© 2019 Department of Petroleum Resources. All rights reserved Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) PROCEDURE GUIDE

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2.8   Calibration of Tank Cars-Vehicle Mounted Petroleum Bulk Carriers 
2.8.1 Application 
This shall be as is the case for barges in Part III Section 2.7. This procedure shall be used to 
calibrate the tank compartments of all vehicle mounted liquid Petroleum and Petroleum 
Products bulk carriers operating under the provisions of Part II of the Petroleum 
Regulations 1967. 
 
2.8.2 Accreditation 
All corporate bodies and agencies wishing to be accredited as authorized calibrators shall 
lodge appropriate applications for registration as Oil industry Service Companies with the 
Department of petroleum Resources. Such registration shall be annual and constitute the 
accreditation of the agency concerned. 
2.8.3 Principle 
The underlining principles for this procedure shall be to determine the capacity of each tank 
compartment of non-pressure type tank cars by using standard volume measure or 
weighing on properly calibrated scales. 
2.8.4 Frequency of Calibration 
After the pre-operational calibration of a tank car, a re-calibration shall become due 
whenever the tank car is modified or damaged with visible dents on the tank body. Besides 
these operational situations, all tank cars shall be recalibrated after every three years of 
service. 
2.8.5 Applicable Standard 
In the conduct of calibration of cargo compartment of tank cars, the general outline 
specified in the API standard 2554 or ASTM D-1409-65 shall be followed. 
2.8.6 Calibration Equipment 
These shall consist of a primary volume measurement which has been certified for accuracy 
by an agency recognized by the Department of petroleum Resources, calibrated gauge 
tanks and weighing apparatus all to the specifications stipulated in the reference standard 
API 2554. 
2.8.7 Calibration Procedure 
2.8.7.1 Water Gauge Method: The arrangement of the water gauge plant shall be as 
described in the standard. The primary volume measure to be used in calibrating the gauge 
tanks shall be of a nominal capacity of between 5 gallons and shall be certified by a bureau 
of standards recognized by the Department of Petroleum Resources. 
 
2.8.7.2 The gauge plant shall be covered to shield the tank car from weather effect during 
calibration while the track of the car at the calibration bay shall be concreted and 
level. 
2.8.7.3 The gauge tanks and finishing tanks shall be calibrated in accordance with the 
procedure outlined in the reference standards before being mounted on the water 
gauge plant. 
2.8.7.4 Each cargo compartment of the tank car shall be calibrated in turn with water from 
the gauge tanks while the volume and corresponding liquid levels in each