The Bulletin – July 1982

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

"THE INDEPENDENT FUEL"

HC J HYNES CONSTRUCTION LTD.

Engineering Contractors

Hynes Construction Ltd. Home Farm 92 Lower Green Road Rusthall, Tunbridge Kent Teiephone Tunbrndge (0892) 33251

The Bulletin

£2.50 (Free to Members)

Published by the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

Opinions expressed in this Joumal are not necessarily the views of the Association

TALKING POINT

NOTES AND NEWS BELT DRIVES ON FORECOURT PETROL DISPENSERS

DERAILED PETROL TANKERS IN WEST END SEALING DUCTS ON GARAGE FORECOURTS BRANCH MEETING

LONDON NEWS

Honorary Secretary M r. E. Brown, Cambridgeshire County Council,

34 35 40 42 44 48 49

Talking Point

It has been the practice for some of the Oil Companies when delivering petrol to reproduce the form of delivery certificate required by law on their invoice! delivery note. This practice was accepted as proper by the Home Office.

I t is now noted that the method of using the invoice has been taken up by a majorOil Company and no doubt others plan to follow.

This practice is causing problems when the licensee is a retailing company, possibly linked to the Oil Company or part of a chain of retailers. The invoices are sent to their Head Office or accountants for obvious reasons and the fonn of certificate on the invoice accompanies it.

The Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1981 clearly state that the copy of the certificate must be kept by the licensee at the petroleum filling station for a period of six months after the delivery.

It is hoped that while the Oil Companies themselves are complying with the law, their method of administration could be changed to make it possible for their customers to do the same.

Honorary Edi tor Mr. J. A. J. Thompson,

NEW CHAIRMAN

R egSm ithofHu b . Dunsta ble b . m erslde IS pictured here at the AGM in h ad ju st congratulated b yJ im Cook of Surrey who e over the c h a in of office to Reg.

SEMINAR 1982

Make a note' your di ary for Oc tob e r 21st at the h e ld . Speakers a d unbst a bl e w h er e a n ot her seminar wi ll be It' I n su "ects b IS loped to J ale e1l1g con firmed at pre se t lun a sm a ll h'b" n pelsons wishing to di ex I ItlOn during the day, any co nt a ct 1l1g the se mi sp lay It e m s may book space b WlI1dmill Ave nar secreta r y Mr B J Th ,/ nue M I . ' .' ompson Se A l bans 63448.' als lalswick, Se A lb ans, H e rt s T e l.:

THE ASSOCIATION TIE

A s pr e vio u I d ' s Y an nou n ce d tl A " e Slgned and wo l e sso clatlO n ha s had "r ' ve n w i t h t l A " a le flames, a w hit e p h l e SSO ClatlOn Motif' 0 1 ' d ump os e a d I le ba c kg round. These h' n t l e ll1tials APEA o n a b la c k f ·M b ave now b ee n d e li v ' . I o e m e rs have a l , d b elec a nd a numb e r c. Ie a )' ee ll s A ee n w e anng them

t exce ll e nt v a lu e at f3 S0 ea c h obta l n a tie Ina y db ' m e m bel'S Wlshll1 o to c 0 so y se I ' . h ' b Ed itor. C h equ e' t b nc lI1 g t e ll' re mittanc e to th e s 0 e m a d e p ay ab le to t h e APEA

TANKER EXPLOSION

The driver of a tanker and a mechanic were atte mptin g to remove the tank er's manhole asse mbl y in order to r e plac e It s gas ket. Force of so m e kind was appare n t ly applied to loose n th e retaining bolts This res ult e d in an e xp los ion in si de the t a nk compart m e nt w hi c h kill ed both men , destroyed the vehi cl e, extensively d a m aged th e works h op a nd shattered vv ind ows in n ear b y offi ces.

It appears the tank, \ovhich had previously carried petro l h a d not been cleaned or gas-fr e ed si nce on ly co ld work had been a nti c ip a t ed.

Pe rso nn e l sh o uld b e trained to und ersta nd that: hot work includ es no t on l y the obv io u s so urces of ignition, suc h as name c utting and we lding , but a lso spa rks from impact tool s a nd g rind e rs, hot Sllrfa ces and fault y o r spark produ c in g e lect ri c a l e quipm e nt; a tank w hi c h ha s no t b ee n clea n e d or g a s fr ee d w ill conta in an ex p lo siv e atmosp h e r e g iv e n th e ri g ht con di t io n s. \IVith o ut tes ting th e atm os ph e re, o n e s h ou ld a lwa y s assum e t h e wo r st co n dili o n ex is ts; a ve hi c le ta nk whi c h h a s not been ga s- fre e d s h o uld b e ke pt tightl y c lose d wh il e an y ot h er work or w h a t eve r natur e is c arri e d o ut o n o r n e ar t h e ve hi c le. l f, as in thi s ca se, i t is n ecess a ry to op e n o r re m ove th e ta nk fitlin g s t h e n sp ec ifi c pr eca u t io n s mu s t b e tak e n s upp o rt e d b\ stri c l s up e rv is ion .

THE PETROLEUM SPIRIT (Plastic Containers) REGULATIONS 1982

The Petroleum Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982 came into operation on 4 June 1982 copies are obtainable from the HM stationery office price 75p plus postage.

