The Bulletin – July 1963

THE BULLETIN

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE WEST MI.DLANDS PETROLEUM ACTS ADMINISTRATION GROUP

23 Paper by G.A. Parry Esq.6 M.So., F. Inst. Pet., Ivianager, Pipelines Depnrbmont, Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd., "UNITED KINGDOl,f OIL PIPELINE PROJECT 11

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At reCent Group Meetings 5;t apparettb that some of our Assooiate members in the Petroleum Industry are not fully aware of the prooeedure to be followed when setting out to develop a new petrol filling station, or in same instanoes, re-developing an existing station.

There are, We would suggest" tvro faotors to be borne in mind. In the first plaoe, planning oonserrb is required for any new devolopmanb or ro-dovelopmorrb; seoondly" before any petrol filling station beoomes operative, a li-3enoe must be obtained duly authorising the keeping of patroloum spirit in accordance with oertain oonditiona. These requirements are oomplomontary, and it is the responsibility of the looal authority to grtUIti or refuse planning oonsent" o.nd ultimately to grant or rofuse a petroleum storago lioonoe.

Misunderstanding often arises beoause applioants, or their agents, are unaware that beoo.uB e of the peoulio.r and this mny well be the operativo word sot-up in looal government administration in various o.reas, the town plo.:nning offioer and the petroleum offic er are not always one and the sama person, nor are they always members of the oouncil department. We would in such oircumstances, nnturally expect full linson bobvreen those offioials, but noverbheloss, it IIDlst not be assumed that the grroxbing of planning permission for a patrol filling sto.tion" neoessarily maans that the suggested siting of a pGbrol installation is nooepbable to the petroleum offioer.

Initially, outline planning permission must be obto.1nod :- this simply IOOOnB that tho looal. authority I in primiplo" has no objootion to the construotion of a filling station on a particular site. Having recoivod outline pormission, the applioant is at El. later rltnga required tu Bubmit a detailed plan, showing the design of the building" the general position ef tha tanks and pumps" the position of drains and the siting of aooess roads.

The Town and Counbry Planning Aots and looal authurity Bye-Laws mako no spooifio roforonoe to potrol filling stations and oonsoquontly, thero is no hard and fast rule undor these statutos rogarding distanoes of tho undorground storage tanks and potrol pumps trom tho publio highWay. The approval of building plans operate only so far as corbain provisions <..f the Town and Country Planning Aots and tho Publio Health Aots require, and doos not oonstituto an approvnl for tho purposo of o.n;y other statutory provisions.

Wo havo now' arrivod a.t tho role to be plnyod by tho Potroloum Offioor, who is entrusted by his Counoil to issue 0. lioome for tho kooping, aDd by 'kooping' wo moan tho safe kooping, of patroleum spirit. Tho West Midlands Potroleum Acts Administro.tion Group havo drawn up 0. numbor of pro-lioensing roquiromonbs, following olosely the Home Offioo Modol Oodo, o.s to tho storage of potroleum spirit.

•

The; first of auoh requirements istho.t ono oopy of oach of tho following plans be deposited with the PotrolQUIll. Offioor :- .

(a) Site Plan, soale 1/500.

(b) Plans showing in detail the method. of installation of the to.nk, soale not loss than *' to a toot.

(0) A drawing showing the layout of the ground. floor indioating the position of the pumPS ver.d:is and all other pipe work, the storage tanks and eleotrioal arrongem.or.d:is 0 'Where a basalUonb is provided or exists, a drawing of suoh basemor.d:i shall bo attaohed. The plnna to be to a scale of not leas than -§JI to a foot. These plana shall indioate all premises am OOll3truotiona within 20 ft. of the 1!l.Siiallation, or suoh other distanoe M my be required.

In addition, it is lo.id down that save in exoeptionnl oiroumBtanoes :"

(a) Every petroleum. spirit storage tank and petrol pump shall be situate in the open air.

Cb) The open spaoe in whioh a petroleum spirit storage tank is situate shall be sufi'ioien:bly large to enable tho tank do1ivor" waggon to stand in the open air whilo pebrol6'Ulll is being disohnrged ir.d:io tho tank.

(0) Any opening to Cl. potroleu.m. spirit storage tnnk or any petrol pump; shall not be loss than 20 ft. tram any publio highway or building •

(d) Adequate and unobstruoted means of esoape tram all parts of the lioensed premises in the ever.d:i of fire shall at all times be provided.

The Town Pla.n:ning Offioer, as suoh, "{Quld not oonoern himself vvi th thes e partioular requirements. It is suggested, theroi'ore, that applioants for a petroleum. spirit lioence, should immediately a:f'tor having roooived outlino plam:dng oonsent for the oonstruotion of a filling station, consult with the Petroleum Offioer before going ahead. with a detailed plan, and before any oonstruotional work is ocmn.enoed o

To oono1udo, it ought to be montionod that tho Petroleum (Coll3olidation) Act provides that tho looal authority empowored to granb petroleum spirit lioences is, apart; from the London area and oertain harbour authorities, the distriot oouncil. Undor the Town and Country Planning Act howover, only the oounty oouncils and oounty borough oouncils are planning authorities. Certain larger munioipal boroughs have delegated power, but other dis·briot oounoils deal only with requirements of tho building bye-laws, and planning approval within thoir areas is subj oct to tho authority of the appropriabe County Counoil.

Thoro is the right of' appoal to the Seoretary of State (Home Offioe) if an applioation for 0. petroleum spirit 1ioenoo is refusod by n local authority. In the ovenb of 0. rof'usal of planning pormission by 0. 1000.1 authority, an appoal may bo made to the Ministor of Housing and Looal Govermnent.

NEWS IN BRIEF

NEW MEMBERS.

Salop County Counoil Wll". A. Bloomf'ield, :M.I.Fire E., Chief Fire Offioer.

Mr. G.H. Day. Central Eleotrioity Board. (Assooiate)

Hm1E OFFICE EXPLOSIVES BRANCH .. .ADDRESS.

The address of H.M:. Chief Inspeotor of Explosives is now·

Hams Offioe Explosives Branoh, 14 - 18, Cormvall Torrace, LONDON. N.W .1. Telephone I-IDNter 1212.

THE BULLErIN.

Additional and. back issues of liThe Bulletin" oan be obtained from :Mr. LoA Cave( Hon. Sooretary, at a oost of 5/- eaoh (inoluding postage).

B • S .1. NEWS.

Revised British standards :

B.S.135 : 1963. Benzenos and benzoles. 17s.6d. Specifies requiremo:rrCs and limits of benzene, benzene (Nitration grade), SX)t s benzene., motor benzolo and low-gravity motor bonzole. With methods of tost.

B.S. 458 : 15)53. Xylenos B.S. 458 : 1 7; 128. 6d. Speoifies roquirGIllonts and limits inoluding flash .. point and gives methods of test.

B.S. 479 : 1963. Coal-tar nnpthas B.S. 479 : 1 - 8; 12s. 6d. Spocifies roquiromonts and limits including flash-points, with mabhods of test.

Roprinted from flB.S J Nmvs" With aolmow1edgmenbs.

NFJcr' MEErING.

The next Mooting of the Group will be hold at tho Coumil House, Walsall on Tuosdny 2nd. July, 1963. Tho Worshipful the l{Jayor of Wnlsal1" Counoi11or R.W. Ta1bot, MeA., J.P., vrill extend an offioial woloome to members at 10 .30 run..

In the morning, a paper liTHE DEVELOPlllE'1.1T OF PETROL FILLING AND SERVICE srKrIONS fl will bo presented by .D. Hninsworbh Esq." A.F.I.P"" Assistanb Controller of Faoilitios, Total Oil Produots (GB) Ltd. This Will be followod in tho aftornoon 'by 0. papor "THE PLANNING OFFICER AND TI-IE DEVELOPMENT OF PEl'ROL FILLING AND SERVICE srATIONS I1 prosenbed 'by T.R. Richardaon Esq., A.MJ.O.E., M.I .Mun.E., A.:M.T.P.I., Borough Enginoer o.nd Surveyor, Solihull.

CORRESPONDENCE

FIRE IN A

To The Editor, liThe Bulletin".

Sir,

Mt-. J. Birka, in his letter on the above, refers to the potential danger due to statio eleotricity whon petrol is returned to underground tanks via an insulated funnel.

We, in Bristol, havo attempted to obviate this danger designing; a funnel metallic continuity bebvvoen funnel and fill-pipe is maintained.

Tne funnel is oonstruotod of heavy gauge sheet brass, tho opon end being turned to form an anti-splash lip. A shoot of 128 t mosh flame-proof gauze is fitted across the insido of tho funnel, at El. distance of approximately; ioohes above the nook, whioh is of heavy gauge brass tubing.

A 3 inch diameter horned brass sealing oap, whioh has beon drilled, is mounted on the nook, permitting tho funnel to be screJ,vod to any 3 inoh fill-pipe. :Malo and fomnlo reduction piooes are umorporated to enable the funnel to be fitted to fill-pipos of other diamotors. All joins and seams are effoot brazing •

Yours faithfully" Bristol. G.W. MARSHALL.

To Tho Editor, "The Bullotin".

Sir

Pleaso permit me to nw siooere thanks to all who havo, either b.7 suggestion, verbal disoussion or correspondeooe, oontributed to solving the oo.use/s of the recent aooident at a filling station in Dudley.

Many and varied havo boon tho thoorios put fOl'W'O.rd some appearing to be moro feasible than others. yet, in tho absenoe of any known reason" nono oan be ignored..

Petrolounl Offioers, and any person handling; petroleum spirit, would do well to bear in mind that the aooident has happened OllOe; it oould ha.ppon: again w.lth fr:;r lllQIV resulta. There:f'ore, wery possible prooauiiion should be dleol'7ed in the handling of' this substanoe.

Yours faithfully, Dudley. LeA. CAVE •

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Sir,

To tho Editor, "The Bu11etinll.

1 refer to the extraots from the Minutes of a Meeting of the Midland Group of Fire Pravention Offioers, held at Wolverhampton on 5th. Dooombor, 1962, as reportod on pages 13 75 ot Bulletin No. 4.

The last threo linos at tho toot ot pago 73 state "Tho Ohtdrman oonsidered that this dooision (roterring to a Stipondinry Mag;l.etrotol s dooision in 0. Glasgow onso) o.ppliod oqun11y to mixturos of petro1oum, suoh os oollu10se paints and thoso oontaining nitro-oel1uloso".

1 do not agreo with tho Inttor part of this obsorvation. Ono must not assumo thnt oe11u10se paints neoossari1y oontain petroloum; mnny do not. Rogarding the mention of oe11u1oso paints oontaining nitro-oe1lu1oso, 1 would direct attention to the Petroleum (1 nt1nnmab1e Liquids and. other Dnngorous Substanoos) Order, 1947, whioh providos "Whereas by Sootion ninoteen of the Petro1oum (Oonsolido.tion) Act, 1928, His Maj esty is ompowerod by Order in Counoi1 to npply to arw substanoe o.rw ot tho provisions at the said Aot spooified in the Ord.er". Section 1 ot this Ordor thon snys thnt oorto.in soctions ot the Petroleum Act sho.ll npply to tho substanoes specified in Po.rts 1 nnd 11 of the Schedulo to this Ordor and to nny mixturo (not being n mixturo ot petroloum ns defined in the Sohodu10 to tho Petro1oum (Mixtures) Ordor, 1929), whioh oonto.ins any ot the substnnoes sl?ec;d..t19d in Po.rt I of the said Schedule ••••••••• Neither in Pnrt 1 or Po.rt II of the Sohodulo to tho Petroloum (IntlOJllI!lO.b10 Liquids and Othor Do.ngerous Substnnoos) Order, nre oolluloso l?o.ints or n1tro-ool1ulose montioned. How thon, oan suoh substancos bo brought within the provisions of tho Petroloum Act, othor than by an Ordor in Oounoil. At tho moment, those substnnoos are ooverod by the Colluloso Solutions Regula.tions, 1934, made under tho Factory nnd Workshops Aot of 1901.

I further rofer to tho sooond. paragraph on pago 75 of ttThe Bulletin", whioh says the 100al authority made a oondition of 1ioenoe to provezrl:; the leakage of "CU'lY inflammable vapour". Surely this is wrong in lsvf. There are many substanoes giving otf an inflrumnnble vapour whioh do not oome within tho soope ot the Potroleum. (Consolidation) Aot, 1928, nnd are therefore outside the jurisdiotion ot the Potro1eum AuthOrity.

