The Bulletin – August 1996

T.V. ADVERTISING ON THE FORECOURT

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

OVERNIGHT

Emco Wheaton Gold Valve? That will do nicely.

Enterprise Road , Westwood Industrial Estate , Margate, Kent, CT9 4JR Telephone: 01843 221555 Fax: 01843 295444

For fuel delivery. Total secofiloary contaifln')ent ·tor suction or pre:sure systems, or Monoilex for direct systel'Tls. Easy to ins1Cf:l.ll and compatible with all fuels and add1t1ves currently on the market. UL listed.

PETROL-LINli: For ofifset-fill, vent and recovery. Robust and easy to use, tt'ii1s l@ak-free petrol and additive resistant system is based on Durapipe's patented electrofusion joi111tin@ method.

Administrator: Mrs Barbara Jacketts

In the UK the petroleum indu s try is still reeling from the effects of the price war at petrol stations. The major players are s till in a position to stand the losses being made , but for how much l onger?

A re s ult of this war is that more and more service stations are closing down as they lose out to the big players, and many of tho se stations are independent dealer sites serving rural communities who rely on this service.

The effect has also been felt by the shortfall in the amount of service stations being developed and the equipment being sold and the effect that is having on the suppliers and contractors with a number of company failure s being reported .

There have been prediction s that the number of service stations will have to drop to 10,000 before a change is seen

of 36 41 42 43 47 49 51 52 NAT M cC OY !RIS H BR ANCH SEC RETA RY A NDY BE RRY S O U TH E R N BRA N CH S ECR E TARY MIKE SILMON N ORTH EASTER N BRA NC H I LIN D SAY LLO YD MID LA ND S BRAN C H ED I TO R

REPR E SENTA TIVE IAN HILLI E R SC OTTISH B RANCH J AM IE T HO MPSON A DV E RTIS I NG SEC R ETA R Y

Association STE PHE N BLANCHARD YORK S HIR E & HUM BE R S ID E BRA NC H EDITORIAL TE AM ROB G R EEN

APEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE BIRMINGHAM 23/24 SEPTEMBER 1996

The annual Conference and Exhibition will be held on Monday and Tuesday 23 and 24 September at the Metropole Hotel at the Birmingham NEC. The event will this year be expanded to include new product presentation on the first day (see below). This year a wide diversity of speakers will be providing members with a great opportunity to learn about new ideas, new methods of installation and the Conference should not be missed. Details of advance booking can be made by contacting Barbara Jacketts on 01473 828539.

In addition to a full exhibition which has been sold out there is the annual pre conference dinner which is being held on Monday evening. Tables are still available, and individuals can also book by contacting Barbara Jacketts on the above number. This year our after dinner speaker is Peter Maloney a liverpudlian who has secured an exceptional reputation as an after dinner speaker.

The Conference will this year be opened by the president of the Petroleum Equipment Institute Mr Carl Dean who will present a paper about the PEI in the US and take a look to the future of the Industry.

Other speakers from Germany will include Mr Zimmerman who will give a presentation on the installation of a flexible bag inside storage tanks which will enable tank owners to retrofit secondary containment in an economic way.

There will be q presentation from Mr McWhortor from the USA who will talk about the installation of above ground petrol tanks for vehicle refuelling. The paper will include the fire codes and experiences in the USA.

A presentation from Mr Ed Sadler from the UK will include a unique look at stock control, and will provide a simple answer to detecting leaks. This should prove to be a lively presentation with audience participation.

A paper on th German petrol station construction by Rudi Vanderpelen.

Peter Barlow an environmental expert from the UK will be giving a paper on the effects of additives in fuel.

NEW PRODUCT PRESENTATION/WORKSHOP ON STORAvE TANK GAUGING SYSTEMS

The is pleased to announce a new product p1esentat1on wo1·ksl1t)rJ d .· l · ' A l · , u1111g t 11s year s nnua on the Monday morning of 23rd St>ptember

products being demonstrated are a new ultrasonic gaug111g system from. Eurotest E11\'ironmental Technology UK Ltd. and Guardian Hydrostatic gauging system by St>nsors and Systems. England.

Both of these sessions. which commence at 11.00 hrs until 13.00 hrs. afford the opportunity for enf.!ineers. site operators and petroleum officers to with th1:·

respective companies representatives, the values of the systems and to participate in a live demonstration.

As these sessions are free to those attending, places are limited so any person requiring to reserve a seat should do so by contacting the APEA, PO Box 2, Hadleigh, Suffolk IP7 5SF. Tel: 01473 828539 or Fax: 01473 828538 and marked for the attention of B. D. Taylor.

This free session is limited to 50 persons and is on a first come first served basis.

P.E.I.

The 46th annual convention of the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) will be held October 8-10, 1996, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. PEI is the international trade association of distributors, manufacturers and installers of equipment used in petroleum marketing. Users of the equipment include service stations and convenience stores, terminals, bulk plants and airport refuelling operations. Attendance is expected to exceed 5,000 delegates from the U.S. and numerous foreign countries.

A major feature of the convention is the world's largest exposition of equipment used in petroleum marketing operations. The 708-booth trade show will include underground and aboveground storage tanks, dispensing equipment, leak detection equipment, meters, canopies, electronic controls and related equipment.

The speaker at the opening general session on Tuesday, October 8, will be Ty Boyd, president of Ty Boyd Enterprises, Inc. and chairman of Boyd, Kellen & Thomas Marketing Communications. Inc. Mr Boyd will speak on techniques for master sales persons. The Tuesday inspirational breakfast will __ Crawford. Born with a disability, Mr Crawford 1s certified as a tennis professional from the S_tates _Professi?nal Association and has the d1stmct10n ot becommg the hrst athlete with a severe handicap to compete in a NCAA Division I college sport.

Carl Dean, J996 PEI president, will address a membership meetino on Wednesday, October 9. Dean is president of Bucke;e Oil Equipment Company. Dayton. Ohio.

Six educational sessions will be presented. On Tuesday Dr. Albert Bates will discuss "Gelling S_crious About Profit". Mark Towers will make a presentation on 'Train The Trainer: Tools and Techniques for Cost-Effective Training," and Fred Higgins. Scoll Hartman and Robert Johnsoi; will provide an update of NACS' technology standards. On Wednesday Gordon Graham_ wi 11 discuss "Inventory Management". Robert Benedetti and kffrcy Shapiro will present information on_ "tht> on NFPA Codes 30 and 30A and UFC Article 79 : and Marcel Moreau will speak on "Untangling the llJlJX Deadline." A education session is for Monday. October 7. "How to Get on the lntonnat1on Superhighway without Getting Run Over" hy Ste\'l' Epner will lwli1 acquaint novices \Vith the Tlw will include an on line demonstration Ill net surt lllg.

Entertainment for the Wednesday industr) dinner shll\\ will feature '"Forever Plaid." a musical ren1e. Pat Williams. president and general llf the Orland\\ MagiL". \\'i 11 speak at the industry lunchelln llll (ktllhL'r 10.

UNDERGROUND TANK POLICY CHANGE FOR MOBIL OIL

Mobil Oil have recently changed their policy on underground tank storage and have switched to double wall steel tanks complete with corrosion protective coating.

The switch comes after some years of installing GRP tanks throughout the country and must come as a blow to the GRP tank manufacturers in the UK.

The company had recently had a number of problems with GRP tanks including some that had to be replaced and a number of double skin tanks where repairs to the inner skin was necessary.

This leaves Safeway as the only major installer of GRP tanks at filling stations in the UK.

TESCO TANKER TAKES 10 HOURS TO DELIVER!

A delivery of petrol to a Tesco site in London caused a major problem which ended up with the emergency services called out. The road tanker driver working for Wmcanton took the vehicle in the site and arranged to reverse into position to offload. A delivery vehicle was parked close to the wall and while manoeuverina he aot the vehicle stuck between the front glass of the and the pump island making further movement impossible. After some hours of trying to extricate himself from this position it was decided to bring in heavy lifting transport to move the fully laden road tanker. The site was closed and the public evacuated while this operation took place, the fire brigade attended with foam branches as a precaution. The delivery was complete 10 hours after the arrived and the company are now reviewing their delivery procedure.

LONDON RAILWAY LINES AT RISK

The Fire Brigade had to deal with a leaking above the main railway line coming into Kings oss station. The petrol station built about 4 years ago had the latest technology fitted to the site. Double wall tanks ":' 1th leak detection. submersible pumps and double wall The forecourt is Im above the tunnels and the tanks are installed to the side. The tunnels five in all run beneath th , ' e site and have electrical power from a cable on top of tunnel. In theory any leak should have been detected 1_mmediately and the pumps switched off. The leak was found. however during a routine inspection. the leak detection system had failed and in addition the relay on the sub1'.1ers1ble pumps had shorted out causing a pump to run contmuous. A rare combination of events but one that a under pressure soon filled up the manhole and • space of the pipework was also full of product. I he site was closed while the installation had the petrol removed and also a smal I amount was found to have escaped the tank manhole area. but was recovered from the monitoring well. It was fortunate that the product was di<.,covered before it entered the tunnel and affected the main line services.

