code that I know of but to me a minimum distance would be the distance between electric poles

 

[MJCronin]

It looks like the ethanol industry has at least mentioned this issue in it's safety analysis:

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/page/-/rf...rageFireIncidentsGDRRMReviewed051909FINAL.pdf

 

[MJCronin]

Power lines caused a fire in this 2003 storage tank accident:

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2004/PAR0402.pdf

 

[allge]

This all is very helpful information, please continue to supply support. We know the idea is ludicrous, yet some community officials are not familiar with the danger being proposed. All though there has not yet been an actual reference to an absolute code, the combination of what has been suggested might result in a rational conclusion to go another way (detour underground). I look forward to any more ideas, code references and articles. Regards

 

[cloa]

Maybe the issue is what code is the transmission line being built to thus API only cover operating conditions not acts of other type of companies.

 

[CarlB]

A Government document addresss the separation, 50' minimum. The UFC's apply to Govenment facilities. I had thought much of the UFC criteria is based on (similar to) the NFPA requirements, or is more stringent.

http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/DOD/UFC/ufc_3_460_01.pdf

(see pg 131-132)