Vapor recovery units produce liquid hydrocarbons around the clock. Getting that condensate back into storage without carrying water or air along is a small system with outsized consequences when neglected.
Return Line Design
Condensate lines need continuous slope toward the storage connection and secure routing away from traffic. At low points, accumulation collects and eventually blocks the line; a blocked return shows up first as rising condensate pot levels, then as unit alarms.
Pump Considerations
Where gravity cannot close the height difference, a transfer pump moves condensate. Pumps sized for steady duty outlast those cycling on and off against a closed discharge. Verify the pump cannot deadhead against a closed storage valve, and give the control system a pressure switch so an obstruction raises an alarm instead of a failure.
Water Separation Before Storage
Condensation generates water alongside hydrocarbons. Water reaching the storage tank spreads through the fuel and surfaces in filter plugging complaints weeks later. A simple separator on the condensate path, checked on the daily round, prevents the downstream complaints. Drain the water leg on a schedule tied to observed accumulation rather than waiting for visible carryover.
Freeze Protection
In cold regions the condensate path is the first place freezing bites. Heat tracing on the pot drains and the separator water leg costs little at installation and saves emergency thawing calls. Insulation alone delays freezing; tracing plus insulation prevents it.
Verification Rounds
Include the condensate path in the daily walk: pot levels, separator condition, pump behavior during its cycle. Two minutes per round keeps the smallest subsystem of the vapor recovery unit from producing the biggest interruptions.