A new leak detection "Ystem has now been installed and "ired up as fail safe. Indicators have also been filled to the '.J1h11H'r..,ihlc pump to prevent a reoccurrence of a relay I ;11 l11n·

OBITUARY MALCOLM DODD 1942 - 1996

We are very sad to inform the petroleum industry of the untimely death of Malcolm Dodd of Wetstock Products & Services Limited in May of this year. Many people knew Malcolm as a leading creator and designer of petroleum equipment for many years and he had earned both their respect and friendship. His knowledge and understanding of wet stock reconciliation and associated problems will be sadly missed by the petroleum industry.

We hope that you will join with us in sending our condolences to his colleagues at Wetstock and especially his widow Pam and two sons Nicholas and Simon.

LEAKING TANK THREATENS BEDFORDSHIRE GARDENS

Brian Taylor a stalwart of the Association retired earlier this year from Cambridgeshire and looked forward to a rest from the troubles of being a regulator and investigating leaks etc. However he did not count on being a victim himself. He recently returned from a holiday to find that his heating oil tank had started to leak, just after it had been filled up!

A frantic search for a vessel large enough to take the 250 gallons then resulted in a new tank being installed to replace the leaking steel tank which had corroded underneath. Brian had managed to contain the leak and prevent it polluting the surrounding gardens.

The new tank is polyethylene and will not corrode, and it has his full approval.

ADMINISTRATORS INFORMATION

Year Book

On page 24 of the year book we have Bob Mills of Spixworth, Norwich listed. Sadly, Mr Mills has died and I would ask you please to delete this entry from your year book.

Proposed Welsh Branch

It is proposed that a new branch of the APEA be set up to cover Wales and part of the South West. This will give existing and new members in these areas the opportunity to have local meetings at which to discuss matters and issues with colleagues from neighbouring counties.

This venture is entirely dependent upon support and members (both existing and new) are presently being contacted by Sue Meadowcroft of GCS in Mid Glamorgan . If you have not yet received a letter from GCS but would like to support the venture. please call Sue 011 the number below.

Meetings will be arranged at venues in South and North Wales and the South West, to ensure that the whole area is covered. Indeed. members suggestions for venues and also subjects for meetings would he greatly appreciated.

If you wish to be a member of the Welsh Branch. please contact Sue Meadowcroft. on () 1443 692008. who would he delighted to hear from you.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

EVENTS IN THE UK

DATE EVENTNENUE

23-24 Sept 96 APEA Metropole Hotel Birmingham 22-23 Oct 96

22-23 Oct 96

Forecourt 96 Belfast Regional Forecourt Show Doncaster

CONTACT

last 18 months have seen significant growth and the Association now enjoys support from the Industry at all levels and sponsorship from both Conoco and Elf with Total considering a similar arrangement.

Membership exceeds 30 of the largest contracting organisations in the country, including Conder, Forecourt Services, Global/MSI, Image Maintenance, Parkersell, Power Display, STM Maintenance, Skully UK, Taskforce, The Turton Group, and many others. It is estimated that some 1OOO operatives and staff concerned with construction and maintenance on forecourts have achieved or are in the process of achieving FCSA Competent Person status. Over 146 delegates have been appointed FCSA Safety Coaches and are busy training other members of their organisation.

12-13 Nov 96 Regional Forecourt David Honeyman Show Axbridge, Somerset

EVENTS OVERSEAS

DATE EVENTNENUE CONTACT

10- I 5 Sept 96 Automechanika Frankfurt 2-5 Oct 96 KIOGE96 Kazakstan 6-8 Oct 96 Forecourt 96 Dublin 8-10 Oct 96 PEI Convex 96 Orlando 24-26 Oct 96 Expo ES Madrid 13-15 Nov 96 Benzokolonka Moscow 18-20 Feb 97 Benzinkut Budapest

Key Events

At a recent Council meeting it was proposed to hold informal discussions with all branches of the Industry in an attempt to ensure that the Association objectives, training programmes and future development are in accord with the requirements of both clients and the regulators. In consequence, The Sussex Room, a private hospitality suite has been booked at The Metropole Hotel, NEC, for Monday 23rd September, the first of the with a view to meeting as many 111terested parties as possible.

A cordial invitation is extended to all client companies, contractors and regulators to attend at any convenient time from I 030hrs to l 830hrs with a view to learning more about the FCSA mission, 'Safety Coach' programme and method of operation. At the same a frank exchange f ideas it is hoped that the Association can develop to 0 t changincr requirements of the Industry and in mee o particular tailor the existing tra111111g to incorporate the implications of the forthcom111g TCP Guidance, the IP Code of Safe Practice !or and the COM Regs. Our aim in respect ot tra111111g 1s to ensure that our Workshop and Sem111ar programmes are t 'ble with all other industry standards. We hope to compa 1 · · h Th p · I extend our training 111 conjunction wit . I • Skills Council and seek accreditation wit JO Emp oye1s · · . I · Nat ioml Vocational Quahficat1on-sty e umts. competence ' '

Full membership of the Association is open to M · ce Electrical and Sign Construction, a111tenan , .. "th Associ'lte Membership available tor Contractm s, w1 · · ' I C mpa nies Surveyors, Consultants ,md Petro eum o · ' · · ·d 1 M b'rs For further 111tormat1on and/or Ind1v1 ua em t: · · , • T h. Jication forms, please cont.ict. he members ipFCSaApp PO Box 6120, London. SW 15 1XF or Secretary. · 'phone 0181-780 1711.

you would like to add your event to this listing in the issue, fax details to Lisa Turnidge al Hytek Fuelhng Equipment on (+44 1279) (01279) 812978.

FCSA TO HOST AN INFORMAL EXCHANGE OF VIEWS WITH ALL BRANCHES OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY AT APEA CONFERENCE

Support for the Forecourt Contractors Safety Association has been growing steadily since the idea of self regulation for contractor-. was first conceived and developed ;,,ith the aid of an EC grant some five years ago. In particular. the

Chris Knight Key Events

David Honeyman

Messe Frankfurt

Stephy Thompson/ITE

Expoconsult/Sergio Paradis

Miller Freeman

Miller Freeman

DESIGNED TO DISPENSE

Th e n ew T-lin e fu e l di s p e nse rs from Pumptroni cs ha ve b ee n d eve l o pe d s pe c ifi ca ll y to o p e rate in co njun c ti o n w ith s ubm ers ibl e turbin e pump s, a nd a re the fir s t di s pe nse rs ex press ly fo r thi s purp ose eve r to be de s ig ne d and a ppro ve d 111 th e UK. Th e new uni ts a re tin y in co mp a ri s on to co n ve n t io n a l fuel pump s a nd o p e n up a co mpl ete ly new c h o ice o f fuelling desi g n s fo r the se r v ice s tation.

Wh e n s ubm e rs ibl e tur b in e pump s a re fitt e d int o und e rg ro und s tora ge tank s, the re is no need for th e pump to s u c k fu e l from th e tank s, a nd th e refo re no nee d for m otors a nd p um p in g unit s o n th e is la nd s as the lin e is ke pt press uri se d b y the turbin e p ump Thi s re quire m e nt fo r fewe r _c o mpon e nt s h a s prompte d Pumptroni cs to d es ig n a nd man uf act ure a unit s pec ifi ca ll y de s ig ne d for thi s purp ose a nci t he new d is p e nse r co m b in es a ll the fea tures of a mod e rn pe t ro l pump w ith a ll th e a d va nta ges of s ubm e rs ib le pu mp tec hnol ogy a nd nee ds o nl y a minimum of space o n t h e fo rec ourt

T h e n ew P umptrnni cs T L in e is current ly a v ail ab le in M(l n o. S in g le Produc t Twi n and a tru e Two Produ c t Tw in \.\ hid1 offe r s th e l"l ex ibili ty o f f ue llin g e it he r grade fr om t' Jlhn Bot h rt.:t <1il a ncl co mm e rc ial ve rs ion s are " ' ;1i/ ;i hit' ;1 ' are high s pee d mod cb f"o r HGV use.

TON UP FOR ACM PAVSEEL

Since a paper, concerning the use of ACM Pav see l on block paved petrol s ta tion forecourts , appeared in the APEA (the A ssoc iation of Petroleum ancl Explosives Administration) Journal 'The Bulletin ', in late 1993 , us age of the product has really taken off. More than one hundred forecourts operated by Shell, Gulf, Q8 , Total, Esso , Sainsbury ' s, Safew ay and Tesco have now be e n trea ted with the material , say the m a nufacturers Dun s tabl e ba se d Advanced Construction Materials Limited (ACM).

The increa se in dem a nd has been created for two reasons Firstly, concern by petroleum licen s in g authoriti es and oil comp a nie s over th e po ss ibility of fuel overflows forming potentially h aza rdou s accumulations and seco ndly, becau se of fears that fuel s pillag es may pen e trate the subso il and cause water contamination.

The problem of fuel s pillage is huge. Pavin g is bein g increasingly specified bec au se of its low co s t , it s res istance to petroleum products , it s plea s in g appearance, it s a bility to b e trafficked immediate ly a ft e r being laid and th e ease of liftin g for repairs and acce ss. The UK currentl y ha s 17 ,000 filling stations, man y with block paving surfaces and at least 20 new s upermarket linked stations are b e ing opened each year.

New Indu s try guidelines will recomm e nd that all existing and future block paving forecourts are sea led as _a matter of course, s uitably maintained and inspect e d. Thi s will have the backin g of the National River s Auth o rity and the Health & Safety Executive.

