Virginia Vessel Construction Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, what work does Virginia's vessel construction contracting specialty (VCC) authorize?

• AConstruction, repair, improvement, or removal of residential plumbing, sanitary sewer, an…
• BConstruction, repair, improvement, or removal of nonresidential vessels, tanks, or piping…
• CInstallation of fire-sprinkler systems that use water as the extinguishing agent
• DConstruction of dwellings and townhouses, including their potable-water and sanitary pipi…

What official abbreviation does 18VAC50-22-30 assign to vessel construction contracting?

• AVES
• BTNK
• CVCC
• DPPC

Besides a VCC specialty, which Virginia license classification also provides the vessel-construction function under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AELE (electrical) only
• BRBC (residential building) only
• CH/H (highway/heavy)
• DASB (asbestos) only

Which fluid system is inside the VCC specialty as defined in 18VAC50-22-30?

• AA nonresidential diesel-fuel aboveground storage tank and its product piping
• BA building's potable-water storage tank and domestic distribution piping
• CA sanitary-sewer collection main and building drain
• DA site storm-sewer pipe run to a public inlet

The VCC specialty is limited to which occupancy class of vessels and tanks?

• AResidential only
• BNonresidential
• CBoth residential and nonresidential without restriction
• DAgricultural dwellings only

A Virginia contractor is hired to erect a 12,000-gallon chemical day tank and run process piping that carries a corrosive industrial fluid (not potable water and not sewage). Which specialty matches that contract?

• APLB, because all liquid piping is plumbing
• BSPR, because any stored liquid is a fire-protection issue
• CVCC, because the tank and piping hold or convey a non-excluded process fluid in a nonresi…
• DUUC, because any buried or site piping is underground utility work

A bid includes installation of a building sanitary-sewer lateral and a grease interceptor that discharges to the public sewer. Does VCC authorize that work?

• AYes, because any tank-like interceptor is a vessel
• BYes, if the interceptor is steel
• CNo; sanitary and waste piping are expressly outside the VCC definition
• DOnly if the interceptor is installed outdoors

A commercial kitchen wants a 1,000-gallon potable-water storage tank and copper distribution piping to fixtures. Which statement is correct for a VCC-only contractor?

• AThe tank and piping are VCC because they are nonresidential vessels
• BThe work is outside VCC because potable water supplies are excluded
• CThe tank is VCC but the piping must be SPR
• DThe work is VCC if the tank is steel and buried

A site contractor will install HDPE storm-drain pipe from a parking lot to a detention structure. Is that VCC work?

• AYes; any nonresidential pipe that carries a liquid is VCC
• BYes, if the pipe is larger than 12 inches
• CNo; storm piping is expressly excluded from VCC
• DOnly if the detention structure is steel

Which project is inside VCC scope?

• AReplacement of a nonresidential used-oil aboveground tank and its product piping
• BReplacement of a building's storm leaders and area drains
• CInstallation of a potable well-water pressure tank for a dwelling
• DLaying a sanitary sewer main in a public right-of-way

Does the VCC specialty include removal of a nonresidential process tank that formerly held diesel fuel?

• ANo; VCC is new construction only
• BNo; tank removal is exclusively an environmental specialty
• CYes; 18VAC50-22-30 expressly includes removal
• DOnly if the tank is emptied by a plumber first

A plant wants a new manway, a patched shell, and a replacement fill line on an existing nonresidential gasoline AST. Which VCC verbs cover that work?

• ARepair and improvement only; new nozzles require a CBC license
• BConstruction of a new building, because any tank change is new construction
• CRepair and improvement of a nonresidential tank and its product piping
• DPlumbing alteration, because gasoline is a liquid

A homeowner asks a VCC-only contractor to replace the indoor heating-oil tank that serves a single-family dwelling. What is the correct scope decision?

• AAccept the work; any oil tank is VCC
• BDecline it as VCC work; the specialty is limited to nonresidential vessels and tanks
• CAccept it only if the tank is larger than 275 gallons
• DAccept the tank but run the oil line under a PLB permit

A firm holds a Virginia H/H classification but does not list VCC on the license. May that firm construct a nonresidential process tank that would otherwise be VCC work?

• AYes; 18VAC50-22-30 states that the H/H classification also provides the VCC function
• BNo; every tank job requires a separate VCC specialty
• COnly if the tank stores potable water
• DOnly if a plumber signs the drawings

API 650 is the industry standard most often specified for which steel tank?

