Protecting back up power for Facilities Management
IPU were called to a critical data centre near Chester after a critical power failure. During a power cut its generators stopped running after just 4 minutes. After investigation the client discovered water in their fuel tanks.
Challenges faced
A high water table and heavy rainfall meant the fuel tank manhole was full of water. This overwhelmed the sump pump and allowed water to enter the tank via a sheared dip cap.
High levels of groundwater were also identified in the tank and diesel was visible in the flooded manhole. This meant the facility posed a serious environmental risk.
Solutions delivered
Thankfully, IPU’s Fuel Team attended the site and removed 9,000 litres of water and restored 13,000 litres of diesel to EN 590 and ISO 4406 clean fuel standards through the ClearTank cleaning service.
IPU also repaired the dip cap, sealed the tank and carried out a pressure test to ensure it was secure.
As a final test, the team took groundwater samples at various points around the site. This included the manhole, adjacent water drains, the interceptor tank, the separator tanks and natural water points near the site.
Following the clean, the client also chose to install Diesel Defence Fuel Polishers on their tank. This provided them with a ‘fit and forget’ solution – the client could simply setup the polisher and it would run unassisted, month after month.