Block pavin g re li es on th e retention of sand be tw ee n it s joints , both to reduce liquid in g re ss and to provid e int e rl oc k and hence s tability of th e p ave ment surface. ACM P avsee l is a low visco s ity ure th a ne pre- polymer liquid s p ec ificall y d eve loped to pen e trate be twe e n block paving j o int s and_ bond the jointin g sa nd particl es together and to th e s id e s o f the block s After polymeri sa tion ACM Pav see l ha s th e property of elasticity and is thu s able to sustain the esse nti a l fl ex ural characteri s tic s re quired in addition to its prim a ry fun c tion , ACM Pa vsee l al so g reatly red uces th e permeability of th e jointing sand , thu s a ll ow in g tu e l ove rflow s to be safe ly drained from th e pa ve m e nt s urfac e

ACM produc e a tec hnic a l publication entitled ' Co n c re te block pa ve me nt s for serv ice s tation s' . C o pi es ca n be o bt a in e d fr o m: Advanced Co ns truction Materials Limit ed We ntworth Ho use, 8 1- 83 Hi g h Street North, Dun sta bl e Be d s LU6 IJJ. Tel: (0 15 82 ) 603926. Fax: (01582) 663950.

S

The int e lli ge nce o ffe red by the Scully unit not o nl y e m;ures that th e dri ve r is promp te d to ca rr y o ut hi s sa t e ty c hec ks. it w ill no t a ll ow him to pro cee d unl ess he do es so. Sc ull y al so talk e d to dr ive rs. ope rat o rs a nd reta il s ite man age rs to find o ut w hat they did a nd did n o t li ke a bout ex is tin g DC D unit s. Thi s le d to a h os t of f e at ures be in g incor p; rate d offer in g in c rease d sa fe ty at littl e ex tra cos t.

• Fire extinguisher and spill containment kit door must be opened and remain open for the delivery, otherwise the unit will alarm.

• The fire extinguisher is difficult to replace on its latch, so most are left lying in the sand bucket. Scully have a spill containment kit with a flat top so the extinguisher can be stored correctly.

e Intellicrent key storage means the unit remembers b • which keys are left for which tanks by the licensee, and the driver has to replace all the original keys before he can obtain his final printout. He cannot accidentally remove any keys from the site.

• The Scully printer is a high speed ink impact printer with very clear legend, long lasting and is readable without tearing it off, until final printout.

e The printer roll is large enough for more than 100 deliveries, it also has an electronic low paper warning, and the cartridge is easily replaceable.

e The Scully unit is modular, and should any fault occur which requires workshop attention, the demountable console can be replaced in 30 minutes thus minimising site downtime.

e A modem enables remote polling, and remote diagnostics. A realtime clock means no date changes until the year 2000, then the provision of the key pad will enable the licensee to update.

• The keypad also provides a coded capability so that on large volume sites, where several deliveries can take place in one day, the driver can key in his order number to ensure delivery to the correct tanks.

• Some DCD deliveries can be made to sites at a time where there is a danger of aggression or even attack. Scully can provide a Panic Alarm which is key operated, and once pressed by the driver cannot be switched off without his key. It is hoped this will not be used, but should scare off any potentrnl attacker.

• An exact copy of the drivers pre delivery and post delivery printout is automatically printed out some I0 minutes after the driver has closed down the console door. This could neoate the need for a back office b printer.

• Scully's universal tank gauging interface ensures a c?mmunications link can be established with Virtually any electronic tank gauge.

• The Scully DCD can also be finished in the company's own c 01 poiate colour scheme.

For further information, call 01606-553805.

Vapour Recovery Some problem solutions

Thanks to feedback from Installers, Industry and Petroleum Officers Risbridger Ltd have designed and developed a few items which will solve problems arising from installing and retro-fitting vapour recovery systems.

High Flow/Super Seal Vapour Valve

A definite requirement for efficient vapour return. A poor valve will cause unnecessary back pressure and probable vapour release. Positive sealed poppet prevents vapour emission at ground level.

Two Stage Slide Valve

Operated separately from the poppeted adaptor (above) the slide valve closes off the vent line during off loading only, and prevents venturi across the vent line drawino atmospheric air into the system. Fitted with safety pressure relief.

Soft Close Float Valve

Retrofittable into the tank lid (2" & 3"). It provides nonconcussion manifold protection and can save long vapour return lines from remote vents. Allows Hose drain down.

Overfill Valve

A revolutionary valve fitted outside of the tank which can provide dual protection, also allows hose drain and incorporates a manual test feature.

Vapour Reduction System

See us at the Seminar.

Stage 2 Shear Valve (Re-usable)

Breaks away in the event of colhs1on with the pump, seals the vapour return line in both directions and incorporates a Test/Isolation valve for maintenance and inspection.

Pressure Vacuum Vent

A high quality efficient valve . - on pressure side spring on 111corporat111g a flame an·estor tested to and comply111g with B.S. 7244. Has proper upward discharge of vapour.

Vapour Flow Indicator . .

Sight glass with indicator shows flow through the return system -a tool tor comm1ss1on111g and trouble shooting.

Anti-Blowback Valve .

Protect delivery personnel tl_1e from blowback of Fuel/vapour at the tune of hose connect10n.

Note. All above items are subject to patents pending.

These are just a few of the items between the drawing board and most l?f which will be available at the APEA Seminar at the end of September.

Enquiries _ in the can be addressed \(l _ Annie Risbridger at R1sbndger Ltd. Tel. 01 7-U 107. Fax. o1883 74342 or Paul Chawner Mn bi le OX50 XOJ 1%. Fax. 0116 2777 447.

Risbritfo:er are celebrating their 70th Anniwrsary this year and forward tn continued co-nperatinn on pt:ujects which can benefit the industry and the Em ironnwnt.

Dear Sir,

I was most interested to read the editor's report on the 'sights' of Malta and as a regular visitor to the islands of Malta an d Gozo I must admit that changes should be made.

What I hope is that any changes , if backed b y regulations will not b e too Draconian

From the article I und e r s tand that improved operati ng stan dards and procedure s may be on the way and it mi g ht be th a t due to the s mall number of sites involved it is possible that only a small numb er of enforcement officers will b e needed.

Wh a t a marvellous opportunity for these peopl e to s it together around one small table and s tart , and continue, to " read from the same hymn book".

Thi s, in s pite of var ious effo rt s ove r the pa st years, s till doe s not happen here in the UK

I will observe with adde d intere st on my future visits to Malta. You r s s in cerely ,

Ray Meek A s tl ey

ca nt cos t acto r d ue to s pec ia ll y ap pro ved ca b le g la nd s e tc

lntefj'aces:

Input: 23 0 V 50H7 (s in g le p has e ) po we r s uppl y s ignal lin e for pu lse r s ig na ls from fu e l me te rs s igna l lin e fo r on s it e c al ibra tion

< ) ulput : In let and out le t fo r the Vac uum lin e in c ludin g t he flam e a rres tors

In comparison with the compet1t1ve product s o ne c

identify at fir st th e ex treme ly compact d es ig n (L =2 4 l mm , H= l 75mm, W= l 33 mm ) a nd the complex fun c ti o n s w hi c h a re within thi s hou s in g. Franklin Electri c, th e No. 1 s uppli e r of ex -proof motors for c urb pump s in the US , designed a nd manufacture s th e co mpl e te sys tem includin g pump , motor, e lec tronic hard- a nd softwa re in house

Following note so me sig11ifica11tfeatures:

I Th e pump includ es a te mp e rature se nsor th a t t ra n sfe rs one paramete r for controlling th e m o tor s pe e d . Th e re fore th e radial vane pump provides a lin e ar pe rform a nce ove r tempe rature. w hi c h was no t possi ble fur pres e nt rad ia l va ne pumps and o ne reason for not be in g s uccessful.

2. Al extremely lo w te mp era ture:-- below th e fr ee1.i ng po int the pump sta rt s from tim e to tim e automati c ally at ve ry low speed, which prevents it from freezin g and th e vanes from breakin g. Thi s covers a further weak po int of radial vane pumps

3. The Franklin E lect ri c System in c lud es th e full ha ru wa re to set up a " cl osed loop" control circuit, w hich may be the future so luti o n

4 The Controller in c lud es a Se lf Diagno s is fun c ti o n , which the sys tem reac t int e lli ge ntly on s h o rt te rm disturban ces and also se nd s a statu s rep o rt s ig nal to th e st ation co mputer.

5. The pump provides sufficient back pressure to cl ea r any fuel from a lin e-i n-lin e re trofit in s ta llati o n back to the ta nk , be ca use it does not nee d a bypass lin e. The bypas s is not require d beca use th e te mp era ture se n s in g function a ll ows to fulfil th e T3 temperature req uire me nts wi th o ut bypa ss. The Franklin E lect ri c sys tem is no t o nl y th e best solution for th e OEM de m a nd but id ea ll y fit s int o a re trofit pro gra m due to the mentioned featur es.

For more in formatio n pl ease co nt act: Franklin E lec tri c. FE PETROLE UM SYSTEMS, Gutenb e rgs tr. 8. D-5 45 16 WITTLICH/GERMANY, Tel. 49 6571 105 0 , Fax 49 657 1-105-55.

