Expert panels

May 1, 2007
STORAGE tank floating roofs will be among the issues discussed at the 27th annual Independent Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) International Operating

STORAGE tank floating roofs will be among the issues discussed at the 27th annual Independent Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) International Operating Conference and Trade Show scheduled Monday-Wednesday, June 11-13, at the Hilton Americas Hotel and George R Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

A panel of experts will discuss the operational considerations, management implications, and air emissions issues of storage tank floating roof landings. Following the discussion, a series of sessions will target floating roof concerns, including design requirements, safety, maintenance issues and equipment selection criteria.

The conference also includes a new track dedicated to renewable fuels and their impact on the storage and distribution infrastructure. Speakers will examine the rapidly changing renewable fuels market, including production updates and supply and demand forecasts. One session will provide new information on ethanol fire protection methods.

In addition, the conference will feature presentations on the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, marine terminal dredging, document retention, and antitrust considerations.

In another vein, Robert Ballard, a deep-sea explorer, will headline the conference luncheon on Tuesday, June 12. Ballard discovered the sunken remains of the Titanic, scattered 12,000 feet below sea level, in 1985. He will share stories of the challenges in locating the luxury cruise liner.

Another highlight of the conference will be the new Terminal Safety Awards presentation. The awards are designed to recognize ILTA terminal member companies demonstrating a commitment to low levels of employee injury and illness, as well as employee safety and health. Award recipients are required to have a consistent record of safety excellence across all locations and divisions. The award presentation will precede the guest speaker Tuesday morning.

An annual part of the conference is the trade show, which gets underway at 1 pm Tuesday and will feature more than 220 companies displaying products and services for the terminal industry. Qualified attendees will have a chance to win a gift certificate good for a Richard Petty Ultimate Driving Experience.

More is to come in a post-conference workshop June 13-14. Sessions include Advanced Tanks — Air Emissions, an in-depth class covering significant air emissions and regulatory compliance issues for aboveground storage tanks. Safe Tank Entry will provide an overview of the procedures necessary to ensure safe decommissioning, degassing, entry, cleaning, recommissioning, and associated work in and around aboveground storage tanks.

ILTA represents 73 companies and partnerships that operate bulk liquid storage terminals in 41 states and 42 countries. Facilities are located in ports and along rivers, canals, and pipelines. The companies are involved in transferring liquid products from one transportation mode to another. Products handled by ILTA members include crude oil, petroleum products, a wide variety of chemicals, ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oils, molasses, and fertilizers.

Monday program schedule

The lineup for the operations updates for floating roofs includes the following speakers and their topics:

  • John Lieb of Tank Industry Consultants, Floating Roof Design Standards.

  • Ken Erdmann of Matrix Service Inc, Cable Suspended Aluminum Roofs.

  • Doug Bayles, HMT Inc, Maximizing the Working Capacity of Tanks to Reduce Capital Loss.

  • Paul Anderson of GE Mobile Treatment Services Inc, Tank Degassing and Vapor Control, Applications, Procedures, and Technology.

  • Les Bente of Don Miller and Associates and Charlie Stone of Conoco Phillips, Working Safely Under Floating Roofs: Tank Entry Supervisory Certification.

  • Paul Nazzaro of the National Biodiesel Board, The New Biodiesel Market: Promise and Pitfalls.

  • David White and Tim Butters of the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition, Lessons Learned from Ethanol Fire Tests.

  • John Gray of Aventine Renewable Energy, Ethanol Handling and Issue Updates.

  • Leland Tong of MARC-IV, Biodiesel Quality: ASTM Standard 6751 and BQ 9000 Certification.

  • Paul Hinkle of Additive Systems Inc, Biodiesel Blending and Handling.

  • Don Bruce of CH2M Hill, TWIC Impact on Terminal Operations.

  • Christy Rutherford of the US Coast Guard, Coast Guard Guidance for TWIC Implementation.

  • Mark Howard of the Environmental Protection Agency, SPCC Rule Update: Requirements for Terminal Facilities.

Tuesday program schedule

  • Mark Coyle of Orion Construction, Dredging Marine Terminal Docks.

  • Lawrence Lehmann of Morris Johnson and Associates, Preventive Maintenance for Pumps and Valves.

  • Barham Lewis of Ogletree Deakins, Retaining Documents and E-Mails: Avoiding the Legal Traps.

  • Neely Agin of Fulbright and Jaworski LLP, Antitrust Constraints on Terminal Mergers, Acquisitions, and Ownership.

  • Bill Lee of Citgo Petroleum Corp, Vapor Combustion Unit Temperature Monitoring.

  • Michael Topf of Topf Initiatives, Individual Accountability for Safety Performance.