Yours faithfully,

Dudley. L.A. CAVE.

To the Editor, liTho Bullotin".

Sir,

1 thank you for the ot>fOrbunity o£ replying to the above letter from. MrQ Cave regarding the GlasgCWf stipendiary Magistrate t a d.ecision on the use of' petroleum spirit.

Our aRproPIie.te lioence oooo,ition aJ:ways been as I f'ollovvs: f1Very preoaution be taken' for preventing the leakage of' Petroleum Spirit or 1axture of Petroleum, or the esoape of inflammable vapour" • The word "arw" has nGVer appeared before "inflruronablo vapour" •

Regarding Mr. Cave's observations on oel1u1ose paints and nitro-oe11u10se" may I say that nitro-oe1lu1ose stores and the use of' nitro-ce11u1ose" have, in oortain instancos, been lioensed in Glasgow. His assumption that bocause oellulose paints and nitro-oollu1oso are not mentioned in Part; 1 or Purt 2 of the Schedu10 to the Potroleum (Infltunmablo and Dangorous Substances) Order, 1947, they roquiro an Order in Council to bring them within the roquiromcnt of thoPetro1eum (Consolidation) Aot. 1928. is fal1aoious. I would direct his attention to Regulation No. 10 of' tho Ce11u10so Solutions Rogulations" 1934 and to a handbook "Industrinl Nitro-Cel1uloso" published by I.C er •

In tho manufacture of oolluloso laoquers and nitrooolluloso, tho main solvonts (oalled flprimo solvonts" in the trade) arc aloohols and estors, o.go methyl ethyl, ketono, butyl aoebato I ethyl aloohol oto. Exoopt in spooinl oases" TolUOl or Xylol" both petroleum spirits" arc used to add bulk to tho relatively expansive pi"ilns solvents.

The introduction of petroleum spirit into a low flash mixturo :makes that 0. petroleum mi:x:turo within the meaning of Part; 1 of' the Schedule to tho Potrol6'Ul11 (Mixtures) Ordor, 1929.

In any oase of doubt" tho m:ixtu.rc oan bo tested for £'lash point and tho potroleum spirit ooment verified by ano.lysis •

Yours faithfully, T. CAIRNS. PARAFFIN IN UNDERGROUND ,TANKS

To the Editor; liTho Bulletin".

Sir,

Ono or two aooidonts have rooently boon roported relating to potrol boing inadvortontly delivorod into an underground parnf'fin ta:nk.

Of o ours 0, strict obsorvance of' the COlIV'oyanco Regulations would obviato suoh an occuronoe. but it appoars that some additional safeguard would bo an advanbago.

Would it be possible for a sizo fitting, say 2t ins. diamabor. instoad of tho usual to 3 ins., to bo allocatCld f'or diosol and pnrnffin tanks and. thuB provido that safoguard?

Yours faithfully, Dudloy. G.R. HA.RVEY.

MISCELLANEA

REPORT OF HER 1AJE,STY'S INSPECTORS OF EXPLOSIVES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st. DECEI\,iiBER 1961

QMe again this Report provides interesting reading to aJ.l oonoerned in the handling, storage and use of explosives and. l1ighly inflrun:m.able liquids ..

The Report states that no now legislation was acted during the year. Fifteen appeals wera BUbnitted. to the Seoretary of State under Seotion 3 of the Petroleum (C onaolidntion) Aot, 1928. Of these, 4 were subsequently vdthdro:wn, 2 were dimmissed and in ono 00.130 oonditions of lioenoe wero 8 appoals were unsettled at the ond 0f the yoar.

During the yoo.r roports woro rooeivod of twonty-ono oonviotions undor tho Aot oomparod with olovon in 19S0. Thoso inoludod ,-

Sevon oases of kooping potroloum. spirit without a liooooe, resulting in finos up to £1,.

Ono 00.130 of pormitting a ohild to sorvo potroloum. spirit, rosulting in 0. fine of £7.

Ono oase of oonvoyo.noo in an unsuitablo oonto.iner, resulting in 0. fino of £6.

HeM. Inspootors ask that looal authoritios sond thorn particulars in 0.11 00.13013 of procoodings undor the Aot within tho territorios undor thoir juri sdiot ion •

Partioulars of petroleum spirit tank waggons approvod under paragraph 6 (i) of Part 11 of tho First Schedulo to tho Petroloum Spirit (COlIVcynnoo by Road) Rogulations arc givon in Appond.ix M. (In this oonnoction, vro would agree with Mr. J. Beer, who in preseIrliing his paper "Petrole'lin Conveyanoe" at the sehool at Attinghrun., suggested that it would be of oonsiderable value to Petroleum Officers, if the Home Office would issue detailed reports on the construction of suoh vehioles with appropriate drawings, rather on the linos of the notioes of examination of weighing and measuring instrumonts that are sant to Weights and Meo.sures Authorities by the Boo.rd of Trade. EDITOR) •

Roports of 60 (6,) aooidents in whioh petrolou1!1 spirit or potrolO'U1ll. mixturos Vlore involved, Oo.usod. the doath of tyro (fourteon) and injuries to 43 (47) persons. (Pravioua year's figures in braokots) • The Report says "Those aOQidents indioate that there oontinuos to be insuffioiont nppreciation of tho hazards o.ssoointGd. with the handling of highly inflorrmnblo liquids".

Elovon aooidonts were nssociated with the draining of fuel from. the ta.nks of vehioles" 0.11 of whioh Were on lioensed premises. They oaused the doo.th of ono porson nnd injuries to clovon othors.

Fivo aooidonts ooourod during tho disponsing of petroleum spirit in whioh persons were splashed with petrol whioh was subsequently ignitod" in somo instanoos by lighting 0. oigarotte shortly o.ftol"'l'fards" oausing injury to fivo persons.

There were 16 other aocidents at licensed premises, both filling stations and private storage, resulting in to 10 persons.

Nine aocidents were associated with the use of petroleum spirit or mixture, oausing to three persona.

Two accidents wore reported in c onneotion with the use of cutting torches to break up vehicles causing explosions which seriously injured persons.

Aooidents are reported in detail and fol1mo/ a f3llliliar pattern. Many oould be described as resulting from sheer stupidity. Others from youthful exubernnoo or even ohildish ignoranoo.

Dis-used storage tanks have often been the subj eot of disoussion at Group Mootings. Ono accidont Was reported oausing injury to one porson. Promisos previously licensed for storage of petroleum spirit had beon sold and were ro-dovelopod as an improved filling station. The previous ovmor had beon instruotod by tho lioensing authorities to :make tho tvm dis-usGd tanks safo and tho tanks had boen emptiod and lockod. They .woro lator tampored with and oponed J and 0. nino year old boy throw 0. lighted matoh into ono of the tanks. An oxpl· osion follovwd, burning tho boy about the hands and faco, Subsequently tJie tanks were filled with ooncrete.

Pnrt of tho Roport deals with Potroleum Gas aooidents. Whilst no o.coident duo to failuro of D. container was ropori;od 15 aocidents involving the uso of liquefied petroloum gasos wore notified. Theso causod the doaths of six parsons and injury to elevon othors.

Of the aooidents reported, 3 oocured in cabin oruisers and 1 in a fishing vessel. In one of these, no firm conolusion oould be drown as to whether the origin of the accident lay in the liquefied petroleum gas usod for oooking or in petroleum spirit used for propulsion, although the balanoo of evidenoe suggested the former. ·Where it oould be positivoly established the aooident was traooable to faulty oquipment releasing gas in a oonfined spaoe whioh caused 0. firo or explosion from naked lights.

In the romnindor of tho cases, the aocidents Viore CD.usod by failure et the equipment (e,g. conneoting pipes) or to leakage at the valve either adventitious or when ohanging a cylinder.

H.M. Inspeotors oonsider that it would be helpful if mnkors of equipmor.t and distributors of liquefied petroleum gas were to draw spocial attention to the dangors consequent upon esoapo of gas, qnd encourage users to onsure at all timos that the i. sound and in proper working ordor free from leaks. Aocidonts duo to or leaking rubber or plastic type oonnootions ho.vo boon notoot

I It is oonsidored that unloss thore arc ossontinl rbasons to the only fixed pipe installations· should ba used. Vihere flexible pipos must be used, thqy should bo proporly scourod to the reducing valves and to the burning dovicos. Frequent inspootions should be oarriod out to ensure froodom from defeot.

This seotion oftho Report oonoludos , ''VYe havo notod with growing oonoorn the incroase in the numbors of liquefied potroloum gas oontainors on salo to the gonoral publio and. oooldng and. heating equipmont to whioh they can ba fitted 0 Some oquipment sont to us by the manufaoturors appears to bo dangorous. Wo are of tho opinion that both oontainors and oquipmont should now be brought under control as vrel1 as bulk storage and oonvayanoo".

COIN OPERATED PARAFFIN DISPENSERS

The interest of fire authorities throughout; the oOUIrl:iry has been roused by the reoent; deoision of the Minister of Housing and Looal Government to allow rul appeal against a planning refusal to the installation of a ooinoperated paraffin dispenser on the foreoourt of a Walthamstow shop.

The London COUIrby Counoil, Pub1io Control Deparbm.ent, ho.d to faoe up to the problem some three years ago, when a number of ooin-operated dispensers of inflammable liquids were submitted. for oonsideration. In the oase of petrol, it was deoided that the available safeguards were not suffioient to justify aooeptanoe of the dispensers under the Petroleum. (Consolidation) Aot, 1928.

It was felt, however, that the same objections did nab apply to the moh less volatile liquid, pare.ffin, the storage of whioh is largely oontrolled under Seotion 38 of the London Building Aots (Amendment) Aot, 1939. The ourrent trend towards self-sel"lfioe and the widespread use of paraffin heaters suggested that automatio paraffin vending maohines would fulfil a pub1io need; it would not have been proper to have objeoted to their deVelopment and the legitimate aspirations of the trade, provided that reasonable safoty requiromonts wero mote

Obviously, the dispensers would be available to the publio and be designed. to operato for 24 hours eaoh day. They would also be used by people who would have no speoialised meohanioal knowledge nor, in faot, any idea of how they worked. Thus the dosign had to be both robust a.nd. simple, yet at the same time no mechanioal or elootrioal fault should allow disoharge of the wholo oontents of the storage tank. Similarly, provision had to be :made to onsure that tho quantity of paraffin retained. at an,r timo in the itself was kopt to a minimum and. unauthorised aoooss to the inside of the dispenser made as diffioult as possible.

In the onse of all thodispensers oonsidered, the basio design was to fill a vessel within the housing with a pre..determined quantity of paraffin and then to allow emptying of this vessel only at suoh time as it was nab being fed from the main storage tank. Some of the dispensers were fed direotly from tho storage tank, abhors had a sel"lfioe tank interposed. In some oases, the sel"lfioe tank was at the base of the dispenser itself, in other oasos it was situate remote from tho dispenser.

With theso differonces, detailed requirements vary in rospoot of eaoh partioular dosign, but the following list of semple requiremonts indioatos the broad lino of approooh :-

(1) All pipelines through whioh paraff'in flows to be strongly oonstruoted of metal not having a low melting poim.

(2) A timing devioe to be fitted. whioh will prevent energising of the pump motor for a period nab greater than twioe that neoessary for a normal operation of the dis pens er.

(3) Where the dispenser is oonneoted to an above-ground tank s-

Ca) the flow through the gravity feed pipe" from the storage tank to a service tank" to be restricted my means of a suitable valve so as to be not greatly in exoess of the oapaoity of the pump assooiated with the dispenser;

(b) a soraw...(lown valvo and a solenoid valve to bo provided in tho opon air near the tank on the gravity feed pipe; tho solonoid valvo to be of tho fail/safe type and to bo open only"vhile the pump motor is running (o.r. also (2».

(4) Whore a gravity fed servico tank is included as part of the disponsor arrangOOlentis :-

(a) (b) (c)

a fixod lid to the container to bo prOV'idod.; tho world.ng float valvo to bo so arranged as to limit the quantity in the service tank to a maximum of 5 gallons; an omergonoy float valvo, requiring manual rosot, to be provided. at a levol slightly a.bovo the working f'loo,t valvo; tho valvo to be assisted in olosing by liquid flow.

