FAIL-SAFE DEVICES FOR THE PREVENTION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILLS

Many hazardous material spills can be prevented by the use of automatic container-filling procedures to determine when maximum capacity is reached. This project assessed current fail-safe technology, conducted laboratory tests of automatic devices and monitored performance of on-site automatic level controllers. In the assessment of current technology, available data on devices used to prevent tank overflow were identified and reviewed. Three different types of industrial plants, each having an overfilling problem with a different material, cooperated in the field testing phase. The three level control devices tested were ultrasonic, vibrating tines, and magnetic-coupled-float types. All three units were installed without significant revisions to existing containers, and all operated well for an extended period under severe weather conditions.