# The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, Paragraph 7: Authorisation conditions: specifications for bottom-loading, vapour collection and overfill protection of European road tankers


SEPA must ensure that an authorisation for a petrol vapour recovery activity includes such conditions as it considers appropriate to ensure that the requirements for bottom-loading equipment are complied with in respect of road tanker loading gantries at terminals as specified below—
(a) couplings—
(i) the liquid coupler on the loading arm must be a female coupler which must mate with a 4-inch API (101.6 mm) male adaptor located on the vehicle as defined by section 2.1.1.1 of API Recommended Practice,
(ii) the vapour-collection coupler on the loading-gantry vapour-collection hose must be a cam and groove female couple which must mate with a 4-inch (101.6 mm) cam and groove male adapter located on the vehicle as defined by section 4.1.1.2 of API Recommended Practice,
(b) loading conditions—
(i) the normal liquid-loading rate must be 2,300 litres per minute (maximum 2500 litres per minute) per loading arm,
(ii) when the terminal is operating a peak demand, its loading gantry vapour collection system, including the vapour-recovery unit, may generate a counterpressure of no more than 55 millibars on the vehicle side of the vapour-collection adapter, and
(iii) all approved bottom-loading vehicles must carry an identification plate which specifies the maximum permitted number of loading arms which may be operated simultaneously whilst ensuring that no vapours are released via the compartment P and V valves, when the maximum plant back pressure is 55 millibar,
(c) connection of vehicle earth/overfill detection—
(i) The loading gantry must be equipped with an overfill-detection control unit which, when connected to the vehicle, must provide a fail-safe permission signal to enable loading, providing no compartment-overfill sensors detect a high level,
(ii) the vehicle must be connected to the control unit on the gantry via a 10-pin industry standard electrical connector, with the—
(aa) male connector mounted on the vehicle, and
(bb) female connector attached to a flying lead connected to the gantry-mounted control unit,
(iii) the high-level detectors on the vehicles must be—
(aa) 2-wire thermistor, which must have a negative temperature coefficient,
(bb) 2-wire optical sensors,
(cc) 5-wire optical sensors, or
(dd) a compatible equivalent provided the system is fail-safe,
(iv) the gantry control unit must be suitable for both 2-wire and 5-wire vehicle systems,
(v) the vehicle must be bonded to the gantry via the common return wire of the overfill sensors so that the wire is connected to pin 10 on the male connector via the vehicle chassis, and pin 10 on the female connector is connected to the control-unit enclosure which must be connected to the gantry earth,
(vi) all approved bottom-loading vehicles must carry an identification plate which specifies the type of overfill-detection sensors installed (i.e. 2-wire or 5-wire),
(d) location of the connections—
(i) the design of the liquid-loading and vapour collection facilities of the loading gantry must be based on the following vehicle-connection envelope—
(aa) the height of the centre line of the liquid adapters must be a maximum of 1.4 metres unladen, and a minimum of 0.5 metre laden with a preferred height of between 0.7 to 1.0 metres,
(bb) the horizontal spacing of the adapters must not be less than 0.25 metres with a preferred spacing of 0.3 metres,
(cc) all liquid adapters must be located within an envelope not exceeding 2.5 metres in length,
(dd) the vapour-collection adapter should be located preferably to the right of the liquid adapters and at a height not exceeding 1.5 metres (unladen) and not less than 0.5 metres (laden), and
(ee) the connections referred to in this head must be located on one side of the vehicle only,
(ii) the earth/overfill connector must be located to the right of the liquid and vapour-collection adapters, at a height not exceeding 1.5. metres (unladen) and not less than 0.5 metres (laden),
(e) safety interlocks—
(i) for the purposes of earth/overfill detection—
(aa) loading must not be permitted unless a permissive signal is provided by the combined earth/overfill control unit and
(bb) in the event of an overfill condition or a loss of vehicle earth the control unit on the gantry must close the gantry-loading control valve,
(ii) for the purpose of vapour-collection detection, loading must not be permitted unless the vapour-collection hose has been connected to the vehicle and there is a free passage for the displaced vapours to flow from the vehicle into the plant vapour-collection system.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2018/219/schedule/28/paragraph/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/environmental-authorisations-scotland-regulations-2018/schedule-28/paragraph-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.