(5) Whore a sorvico tank is not lnoludod. o.s part; :)1' the disponsor nrrnngoments, and. tho dispenser is connootod to an abovo-ground tank, 0. vo.lvo urgod against liquid flew bf a spring oxorting 0. prossuro in axooss of tho maxinum possiblo hoad liquid in the storage tank to bo provided in the gravity feod pipe to tho dispenser • NOTJ J This valve, in o.pproprio.te cases, will replaoe the solenoid valve •

(6) A drip tray to be provided beneath the delivery point.

(7) The drip tray to be either :(a) provided with 0. return pipe to the storage or service to.nk, or (b) conneoted to 0. suitable recepto.olb fitted with a' device to de-energise tho dispenser when the receptaolo is filled a fixed level. NOTE: It will be appreciatod. that Where tho drip tray is fittod with a rGturn pipe to tho storago or servioe tank, a small water sepa.rator on this pipe may bo neoossary to deal with rain wator getting into the drip tray.

(8) An emorgonoy out-off switoh to be providod. on the elootrioal supply totho disponsor at n sU1tnbly position away from the dispansor.

No partioular roquiromont has been made as to the site of tho dispenserl exoept o.t premises lioonsed under tho Potroloum (Oonaolido.tion) Act, 1928. Hero, to split the risk, requiremonts havo boon made that tho should bo plaoed ovor 2) foot from azw potrol pump or oponing to a potrol tank and in 0. position whore do not havo to trnvorso a filling station forecourt to obtain thoir paro.f'fin.

Over 9D ooin operated paraffin dispensers are installed in the L.C .C. area and during the past two years indioations are that there have been well over a million operations of them. by members of the publio.

until rooently thero had been no fire resulting from thes e ope rations. One suo h fire has nOW' blotted tho oopybook. This ooourrod. just after midnight, when an arsonist operated 0. disponser and then triod. to ignite the paraffin. Atter using at least one bax: of matohes, he suooeeded in starbing a very small fire whioh oaused no damage and harmed no one.

Inoidents like this obviously have to be watohed, but it oan be generally ass erbed that experienoe to date has supported the initial asses smont that objootion on saf'eby grounds oould not reasonably be sustained. to the installation of ooin operated paro£fin dispensers. Eaoh day wo live with risk nnd tho oruoial tost mst be whether the risk is small enough to bo aoooptablo.

FIRST SELF SERVICE PETROL STATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

by R. BILLINGS Esq., B. Com., M.I .W.M.A., M. Inst. Pot., Chief' Inspootor of Weights and M.eo.suros, CITY OF PLYMOUTH. !._--------------------

For somo time there has boon prossure upon loonl authorities to pennit seU-servioe petrol so.los to bo made from stations in various parts of the oountry. In the first oonoept of solf-sorvioe, it was a question only of ooin-operated measuring instrumonts for the sale of relativoly small quantities of' mixtures of petrol and oil for two-stroke motor vehiolCls.

During the pnst f(jVy years only a small Il1UIlber of looal authorities had approved of suoh installations under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, or, more oorrootly perhaps, undor their Principles or Conditions of' lioensing promisee under Sootion 1 of' that Aot. Sevoral rather peouliar situations devolopod over this difforing opinion; adjaoont looal petroleum authorities, for example, hold opposite viaws. Until this was tho pattern and ooncept of solf-sorvioe petrol trnding in tho Unitod Kingdom_

Earlior this yoor thoro oamo the· news that a selfservioe station was to be opened. in Plymouth whioh was quite unique; it would rebail pebrol to all typos of motorists and the equipment was of' Continental manuf'aoturo _ The local authority oOllOerned had agreed to lioenoo pramises using a full selfservioe system of a type not previously oonceived in this oountry, and oorbainly not approved. anywhere by a'D3' other local petrolElUlll a.uthor! ty _ All this proved to be true and at Ea.ster I 1963, the first fully oo-ordinated. self-servioe station opened in Plymouth. By this, tho OOllOOpt of self-sorvioe was ohanged from that referred. to above.

This oonoept might now be oonveniently divided into two distinct sootions. Firstly, there is the now system as 1nstallod in Plymouth, in this oase Swedish equipment, and using oonventional-looking pabrol moa.suring instruments" albeit some of' tho full blonding type, but all instnmwnts have already rooeived approva.l as to dosign ato., by tho Board. of' Trado

und-er Seotion 6 of the Weights and Measures Act, 1904. The only addition that really shovrs is a Slllll.ll "signal" button on the side of the unit housing. To eaoh integrating headwork, llowever, (and these are of the Veeder Root type vrith mechanioal or hydrau1io zeroising equipment), there is fitted. a small transnd.tter operating so that eaoh pulse of the transmitter ooours with eaoh 1/50 (.02) of a gallon passing through the instrument. These pulses are fed to a. oomputer in 0. central oontrol oabin and as a delivery from the unit is. taken, the pulses are at the same time recording on the oabin oomputer the amount of petrol being delivered.

At the unit, and at termi:n.a.tion of delivery, the instrumont shavts both gallonage deliverad and the total prioe. On the blending pumps (blending is done at the nozzle), two units side by side are and sovon difforont grados of petrol oan be obtainod by porso:n.a.l selootion. Whiohovor one isohosen, the seleotion is reoordod on a of red oolourod lights on the oontrol oabin oomputor. Thus tho oontroller is avmro of the prico to oharge for 0. parbiculo.r blond. On tho oomputer, for each unit, thero are threo .0thar "lights : OM amber, one gl'6on: n.ud one red, irmnediately above the gallonage oomputer. When a oustomer arrives at a unit (there are nine on the station in Plymouth, including three blenders, and room for seven oars at n time), he or she presses the signal button. This lights Up the amber light on the oomputer and makes a buzzing noise. The oontroller oan seleot that unit on the broadoast voioe syst0lll and speak to the oustomer. All the latter has to do is to speak ta.vards the miorophone (spoaker arranged. over the units) and thoreby reoeivo instruotions, if required, on operating the unit. The oontroller then presses the "Start" button on tho oomputor panol and the green light appoars. The unit is then aotivo.tod. As soon as the oustomer svdtohos on the unit motor, the rod light en tho oontrol panel oomes on. Those tvro lights romnin on all the time the delivery is taken by the oustomer and, as desoribed above, the gallonnge is shown tiold.ng over on the oomputer. As soon as delivery is oomploted nnd the oustomer puts off the unit motor switoh, the groon light on the oomputor goes off (the rod one remaining on) and the unit and the oomputor's indioations are then "froaon". The oustomer, leaving his oo.r by the unit, goes over to the oontrol oabin and pays the oontroller. The oustomer then returns to his oar and drives GNray.

At that time, the oontroller presses a "re_set" button on the oomputer and the gallonage on tho oomPuter is removed and shows zero again. The gallono.go indioator on the oomputer shows tens of gallons, gallons, 1/10 gallons and 1/50 gallons the lo.tter two, in fo.ot, by decimal indioations (i.o. ·1 and -02). The gallonnge and price indioations on the unit remain until the noxt oustomer arrivos, whon the putting on of tho unit motor switoh zoro-ises the pump's indioo.tions immediately.

All the oonto.otors from the oomputer panel from the "starb", "Stop" and. "Re-Set!! buttons eto. are housed in 0. room beneath the oontrol oabin on a lovrer floor. In the oabin there is a main is olating switoh, outting off both power o.nd lighting to evory unit. There are also individual power and lighting switohes (nine of oaoh) in the Qontrol oabin to faoilitate mtlin:t:enanoo eto. work on eaoh unit. Near the exit from the thoro is also another mnin isolating switoh whioh will o.lao Qut off all powor and lighting to all the units.

The topographioal featuros or this site are suoh that the undorground potrol tanks arc two floors down and all potrol passos through about 350 of pipe-lino. Due to this large statio lift and length of pipeline, 0. pump houso is provided adjaoont to the main storago tonks (3" x ,,000 gallons).

Twelve petrol lines run into the pump house l whioh has twelve pumping units and nine eleotric motors; in the oase of the blending pumping units one motor drives two units (100 octane and regular grades). The pump house is provided with elootric isolating switohes for all e1eotrio motors and the equipment there is flame-proof. Return linos from the dispensing units due to hydraulic zero-ising equipme:rrli in some of them, join lines from the vents of the air soparators on the top or tho pumping units I and return any petrol vapour diroot to the storage tank. This ensures atmospherio pressure being mai:rrliained in all these return and vont linos. In the pump house, on tho pressure side or all petrol lines, there are fitted gate valves and non-return valves. All the petrol lines from the pump house, passing through two £loors, are emased in at least four inches of solid o onc rete • Sinoe the petrol lines 0.1'0 pressure lines at the base of eaoh dispensing unit on the foreoourb, there are f'itted impeot valves in the line. These valves will olose if' a unit is hit hard. or is knookod. dONn and the petrol is then by-passed in the pump house.

If' a fire developes in the dispensing unit, a fusible link on the impaot valve malts and the valve also 01 os os • Spacial Principles or Construotion and Lioonoe Conditions for this partioular station were laid down. These were based on an analysis or the hazards eto. on this type of installation and the oxperiemo gained in the building of it has proved that those genernlly wel'O ruloquate.

Prior to the opening of this station, I was privileged to make a visit, with a parby or oil oompnny exeoubives, to Swoden and Denmark, travelling via Holland and GermaIW. I visited nine self-servioe filling stations in Sweden five, in fact, in Stockholm and. four in Malmo. I found this type of installation oommonplaoe there; in both or these oities oustomers

I spoke to said they preferred to help themselves and buy petrol a little oheaper by doing so. The oontro1lers in the oabins, always seemed to know exo.otly what was going on Mside, and. in no way did there appear to be row untoward dif'f'ioulty or hazard expected. From enquiries I made of' operators and from the Govermnent Explosives Deparbment. whioh I visited. in stookholm. no fire or inoidants hod ooourred on any f'illing stations in Sweden, of' whioh there are some 300 with :3 .000 dispensing units. I saw installations with 18 and 15 units operated by one oontrol1er. and was informed that a f'our-unit station oould sell 2,000 gallons a day and the larger had sold 9,000 gallons a dOiV. These f'igures are surprisingly high oompared to sales on oonve:rrliional f'illing stations in the United Kingdom. Thero are sEtVera1 naw self-servioe petrol stations in DeIJDJark and in Holland, so it would seem the spread of' this type or inatallabion might be expeoted in the near future.

It is understood that the opening of similar se1£'service stations in England is oontomplated if' approval oan be obtained f'rom Looal Aubhorities. This would moon a oomplete ohange in the present pattern of patrol retuiling and one it is thought:; that will attraot the younger generation. It is also felt that sales oan be oonsiderably increased by self' service. provided sites are well designed. Most stations in Sweden have small, staggered unit islo.nds, and. this or the oiroular pattern as in Plymouth seems to of'f'er the most ei'f'ioient layout.

Doubtless the motorist himself' will determine this issue und time and experionce will only show the suocess, or otherwise of' a naH and interesting oonoepb and. a bold venture by both davoloper and the Looo.l Authority.

RESIDSNTIAL MID-WEEK SCHOOL held at THE SHROPSHIRE ADULT COLLEGE ATTINGHAM PARK, EHREWSBURY. 29th. APRIL TO 1st. MAY 1963

An appreciution by A.F. Brunner Esq., lIJ .W.M A., Chief Inspector of Weights nnd Moo.sures, West Hartlepool.

Tho promiso that "thoso visiting Attinghrun Park for tho first timo would find it 0. valuable exporionco to takoPo.rt in 0. Courso in surroundings of groat Goorgian o.rchitecture with all its spaoious dignity, whilst thoso ro-visiting tho Co110ge would find both tho Courso and tho environment rofroshing and rowarding" was moro tho.n justifiod. by tho evont.

As 0. I1first-timor", and ono only rocontly o.dmittod to mombership of tho Group, I had nntioipo.tod some ho.ndioo.p in having to oontend "vi th now facos o.s woll as now' pI 0.0 os • Thoso foo.rs 'woro quickly dispollod, by war.mwords of greeting from the Group Soc rot 0. ry , Mr. L.A. Cavo, and from tho Cours 0 Administrativo Offioor, lir. R.L. B100r, whiohworo ro-inforcod in o.n officio.l welcomo to tho Collogo by tho Wo.rdon, Sir Goorgo Trevolyo.n, Bt., M.A. Obvious intorost o.nd. c onooro for our wolfaro did much to mako fool at oaso.

