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French to English translations [PRO] Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general) / fuel tank cleaning guidelines
French term or phrase:atmosphère trop riche
Taken from a document about the degassing of tanks which have been used to contain crude oil and oil products. Would we say 'rich' in this context? It doesn't specify rich in what...but one assumes that it is the volatile gases that are to be removed by the tank cleaning process.
En général, quel que soit un dégazage aux gaz inertes, il devrait être utilisé avant nettoyage dans les bacs de petite dimension, contenant une atmosphère trop riche, le gaz carbonique ne devrait pas être utilisé. Si un générateur à gaz inerte est utilisé, le fuel gaz est le combustible à préférer et la combustion doit être contrôlée rigoureusement afin d’éviter la formation de suie. Des vérifications sont nécessaires aussi pour s’assurer qu’une atmosphère explosive dans le bac est évitée.
Explanation: I think you can use the word "rich" with a clear conscience. In automotive contexts, a mixture is "rich" if it has a lot of fuel (hydrocarbons--exactly what we're talking about here) per unit air, "lean" otherwise.
BTW, please don't talk about "volatile gases": volatile, contrary to popular believe, means easily vaporised. You can't vaporise a gas.
Oops - I really thought I had graded this one and apologize for the delay. This would appear to express the meaning accurately - and good explanations given throughout. Thank you very much - and thanks to other contributors also, despite the disagreement. All very helpful overall. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
i took note of the fact that this degassing is to be carried out in *small-sized tanks*.a gas-filled small-sized tank is already under high pressure, i can't imagine anything like too rich. i used high amount to create a difference from a big tank. thanks
Best: "excessively rich" ("rich" means "rich in hydrocarbon vapours" in this context anyway). Second-best: "too rich in hydrocarbon vapours". So what don't you understand?
So was I, frankly speaking, which prompted me to find that that there are 13 000 hits in Google for hydrocarbon vapours, 811 - for hydrocarbon vapour, 67 - for hydrocarbons vapour and 50 for hydrocarbons vapours.
....for input, everyone. Richard, fair comment...question typed in a hurry and I meant to say 'volatile substances' or 'products' rather than gases - which were at the back of my mind due to other parts of the translation. But I was somewhat confused by the comment you made in your agreement regarding Mariusz's answer...? Hydrocarbon vapour or hydrocarbon vapours... perhaps?
I don't think 'rich' on its own means anything; I agree with your feeling that you need to say 'oxygen-rich' or whatever. I imagine it is oxygen because they are talking about the risk of explosion. The bad punctuation creates additional confusion.
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Answers
2 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
excessively rich atmosphere
Explanation: I think you can use the word "rich" with a clear conscience. In automotive contexts, a mixture is "rich" if it has a lot of fuel (hydrocarbons--exactly what we're talking about here) per unit air, "lean" otherwise.
BTW, please don't talk about "volatile gases": volatile, contrary to popular believe, means easily vaporised. You can't vaporise a gas.
Richard Benham France Local time: 23:31 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 6
Grading comment
Oops - I really thought I had graded this one and apologize for the delay. This would appear to express the meaning accurately - and good explanations given throughout. Thank you very much - and thanks to other contributors also, despite the disagreement. All very helpful overall.
Explanation: Vapour recovery systems can be installed on gas pump hoses, which are required in many urban areas. They help reduce the problem of hydrocarbon vapours escaping while tanks are being filled...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2006-07-14 17:02:43 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Installation of Vapour recovery facilities on road, rail and ship loading facilities to virtually eliminate displacement of hydrocarbons vapour into the atmosphere during loading operations...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2006-07-14 17:09:55 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
As there is no sorption of hydrocarbons possible, the volatile hydrocarbons volatilise until the lentire pore space is filled with hydrocarbon VAPOURS... Environmental & Earth Sciences International, Pty Ltd, PO Box 380, North Sydney, NSW 2059
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2006-07-14 17:11:09 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Sorry, it should read "entire space"...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2006-07-14 17:14:42 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): -2
