Maintaining plant efficiency requires the optimal performance of all production and support facilities. Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs) and surface impoundments are critical storage and process flow assets that require routine servicing. Production and maintenance managers should implement evaluation techniques based on elapsed time from previous cleanings, as well as known tank volume capacities and downstream liquids characteristics, to measure the efficiency of these storage units. These factors, along with requirements by federal, state and local jurisdictions, provide for the development of tank management programs. These programs include periodic cleanings and inspections to also ascertain the structural integrity of these storage units. Best demonstrated practices and procedures (such as those found in American Petroleum Institute - API - standards) also provide guidelines for safe activities surrounding such cleanings and inspections. All of these factors provide further incentives that offer protection for employees, the public and the environment.
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