Sot in delightful Shropshiro countrysido, Attinghnm Park onjoys natural advantagos whioh have boon suooossfully o.daptod to aooommodato tho Rosidontial School and provido excellont faoilitios for comfort, rocroation and loo.rning. Unfortunv.tely, limited freo-timo and vo.garlos of woo.thor precludod more than 0. cursory oxploration ef tho extensivo Park in which Attinghom stands. Tho.t its mo.ny dolights and points of intorost, historic and othorwiso, woro appreciatod by tho was apparont, hO\'i"ovor, from tho livoly snatohos of oonvorsation conoorning tho Sovorn nnd tho Torn, Tho Wrokin, the herd of fallow door o.nd not least, tho soomingly by no moans talo-10ss "Mormaid" at Atohnm Bridgo.

The vita.1 statistios of Attinghnm would a.ppear to bo 28 40 26, those respootivo1y being tho nu:m.bor of stops in tho spiro.l staircaso londing from the basement to tho ground, first and socond floors. Thodaily round at Attinghrun is oentrodon this staircaso and whethor dosoending to the diningroam., or asoending to the dormitories, one was assured ef a oircle of frionds of similar bont, a1boit some moro than othors.

The Courso was 1aunchod in exoellont style on the Monday evening with a provooo.tivo Paper by Mr. W.M. Lowis, F.R.I.O_, City Analyst of Coventry, who spoko upon liTho Analyst and Potroloum Spiritll. Ho challonged Petroleum Offioors to adopt 0. moro positivo attitudo by taking advantago of the provisions of tho PetrolOOl1l to control tho keeping of tho "\rldost possible range of dangorous substanoos. Despito tho latonoss of tho hour it was nftor 10 olclook ".,hen the sdssion evontually olosOO tho Paper gavo riso to much disoussion, partioula.rly upon tho app1iontion of tho Act to aoetono, analysis of whioh oould not dotormino whethor it was a produot of potroloum, and thercford within tho scope of tho il.Ot, or 0. substanoo produoed by ation to whioh tho Aot did not apply. .

Tuosday 'was 0. vory busy day, during whioh wo listonod to fivo toohnioal Papors, wo.tohod 0. most roassuring domonstration of firo-fighting oquipment nrranged by tho Pyrono Company, and with S1r Goorgo as our guido enjoyod an all-boo-briof inspoction of tho two groat show rooms of the Houso.

Speaking upon "Petroleum Law and Adminietrution", Mr. T.J. F.I.W .MeA., Chief Inspeotor or Weights and Measures, Smathw'1ok C.B.C., desoribed the procedure adopted by his Deparliment for dealing with applioations for petroleum spirit lioenoes, and gave details of the Inspeotion Sheet used by his Petroleum Offioers. He stressed the importance or noting the name and designation or the responsible oontaot at eaoh lioensed premises, especially in the case of larger industrial concerns, and or ensuring that this person is informed of ruw matters requiring attention. In appropriate cases, he said, oral advioe should be oonfirmed by stating the time limit for oomplianoe. Mr. Metoalfe spoke too or the value to lioensees of his Information Bulletins, 'but warned that to maintain impaot, variety in their content and presentation was essential. His suggostion that lioenoes might be suspended or revoked for more serious breaches of the Local Authority1s Conditions gave rise to oonsiderable disoussion, partioularly upon the validity of suoh action and of its consequonces upon the Potrolo'UlIl Offioer' s powers or entry to tho premisos oonoernod.

In "ontaining the subj oot tlPlanning and the Potroloum Offioorll within a single paper, Mr. W.C.R. Dale, A.F.I.P., AdIninistrntive Offioer of the Publio Control Deparbmont of the L.C.C., porfor.mod a most diffioult task; indeed it mAY bo that tho importance and varied nature of this aspect of our work warranted oontinuation in a supplementary talk. It would be unfair to attempt to summarise a Paper so full of tcohnioal information am advioe, and I mention now only those points whioh at the time were of partioular interest to me. suoh as the IIthree zone systamll adopted by the Publio Control Department in their oonsideration of potential hazards on lioensed premises. :Mr. Dale explained that in the "danger area" there is a oonstant risk of explosion. in the "intermediate area ll vapour is occasionally prosont and a build-up of a ooncentration or vapour possible, and in a "safe area" there is no spirit or risk of vapour acoumulation. I noted too the speakert s warning regarding the dubious quality of asbestos sheeting tlS a fire resistnnt, his reoonnnendation of interceptors for all forecourt areas and his remarks conoerning means of esoape from foreoourt; kiosks, especially whilst the storage tanks are being replenished.

Mr. R.S. Hous emo.n, A.M.I. Mao h .E. of the Midland Division of Shell-Me:x: and B.P. Ltd., prefaced his paper upon "The Installation of Underground. Tanks ll by reminding his listeners of a topioal tvtist to a war-time slogan that "petroleum" is safe UIrl;il you forget it is dangerous. Ho exprossed his preferonce for the installation of storage tanks by the mass ooncrete method, rather than in briok vaults, beoause if properly e:x:eoutod the mass oonorete affords a more protootion against outside oorrosivo ngomi0s and provides a soo ondary resistanoo to possiblo spirit loakage. These two faotors, ooupled with tho relativo ooononw in labour and materials, aro gaining support in many parts of the oountry for this IOOthod of installation. with the into resting subjoot of "statio litt", Mr. Housemnn explainod that in oommon with other fluids under vaouum oonditions of pumping potroleum spirit tonds to vaporiso and a.f't;or a lift of about 14 foot this booomos orition1 so that the pumping unit losos its suotion. This factor imposes a physioal limit upon tho vert;ioa1 height from, the bottom of the stornge tDllk to the level of the pumping unit in the metering oolunm; to maintain effioienoy under praotioal oonditions this should not exoeed 12 feet. The speaker doubtod the faimess of imposing a. 10 lb. per sq. in. pressure test on existing tanks, part;ioularly those of riveted oonstruotion and. with flat ends. Whilst such a test is reasonable for nEW, tanks, the ullage test whioh does not impose abnormal strain is quite adequate, he said, to prove the soundness 01' tanks already in use. There was muoh good-naturod t give and take' in the disoussion of several oontrovorsial matters whioh Mr. Houseman had introduood into his pnpor, 'but the sorious

implioations of seemingly simple oonsiderntions were underlined by a. member's report:; upon n disaster in Paris.. It was said that 0. worlanan there .. having broken n pipe leading to an off-set fill, oould see no sign of asoaping petrol and innooently assumed that ha oould sn.f'ely oover up tho break with earth. In due oaurae a tankor arrived to replenish the storage tank and was duly ooupled up to the apparently sound. of'foooSet fill pipo. Spirit escaped into a noarby bnsomont and in tho disaster whioh followed, 17 poople lost thoir lives ..

The first of two papers prese:rrbed during tho Course by }{.tr. J. Boor, Ji.I.W.Jl..A., Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures for the City of Worcester, doalt with liThe Tosting of Nsw and Existing storage Tanks". Throughout his talk, Mr. Boer emphasised his theme "Make no al1ovlflIlOes 1!l;1.ke oorrootions instoo.d" and stressed that whothor pros sure tosts or ullago tests were favourod, it was esse:rrbial in (Nery oase to take into oonsideration all faotors which might affect tho readings. His preference for pressuro tosts was justifiod, he said, by yoars experienoe of this method in Worcester, during whioh he oould olaim that in <Nery instanoo of' his oondomning a tank as unsound .. subsoquent examination of tho oxhumed tank had provod the deoision oorroot. Both roforenoe to theory and by praotioal demonstration, tho justifiod his proooduros and many listenors must boon inf1uonood towards adopting his mothoda. Inevitably tho disoussion period was s ized upon by advooates of ullage testing and bubble spotting to expound their own theories and to desoribe their own axperianoes. Referenoes Were made to apparatus, scme as yet in the experimo:rrbal stage, designed to eliminate human error and to 0 ompensate for ohangos in temperature and atmospheric pressure. The noed of suoh equipmont is very real, but until it is provod and por.f'eotod, wo must rely upon perhaps loss automatio methods and in doing so hood Mr. Boort s ndvioo to hmako oorroctions instood".

Tho fifth and final paper on Tuesday was that prosentod by Mr. G. Ashley, Liason Engineer of the Wnyne Tank and Pump Company. His subject, "The Construction, Operation and Mtdntenanoe of Petrol Pumps", was of partioular i:rrt:;erest to those Petroleum. Offioers who are not nssooiated with Weights and Moasuros Departmenbs, and to whom this was perhaps the first i:rrbroduction to a series of oomponents whioh, in oombination, dispense quru::d;itios of motor fuel With a high degree of safety and re:mnrkable ooouraoy. With the aid of 0. damonBtro.tion model of an eleotrio metering oolunm Mr. Ashley traced. the flow of spirit through the system and explained the various devicos inoorporated oither as safoguards against short measure or o.goinst ha£ards of fire or o:x:plosion.

It was 0. groat disappointment on the Wodnesday morning to loarn that, bOOo.uBe of sudden illness, Mr. J.A. Sharp, A.1.E.E., Senior Assistant Enginoer of the Midlands Eaootrieity Board, was unable to preso:rrb his paper upon "Tho Practioal Applioation of the Eleotrionl Requirements uf the Model Code". At short notioe, Mr. M. Geo, Grnd. I., Firo E., Fire Offioor for Wolverhampton CaB.C., gallantly answered. a oall to fill tho breo.oh and negotiatod 'tho ronds to Attingham Park two hours earlier than ho had nntil)ipatod. to introduoo his subj oot "Tho Pro-Lioonsing Roquiromenbs of tho West Midlo.nds potrolotm. Acts l>.dJninistrntion Group" • Mr. Gee was happy to tnke hiE! papor o.s read and he contented himself by illustrating particUlar points with reports, some humorous others serious, of instanoes within his own experienoe •

Mr. Boer's seoond paper wus on "Petroleum convfnnoe tt and ho dealt pnrbioularly with two aspoots, tho obsorvanoe of :

Regulation 16 relo.ting to the delivery of spirit into underground tanks and the inspection of vehioles used for the oonveyanoe of petroleum spirit. Mr. Beer explained toot the presenoe in Worcester Oity of a distributing depot" from whioh upvlards of one hundred delivery vehioles operated, had nooossitated 0. systematio approaoh to their inspection Il!ld for this purpose a special inspootion sheet had boen devised. Whilst it was naturol that thore should be this ampho.sis uponvohiole inspootion at oentres whore they wero garaged and servioot\, it was inoumbent upon every Petroleum Offioer to make oooasional spot-oheoks of vehioles passing through, or operating, in .his area ond to take aotion in respeot of any faults or omissions deteoted.

The finnl papor of tho Courso was that of Mr. R.M. Phillips, Senior Engineer of the Distribution Engineoring Brnnoh of British who spoke upon "Future Trends in Sorvioe and Safety". Illustrating his talk with slides, Mr. Phillips said at the outset thnt tho Oil Industry woloomed a high stando.rd of suporvision, both by Oontral and Looo.1 Govermnont Offioors.l so long as tho requiroments aro roasonablo and prllOtionblo. This was essontio.1ly in tho intorosts of oonoerns of ropute, booauso it served to protoot rosponsiblo organisations from loss sorupulous ohoap-jaok oompetition. It was ossontinl though that if U.K. manufaot,.. urors woro to play thoir full part in tho a:x:port trodo, thore should bo somo 'rationnlisation of roquirements throughout Wostorn Europe and that this oountry should bo proparod to standardiso its roquiromonts o.ccordingly. Mr. Phillips spooulatod upon possiblo developmont of 0. Nation-wido system of pipo-linos, whioh oould be tappod at oonvoniont points for 1000.1 distribution and upon possiblo co-oporation with British Railways in tho uso of transferrablo oontainors, oapable of boing liftod from IllIlin-lino trnins to roa.d ohassis for looal. dolivory. Ho spoke too of experiments with plastic storago tanks, fo.brioatod from two types of polyester rosins sandwiohing a sisal intorlay. Solf-sorviJe and robot filling stations nlroady tho voguo on tho Oontinent offer lllIlllY advantages, both to tho lioonsoo and. tho oustomar, and pilot sohomos in this tiiountry aro likaly, ha scid, to bo arlondod in tho noo.r future 11

Glimpso: into tho future affordod by Mr. Phillips' paper were 0. fitting oonolusion to a Oourse whioh had been designed and arranged lIlOst suooessfully I feel to make olellr the nnture of petroleum and its produots; to explain the meohonionl and te'vhnioal oonsiderations involved in its oOlIV'eyanoe keeping and use; to demonstrate the safety preoautions to be observed and to provide infonnod. 0 onnnont upon futuro devolopmont: in the soionoe.

