Spill containment system

Abstract

A containment sump has a primary container and a secondary container which extends only partway up the outer wall of the primary container. This 'low-rise' secondary container, in certain embodiments, cooperates with the primary container to create a hermetically sealed interstitial space encompassing the bottom of the primary container, including the lower portion of the upright containment wall and the container bottom. In alternative embodiments, the secondary container is a subassembly forming an interstitial space and joined as a subassembly to the primary container. More particularly, the upper end of the interstitial space may be below pipe or other conduit penetrations through the sidewall of the primary container. At the same time, any leak which may develop over the service life of the containment sump would be contained and detected within the bottom of the primary and/or secondary containers. Therefore, the present system combines the low cost and high reliability associated with single-wall penetrations through containment sump walls, while also offering the high level of environmental protection associated with double-wall spill containment.