Leveraging an SPCC Inspections In The Rain
Posted on Fri, Apr 22, 2011 @ 07:26 AM
by Brian Kautz, Chemist
Completing the monthly SPCC inspections (Spill Prevention and Control Counter Measures) for your University can be a daunting task. Some Universities can have well over 100 areas to inspect, and half of the areas can be located outside. It’s human nature to want to inspect the outdoor SPCC areas on fair weather days; nobody wants to get rained on, however, you can use the rain to your advantage.
Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix; in fact, oil floats on top of water because oil is less dense than water. When light hits the floating oil a phenomenon known as thin film interference occurs and causes the oil to shimmer and shine. You could go as far as to say that water makes oil “glow”. Water can turn an otherwise inconspicuous oil leak into a shinning prism, so shiny that you’ll find that oil leak in the transformer.
This may all seem like common sense, but I’ve been doing SPCC inspections for 3 years and have always dreaded doing them in the rain. I’d wait for sunny days and clear skies to complete the inspections; all up until a couple of weeks ago when I had no choice but to complete them in the rain. While inspecting a transformer that day I noticed a “glow” emanating from the rain water, it was oil, and the transformer was leaking. The environment was saved that day, all thanks to the rain.