During the whole of the Oourse a very exoellant axhibition of toohnioal oquipmont was stagod in the Entranoo Hall of tho Houso and proved to bo of oonsidoroblo intorost to 0.11 pres ont •

Tho session olosod with an open forum at whioh a panel of exports, oomprising Mossrs. H. Griffiths, M. Goe" J • Beor and R.A1. Phillips dealt with e. number of questions that students wore still anxious to have onswerod.

Mr. Vi .H. Matthows of Derby, in 0. humorous but none tho less sinoere speech, expressed the thanks ot all present to those members of the Group responsible for organising the sohool, to the leoturers and to Sir George T revolynn and his staff for tho oxcellent fooilities affordod •

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

}![NUTES OF THE :.'1EETING OF THE EXEC1J'l'IVE COi;MITTEE OF TEE GROUP Hold nt Dud'lay. 21st. May .. 1963.

Present H. Griffiths Esq. (Chairr.J..Im), E.A. Lyne Esq., (Vice-Chairr:lC,n) and Messrs. Beeby, Beer .. Bloor.. Deun, Hall, Holdnway, Roden and the Honorary Secretary •

Apologies Messrs. Gee and Sharp.

Forecourbs Nos. :3 and 4.

Mr. Dean reported that 0. reply was expected shorbly from Mr. J .Vv. Lmvrenoe and that a subsequent meeting vnth representatives of the Oil Companies would be nrrnnged •

Mid Weak School.

A general disoussion ensued on the organisation of' the School and a number of' suggestions as to what should or should not, be done next year ware debated at length.

Arising from observations the Honorary Secretary was instructed to seek a booking at onoe for 3 days during Nay or June, 1964 at Attinghrun Park, and to send out notioes to Looal Authorities and other interested parties in January .. 1964.

Mr. Beer oongratulated all oonoerned on the efforts which had made the Sohool a suooess.

Letters of appreoiationwere read from a number of students who had attended for the first time.

Letter from :t.JIr. Beer.

Explaining his suggestions .. Mr. Beer pointed rut that the work of the Exeoutive Comrrdttee was now of suoh proPrortions that a:rw progress was very slow. He was of the opiroon that if the Executive Co:mmittee was broken down into two or -bhree Sub-Committees each oould than disouss a particular subjeot and later submit its findings to the full Executive. Mr. Beer said he would not ask Members to decide' there and then.. 'but asked. that further oonsideration be given to his suggestions. iYTr. Lyne supported Beer's views.

Lioence Conditions.

In the absenoe of :Mr. Gee, it was agreed that each Member should his conolusions on the licenoe oonditions to ltIr. Gee within 7 days and that :NIr. Gee be requested to summarise these views for the next Meeting.

Spraying Booths. '.

The Ronoral"IJ Secretary read a letter from the Honorary Legal Adviser in which he said. (1) that Petroleum Officers have no power'to oontrol Spraying Booths under the Cellulose Regulations, 1934 and (2) that if Petroleum Spirits (as defined by the Petroleum Act, 1928) or Petroleum Mixtures (as defi:!1.ed by the petroleum (Mixtures) Order, 1929) are used in S1)raying Booths" Petrolewn Offioers have po\"ler to oontrol and grant licenoos for suoh Spraying Booths. If they arc not, the Petroleum Offioer has no power of oontrol. (See page 21) •

A Sub-Committoo oonsistang; of 1'1.essrs. Beoby" Bloor, Gee and was appointed to consider Spraying; Booths and report back to the Executive.

Corrospondenco.

Letters of appreciationworo road from the Honorary Members or the Group exprossing their pleasure in aooepting; Honorary Membership.

A letter oontuining a numbor of queries was received from Mr. A.J. Ingrouille, Petroleum Officor" Guernsey. It wus resolved that Mossrs. Beor" Goo and Roden disouss the quostions and reply to Mr. Ingrouillo.

},IT NUT ES OF THE MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COf'ThtITTTEE OF THE GROUP Hold ut Solihull. 19th. Juno" 1963.

Presont;

H. Griffiths Esq. (Chairman)" E.A.. Lyne Esq., (Vioe-Chairman) and Mosars. Beoby, Boor, Bloor" Doan, Goo, Hall" Holdaway, Rodon, Sharp and tho Honorary Seoretary.

Tho Chai rmru:i.

:Mr. Lyne" on bohali' of the Conunittoe, congrat. ulatod :M'r. Griffiths upon his nomination as Chairman Eleot of the British Fire Servicos Association.

Applioations for Mombership.

The Honorary Seoretary reporbod two o.pplioations for memborship. The Committee agreed they bo aocepted.

Third Mid-Week School.

Tho Honorary Socrotary roportod tho.t the 1964 o ours e for Petroleum Officors would bo held at the Shropshire Residential Adult 'Colloge, Attinghom Park, the tentativo dates being 1st. to 4th. June.

It was resolved tho.t the Honorary Socrotary enquire if thoro wero row free dates for this Course in April, failing whioh the above dates be oonfirmed.

Mr. Cavo inforll1od. the Com.'1littao that as a result of an announcement in liThe Munioipol Engineer" of the 1964 Course" he had already received. n manbor of requests for plOOos from Petroleum Offioers not oonnooted with the Group.

Proposal to Form Sub..(Jonnnittees •

Beor re-iteratod his on the appointmorrb of Sub-Connnitteos. After a full discussion .. it was reso1vod that the present system of appointing ad hoc committees be corrbinued until the first meeting of the now1y appointed Executive Committoo following tho Annual General Meoting. The position to be then re-oonsidered by '(;his Conunitteo •

Lioenoe Conditions.

:Mr. Geo submitted a sct of 1ioenoe oonditions that he had drwr.n up after examining a number of 1ioences that had been serrb to him from other authorities. The Executive Committee whilst recognising the nmow:rli of work dono by Geo, was divided on the question of whethor a longthy, oomp1ioatod and detailed licenoe .. embraoing points of lal'{ and oonstruotiona1 dotail was required, or whether a shorter version might not roooive more attention fram licensees am their stuff. A Sub..(Jommittee .. oonsisting of Messrs. Gao, Beoby, Boer, Bloor and Raden was sEYb up to ro-oonsider tho whole question.

Any Othor Business.

Tho Chairman outlinod tho arrangoments made for the nOX'b moeting of tho Group at Walsa11 on the 2nd. July. Mr. Holdaway extondod an imritntion 4;0 the Group to visit Shrewsbury for the Ootober Meeting. The Co:rronittee agreed.

Joint Moeting •

In the nfternoon, the Exeoutive COlll1nittee by arrangement met representativos of the Potroleum Industry to re-oonsider itoms :3 am 4 relnting to electrical requirements on Forecourts.

Representing the Petroleum Industry were Messrs. F. Johnson, T.G. Colville (Esso), A.G. Plumridge N.R. Boos1ey (Potrofina), T.A.. Shnrp1oss N.T. Cole (Nationnl Bonzole) .. J.S .R. Boxtor (Regorrb) .. J.W. Lawrenoo. J .iN .F. Cooka J. Trim (Shol1-Mox o.nd. B.P.) nnd. D. Hainsworth (T otnl) •

The Chairm.an weloomod the above gerrblemen and romindoo. the mefJting that the point at issue was that the requirements for new electrioa1 installations at Petrol Station Forooour!:;s. Kiosks ota. had been agreed at El. previous meeting with the exoeption of Nos. :3 and 4 relating to Vent Pipes and. Tanker Stands. Speakers from the Petroleum I ndustry pointed out that in regard to No. :3, they would llke to seo the reforence to flameproof equipment deleted. It was pointed out that Division II (weatherproof') equipmont had. been aocepbed by Faotory Inspectors o.nd it was expected that in tho near future it would be approved. by the Home Offioe. They felt that flameproof equipmont was not only unnecossary, but technioa1ly not always the moat suitable. On No. 4, the Petro1oum Industry representatives acoepted. the revised distanoe from fourteen foet to four feat.

The Chairman thanked 0.11 present for thoir oontributions to the disoussion and said that his Committee would re-oonsidor this quostion.

PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

At the Exeoutive Oommittee Meeting held on the 19th. March, it was deoided that the opinion of the Honorary Legal Advisor be sought regarding the of Petroleum Offioers in oonneotion with the lioensing of spraying booths.

Tho Honorary Seoretary duly vvrote to the Honorary Legal Advisor to tho Group, Mr. P.n. Wadsworth, Town Clerk of Dud.lay, unct roooived tho following roply :-

Tho Oounoil House Dudloy. Woros.

17th. April, 1963. 'Oear Mr. Oavo, Sprayi:cg Booths.

I refer to your letter of the ffith. March and have now had an opportunity of looking into this matter.

There are two separnte questions to be deoided :-

(1) Have Petroleum Offioers power to oontrol Spraying Booths under the Oellulose Solutions Rogulations, 19341 Olearly, the nnawer to this is no. Those Rogulations do not give Petroleum Offioers o.n;y powers whatsoevor.

(2) Have petroleum Offioers power to oontrol Spraying Booths under the Petroleum (Oonsolidation) Aot, 1928, or under ru:w statutory instru:m.enb made in pursuOJ:bje of Seotion 19 of that 1l.Ot? As you mention in your letter, there does not appear to have been 0. statutory instrument applying the Petroleum Act speoifioally to Oellulose Solutions and the only statutory instrument whioh has been mado ond gives Potroleum Offioers powor is 'bho Potroloum (Mixturos) Order, 1929. Thoroforo, the question to be dooided is, arc potroloum Spirits (ae dofined Seo'bion 23 of the PotroloUm (Consolidation) Aot, 1928) or Mixtures of Potroloum (as definod Petro1oum (Mixturos) Order, 1929L used in sPrtWing booths. If thoy are, Petroleum Offioors havo pC7Her to oontrol and grant lioenoes for Spraying Booths, but; if they are ll£ri;, then thay have no suoh power.

Yours simero1y, (Signed) P.D. WADSVVORTH.

Town Clork.

o P. ] N 1;0 N

Reproduoed by oourtesy of The Justioe of the Peaoe and Looal Government Review'.

Petroleum Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles eto.) Rogulations, 1929 App1ioation of.

1. The above 'Wore made under s. 10 of the Petroleum (Consol1dntion) 1928, but no provision appears to havo boen mado oither in the main Act or in tho Regulations for their enforcomont. Is tho looal authority responsible for enforcing the regulations? If not, hOt<v may enforccmont be offeoted?

2. The wording of Regs. 4, 5(a) (ii), 6(a), 7(1) and 8(1) (a) appears to suggest that potroleum spirit in the fuel tank of 0. motor vohiole is to be rogardod as "kooping" potro1oum. spirit for tho purposo of tho Rogulations. Would you agroe that "kooping nnd uso" of potroleum. spirit under Rog. 1 would includo tho kooping of potroloum spirit in the fuel tnnk of a motor vohiole?

3. If your nnsvror ·to "2" is "Yes", does 0. private garnge 1n which is kopt 0. motor vohiolo with potroleum. spirit in its tank oonstitute 0. tI btorage plaoe" under the Regulations?

4. A small dwolling was convortod soma years ago, is believed without byo-law oonsont, to Ca) 0. ground floor : go.rngo for three privato oars I entored by sliding doors o.t the front; and (b) a first floor flnt over the garage, i.o. aoooss to tho flo.t is through the go.rago to the staircnso. Complnint has boen rooe1vod of potrol and exhnust fumes percolating from tho garnge to the flat ever.

(a) Can the above Rogulations be app1iod to this go.rago?

(b) As tho oomplaint arises from tho uso of tho promisos and is not duo to a "tredo, businoss, mo.nufaoture or proooss" (Publio Hoalth Aot, 1936. s. 92), what othor aotion the Counoil take?