• AA shop-built propane cylinder stamped to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Sectio…
• BA field-erected, vertical, cylindrical, welded aboveground tank storing liquid at approxi…
• CA buried fiberglass tank listed to UL 1316
• DA potable-water hydropneumatic tank in a dwelling

A shop-fabricated steel aboveground tank for motor-vehicle fueling is most commonly listed to which standard?

• AUL 142
• BAWWA D100 only, as a potable-water reservoir
• CASME B31.1 power piping
• DNFPA 13 sprinkler-pipe listing

On a tall field-erected API 650 shell, why are the lower courses usually thicker than the upper courses?

• ALower plates must match the roof thickness exactly
• BHoop stress from liquid head is greatest near the bottom
• CUpper courses carry the entire roof snow load in hoop tension
• DWelders can only make complete-penetration welds in thin plate

When is an external or internal floating roof commonly specified on a steel product tank?

• AWhen the product is a volatile liquid and the owner wants to cut vapor loss and air emiss…
• BWhen the tank stores potable water for a dwelling
• CWhen the tank is a buried fiberglass UST
• DWhen the design pressure exceeds 15 psig

Within the main body of API 650, a tank is designed for approximately atmospheric pressure. Annex F extends that internal design pressure up to about which value?

• A0.25 psi
• B2.5 psi
• C15 psi
• D150 psi

A vertical cylindrical steel tank has an inside diameter of 10 ft and is filled with product to a height of 16 ft. Using π = 3.14 and 7.48 gal/ft³, what is the contained volume?

• A1,256 gallons
• B4,710 gallons
• C9,395 gallons
• D37,580 gallons

What is the purpose of a frangible roof-to-shell joint on an API 650 fixed-roof tank?

• ATo leak first at the floor so product drains into the dike in a controlled way
• BTo fail preferentially in an overpressure event so the roof lifts and the shell-to-bottom…
• CTo let the tank breathe at 15 psig during filling
• DTo replace the need for any normal or emergency vent device in every case

Using the API 650 one-foot method, td = 2.6 D (H − 1) G / Sd, find the required design thickness for D = 40 ft, H = 32 ft, G = 1.0, Sd = 23,200 psi, and CA = 0. API 650 also requires a 3/16 in minimum for tanks under 50 ft in diameter. What thickness governs?

• A0.094 in, because half the calculated value is always used
• B0.139 in, the calculated one-foot value, because it is less than 3/16 in
• C3/16 in (0.1875 in), because it is greater than the calculated 0.139 in
• D3/8 in, the minimum for tanks larger than 200 ft

After erection, how is a new atmospheric steel storage tank typically proven tight and stable before product is introduced?

• ABy a 150 psig pneumatic test of the empty shell
• BBy filling the tank with water (hydrostatic test) to the specified test level and inspect…
• CBy sounding the shell with a hammer only
• DBy filling it immediately with gasoline so leaks are easy to smell

On a large API 650 tank, what is an annular bottom plate?

• AA decorative ring welded to the roof rafters
• BA thicker ring of bottom plate under the shell that takes the shell-to-bottom stress
• CA sacrificial zinc anode bolted to the floor
• DA concrete curb poured against the outside of the shell

A steel shell plate measures 8 ft by 20 ft and is 1/2 in thick. Using 40.8 lb/ft² per inch of thickness, what does the plate weigh?

• A1,632 lb
• B3,264 lb
• C6,528 lb
• D8,160 lb

Per PEI RP200 practice for motor-vehicle-fueling ASTs, which venting is required in addition to the normal (operating) vent?

• ANo other vent; the fill cap is the emergency path
• BEmergency relief venting sized for fire exposure on every product compartment, and on int…
• CA single 1/4 in petcock on the roof manway
• DA connection into the building's sanitary vent stack

Why must a cone-roof steel tank that can be blocked in be protected against vacuum as well as pressure?

• AThin roof and shell plate can collapse inward when product is pumped out or vapors conden…
• BVacuum makes the product freeze
• CAPI 650 tanks are designed as full-vacuum vessels, so extra protection is never used
• DVacuum only matters on buried fiberglass tanks

PEI RP200 spacing for adjacent aboveground fuel tanks is commonly stated as which minimum?

• ATanks may touch if both are double-wall
• B1/6 of the sum of the adjacent tank diameters, but not less than 3 ft, so workers can pas…
• C50 ft regardless of diameter
• DThe same clearance used for potable-water heaters in a dwelling

A shell plate is 8 ft by 30 ft by 3/8 in. Using 40.8 lb/ft² per inch of thickness, what is the plate weight?

