Pipeline Safety: Breakout Tank Inspection Rule
Key claim: PHMSA proposes to update breakout tank inspection regulations by incorporating the 5th edition of API Standard 653 and authorizing risk-based inspection procedures for determining inspection intervals.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Transportation Department, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) Breakout tanks are used to “relieve surges in a hazardous liquid pipeline system” or to “receive and store hazardous liquid transported by a pipeline for reinjection and continued transportation by pipeline.” American Petroleum Institute Standard 653 (API Std 653) sets industry standards for the inspection, repair, alteration, and reconstruction of aboveground storage tanks. PHMSA currently incorporates the 3rd edition of API Std 653 (issued December 2001) by reference into its regulations for breakout tanks. In this rulemaking, PHMSA is proposing to update its regulations for breakout tanks to incorporate the 5th edition of API Std 653 (issued November 2014) by reference. As a key part of this, PHMSA is proposing to authorize the use of risk-based inspection (RBI) procedures for establishing the inspection intervals of in-service breakout tanks.
Why this matters
Breakout tanks store hazardous liquids at pipeline facilities, and inspection regimes directly affect the risk of leaks and catastrophic failures. Incorporating the current API 653 edition and permitting risk-based inspection intervals modernizes federal requirements to match industry practice, potentially allowing operators to focus inspection resources on higher-risk assets. The change is incremental but represents the standard mechanism by which PHMSA keeps pipeline safety regulations aligned with evolving consensus standards.