MALTA

The follow up to the Malta article in the Bulletin has been the successful rebuilding of the service station featured in the photographs. The site is now complete and in addition to the installation being to a European design it

had the additional fortune of being blessed by the local priest. Perhaps the Maltese have something to teach us about leak prevention!

THE FORECOURT CHANNEL

By Bill Warren of Warren Design

Introduction

Some of you out there in the London TV area m ay h ave n o ti ced what look s lik e a te lev is ion sc reen appearing on petrol fo recourts s u s pended from the canopy a nd broa dca s tin g advert is in g to th e foreco urt c ustome rs You Wiii n o doubt ha ve wondred h ow appro v al s h ad be e n o bt a in ed from the va riou s Li ce nce Authoritie s and th e co mm e rcia l ju s tifi ca tion s fo r s uch a ven ture a nd th e purpo se of thi s art ic le is to pro v id e so me of the background a nd cove r the main iss u es that we ha v e had to deal with prior to th e la un c h.

T h e F o reco urt C h a nn e l was se t up ove r 2 year s ago to try and targe t a d vert is in g toward s the ABC I con s umer s who are appare ntl y a n afflu e nt g ro up o f people who are hi g h s p e nd e r s b ut w h o d o no t wa tc h a lo t o f te lev is ion. However they d o h ave to fi ll t he ir ca rs w ith petrol and hence for a d ve rti se r s th ey are a ca pti ve a udi e nce fo r th e bri ef pe ri od th ey a re o n th e fo reco urt

S ubj ec t to the res p ec ti ve li ce n s in g autho riti es a ppro va l T h e Foreco urt C hann e l a re pro po s ing to in s ta ll a nationwide n e t wo rk o f non re fl ec ti ve v id eo sc ree n s in rn ajor p e Lro l s tati o n s. T h e a d ve rti s in g pro duct w ill be a 15 lllinut e s at e llit e d e li ve re d pro g ramm e re p ea te d c o ntinu o us ly hut c h ange d eve r y m o nth Two minutes a re a ll ocate d fr ee o f c h arge to th e o il co mp a n y/ reta il e r for th e ir ow n p romo ti o n s a nd a n aclcl e cl be n e fi t is th at sa fety m essages ca n a l<.o h e cl is pla yecl eg c usto m e rs are re mind ed no t to use !hei r mobi le p hon es w hil st di s p e n s in g fu e l p lu s th e us u a l no " 'nuking wa rning s e tc

So what are the benefits to the site owners?

Well the Foreco urt Channel were well aware , e ven prior to the arrival of Pricewatch, th a t the profitability of forecourt s wa s under cons iderable pre ss ure a nd th e refo re_ a ny opportunity to generate additional reve nu e would be of intere s t to th e s ite owne rs and/or operators. The Forecourt Channel g uara ntee a fixed a nnual rental and a p e rce nta ge of the advertising revenue They have s tipulat ed th at th e s it e mu s t be se llin g a t leas t three million litre s a y ea r it would be unecon om ic o n less and at th a t level of turn ove r the s ite retailer would be look in g at a s ub s tantial co ntribution towards hi s bottom lin e without doing anything.

Added ben efi ts are that extra intere s t is c rea ted o n th e foreco urt a nd that s ig nifi ca nt extra revenu e is ge ne rat e d s inc e product s on sa le in th e s hop are hi ohJi o hte d. Eig ht b b minutes per hou r of fre e adve rti s in g is provid e d for the s ite ow ne rs produ c ts and se rv ices plu s lo ca li se d a d vertis in g a nd informati o n a ll ta ilore d indi v iduall y v ia th e so ftware pro g ramm es and bro adcas t over th e s atellite.

The equ ipm e nt is in s tall ed , maint a in e d a nd operated b y The Foreco urt C ha nn e l so there is no in vest m e nt cos t for s ite ow ne rs and no s taff in vo l ve me nt. Fore co urt s t aff do n ot h ave to look after th e eq uipm ent ot h e r than re po rtin g in c id e nt s to a he lp lin e desk and a lso reco rdin g th e m in an in c id e nt book pro vided by Th e Fo reco urt C h a nn e l.

How does the Advertiser benefit?

It provides a support medium for existing advertising and makes use of existing investment in TV production and lengthens and broadens TV campaigns. As we have already stated it provides access to the young affluent males/females and is an audio-visual medium with instant point of sale impact in the fast growing environment of petrol forecourt shops. It also provides an opportunity to localise national TV advertising with site specific messages and finally is more cost efficient than radio or poster adve1tising.

Aims and Objectives

The first task for the company was to obtain the approval of the respective licensing authorities and to check out the technology. It was decided to set up trial sites to help in the evaluation and to seek the input of the various petroleum authorities, site operators, oil companies etc because there were many issues that appeared at first to be in conflict with the regulations. The sound system was a good example. We obviously had to ensure that if a new speaker system was being fitted on the forecourt then the ability of the console operator to communicate with customers must be at least on a par with the existing arrangements. Another potential problem was the siting of the screen to ensure that passing motorists were not distracted and the obvious one of the customers attention being distracted whilst he is filling his car with petrol.

This initial exercise was then followed up with surveys on prospective sites to ensure we were not compromising the license conditions and that the site would still continue to enjoy a good neighbour relationship with nearby residents. If we were likely to disturb nearby residents then we would not proceed with our installation.

We initially propose to launch within the London TV region with up to I 00 sites followed by a roll out programme within the UK with the aim of having 2000 sites operational by the end of 1997 with the European network to follow.

So how does it work?

We are installing a 40 inch video screen housed in an acrylic casing and suspended from the canopy steelwork, over the footpath area in front of the shop and the main forecourt. Longer term proposals are to ll1stall a larger 52 inch screen on the more remote motorway locations.

. The screen (possibly two on the laroer forecourts) is to a PC and an amplifier usually located within the site managers office. These in turn are linked to a satellite dish located on the roof of the main sales building. Adve t. ·· · b p 1 is roadcast over the satellite and stored by the C. software programmes allow us to tailor the advert1s111° proo1·a111 · · · d tl b "" e ' mes on a site spec1hc basis an 1e ioadcast openino I f· · "" 10urs and fault diagnosis can be made 10111 the central operating company.

High grade speakei·s . . · II d · ' · c11e 111sta ed within the pump 1spense area with 1111 b· t ' 1en sound sensors to re<>ulate overall volume levels E · · "" , · · x1st111g speaker and amphher ?_St.terns be left o.n site but stored out of the way but dVaI!able tor recrn.111111ssioning if our system is removed. We are not pro1Jns1110 to L11·11· · · 1· I :::- 1se <1ny o t 1e speaker systems 111stalled w1th111 the JJL111 I · · , . , , 1p 1ous111gs and therefore BASEEFA a1Jproved Th•·s·' w1·11 st· · · · · '. · cty on site 111 case of recomm1ss10111n¥ but we will install our nev-· system 10 replace the ex1st111g.

In fact we have built into our microphone and amplifier systems an attention seeking "bing bong" noise similar to that used in the main airports and when the console operator wishes to speak to a customer on the forecourt he presses the microphone switch which activates the noise. At the same time the advertising sound is immediately silenced and will continue to remain silent whilst the operators is speaking and will then continue for another minute after he has stopped speaking.

An added benefit is that because it is in our interests to ensure that the broadcast sound system is workino at all times we will be checking the sound levels on the regularly. Already we have discovered on our installation programme a nu_mber of speakers and amplifier systems that are not work1?g and we have been able to rectify these. Hopefully our mamtenance programmes will ensure that we are continually monitoring this important aspect of the operation to the mutual benefit of everybody involved.

Some queries and problems that have arisen and our response

+ The screen will distract the motorist as he fills up. Response We recognise there is always a possibility that some motorists attention could be distracted but many distractions already exist eg poster displays, pump crowners, watching the display head, reading the safety messages, pretty ladies/men! none of these have, to our knowledge, created any problems. Our t1ial sites indicate that no incidents have arisen as a result of our video screen distracting attention. Pumps are of course equipped with cut off nozzles.

+ The screen could distract motorists on the highway. Response The screen picture is lost as you view at a splay angle greater than 120 degrees. The greatest colour intensity comes from viewing directly. There is little impact on passing motorists.

+ The site operators could alter the sound transmission settings. Response We are producing a protective cover to install around the amplifier to ensure control knobs are not tampered with. We are also evaluating new amplifiers with no external control knobs.

+ Broadcast messages by the console operators could not be distinguished from advertising message. Response We have a "bing .bong" attention seeking noise s11mlar _to. that 111 the airports which will draw motons_t s attention the_ emercrency message. The sound of the adverts will ot be silenced immediately. Also the new speaker system we are is superior to existing pump speakers supplied by the pump manufacturers

+ The installation could intrude into a zone area. Response All are surveyed before installation and if this is a potential problem they are excluded.

+ What will you do 011 those pumps with integral speaker systems?

Response We are not proposing to loul'h any oi' the existing speaker systems that ha\'e Rasel'fa appnl\'al. These will be stored away and a L'lHnpletelv Ill'\\ speaker system plus amplifier \Nill be instalkd. ·1r at a future date the ,·idt'O system is rL'mll\ ed then till' original speaker system will be recnmrnis inned.

+ The video screen could be vulnerable to impact damage from high vehicle s.