• A2,448 lb
• B3,672 lb
• C4,896 lb
• D9,792 lb

What is the API 650 minimum nominal thickness for roof plate, excluding corrosion allowance?

• A1/16 in (1.6 mm)
• B3/16 in (5 mm)
• C1/2 in (13 mm)
• D1 in (25 mm)

Compared with a bare steel underground tank, a fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) UST is typically selected because it:

• ARequires impressed-current cathodic protection on the entire shell
• BIs inherently corrosion-resistant in soil and does not need sacrificial anodes on the tan…
• CIs the only tank allowed to store potable water
• DCan be installed with no bedding or backfill specification

What is the interstitial space on a double-wall tank used for?

• AStoring extra product when the primary tank is full
• BMonitoring for a leak from the primary tank before product reaches the environment
• CHousing the potable-water connection
• DVenting sanitary sewer gases

Per PEI RP100, the bottom of a UST excavation should be covered with approved bedding to a typical depth of at least:

• A1 inch of native clay
• B12 inches of approved backfill (often reduced to 6 inches over a concrete hold-down pad)
• C48 inches of oversized riprap
• DNo bedding; set the tank on undisturbed rock

PEI RP100 typically requires how much approved backfill between adjacent underground tanks and between a tank and the excavation wall?

• ATanks may be stacked with no gap
• B2 feet
• C10 feet of lean concrete only
• DThe same 6-inch gap used between potable-water service lines

A rectangular process tank measures 6 ft by 8 ft and is filled to a depth of 5 ft. Using 7.48 gal/ft³, what is the contained volume?

• A240 gallons
• B898 gallons
• C1,795 gallons
• D3,590 gallons

Where a PEI RP100 underground tank will see vehicle traffic, which cover combination is an accepted practice?

• A2 inches of topsoil only
• B18 inches of compacted backfill plus about 8 inches of reinforced concrete, or 30 inches…
• CA single sheet of plywood under the pavement
• DNo cover if the tank is double-wall

A carbon-steel process tank will store hydrochloric acid. Which lining approach is the usual industry choice?

• ALeave the steel bare; acid passivates carbon steel
• BA chemical-resistant lining such as rubber or a specified elastomeric/chemical lining rat…
• CA potable-water cement-mortar lining
• DA thin architectural latex paint

API 652 addresses which steel-tank corrosion-control method?

• ALining of aboveground petroleum storage-tank bottoms
• BDesign of potable-water towers
• CSizing of sanitary-sewer lift stations
• DInstallation of fire-sprinkler underground pipe

Before an FRP or thermoplastic tank is accepted for a new chemical, the installer should first confirm:

• AThat the resin and liner are chemically compatible with the stored fluid at the design te…
• BThat the tank can also store potable water without a lining change
• CThat any plastic tank may store any chemical
• DThat compatibility only matters for steel tanks

When a concrete hold-down pad is used under a steel UST, PEI RP100 / manufacturer practice commonly allows the bedding layer to be reduced to about:

• A6 inches of approved material over the pad
• BNo bedding; set the tank on the raw concrete
• C36 inches of native clay
• DA single sheet of visqueen only

A steel tank that stored gasoline is being converted to a strong solvent service. The existing thin epoxy lining is not rated for that solvent. What is the correct lining decision?

• ALeave the epoxy; any lining resists any hydrocarbon
• BStrip the unrated lining and apply a lining system the manufacturer rates for that solven…
• CPaint over the epoxy with aluminum roof coating
• DFill the tank with potable water to season the lining

A vertical cylindrical FRP process tank has an 8 ft inside diameter and is filled to 12 ft. Using π = 3.14 and 7.48 gal/ft³, what is the contained volume?

• A603 gallons
• B2,255 gallons
• C4,510 gallons
• D18,040 gallons

EPA 40 CFR 280 overfill prevention for underground tanks commonly uses an automatic shutoff that stops delivery when the tank is no more than how full?

• A50 percent
• B75 percent
• C95 percent
• D100 percent, because spill buckets replace overfill devices

A shop-fabricated steel underground tank for flammable liquids is typically listed to which standard?

• AUL 58
• BAWWA C651 potable-water disinfection
• CASME B16.5 flange standard only
• DNFPA 13D dwelling sprinklers

Which piping run is inside VCC scope?

• AA 4-inch process line carrying diesel from a nonresidential AST to a generator day tank
• BA 4-inch potable-water service from the meter to the building
• CA 4-inch sanitary building sewer
• DA 4-inch site storm drain