PILOBIC.

Answor.

1. Tho 1000.1 a.uthority is gonernlly rosponsib10, but ia govornment inspeotor or a private parson mny prosoouto and may find it neoessary to do so.

2. Yes, 3. Yes.

4. Yos. Soo s. 65(S) of tho Aot of 1936. (Roforenoo : 126 J .P. 44.3).

GROUP MEETING

The Amma1 General Meeting was held at Solihull on Tuesday 2nd. April, 1963. There were present 36 menibers and delegates, 11 Associate members and 10 Visitors.

The Chainnan, :Mr. G.N. Dean, introduoed The Worshipf'u1 the Mayor of Solihull, Counoi1lor J .L. Shepherdson, J .P., C.C. We100ming the Group to Solihull, the Mayor oanmented on tho usofulness or othel'lrrise of somo oonforonoes, but he was of the opinion that Maetings of the Group must be of oonsiderable value.

Mr. ReP. Ho1dElW'ay thanked the Mayor on behalf' of' the Group.

APOLOGIES. Nine apologies for absenoe were reoeived.

BALANCE SHEEr. The Honorary T roasurer submi ttod his 8tatame:rrl:i of Reooipbs and Expenditure for the year endoc1 31st. December, 1962. In doing so, he drEJW attontion to the rising oosts incurred in keeping up the standard of' ''The Bulletin'! and the Group generally. The Treasurer's Reporb was reooivod and adopted.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Mr. Dean proposed, and Mr. Lyne seoonded, that Mr. H. Griffiths (Chiof Fire Offioer, Walsall C.B.) be appoinbed Chainnnn for tho ensuing year.

Mr. Griffiths I in returning thanks for his election, referred to the exoe1lont sorvioos givon to the Branoh by Mr. Dean, the retiring Chairman. He thon proposed, and Mr. Gee sooondod, that Mr. E .I;.. Lyne be appoinboo. ViooChair.man for the onsuing year.

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE C01'MITTEE..! The ballot then took place for 6 members to servo on too Exeoutive Co.mm:i. ttoe. This resultod as follows :-

GeN. Dean 30 Votes M.Gee 29 tI R.L. Bloor 28 11 R.E.J. Rod.en 26 " E.V. Booby 22 " J. Boor 19 "

ADOPTION OF REPORl'S!. Tho adopbion of tho Exooutivo Oommitteo Reports of 22nd.. January, 1963 and. 19th. March, 1963, and the Group Roport of 31st. January. 1963. was moved by Mr. Gee.

MATTERS ARISING. (a) Honorary MOOlborship. Mr. Dean roforred to the list of persons upon whom it was suggosted that the title of Honorary Mambor should be "onferrod. Members agreod.

(b) Spraying Booths. In alluding to this subjoot, the Honorary Secretary said the Exeoutive Committee's opinions were sharply divided as to whether Cellulose Paints should be under tho 0 antral of' Petroleum Offioors, and although the Committoe had agreed to refer the matter to the Honorary Legal Advisor, he (the Seoretary) fo1t that Menibers might like to express thoir viaws poming opinion from the Honorary Legal Advisor.

..

Considerable disoussion followed and it was still apparent that opinions differed very much. Finally it was agreed to await the legal opinion.

(c) Cos.ts •

ldr. Holdaway submitted a detail-ad. report of the costs involved in produoing "The Bulletin" and suggested methods for raising additional inoome. He drew attention to the deoision of 'the Committee that additional oopies of "The BliLletin" should be made available for 51-d. per oopy. The Group agree cl to this deoision.

Mr. Metoalfe and Mr. Beer appealed to eaoh member to oontribute matters of interest, either in the form of artioles, questions, letters or suggestions.

(d) Officer/Assistant/Seoretag-,.

The Honorary Secretary referred to the feelings of the Executive Committee that it was most desirable that the servioes to the Group of Mr. Dean should be retained on his vacating the Chair, and proposed that the deoision of the Committee that Mr. Dean be appointed Liaison Officer and Assistant Secretary be confirmed. The Secretary explained that he would be retiring in 1964 and this appointment would enable Mr. Dean to take over the Seoretaryship automatioally. This was agreeo.. Mr. Beer then pointed out that Mr. Dean would thus be ex-officio a member of the Exeoutive Committee, which crea'ted a vacancy on the Committee. Mr. D. Hall was duly elected to the Executive Committee.

(e)

Mr. Trim referred to the deoision on Nos. 3 and of the Forecourt Requirements. The Honorary Secretary pointed out that the Committee's decisions were arrived at after the Chairman had read voluminous oorrespondenoe with the Companies on these two items.

FollOwing discussion, it was moved that the Petrvl Companies be given a final opportunit,y to consider Nos. 3 and 4.

The Meeting then adjourned for lunoh.

Upon re-assembling, the Chairman introduoed to the meeting Messrs. G. A. Parry, Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd., Pipeline Department, P. R. Fairbairn, Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd., Pipeline Department, and G. Mayhew, United Kingdom Oil Pipelines Ltd. A. film showing the oonstruction of the Esso Pipeline from Fawley to the I.C.lo Works at Severnside, Gloucestershire was muoh enjoyed by memberse This was immediately followed ·oy a paper, amply illustrated by diagrams, presented by Mr. G. A. Par?

I

"UNITED KINGDOM OIL PIPELINE PROJECT"

by G. A. Parry, M.Sc., F.lnst.Pet., Manager,

• Pipeline Department, Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd.

The United Kingdom Oil Pipeline Project is a proposal to construot a pipeline conneoting the Midlands with the otl refineries on the Thames Estuary, Southampton Water and the Mersey. An application for a pipeline construction authorisation under the Act, 1962, has been made to the Minister of Power by United Kingdom Oil Pipelines Ltd., in

to carry ftUt the development. The Company he.s been established by Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd., Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd., Mobil Oil Co. Ltd., Petrofina ( Gt. Britain) Ltd. and Regent Oil Co. Ltd. , with the object of building and operatinG this new distributive with the maximum economical advantages. The cost of will be some £7! millinn.

The Pipelines Act became effective on 1st January, 1963 and United Kingdom Oil Pipelines Ltd. made its application on 29th January. The pipline is regarded a matter of urgency due tn the growing demand oil in the United Kingdom as a whole, and the Midland area in particular. During the past decade oil oonsumption in the United Kingdom has trebled. It reaohed 4B millinn tons in 1962 and may be doubled again by the 1980's. In the Midlands the oonsumptiQn of oil is increasing at a rate in excess of the national average.

The Pipelines Act was brought in to regulate and facilitate the development of pipelines. Previously, a Private Bill was required by each concern wishing to construct a pipeline. Under the new Act, the lvlininter of Power approves or an application a pipeline construotion authorisation. The provisions of the Act include safeguards whioh will prevent unnecessary proliferation of and machinery through which local authorities, as well as private individuals, can bring forward their

The app1ioation made by United Kingdom Oil Pipelines Ltd. is for the construction of a pipeline to carry light petroleum products. These will be petrol, paraffin, aviation fuels, diesel fuels, gas oil and petroleum feedstock in liquid form for the enrichillent of town gas and in ohemica1 manufacture. The diameter rf the pipeline will vary between eight and fourteen according to the volume of flow differpnt The pipeline would be laid underground throughout its 317 miles with a minimum of three fdet cnver being placed over the pipeline in agricultural aread. Only some 20 miles of the total distanoe would be in built-up areas. Tr.e propf'sed line W'I'..lld pass under 350 roads, 57 railway lines, 45 rivers and 35 canals.

Beginning at oil storage installations on the Thames Estuary, the pipeline will pass through Essex to Hertfordshire, thereby by-passing Londen (In the East and North. At a point near B(lvingdon, in Hertfordshire, it would be linked by a 21 mile leg to the Essn Pipeline now under oonstruction at Faw1ey Refinery, on Southampton Water, to West LondEm. From Bnvingd('ln, the main line will continue aoross 'country to Birmingham, where it will meet a line buil t from the refinery and the oil installation on the Mersey to Birmingham. There will be two spurs from the pipeline. One will serve Northampton, the other Nottingham. There will b9 pipeline storage constructed near St. Albans, at Stanwell, Northampton, Birmingham and Nottingham.

Subjeot to it is planned to construct the line and bring it into operati()n by 1965/66, when it will have an initial throughput of three million tons ('If oil a year, some five per cent of the

By 1968, the throughput of produots is estimated to be:-

The Merbey to the Midlands

1 million tons a year Thames Estuary to the Midlands " " " "

West London (the extension of the pipeline frrm Water to the Midlands)

Under construction scheme G0vernnent ':)i )eline

It is estinated that in about fifteen years, the throughput 'Vdll build up to about six mIlion tons a year, again about five per cent. of the countryls then total oil consumption. The line vdll have sufficient capacity still available to meet anticipated demands beyond that point. The oil in the pipeline will take betvveen one and t"Vro days to travel from the lIersey to Birrninghal"l. and tvro to two-anc1-a-half days froLl the ThaBOS Estuary to Birmingham. The time of travel is governed by the dirurroter of the pipe and the rate of pumping, which at its maximum pressure will be approximately 1200 pounds per square inch.

Physical separators, possibly in the form of q,ialoney Spheres ' , are sometimes placed between the different products. These are inflatable rubber balls which are normally filled ,dth either water, or if there is a risk of freezing with a Glycol.vater mixture. The separators, which fit exactly the diameter of the pipe, reduce even further the small amount of mixing that occurs betv-veen adjacent products. Wnen the product arrives at the forw'ard terminal the interface r.rl.xture betvmen adjacent products is removed from the products whioh go forv-mrd for consumption.

The direct route was chosen after thorough investigation of existing easements such as roeds, railv-rays and canals. The use of such easements was not considered to be practicable for reasons of construction difficulties, safety considerations and excessive costs. Along such routes, particularly at road and waterway crossings, and underground pipeline would still have to be placed in adjoining private property in order to circumvent the obstacle. It would also be necessary to negotiate rights of way to sites over private property in order to carry out construction work. A difficulty about using ground alongside roads is that road development is a continuous process and a pipeline might have to be taken up in a few years because a dual carriageway or other road development was taking place. The building of pipelines vvithin the boundaries of Eotorways such as the 111 1 is not authorised.

The first step in planning the route of the pipeline was to draw a straight line betvreen the points of supply and the points to be served. Then parts of the line were swung to one side or the other of this straight line in order to take into account such as existing buildings, development and the lie of the land. All the Planning Authorities along the route of the line were then consulted. They gave advice on possible development industrial, housing, educational, etc., which would make a deviation in the route a necessity. Where development was likely, the proposed route was changed. The process of avoiding places through which the pipeline must not pass was continued with a minute examination of maps to make sure that it was not being proposed, even in the earliest stages of planning, to run a line through, for example, a farmyard. The next step was to make helicopter surveys of the route under consideration, and this was by ground surveys from public roads and footpaths. As a result, the route wa.s fixed more firmly and large scale maps were prepared. Approaches were then made to owners and occupiers of land along the intended route to find out whether they would,in principle, be vdlling to grant easements for the pipeline to pass through their land. The act of finding and then making the initial approach to some 800 landowners on the cross-country route would not have been attempted had there been a feasible alternative, Until approval is given, a company can do no more than to tell owners the proposed terms a.nd ask if they are agreeable, in principle, to the pipeline being taken through their land. A substantial majority had signified their willingness by the end of l:arch. Detailed negotiations would follow immediately approval was given.

In laying a pipeline, first out.. work is done iy Survey.re who indiea te the line ef the pipe by pla.cing pegs in the Next Cime pole trailers vehicles whioh oarr,y lengths (teMnioally oalled "joints") of pipe, each 35 feet t. 40 feet long, depending its diameter. One pole trailer may a dozen er more lengths. A msbile crane is used string the pipe out along the right of way pegged out by the After out, the lengths are welded together aleng the line.

The cutting of the trench fell$ws, the pipe is laid and the trench baok-filled within the shortest possible time. Cllie of established by the Institute Petreleum for the laying ef pipelines states that the minimum width for a trenoh should be 18 inohes plus the diamter of the pipeline. A 12 inch pipeli)l.e, fer example, would be laiu in a trench 30 inohes wide. In exoavating the trench for the pipeline, the greatest oare is taken to separate topsoil from subsoil. Ditches, open drains and water orossed by the pipeline will be maintained in effeotive oondition during the construotion, and afterwards left in as condition as before. the pipeline trenoh crosses, fer example, a farm road, it will be bridged by a temporar,y construotion so that the owner can to carry out his nermal activities despite the pipeline work.

