|
Fuel
Finder™ UST Leak Detection Process
Independent Review by Carnegie-Mellon University
April 1993
In April 1993, Environmental Fuel Systems, Inc. (now Chapman
Engineering) contracted with Carnegie-Mellon Research Institute’s
Laser and Sensor Lab for an independent performance review of the Fuel
Finder™ leak detection to U. S. EPA specifications. Review
results met and exceeded all EPA requirements.
Because Fuel Finder™ is a form of vapor monitoring for
underground tanks and product lines, the Review was set up to expose
various vapor-phase fuel compounds and mixtures to the sampling
devices used by the company. No other review of this type had been
performed by other qualified institutions up to that time, and
Carnegie-Mellon’s staff worked directly with U. S. EPA scientists
to design the Review testing. Two competing companies who have since
tried to use adsorption sampling for UST leak detection – with
different adsorption compounds – were unable to meet the same
stringent requirements.
Fuel Finder™ is approved or accepted by state regulatory
agencies in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
among others. It is also accepted by the San Antonio Water System
for UST release detection, a critical distinction because the
Edwards Aquifer, which is San Antonio, Texas’ primary drinking
water source, is specially regulated by that entity to protect
aquifer water quality. Fuel Finder™ is also an allowed
method in Texas of system integrity testing before and after
cathodic protection system installation, per the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality.
Fuel Finder™ is protected under U. S. Patent #5,003,813.
The EPA provides a "Standard Test Procedure for Evaluating Leak
Detection Methods: Vapor-Phase Out-of-Tank Product
Detectors." Generally defined as a "third-party" or
"independent review," this testing procedure can be
performed on any commercial vapor monitoring system.
The evaluation is not required by EPA; however, many state agencies
require an independent review prior to acceptance of a vendor's
method. EPA structured the test procedure for any company that
desires to have the performance of their system tested by a
qualified independent agency. All costs of the test procedure
are incurred by the company requesting the evaluation.
EFSI/Chapman Engineering chose to test its patented leak detection
system, Fuel Finder™, in order to gain proof of its
performance through third-party evaluation. This allowed it to be listed with the National Leak Detection Working Group, among other benefits.
Attached
in Adobe Acrobat file format are the performance results from
Carnegie-Mellon Research
[A new browser will open] |