R S It i s o ur inte ntion to in s tall the v id eo es p o n e · d sc ree n a s cl ose to th e sh o pfro nt as a n w herev er po ss ible over th e footp a th. If thi s i s no t p oss ible then we w ill n o t p rocee d

+ Motorist's attention could be distracted by the screen as they walk towards the shop creating a safety hazard

R es pon s e - Th e det e ri o rati o n of the screen picture is a lm os t immediate as yo u wa lk tow a r d s the s h o p as th e v iewin a a n a le is los t a s yo u w alk toward s th e b b sc r ee n

+ Will the installation and commissioning be carri ed out by experienced petrol station contractors?

Re s pon se - All of th e c o ntractor s we sel e cte d fo r our install a tion pro gra mm e a re expenenced st a tion contractors a nd a r e a pproved by Oil Co mp a nies and D ea le r s. Th ey h a ve all produc e d th e ir w o rk/method st a te m e nt s b ased o n the Oil Comp a m es ve r y hi a h op e ratin a a nd safet y stand a rd s. Th e w e were° us in g is produced b y hi g hl y re put a ble c omp a ni es s uc h a s Pione e r, I_BM , Alphameric , PEL Ltd a nd th ey in turn ha ve m s1s te d th a t their own ve r y hi g h o peratin g stand a rd s a re ac hi e ved and m a int a in e d

+ What maintenance and aftercare procedures will be implemented?

R es p o n se A ce nt ra l he lp d es k w ill be op e rat e d b y Mira g e Inform a ti o n S ys te m s Ltd and th ey w ill th e n , d e p e ndin g o n th e ty pe of fa ul t, ca ll in the re leva nt co ntrac tor. N o m a inte na nce w ill ta ke pl ac e o n s ite Imp ac t d a m age w ill be d ea lt w ith imm e di a te ly b y re pl ac in g the unit. Fo reco urt C h a nn e l h ave pre pa re d a nd w ill iss ue a n In c ide nt Book fo r e ach s ite

Typical Installation phasing

An initi a l s it e s ur ve y is c ondu c ted to revi e w co mpli a nce w ith the petrol e um reg ulati o ns and to identi fy a n y po te nti a l haza rd s a nd en s ure res id e ntial nei g hbours do not s uffer poss ible noi se intru sio n A s uitable in stallation po int fo r th e v ideo screen is sel ec te d Onc e a s ite is select e d an o th e r s it e s ur ve y is c arried o ut to asce rt a in optimum loca ti o n o f sa te llite di sh, PC unit , m o de m unit s, len g th o f c a bl e run s e tc.

Installation is th e n ca rri ed out in pha se s :-

Ph ase I Supp o rt brack e tr y and purlins in s ta ll e d in ca no p y us ua ll y vi a to p shee tin g rath e r th a n und e rlinin g. A 90mm dia ho le throu g h ca no p y underlinin g for th e ce ntra l sw iv e l tube w ill be th e o nl y item v is ibl e at thi s s tage. Ca blin g w ill prot rud e th ro ug h. The c entral swi ve l tub e has loc kin g bo lt s tes ted to e ig ht time s their ca pac it y. c ha in s a re a lso in co rp orate d w ithin the fr a m e ho us in g for th e v ideo unit and th ese a re located ove r th e s upp o rt purlin s

Ph ase 2 -Audi o, e lec tri ca l a nd v id eo d a ta ca blin g to powe r th e vid eo, PC an d a mplifi e r a nd s pea ke rs to be in s ta ll ed b y e lec tri ca l co ntrac to r a t the sa m e tim e as a bove.

Ph ase 3 - In sta ll at io n o f s pea ke rs, so und se nso r, a m pli fie r b y a udi o tec hni c ia ns.

Ph ase 4 - Sa te llit e di sh in sta ll e d toge th e r w ith PC. co nn ec t c a b lin g fo r v id eo , a udi o sa te llit e te le ph o ne a nd powe r c abl es to th e PC a ncl tes t.

Ph ase 4 Video sc re e n in ho us in g in sta ll e d . A dj ust pa n a ncl til t.

Phase 'i Snag a nd com mi ss io n . Co mm e nce sa te lli te h n >adca st ing.

Conclusions

We have to s ay that la unchin g a new concept s uch as thi s has no t be e n easy and mi s take s have been made as we have worked tow ards the launch One of the frustration s in la unching any new product in the world of petrol stations has be e n the fact that there d oes not appear to be any ce ntral reg ulatory body who could perhaps offer an overall approval of the product. We often wonder how compani es obtain universal approval for a new forecourt " gizmo " that could in vo lve a pos s ibl e conflict with existing licenc e conditions which can of course vary throughout the UK

We accept that the HSE can he lp by assessing th e product in the light of the current pe trol e um regulations a nd no doubt iss ue a conditional ap pro va l but the y appear to have a la rg e backlog of applications a nd it would be so me time before we would be able to obtain s uch an approval. Whil s t we can reflect so me of the se d e lays in our bu s in ess plans co mmercial pressure s b y investors often conflict s with the se plans.

We acce pt that we would still be faced with individual a ppli ca tion s within each lic e nce a uthorit y area w hich is pe rhap s und e rstandable as eac h in stallation mu s t b e co n si d e red on it s own m e rit s. To b e fair we have had exce ll e nt co -operation from the indi v idual lic e nc e a uth o ritie s and although so me rese rv a ti o ns have been m a de , by a nd large mo st have approached the new concept with a n open mind and this is encouraging especially if we are to develop other sources of income to combat th e ever grow in g problem of the d ec lining profitability on pe trol sa les. We hop e that thi s po s itiv e a ttitud e continues.

We in turn will tr y and e ns ure that we do not co mpromi se the petrol e um reg ul a ti o n s and th a t o ur prop osa ls are s afe and fully co mply with each of the lic e nce a uth o ritie s con dition s w hil st a t th e sa m e time makin g a s ig nifi ca nt co ntribution to th e s it e's wo rking profit.

Footnote

Th e Clackett L · · d t· d .· ane in s t a ll at io n was beina carn e o u u1 m g o ne of the E . <. c that E 11 ola d ui opean foo tb a ll c up m a tches o n th e day "" n were l · were co 1n 11 P aymg H o ll and. H oa rd es of s upp o rt ers 1g ove r l ·. a rea. None o f 1 o n t 1e ferry a nd ca llin g int o th e se 1v ice ao in o up to wt lebm appeared to ha ve tick e ts but t hey w e re c "' e m ley · d abo ut ha lfw.,y t l anyway. It was ge ttin g quite la te a n « 11 o u o h tl · yo un a lad s wea .· 0 1e in s ta ll at ion we not iced that thre e

"" c 11n ot heo· · in th e middl e o t· tl 0 i c1nge co lo urs had parked their car 1e a rea b . T hey th e n pro cee ded to th e pump s a nd th e s h o p. we re jo kin g but in 0 dunlodd so m e sea ts . We think th ey oOO e n o l1 s h tl .d l 1 ., look 111 0 fo rwa rd to . "' 1ey sai t 1at t 1ey we 1e c see 111 cr th e 1 1 , we re in s ta llin g 1 ° 11 at c 1 o n the new TV s we

At Brixto n we were trying to set up th e audio so und fo r th e spea ker s when a Wes t dro ve _ in to vac uum o ut !1is ca r. We were in th e back office adJUSt111g th e a mplit1 e r vo lum e and sudd e nl y we co ul d hea r lo ud mu s ic com in g fr o m th e forecourt. We we re su rpri se d that s uc h a low se ttin g o n o ur amplifi e r co uld produ ce s uc h a lo ud so und o ut o n th e forecourt a nd m ade a m e nt a l no te to c h ec k so m e of th e o th er amplifi e rs that we h ad in s ta ll e d. We th e n we nt o ut o n the forecourt a nd fo und th at o ur We st Indi a n fri e nd had turn e d the vo lum e u p o n hi s car radio to full bl as t to e ns ure he co ul d hea r R ad io Bri x to n/C aribb ea n w h iIs \ h e was vac uumin g hi s ca r o ut. A ll of hi s car doo rs we re op e n a nd 11 0 amount of pe rs uas io n co uld ge t him to t urn it clown. We co ns id e red turnin g o ur ow n speaker vo lum e up to compete but aba nd oned th e idea w he n h e sa id that o ur mu s ic had no rh y thm' I d id n ·t ha ve th e hea rt tu te ll him th a t we we re broad cas ting adve rts Getti n g t(' h ea r a n y S\1 un cl from a fo reco urt speake r n n a B ri x tun for ec ourt is uo inn t(l ;::-. c be to ug h 1

RISK ASSESSMENT - A Marketing Man's Nightmare (and a Licensee's bad dream)

By Barrie Scott, Managing Director Petroleum Training

1 · e and dispensing sites attend Petroleum Training '.I- courses, over a on this experience, in this article Barrie Scott explains wl.wt mcludzng their new one- ay w01 s wp on I who run sites, and outlines the ve1y real difficulties w/11ch the new approach contained in HS(G) 146 means for t wse Petroleum Officers will have to help them ·with.

