Transformer oil containment

[DaveMeharg]

I am looking for an inexspensive way to provide oil containment around existing transformers. Does anyone have experience using these specialy fabric materials that allow water to pass through but stop oil.

 

[MKFPE]

A consultant recommended a similar approach with a geo-technical fabric that was supposed to hold both water and oil for four installations in 1998 - 2000.
It seemed like a good idea since the sub-surface pit meant nothing to climb over to work on the transformer controls, do inspections, and so forth.
The installations were provided with a manually operated sump pump that we were to operate when ever necessary to remove rain water.
Each manual draining operation was required to be logged.
Three out of four never held any water, so we assumed they would not hold oil either.
We have replaced all of them with surface concrete containment structures using SEEwater Pumps for removing rainwater.
I suspect the contractors installation of the fabric to be suspect, even though the fabric manufacturer's representative visited the job sites and approved the work.

 

[DaveMeharg]

MKFPE,

Thanks for the feed back. The material that some of the vendors are proposing is a fabric that passes water but blocks oil. They are proposing a fabric to block the water on the bottom and on the sides to provide a combination of fabric that blocks water with panels that would have the special material that lets water out but blocks the oil. It sounds attractive but it may be hard to prove that they can really hold the oil.

 

[stevenal]

I'd be just as concerned with proving the fabric could pass water, continually when oiled and dirty years down the road. If it failed, your oil spill will flow over the top.

We use a liner than channels both water and oil to gravity separator tanks. No pumps needed until an oil spill event occurs.