Restoring Oily Water Sewer Compliance in a Refinery Crude Unit

A major U.S. refinery discovered that failures within its oily water sewer system were allowing oily wastewater to enter the stormwater system. Several buried lines in the crude unit had collapsed and lost their hydraulic capacity, contributing to environmental noncompliance and an EPA consent decree.

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Excavating and replacing the lines would have required extensive work within an operating unit where contaminated soil, nearby infrastructure, and safety restrictions made digging impractical. Motivo cleaned, inspected, and rehabilitated approximately 100 pipeline segments using fiberglass liners and spin spray epoxy.

Oily water sewers collect wastewater that may contain hydrocarbons and direct it to the appropriate treatment system. When these lines collapsed, the system could no longer reliably contain and transport the wastewater. Oily water was entering the refinery’s stormwater system, creating an environmental compliance problem that required corrective action.

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The affected pipelines were located beneath an active crude unit. Excavation would have disrupted operations and required significant controls for personnel, equipment, and surrounding infrastructure. Because the soil could contain hydrocarbons or other contaminants, digging could also have triggered extensive testing, handling, disposal, and remediation requirements.

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The refinery needed to restore system function and demonstrate progress toward compliance without creating the disruption and uncertainty of a large excavation project.

Motivo worked through approximately 100 individual pipeline segments, each averaging roughly 100 feet in length. The lines were cleaned to remove accumulated material and inspected to determine the condition of each segment before rehabilitation began.

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The team used a combination of fiberglass liners and spin spray epoxy to restore the system from inside the existing pipelines. This allowed the rehabilitation method to be matched to the condition and needs of the different segments while avoiding continuous excavation through the crude unit.

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The work was completed over approximately six weeks without shutting down refinery operations. Motivo conducted the cleaning, inspection, rehabilitation, and final verification so the refinery had documented evidence of the restored condition of the system.

Motivo restored hydraulic capacity and returned the affected oily water sewer lines to service, helping the refinery correct the discharge problem and support its environmental compliance obligations.

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The project was completed for approximately $1.5 million. By rehabilitating the existing pipelines in place, the refinery avoided an estimated $10 million excavation and soil remediation project, along with the operational and safety risks associated with digging through a live crude unit.

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The rehabilitated pipelines were designed to provide more than 50 years of service life, giving the refinery a long term solution rather than a series of temporary repairs.

Oily water sewer systems often run beneath operating units, concrete, process equipment, roads, and areas where soil contamination is possible. In these environments, excavation can create risks and costs that extend far beyond replacing the pipe itself.

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Cleaning and inspection reveal the condition of each line so the rehabilitation method can be selected based on what the pipe actually needs. Fiberglass lining and spin spray epoxy can then be used to restore damaged pipeline segments while limiting excavation, operational disruption, and environmental exposure.