Throughout the work, there will be the fullest cor.sultati •.l':. between the owner, Gccupier and the Company, whose engineer will supervise all aspects of construction. workmen wil), not go outside the working limits of the pipeline's route and access roads without permission. The working width required by the Company tc lay the pipeline will, if neoessary, be fenced off to prevent animals straying. Any damage during constructifll! ope",ations will be made or compensation paid. The pipe is often laid and the trench baclt-filled within a mor.th. Contraotors will reinstate the working width as quickly as possib19 each seqtion is laid. The speed ef en the weather, the nature the ground, aooess to the sites and the of separate sections under oonstruction simultaneously. Under ideal conditiona, it is for a single construction team to lay three miles pipe in a week. The overall average is likely to be one mile per week. When the pipeline has b cen laid in its trench and the topsoil has followed the subsoil baek into the trench, crops may be sown or stook grazed ever the area. After that, all that oan be seen to show where the pipeline lies is an marker.

The is prepared to make an outright payment fer an easement to take the pipeline through land, whioh in agrioultural areas WI'l1.ld be about five shillings per yard run. Any f)utright of land will be oonfined to small areas for building pumping stations. In addition ta payments for easement through land and access to it, 00mpensatien will be paid by the Company t. the owner, lessee, or for any damage eaused to the land, and any other less, damage er depreoiation iacurred by him due to the oonatruction of the pipeline. All professional oharges reasonably inourred by owners, lessees, er oooupiers in conneotion with the acquisition of any easemant or interest in the land, or in relation to any claim arising frem the construotion will be borne by the Company_ As the likelihoed of future 0n the route is thoroughly taken into aooount in preparing the prgposed route and in its by the Miniater Power the potential by .' ners of development rights bMause of the pipeline is v3ry small. Nevertheless, if any time within ten years Gf the of pipeline easement a landowner is prevented from carrying out a plan approved by a Planning Authority, the Company will oompensate him. Alternatively, in oertain the ccmpany would move the pipeline at its own expense to another piece of land previded by the intending develeper.

Pipeline tests begin in the steel mill where the pipe is maie, and they oontinue at $ages until the line is in operation. For example,tests are made of the pipe's protective wrapping and ooating (composed of layers of fibre Blass and bitumen), with an electrical device which encircles the pipe. It will reveal if even an area the size of a pinhead has been overlooked in the wrapping prooess. Ultrasonic and radiographic devioes whioh deteot the minutest fle,ws are used to test the joints as the lengths are welded together on the site. When the line has been laid, a series of C?leaning scrapers or "Pigs" are sent through it to remove any scale from the inside of the pipeline wall. The inside wall of the pipe becomes a highly polished surface. Finally, the pipeline is given a hydraulic test well in exoese of its maximum working pressure of 1200 pounds per square inch.

A pipeline pumping stati(m, comprising three or four eleotrically-driven pumps, each of some 800 to 900 horsepower, may be housed in a small building or be left in the open. There will probably be two three of these in the Midlands area, and they will be ereoted in suoh a way as t" blend with the landscape. Between the pipeline control centre and the pumping stations or terminals on the there will be an exolusive communjcations oircuit. In addition, each site will have a G.P.C. exchange telephone external oommunications. There will also be a teleprinter installed at each site to receive instructions relating to pumping sequences and terminal requirements. All vehicles used by pipeline engineers and maintenanoe staff will be fitted with radio telephone to ensure communioation with the control oentre, and when aircraft are used for line patrolling, they will keep in touch with contro'. oentres or vehicles by radio

An underground pipeline is the safest method of moving oil. It is subject to fewer hazards than distribution by rail, road or water. The oonstruction and operation of pipelines i3 covered by a of Practice drawn up by the Institute of Petroleum and the provisions of this Code would be observed in addition tn any stipulations made by the Minister under the Pipelines Act, 1962.

DISCUSSION

Mr. A. R. Edwards (E.C.A) enquired how the charge of negative eleotricity used in cathodic proteotion was provided and •

Mr. Parry desoribed briefly the elements of a Cathodio Proteotion system inoluding Tral.sformer/ Reotifier for the souroe of ourrent, and the groundbed.

Mr. A. R. CroBsley (Meriden R.D.C) suggested that in rural areas partioularly, there was always a danger of damage pipelines when oivil engineering oontraotors were developing an area.

Mr. Parry pointed out that oonsiderable preoautions are taken to ensure that damage does not ocour. It is imperative not only that the piJ?e be not broken, but that the proteotive wrapping remain intact. In general, the pipeline will be buried at a distanoe where it will normally be imp"ssible for it to suffer meohanical damage from any cause •.

Mr. Fairbairn added that plans .f route are dep.sited with all interested parties and marker are sited at regular intervals along the length ,.f the ,Pipeline. Regular patI'l'lls, including helicopter patrols ensure tha t the pipe remains intaot.

Mr. E. H. Frost (Staff"rdshire) aflked what special precaution is afforded in areas -f increased hazard, such as where the line crosses waterways, or in industrial areas.

Mr. rarry: Before a pipeline is laid, detailed take p1aoe with all interested authorities and it is axiomatic that in general the pipeline is well buried. Disoussions ha're been initiated with water undertakings and in due course fire brigades will be oonsulted, so as t. agree mutually all safety preoautions.

Mr. H. Griffiths (Walsall) asked what is the ef damage to existing pipelines by frest, eto.

Mr. Parry: Very little. The introduction of all steel welded pipes, complete wrapping and cathodic is a tremendous improvement old war-time pipe system.

lvlr. Fairb r.irn: YI e have had no trouble with the S ever";lside system.

Mr. D. Hall (Newoastle-under-Lyme) had three questions:-

(1) Can oathAdio proteotion be used prevent in filling s ta. tions?

Mr. Parry: Cathodio proteotion oan be applied to proteot all blU'ied metallio struotures, but there would be many oomplioations in a congested area and it be unlikely to be eoon,mical on a small soale. Great oare would have to be taken that the applied ourrent did nQt affect ether

(2) Wguld the plug system used to separate various fuels in line be destroyed if the veleoit,y was reduoed nil by blanketing

Mr. Parry: The plug is known as a Maloney sphere and consists of a thiok-walled rubber ball filled water and inflated 80 that it presses hard against the pipe wall. It easily with the and would still be an effecti"'e barrier even when the line oontent was stationary.

(3) What do you take if the pipeline is passing through an area liable tf' mining subsidenoe?

Mr. Parry: You avoid this type of area.

Mr. S. V. Robinson (Brierley Hill): In the event of leakage, is the line evacuated fuel to effect repairs?

Mr. Parry made the point that it is not always desirable to c:ose the valves; an open valve in cases would facilitate the flowing back of fuel to a safe position. Clamping around the leak will make a tempcrery seal; when surrounding soil is vapourfree the leak can be welded, in acoordance with geed practioe, with fueJ still in the line.

Mr. J. Beer (Woroester): What is the effeot of temperature ohanges on suoh a length of metal?

Mr. Parry: Tempe.cature variations below ground are small and have no signifioant effeot on pipeline oonstruotion.

Mr. J. T. G. Craddock (Rugely) raised the question of lioensing for storage under the Petroleum Aot, and asked how muoh fuel would be in the system.

Parry: 'There would be 34,000 tons of fuel in the entire system. The lioensing problem would not arise as planning authority would have been obtained, in with the 1962 Aot, before oonstruotion oommenoed.

K. Hughes (Stafford): What is the rate of flow in the lines?

Mr. Fairbairn: 2 to 3 miles per hour. 200-500 tons per hour throughput.

Mr. R. E.J. Roden (Birmingham): How olose is the line laid to property.

Mr. Parry: The Act requires there shall be no buildings 10 feet either side of the pipeline.

Counoillor L. Bolton (Warwick R.D.C) enquired if the pipeline would be laid as straight as possible, irrespeotive of ether co ns ider a tions.

Mr. Parry: Established practice was to lay pipelines as straight as possible as this would naturally be the most eoonomio way, but every effort was' made to aocommodat0 special and reasonable requirements of owners on the route.

Mr. Fairbairn explained, in answer to a further question by Counoillor Bolton, that expansion in pipes was taken up by undulating ground and the fact that the pipes were n:--t laid perfectly straight, although as the previous speaker had said, the praotice was to pipes as straight as possible.

Mr. S. G. Keely (Wolverhampton): Are booster pumps employed at points along the line?

Mr. Parry: Yes. Two are planned for the whole line at junctions, they will be landsoaped into the surrounding

Mr. J. Trim (Shell-Mex & B.P.) What is the eperating pressure on the line?

Mr. Parry: Designed to 1200 lbs/sq. in. Commence aocording to demand.

Mr. Rickett:1 CiC.) ,'aid he was interested in the distanoe b J t.Jen valves.

Mr. Parry: speoial distanoe would be laid down. Co-operation between the Home Offioe, Looal Authorities

and the Fire Sorvice is the keynote of this operation. Tho ncw1y-appointed Inspeotor of Pipolines Tvou1d be interested in this feotor. It is not necessarily safer to have G lot of isolation valves, since oach valve means a break in an otherwise steel line.

S. G. Keoly referred to Cathodic Prote(}tion and. suggested thnt this· process would not only prevent i.e.,. the loss of metal from the pipeline to its surroundings, but it oou1d mean the precipitation of metal from the soil or other pipes in the 10o.cility onto thE) pipeline.

l,il'. Perry: .The installution of Cathodic Protection is 0. specinlistt s operation, but .when the interests of 0.11 perties are tc.ken into acoount, adequate protection is afforded. The WGy to do thi.s very. simply is to bond allo.dj acent metallic systems together so that they are the same

Er. J. Beer proposed. 0 voto of thrmks to the speakers for a most interesting tdk and for the mnrmer .in vvhioh the questions had boen so ,\d.aquutely deplt vvith.

At the conclusion of the dLW's proceedings I members partook of tea and refreshments kindly supplied by His VVorsh;ip the l!Iayor.

Mr. D .. Hall brought the proceedings to D. close by proposing n sinoere vote of apprecic,tion to the mayor and the Counoi1 of Solihull for the hospitality given to the Group, and also to the excellent arrangements mnde for the by Hr. E. Vaughan and }lr.-G. N. Deem.

THE CHAIRl'T.AN

Er. H. Griffiths, IT.I.Fire ;:;:;., Chief Officer, Walsall, tmd Ch:::.irmo.n of the West :ilIidlands Petroleum Aots Group, is the Chni rmnn-elect of the British Fire Service Association.

liIr. Griffiths conrr;tenced his Fire Service career at Warrington in 1939. After service ot Dud1ey, he lims appointed to 7ITalsall in 1951, becoming Chiof Officer in 1960.

PARIS ?'RANCE 23rd to 25th April, 1963. -- --.- --

With the assistance of lir. E. F. Somerville, Sales . Promotion 11anager, TOTAL OIL PRODUCTS (G.B.) ten members Of the Group visited PARIS in a private capacity for a programme of visits which had been arranged by the CmWAGNIE FRANCAISE des PETROLES the parent Company of TOTAL OIL PRODUCTS (G.B.) LTD.

The journey to Dover Was made by car, and after an uneventful crossing to Calais and a rather uninteresting train j ourne:>r, Paris was reached at 8.30 p.m. After a welcome wash and clean-up at the Hotel, the party in true tourist tradition, explored the centre of the City, walking frol1l the Place de la Concorde, along the Champs Elysees, to the Arc de Triomphe. By a mixture of sound staff work and. good fortune, the entire party arrived back at the Hotel, which was situated near Place Madeleine and the Place de Lt Opera,' sometime after midnight.

The next morning, the party was met outside the Hotel by lIonsieur G. Blanquafort of the llarketing Division of the C.F.P. and. 3'lonsieur J. Doulcet, complete with a mini-bus. After an interesting tour of part of the City, the Headquarters of the Societe des Transports Petroilers par Pipeline (Trapil) were roached, where the party was received by the Operations Manager, 1\Consieur Y. Lizoret, who began apologising for his command of the English language, and then prooeeded to give a most informative and technical account of his company's operations •

Trapil is a Company formed to design, build and operate n pipeline connecting the Port of Havre and the Lower Seine refineries with the depots in the Paris district. The length of the pipe is about 150 miles, and the shareholders of the Company are the French State and. maj or oil companies.