Mr A F Levett's article in the last issue gave a helpful run-down on how his own authority of Warwickshire is preparino- and plannino- to implement HS(G) 146 "Dispen;ing Petrol Ass:ssing and Controlling the Risk of Fire and Explosion at Sites where Petrol is Stored and Dispensed as a Fuel." In this issue let us look at the problem as a marketino- man might, as a problem of 0 h communication and persuasion. And let's begm, as e would, by considering the point of view of the person on the receiving end in this case the licensee or site operator.

Why do this? Why worry about the tactics of persuasion, when Petroleum Authorities ultimately have the brute force of law at their disposal? Well, most Petroleum Officers would agree that willing co-operation is much more fruitful than forced compliance. That therefore puts them into the business of reducing resistance to new licensing requirements and increasing commitment to the new order of things; in other words, it puts them into the marketing business. This does not mean that the skilful Petroleum Officer will have his or her "customers" begging to be allowed to get on with the task of risk assessment. But it mean stimulating a more constructive response from licensees, because they can understand what they are being asked to do. and can see some benefits in doing it.

There are two key facts about licensees that are critical to the problem in hand. The first is that they are currently in the toughest price war in the business that most have ever seen. Forecasts coming from the industry itself predict that one in three of the petrol filling stations presently in existence will not be here to see in the new millennium. Many licensees will therefore be more than a little with issues of survival, and may not give their attent ·11· · ion w1 mgly to what they see as bemg lesser issues.

Secondly, people who run petrol filling stations and other petroleum installations, tend not to be amono- the most 0 < a or bookish of people. There are not many niarketmg men and no successful ones who would to move them into action by producing a 58 page hook. full of strange. abstract concepts such as hazard. risk. control measures. And when looking for a catchy, lllot1v·1t' · I . ' 1n.g tit e. they would be unlikely to settle upon Petrol Asse.ssing and the Risk of . e ctnd Explosion at Sites where Petrol is Stored and as a Fuel'"' But perhaps this is being unfair to HSr(, I .146. which admirably achieves its primary aim of <k..,cnb1ng What is meant hy. and required of. a risk ;i..,..,e..,-.111en1 on a petroleum storage site. It is just that in Ii •Ill,!.! "" 11. probably inevitably. hecomes too weighty to be "''( / ul d'- ;i µuidance document for licensees.

So what is the way ahead for the Petroleum Officer combat these difficulties? It is suggested that the basic approach should have two strands to it: lead with the benefits; and simplify the process.

Lead with the Benefits

The new approach to safety at petroleum sites, as enshrined in HS(G) 146, offers real benefits. It marks a move away from the arbitrary rules of HS(G) 41, where all. sites had to comply in the same way to the same set of standards, irrespective of their individual circumstances. The licensee will no longer suffer from this imposition. The new approach is totally logical regularly review the risks which are specific to your site and only take action in cases where they are unacceptably high. You will therefore only need to do things essential for your own site; not because. some set of rules say you must. For the great majority of licensees, this will mean that once they have gone through the strange to them process of risk assessment no further action will be necessary, except regular reviews. The point is to keep this logic and this benefit to the for.e throughout. Do not allow them to be lost amidst the detail of the process of risk assessment.

Simplify the Process

As has been said above, the process of risk assessment comes across in HS(G) 146 as being quite a complicated one, and the licensee/operator is not given any simpler guidelines or worksheet to follow. It is suggested Petroleum Officers need to find a way of filling this vacuum, so that the task of risk assessment itself appears understandable and achievable.

An example is Petroleum Training's own singl_e document. During a one-day workshop, the licensee is guided through the completion of five simple stages By doing this he meets all the requirements of the HSE's '"five step" approach and ends up with a written record of the assessment and a planned review date. More than that, the document deals with a number of other requirements for risk assessment, including COSHH, Manual Handling. and Food Hygiene.

The Petroleum Training Risk Assessment document consists of just three basic sections:-

Section A. where hazards are identified. using checklists (see fig. I J

Section B. where risks are evaluated

Section C. where action to reduce risk is planned t see fig. 2)

By tackling the challenge of ga111111g acceptance in the trade of HS(G) 146 as a marketing problem, Petroleum Officers will increase their chances of obtaining constructive implementation of the new approach by licensees. To accomplish this, they will need to be sensitive

to their "customers' " other preoccupations, to keep the considerable benefits of the new approach always to the fore, and to find ways of making the task of risk assessment as simple as possible.

the SEVERITY OF HAZARD (SH) and the LIKELY OCCURANCE (LO) Transter this toSheel A.

S Find the areas where the nsk 5 T SD high that you need to take action For Sectton 1 D1spens1ng E the cak:ulabons are done kiendfy A.cdon on _Sheet B. For all other Area• sections. mulbpfy the ·sH· ligure 10< each hazard by the ·Lo· figure. The resutting number wd! bo the RISK FACTOR (RFI Wherover the RF falls wrthm Group ·c· you will need to act 10 reduce lhe risk lndJcato this by putting a Itek ui !he •Action Needed· column

Plan Acdon

Wherever a tick m Section A shows !hat actlOO is needed. wnH' down thal nsk m Column 1 01 Section C Then won.. across. Sl-' Iha! you plan Iha action that will be taken

Dec)de when you w1h nccct ll' revtew lhc Risk Assessmeni 101 your sde Wnte that dale m lhl' top nghl hand box m Sec1too A For aach nroa at action you havt• planned, deode when you shovkl review the otfoctivcness ol th.J1 act\Qfl Wnle the dale in\o Column 5 ()! Section C

ABOVE GROUND STOR AGE TANKS (AST'S) - FACT OR FICTION

By P aul McWhorter. Convault Inc.

When the petroleum indu s try was in it s infancy, the s torage of crude and refined fuel was re legated to steel a bo ve grou nd tank s No fire codes or environmental reg ul ation s were originally considered in the mid 1800's w hen the indu s trial revo lution wa s recognising the value of the rnterna l combu s t ion e ngine. Therefore , the c heapest me thod of s torage was initi ally utili se d , noting that the f e tro le um pioneer s held to o nl y one co ncept; do not s tore ue l 111 flammab le and co mbu s tibl e vesse ls Around th e end of World War One , g loba l co nse ns us, determin e d th e preferab le method of fu e l storage was to bur y the prob le m us in g und erground storage tank s (UST' s ). Factors s uch as co nt a mination , le aks , monito rin g, re medial costs of c lea nup a nd rn c idental in s ur a nce re quire me nt s were s imp ly no t part of the fo rmul a fo r co nsid e ration on the part of petro le um fuel produ ce rs

Howeve r, as we move toward s t he end of thi s ce ntur y. in c rease d e nv iro nm e nt awa re ne ss and leg islati o n is te lli na us that t hese facto rs w ill no lo nge r be to le rat ed. e

Th e fire protec tion indu s tr y in the United Sta tes recog ni se d th e need to s up e r vise th e s torage of fu e l in und er g ro und fac ili ties a nd s ubmi tted it s co nce rn s for leg itimate qualit y co ntro l in t he manufacture of UST 's lhmuu h a tl11 1·d · ·t U cl · L b · 1 "'. pc1 1 .Y ag e ncy n e rwnt e rs a orato ri es nc ·· a nd Uncl erw n te rs La bo rato ri es ot Ca nada . T he rat iona le fo r re fe rrin g Lhese iss ues to th e t hird part y wa s t hat ac tual tes tin g wo uld c o nfirm va ri o us te c hn o log ica l d e ith e r acce ptab le o r dan ge rou s In aclcl itio n UL <llld I ! L C mon itore d th e ac tua l production of UST's to ll h llrl' tha t the mo de ls were he ing manufa c tured in 1/11 r "i T pla n t-,

In the mid I980 ' s in re spo ns e to an a la rmin g acc umulation of dat a obtained by th e EPA and implementin g of the Oil Pollution Act in J978 as well as a catastrophic fuel spill at the Ashland Oil Refinery at the junction of the Mon ongahel a River in Ohio/P e nn sy lv a nia in the United States, the Oil Pollution Act was upd ated to reflect:

a) leak detecti o n b ) need s for correct ive actio n 111 the eve nt of a fuel " di sc harge"

c) fire prot ec tion concerns cl ) field in spection needs

e) t he ne ed to 111dependentl y mon itor th e integ rity of fuel tank s by s uch third-p art y agencies as UL a nd ULC.

Co in c id ental ly, as th e fi e ld in s pec tion s co mm e nced, th e earl y return s o f I in S UST' s th o ug ht to be lea kin g clu e to th e d ynami c where in a bur ied tank becom es ne gat ive ly c harge d on o ne encl a nd pos iti ve ly c harge d in th e oth e r e ncl w hil e in conta ct with th e so il and imm ediat e agg ress ive co rr os ion oc curs, we re di scove red in so me cases to be 2 of 3 UST's leak in g. T he US gove rnm e nt res pond ed by e nacting a se ri es of e nviro nm e ntal laws de s igna ted CE RC LA , RC RA and C AC W Acts. Diel th es e la ws e ncl the prob le ms'? No. T he good im e nti o ns in co nse rving th e e n vironm e nt. re rn ediatin g and co nt am in ated s ites. a nd monitorin g th e ai r and water we in g ress da il y we re lll sl in

bureaucratic confusion and red-tape. A program implemented under the dubious acronym "LUST" for leaking/underground/storage/tanks did not correct the rate of leaks or contamination. Ultimately, environmental and fire protection authorities consolidated these plans into statewide or provincial actional plans. A consistent theme resulted: the regulatory authorities longed for technology which would be readily visible for leak detection but would resist the danger of fire, vehicle impact and ballistic incursions (vandalism). Into this demand came the new vaulted above ground storage tank technology. In 1986, the first vaulted assembly. the Con Vault AST was development and patent protection filed prior to introduction into the market place. The response was immediate and significant; the technology which incorporated an inner (Primary) steel tank within a poly membrane which was subsequently entombed in a I 50mm thick reinforced concrete vault without seams met all the regulatory requirements. This technology was submitted to the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada for severe testing and earned all of the strictest "listings" for storage of flammable and combustible liquids by both agencies. The overall "listing·· represents the fact that UL and ULC conducted severe preliminary tests on an assembly and that the model being purchased by the customer is being built to the precise specifications of the original unit tested by a series of fire exposures. vehicle impacts and projectile (ballistics) investigations. Con Vault Inc including the latest licensed manufacturers: Breton Precast Ltd (United Kingdom) and Breton Roecrete Ltd (Republic of Ireland) has installed over 16.000 AST sites globally in all 50 states of the United States. every province of Canada, Panama. Puerto Rico, Guam. West Africa. USSR. Virgin Islands. Mexico. Ireland and Wales without a single system failure/any petroleum discharge.

Why has this original design. spawned over 103 competitors. earned the highest available UL and ULC ratings (as a Protected Tanks) while meeting virtually all regulatory requirements? As previously the simplicity of the design allows for all contingencies m fuel storage such as the ability to easily inspect the. system through a concrete vault to both external corros10n _and catastrophes while the core of the systems remains a h1ghquality steel primary tank which is exhaustively tested during the production cycle.

The fact that the eventual cost is less than underground storage of fuel with hidden costs such as high insurance premiums. a frequent requirement to conduct third-pm:ty inspections of the UST as it is buried and unavailable tor visual review. cathodic protection from sever corrosion of burial in the soil and its portability remain factors by fuel consumers today. In addition. the peace of mind for vaulted AS T's traditionally carries a 20 year warranty (30 warranties are optional if a thicker steel primary tank is ordereJ at a slightly higher cost). The coincidental clean bill of health"" represented by 16.000 + installations without pr_oblems remains a testament evaluated by prospective clients when weighing the decision of whether to bury their problem_s .. as suggested by the folks \Vlrn .. brought you ( Leak111g/undergrnund/storage/tanks··. Current sales ot cornpet1tnrs who carry both AST's and UST's in their prnduct line indicate that in the mid I lJ8()"s sales of AST"s versus UST's __ were slightly less than I or 5 purchases: current sales tigures released indicate this trend has been reversed to the degree that 3 or 4 fuel tanks now sold arc AST"s.

What types of customers are purchasing AST's? In addition to replacing leaking underground storage tanks, new clients are generally represented by 65% public sector purchasers such as military, large government with fleet fuelling needs or standby generators for emergency power such as airports, hospitals, educational facilities as well as local governmental needs such as fire departments (over 400 installations) and police protection. The balance of private .sector fuel fulfilled by AST's (approximately 35% of the market) 1s based upon enterprises such as golf courses (over 400 sites globally). telecommunications facilities who utilise the AST's for standby generation of power outages (over 700 sites) private agriculture and both hght/heavy industry.

'!"he permitting _for AST's has always been a varied methodology; 1t 1s traditionally classified as "converse marketing"' because the storage of flammable and combustible liquids is based upon regulatory requirements. Therefore, before a given market is identified and penetrated, the observation of regulatory approval must occur. Those who have violated this public trust have learned that creating a demand does not guarantee that the local authority will abandon his/her responsibility to accommodate the sale of an unapproved fuel tank. The Con Vault Inc., business mushroomed because it always remained aware of this necessary input from the regulatory community prior to commencing a marketing campaign. In the United Kingdom, for instance, Breton Precast Ltd recommend Risk Assessment's in advance of presenting the product for sale. The Risk Assessment document which was developed specifically to meet the needs of the United Kincrdom market by experts within the UK Petroleum Jndt7.-;try and the valued guidance of the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority (LFCDA) has been favourably received by that body and the Health and Safety Executives (HSE).

Republic

of Ireland Lkensee:

THIRTY YEARS AGO

An important legal case which has a bearing upon the transportation by road and the transfer and storage of petroleum spirit was heard at Dartford, Kent, Magistrate's Court on l 9th November 1965. The circumstances, briefly, were that a road tanker belong to a petroleum company, the European Petroleum Distributors Ltd, was on the private forecourt of a retail shop. Two hand-operated semi-rotary pumps were mounted on a platform at the rear of the road tanker, and the pumps, which sere similar to normal fillingstation pumps, were fed directly from the road tanker. Petroleum-spirit was delivered by these pumps directly into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles.

The petroleum company was charged

(i) with and offence under Regulation 9 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulation, 1957, for delivering petroleum-spirit directly from a road tanker into the fuel tank of a mechanically propelled vehicle;

(ii) that they aided and abetted the occupier (Mr R. J. Grandi) of the retail premises in "keeping" petroleum-spirit without a licence; and

(iii) that they were the occupier of premises, namely the tanker, in which the petroleum-spirit was kept without a licence.

Gandi charged with being the occupier of on which petroleum-spirit was kept without a licence.

The petroleum company was found guilty on all three '."1r Grandi was also convicted. Both appealed at a hearing in the Queen's Bench Divisional Court on the May 1966 (Grandi and Another v Milburn). The espondent, Mr James Milburn, as Clerk to the Dartford Rural District Council and was one of many people who had purchased petrol which was delivered directly to the fhuel tanks of motor vehicles from the pumps mounted on t e road tanker.

the appeal of the petroleum company o<Hnst their conviction on information (iii) above "that ":"ere the occupier of premises, namely a petrol tanker in which pet· 1 . · .· ' I io eum-spuit was kept without an authorising 1cence · (c . . to Section I of the Petroleum onsol1dat1on) Act 1928'' Th C the a , ' · ourt. however, dismissed ( i J • _the C?mpany agamst their convictions under C ..anl ..( 11 > mfon:iat1ons ahove. The appeal in respect of Mr 31 andi s conv1ct1on also failed.

M·The was reported in The Times (Friday. 20th <1y. 1966) as lnllows*:

Mr Justice James said lhat. on 30th August. 1965. a 2.500 e'tl Ion tanker of th · . d e company rove on the forecourt of St. Bernard s Stores ·111lf · · d h · • · • · c 1em<11ne t ere for approximately four hours Sl Jim., petrol I" I I '=" IOlll lalll -urerated pumps mounted on the rear of till' lanker Si<>ns ·td\'"I'I · tl 1 1 . · · ,,. · ' 1s1ng 1e sa e o petrol were put up. and Lais drew 111to the forecourt. and were supplied with petrol hy unlfornied ·1tte11ll·111t A I ' ' s. mong t 1ese who purchased petrol was Mr Milhurn. who ho11ght three gallons for his car. paid for it and was 21 " 11 ;, l'l'tT1pt Hl' V.·atched several other cars heinl! filled. It was J..;11 11ifl'rc11ce lr"m the facts that was done Mr Grandi's IJIJ'-.VfjJ

The appellants contended that their convictions were wrong in law. Section I of the Act provided that petrol should not be "kept" unless a licence was in force under the Act authorising the keeping, and this court hand been asked to consider Section 2(3) providing powers to the local authority in relation to the grants of licences subject to conditions. Section 6( I ) provided for the making of regulations as to the conveyance of petroleum-spirit by road and "(d) for prescribing the precautions to be observed in the conveyance of petroleum-spirit by road and in relation to the "conveyance of petroleum-spirit by road and in these Regulations the expression 'conveyance' means such conveyance as aforesaid".

Three questions arose in the appeal: as to the meanings of, first, "kept" and secondly "premises" in particular whether a petrol tanker could be premises within the meaning of that term as used in the legislation, and, thirdly, "conveyance" where is appeared in the regulations.

There was a real danger in seeking to construe words in one statute by reference to constructions of the same word in different statutes, but, of the case cited in argument the most helpful was J. C. Thompson v. Equity Fire Insurance Co. and Another ( 1910) A.C. 592. 596) where Lord MacNaghten was dealing with the meaning to the attributed to "stored or kept" and said: "They are common English words with no very precise or exact significance The expression seams to point to the presence of a quantity not inconsiderable, or at any rate not trifling in amount, and to import a notion of warehousing of depositing for safe custody, if not impossible, to give an accurate definition of the meaning, but if one takes a concrete case it is not very difficult to say whether a particular thing is 'stored or kept' " That had been relief on in subsequent cases in this country and in the Commonwealth, and his Lordship thought is unnecessary to seek to define the meaning of "kept" in the Act.

Looking at the facts as found by the Justices. there was present the element of considerable quantity, a tanker of 2,500 gallons, there was the element of duration not a fleeting passing call, and there was also the element of being there for the purpose of trade, namely, sale. Because of the presence of those elements his Lordship would say that there was no doubt that this was a case in which Mr Grandi was the occupier of premises on which petroleum-spirit was "kept". It was common ground that there was no licence, and the Justices were right. It was conceded that the decision on that infonnation governed that of aiding and abetting also.