The pipeline was brought into operation in 1953 and was the first non-military line in Europe for refined products. In that year 300,000 tons were transported, but by 1961 it had reached its maximum capacity of 2,000,000 tons.

Increasing demand for petroleum products made it necessar,r to install a second pipeline. This was commenced in April, 1961 and completed late· in 1962. The new line was 12 inches in diameter, compared with the 10 inch diameter pipe used in the original, and followed the same course, but started ut Port Jerame some miles east of Le Havre. Plans are nOVT being made to lay a third pipeline along this route, having a diameter of 24 inches.

The pipelines have been buried in the ground to a depth ranging between 20 and 30 inches and are protected by a band. of fibreglass covered ,vith a 1 inch outer coating of bitumen. The effects of electric currents due to differences in the nature of the soils on big neighbouring installations have necessitated the use of Cathodic protection. Internally, the tubes are protected by the use of an inhibitor injected into the products. Cleaning is carried out by means of scrapers, carried through the line with the produc ts •

Eight products varying from light heating oil to Aviati on petrol in 40 distinct qualities are carried in the pipeline and in order to reduce contamination these are passed through the line in a sequence which reduces the interface to the minimum.

SEQUENCE OF PRODUCTS IN THE LI1TE

...,

'. SC ') \ '\. CA': AV , se , CA I i ) \ i I / ; L __ ; _. __._._ __ ___ __._ 1 cycle, _ ______

CA ordinary gusiine. K Kerosene. se Premium gasoline. GO diesel fuel. AV aviation basoline. FOD d omes.t ic c heating fuel. JV jet fuel 0 FOL light heating oil.

complex planning involved in carrying products of several oil companies from three coastal depots and four refineries to thirty depots in the Paris area is carried out at the Companyts who maintain a direct telephone and teleprinter link with the despatching, pumping stations and terminal depots.

After an excellent lunch, the party visited one of the terminals described at the moming session where they were met by Monsieur A. Lefevre, Trapi1 t s manager for the Paris area. This terminal served eight storage de;Jots htwing a total capacity of tvfO and a hn1f million gallons for supplying the South and VJest areas of Paris.

There were fix mix"cure tanlr.B into which the interfaces .-.rere droil1ed for subsequent inj action into the 10" and 1211 pipelines at the terminal.

The product passed to agave ground taru{s for removal of water by decanting, and thrOUGh a battery of four underground filters for removal of any other foreign matter still left in the product, which vms not metered until it was ,perfect for delivery to the storage depots.

Sumples 'h'ere taken off in a SIllD.ll cubicle by means of a tap and checked, by densimeter, for specific gruvity. A f1::lmeproof telephone within the cubicle, used for receipt of warnings when interfnces Yfere due, attrncted Cl considerable umount of ottention.

The flashpoint of the product liW,S tested in a laboratory, and the chemical ::l.ll<:'lysis, viscosity, pressure, and rote of flo;;'! were checked in an old testing unit, which we were given to understand was due for demolition and replacement Iby a nevITe r one.

Apart from the all processes were controlled by an electronic control panol in a central control room.

./

At the conclusion of the tour, champagne Was served a delightful experienc e nlthough as 8. the strength of the party was somewhat depleted vvhen a further sightseeing tour of the Fontmorte and PiguHe district '.Jas und ertaken later that evening.

The next day, Thursday, the party was again oollected from the Hotel at 9.30 a .m., and ooveyed to the Western Divisional Headquarters of the Fire Brigade in Paris.

Chef do batillon Le Pulochmet the part and explained that the Paris Fire Brigade was organised on military linos (Le Regiment Sapeur de Pompiers) and its main objective was the dGfence of Paris against fire. Paris itself covers an area of about 200,000 sq. metres and has u popUlation of 5i million. There are some 4,300 firemen and the Brigade answers a.bout 40,000 calls in a year of which 8/10,000 are large or important fires. When a man joins the brigade, he is first on three years probation which he is paid us a soldier, and after that period, as a fireman. The three yoars probation is counted as military service and men usually stay in the Brig:::;de about 15 years. Officers ranks are the sawe as military and the ·War Office governs promotions. The cost of the Brigade is shared ben-men the Hinistry of Interior (25%) and the City of Paris (75%). Each recruit is given 16 week instruction which is based on physical, military and technical training. Promotion is by examination, but Officers can be, and arc, recruited from the Army. There are three main lnws governing Fire ·Protection in France. The first is similar to the Factories Act in the Country unO. includes regulations for the storage of Petroleum Spirit. The second caters for places of public assembly and the third for places of individual lodging. There a.re special laws for bulk storage of petroloum spirit at Depots.

Commahder Le Puloch then introduced the part to Colonel lJIonard and Captain Huson, who gave. details of the methods em.ployed by the Paris Fire Brigade in dealing vvith fires involving inflammable liquids such as petroleum spirit. These are similar to those employed in this country, viz., dry powder for small fil·es and foam for the larger ones. Colonel Menard gave an interesting account of the recent explosion and fire at a :B.P. luhricating oil depot near Paris.

It appears that a small explosion occurred during operations and the resulting fire involved the contents of four 5,000 litre capacity steam heated storage tanks. 3,000 litres of foam compound were used to extinguish the fire in which one man was killed and approximately 20 persons injured, some seriously.

Captain Huson then guve a comprehensive outline of French legislation governing the storage of liquids. He explained that the national regualtions were based on the Flash PoirrG of the liquid, and in France the method used for determining the Flash Point is the closed method, as opposed to the open method in England. Substances are then oategorised according to their flashpoint and rules are then based on standards of safety for the varying categories. The lav, is revised and brought up-to-date at frequent intervals and takes into account Flash Point, Quantity, Method of Storage" Nature of Product, Nature of Use, etc. National regulations are also supplemented by local rules and" in paris, Inspectors ure appointed by the Police under the oontrol of the of Industry and Cormnerce.

Follovving Captain Hus on! s talle, the part vrus then conducted on a tour of the Brigade' a:r!plinnces and Control Room. One item of interest. was the reel method of stowi.ng normal delivery hose in a continuous line on the appliances, as compared with the separate length stowuge in this Country. The firemen!s helmets were typically French military pattern and suited one of the part very well" although he did bear some resem.blance to a famour German military leader in the 1914-18 war.

After conveting thanl(sto the officers of the Paris Fire Brigade for their kindness in presenting such an interesting and instructive visit, the party was conveyed by bus to the Aeroport de Paris ut Orly. The new Orly Airport, of the great French building projects of recent years, is a stell ::md glass structure which synt'hesizes the 18test architoctural techniques. The terminal installations consist of a single main building of six storeys J vvith tvvo 'wings oxtending East G'nd West. All facilitios nre concentrnted in the same building, i.e. Passenger registration counters, Offices of the various airlines', Air traffic control lromigr8.iion unO. custOTi:'s check points, Corrrrnercial concessions including bars and restaurants, Rooms for Airport executive nnd personnel. The noVl Terminal buildings lirere formally inuugurated in 1961 by General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic.

Luncheon TlaS served in the exciting atmosphere of u' luxurious I'€staurant, set admidst the bustle and splondour of a busy airport The purty WC\S joined ut lunch by Ilonsiour R. =!. Stuub, Director, S .H.C .1'1..0., and Monsieur de Sennevillc of Air Toto!. Afte r an enjoyable menl, the party TJ"8.S froe to wander the and experience the fascination of vintching the departures and arrivals of plnnes from far-off lands, or to explore the building and admire the architecture nnd interior decorntion.

Tho party was later introduced to 11ndom Kotoujansky, Public Re1ati ons Officer at the Airport, liTho after a brief discourse of the history of the Airport, took the party outside to the PGrkingp1nces, where fuel for turbo craft is supplied from the various valves sunk in the concrete.

An ugreemen betwe'3n the Paris Airport and the S.l,I,C.A.O., a Company formed by all the fuel Companies having a branch at Paris Airport, has authorised the Society to build at their own expense and to run a fixed installtion of distribution of jet fuol at the Orly Airport servicing bays. Only jet fuol is distributed through fixed install,"tions, two types of jet fuel, J.P.l and J.P.4 boinS distributed • Although coming from u combined distribution service, jet fuel is sold to the different ai rvmys by delivGry tankers und servicing trucks, bearing the brand and colours of each Petroleum Company. Ordinary fuel, as 17el1 as jet fuel, is still delivered by tankers at some refuelling stations, but these stations are rarely used noy! because of their distance from the Airport •

The installations inc 1udG one main d0pot, tv-vo :main pipes running from the main depot to the serviCing buys nnd 0 ne"tvvork of distributing points nt these bays.

The mnin de-,:>ot is situated by the South end of the central reserved area of the hirport it cont:Ains tvro groups of three tanks, each of 3,000 cu.ft. capacity. At present tanks are filled by large tnnl(ers. Later, it is envisaged that the depot will bo filled through pipes leading from;;- primary aepot to be built of the Eastern side of the Air)ort. This primary depot could have its fuel brought either by barges along the River Seine, which flows 500 yards from the Airport, or more directly by un extension of the pipes lines linking Paris with the refineries and depot of the Basse-Seine (near the mouth of the river). Out of the throG tanks in eoch of the groups, ono is being refilled whilst the sGcond is at rest ready for use and the third being emptied.

Two adjacent main pipes, 16 inches in each link the main depot vd th the servicing buys. Each of thes e pipes has 8 peak outlet of 2,700 cu.feet nn hour, in the pressure condition of about 16 lbs. for three-tenths of a square inch at the maximum flowing speed of 5 feet 0. second.

Distribution of the bays takes place alongside the front of th3 Airport buildings. There are 16 servicing stc.tio:r1s.· 11 of them being accessible to the four-engine jets. Five of them are only for double jets. Fine of the four-engine jet stations and"bHo of the tvvo-engine jet stations are novrequipped with the hydro.ntsystem, the other stations vill be later on. Each four-ongine jet stntion is pped "pri th three pcdrs of valves, 4 ins. in diameter; tv1JO of these pairs of vulvGS ::Ire situuted near the filling orifices. of the four-ongined planes, when they are in position (cock-pit pointed ut n 50 degreG 8ngle).

The third pdr of vulves, vrhich are situated 50 ft. from the side of the stntion, could be used for the re-.fuoling of fourengine plnnes_ in the position of nose perpendicularly facing tho. front of the Airport buildings, s;o degrees to the building. The diameters of the pipes distributing the valves nro 10 ins. for two of the valves and 8 ins. for the third valve.

lNe wore fortunate in being pres ent during the refuelling of an Alitulia nir-liner. The engine in betvmon the distr-ibutirig valves and the inlet vo.lves of the planb t s tanks is in the form of an service truck. The type of service truck us od at 0.11 the airports hus un inlet pipe of 4 ins. in diumeter from vfhich two outlet hoses of ins. diumeter feeding a wing simultaneously. Each distribution hose has .0. microfilter, un automatic vZ\lve, a notvrork valve, an air sep,;rutor, Cl meter, Cl ono-I"cy vulve vrhich includes [\ by-pass with an uutornatic stoppage devic e Tmrking ut a su.fo pressure for thepurts bct\;:reon the truck and the plane, und u system of pressure control Gt the outlet regulcting vulva.

A bus tour of the perimeter follow-cd, -with a stop ut the Airport Fire Station, liThich is ;It an !1ulertli state throughout the 24 hours. Finally the p£'xty v{::',s received ut the office of Monsiour Stuab, where 0. number of c;uestions wus exportly unsTvered and the mechtmism of the uutomatic distributing unit ut the }i[nin Dopot expertly described.

HoldarJay proposed C\ vote of thanks to ull the Companies und their stuff, who huJ. helpod to moke the visit ono to be rememberod.

Then follovrcd un overnight crossing to Dovor ::md an uneventful ro.)d journey buck to the l:::idLmds. Educ uti ono.lly , the visit W'us instructive und interesting. Our thaIl.ks ore due to the Oil Companies cocernod for their kindness and hospitality, und to the Tilr,ny friends whom wc vmre privileclged to moot and whose compuny vve so enjoyed. ,