His Lordship saw no basis whatever. in the context of this legislation for extending the meaning of "premises" beyond its ordinary and natural meaning, namely, that is connoted buildings. or buildings on land, in the absence of any indication at all that that meaning should be extended. The Justices had fallen into error in holding that the petrol tanker was "premises" and that. therefore. the company were occupiers of premises. That conviction should he quashed.

As to the remaining information. no authority had been cited governing that situation, but one did not need authority. The words were quite plain and where the facts were that petroleum-spirit was loaded into a petrol tanker so that that petrol tanker could carry that sprit by road, then the "conveyance of petroleum-spirit by road·· took place from that time on until the petrol tanker was emptied of its Joad

There could be. at one and the same time, a "conveyance 01 petro!eum-spirit hy. road", and that petroleum-spirit being "kept· on premises. If one said that conveyance by road came to an end when the petrol tanker remained stationary for four hours. then all the provisions of the Regulations designed to secure the safety of the public and these engaged in selling would not apply at all all the safety provisions could he disregard _ making nonsense of the situation. The Justices were correct.

Mr Justice Marshall agreed.

The Lord Chief Justice. also agreeing. said that he congrawlated the Justices: no blame attached to them. They clearly relief on c.:oleman v. Goldsmith ( 1879) 43 J.P 718) which was distinguishable in thal the ''keeping" there was in a "plan·". not on "premi-;c<'

VAPOUR RECOVERY SYSTEM

By Rodney Carter

Petro-Man Dual Circuit Vapour Control System

Fig 1B

CIRCUIT

System VR by Petro-man

Having developed and marketed a software package to monitor wet stock loss for the retail petroleum industry. it was apparent that one of the largest and increasing expense for a petrol retail site is wet stock loss and is usually accepted as an operating cost to the site owner. With increasing use of our systems we were afforded the privilege of collecting and using data supplied from users nationwide to further analyse and evaluate stock Joss.

It was apparent that by controlling the stock level within each of the on site storage tanks a degree of stability was achieved. Gauge readings became more consistent and losses more definable. To obtain this consistency it was to control deliveries in such a way to each mdividual under ground storage tank to maintain a ''balance" of stock within each tank in relation to sales, storage facilities and the suppliers delivery operation.

In brief the conclusion was that in the main. most sites were over stocked and grossly out of balance and therefore unable to utilise the benefits of the ullage space with better balanced stock management. The system was further developed to manage deliveries as as forecasting to assist the ordering requirements for the operator to m71tch the supply in relation to the above factors.

With greater control of deliveries whilst maintaining balanced levels for each tank. losses became more controllable I · . . . c1nc. 111 many cases substantial reductions ctL h1cvecl Ou _. b · _ ' expe11ence of controll1ng vapour pressures. Y way ot an individual control valves for each tank. worked well in •xin .· I b 1· I , up e. ut c 1c not otter the advantages of

standard stage 1b or compensate for any of the disadvantages. such as offering any relief in the event of the valve failure to reduce excess pressures within the storaoe tank during the critical period of off-loading product. c

By controlling and utilising the ullage space as well as the substantial forces created during the delivery whilst maintaining the compliance with stage 1b vapour recovery requirements. the multi-chamber dual manifold system was designed as a low level installation to show easy access for servicing. as well as being unobtrusive. It incorporates a fully interactive fail safe system. to prevent excessive pressure build up within any of the storage tanks and retains displaced vapour across the tank farm (diesel referred to later) to a maximum 0.5 p.s.i. vent pipe pressure. whilst also creating an environment for product to condense. This is achieved by controlling and balancing the negative pressure caused by off loading of product in and management of the displacement vapours.

System YR is a dual manifold system. By effectivel) controlling two stage I b systems within a single unit separated and controlled by a control valve for each tank as slHnvn Fig I B the llrn1er system (primary circuit) control:-. the storage tank and ve_nt pipe .pressures whilst tlw upper system provides comphance with YOC regulation (stane I B \. Each circuit has its own pressure/vacuum vain· the primary circuit at I_ p.s.i the secnndar) l'ircuit at 0.5 p.s.i. The pressure side of the J11'l'ssurdvacuum \al\e iin the primary circuit is used as part of the sakt) system tu ensure that. the system d.ot'S IH it e\.Ct'L'cl I p .:-. i. pressure. Each tan1' 1s n1ntnillcd 111dependently 11f each uther at a vent pipe pressure of 0.5 p.:-.. i.

PRIMARY CIRCUIT

Petro-Man Dual Circuit Vapour Control System Fig

Petro-Man Dual Circuit Vapour Control System

Circuit

The control valves are hollow and weigh over 3 lbs each, and incorporates a poppet relief valve set at 0.75 p.s.i. Each valve is contained within a substantial outer casing fitted with the control valve bearings. This outer casing can also facilitate a cross contamination valve within its base to prevent an over-fill situation. This can be fitted as and when required.

The principle of the system is to utilise all of the ullage space within the total storage Fig. 2 (i.e. all petroleum storage tanks) to collect the displaced vapour from the receiving tanks up to a maximum vent pipe pressure of 0.5 p.s.i. These pressures are lower than the actual_ tank pressure during delivery. The ullage volume available, product temperature as well as the ambient temperature will govern the volume of vapour retained within the system.

The valves are lifted off their seats by the rising vent pipe pressure created from the tan_k Once the displaced vapour has been tank farm to a maximum pressure of 0.5 p.s.1. The rece1vmg tank is isolated from the rest to release vapour to the secondary system (stage I b) back to the tanker. During the distribution period the tanker is being balanced by air from_ its. own vacuum valve as well as that from secondary c1rcmt. to match the decreasing levels within the delivery tanker. Once a control valve lifts that vacuum valve closes to balance the tanker with vapour from the storage tank Fig 3. Meanwhile the rest of the tank farm is isolated from that

system whilst maintaining vent pressure of 0.5 p.s.i. This will allow the product to condense with a slight reduction in pressure.

As ullage decreases and the percentage of vapour content mcreases towards the end of the delivery any excess pressure created within the primary circuit can be balanced out by any number of the valves liftincr in relation to these higher pressures Fig 4. This main7ains the operating pressure and releases the excess back to the tanker. On completion of the delivery all of the control valves prompt_ly close retaining vapour at a pressure of 0.5 p.s.i. (vent pipe pressure) across the tank farm.

the farm being at 0.5 p.s.i. this pressure is d1ss1pated relative to product being dispensed by sales at the pumps until the pressure reduces to such a level to activate the vacuum valve on the primary circuit in a similar manner to standard stage I b, allowing the tanks to breath Fig 6 & Fig 7. The advantage of this as in standard stage I b is that all the tank pressures are reduced together, thus preventing sustained pressures within any one tank over a prolonged period of time due to low sales from that tank. A critical situation for earlier installations.

One of our concerns has been to prevent excessive pressures within the system whilst still maintaining compliance with stage lb. In designing the system we wanted to incorporate the advantages of a fully interactive

Control ::;ystem

Fig 5

system to accommodate the variances not only within a tank farm throughout the year but also each individual site. This also allowed the valves to compensate should one fail to operate. In the event of pressures exceeding 0.75 p.s.i. the poppet valves built into the control valves will operate to release such excess pressure. Any pressure created in excess of 1 p.s.i. are handled via the pressure release valve on the primary circuit. Also preventing any problems between servicing on an annual basis.

To expand on the safety factors a four valve system with a control valve failure has the other three valves as back-up to release as well as the four poppet valves within each c?ntr?I valve Fig. 5, plus the p/v valve on the primary Circu1t. A total of nine channels of relief to reduce excessive pressure build up.

more expensive than a standard stage I b installation it can be retro-fitted and does offer the site 0 :-Vner an incremental pay back. Another option is that diesel c_an ?e connected into the system without the risk of contamrnation of other petroleum products.

To prevent crossovers, diesel products are mostly off loaded first. Although diesel may not be directly connected within the on site recovery system, connecting the flexible coupling recovery pipe from the tanker has a direct effect over the whole system. The increased negative pressure created by the off loading the diesel products, promotes drawing off more petroleum vapour from the sites system.

This will not happen with System YR, with negative pressures being created from 5 ins of water ( 12.454 m.b.) for each delivery hose and some even higher it would therefore indicate the soundness of only unloading a maximum of two hoses at any one time.

We now have a system called Soft-Fill which can reduce the amount of vapour created during delivery making vapour containment even more efficient as well as environmentally safer.

PRNARY CIRCUIT

Petro-Man Cambridge

But

Our specialist support teams are now backed up by a brand new control system and communications' network. All focused on satisfying you, our customers, from your initial enquiry right through to after care. Anywhere. Everytime.

Buckinghamshi1·e SL8 SDT

Telephone 016285 29448/33002 Fax 01628 810093

Lightweight , flexible , durable and completely corrosion resistant , UPP from PetroTechnik has consistently proved its superiority over traditional pipework systems

And now, we 've taken UPP one stage further still

lflttt. PET oTECH N K

T H E u p p P E 0 P L E

At th e fo refront of serv ice station technology

PetroTe chn ik Ltd , Maitland Road , Lion Ba rn Business Park , Needham Ma rket, Ipswich , Suffolk , IP6 8NZ. Tel: 01449 722822 Fa x: 01449 721821.

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