The regulations amend the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles Etc) Regulations 1929 in two main respects.

( I) The 1929 Regulations will in future be applicable to all classes of petrol driven internal combustion engines and will not be limited to engines of the type set out in the former schedules to the 1929 Regulations.

(2) I t will be permissible to keep a limited quantity of petroleum spiri t in plastic containers having a nominal capacity of 5 litres providing the containers comply with the requirements set out in the 1982 Regulations.

The quantity of petroleum spirit which may be kept on a premises in plastic containers is limited as follows

(a) Not more than two plastic containers of petroleum spirit may be kept in or on any motor vehicle, motor boat, hovercraft or aircraft

(b) In addition to any petroleum spirit kept by virtue of paragraph 1 of the Regulations not more than two plastic containers may be kept

(i) In any domestic premises (incl uding the curtilage of such premises) providing that the place in which they are kept is safe; and

(ii) In any other safe place, and for this purpose any 2 places not more than 6 metres apart occupied by the same occupier shall be treated as one place.

The duty of ensuring that the plastic container complies with the 1982 Regulations rest with the manufacturer, importer or supplier.

The Public should be able to recognise the containers which are required to be marked "Complies with S * 19821 630" and "Petrol Highly Flammable".

In addition to these markings the container shall bear "legible, indelible and durable marking" showing the following

The manufacturers name, month and year of manufacture, the capacity, the hazard warning symbol, and phrase in English indicating precautions to be taken.

Although it is now legal to use such containers, many of the Local Authorities will need to change their standard licence conditions which expressly forbid the selling of petrol other than in metal vessels.

The Petroleum Licensing Authority is responsible for enforcing the provisions of these Regulations.

SPECIFICATION FOR PLASTIC PETROL CONTAINERS PUBLISHED

Following regulations, which came into force recently, permitting the use of plastic containers for storing petrol, the Health and Safety Commission is publishing an A pproved Code ofPractice* on the type of plastic container which may be used.

The document describes the type of material to be used in manufacture and it gives a specification for a container's ('onstruction. This includes its capacity and design as well as its strength in terms of impact resistance, internal

pressure, permeability, weight and thickness of the container walls.

The various tests which should be carried out to satisfy each item on the specification are described in detail. These include those tests to be carried out on the finished container and also during the production process.

each container must be marked 'PETROL HIGHLY FLAMMABLE' and indicate the precautions to be taken in storing petrol, says the document. These include the following two warnings:

KEEP CONTAINER A WAY FROM SOURCES OF IGNITION DO NOT SMOKE; DO NOT STORE IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. Although failure to comply with any provision of the Approved Code is not in itself an offence, says the document, that failure may be used in criminal proceedings as evidence of contravention of the regulations. In such a case the person involved might be able to satisfy the court that the regulations have been complied with in some other way.

*'Approved Code of Practice: Petroleum Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982', available from HM Stationery Office or from bookshops price £ 2 pi us postage. ISBN 0 11 883643 9.

WRITTEN QUESTION

by Mr Inner to the Commission of the European Communities Subject: Carriage of petrol in reserve containers Variations in petrol prices and safety regulations as between EEC Member States make it impossible to apply uniform provisions on the carriage of petrol in reserve containers in private cars.

1. Is the Commission aware that variations in provisions governing the carriage of petrol in reserve containers in private cars cause considerable disruption to transfrontier traffic within the EEC, in particular during holiday periods?

2. Is the Commission prepared to take action to bring about the immediate harmonization of such provisions within the EEC?

Answer given by

Mr N aIjes

on behalf of the Commission

1. Yes. The problems to which the Honourable refers have been brought to the CommiSSIOn s attention, notably in the report by Mr Schyns on behalf of the Commi ttee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Transport which dealt with the difficulties encountered at the Community's international frontiers in the transport of passengers and goods by road.

2. No. In view of the workload of its departments, the Commission does not regard action to harmonize these provisions as a priority.

CHANGE IN THE TRADE BUT SELF SERVICE STILL ON THE INCREASE

The Institute of Petroleum announced the number of petrol filling stations closed last year as being 767. There being a total of 24,760 sites throughout the UK left.

Interesting trends showed that the major Oil companies had larger declines than the modest drop in retail outlets. The belief that biggest is best was boume out by the figures which shows that Esso sites were reduced by 617 to 3838; S hell by 588 to 3289; BP by 407 to 2516; National by 230 to 1804; Texaco by 138 to 1884;Mobile by84 to 1085 andJetl Globe (Conoco) by 67 to 980.

The number of self service sites showed an increase in 1981 by 11.5% or by 690 to a new total of 6712.27% of the total market.

The sites which were dropped by the Major Oil companies were either closed or taken over by the smaller companies and a group of new regional oil companies. The increases showed that Gulf Oil increased by 50 to 409. Aviagroup by 58 to 294; Elfby 61 to 604; Pace by 70 to 485; UltramarSummit by 99 to 515;Anglo by 145 to 465; Shaw Petroleum by 181 to 231.

The larger companies are keen to redevelop the high gallonage sites mainly in urban areas and maintain their high share of the market, with the smaller companies content to take over the lower gallonage sites and no doubt increase their gallonage.

With the major companies supplying 95% of the petrol to the smaller ones anyway it seems that they are unlikely to lose in the long run.

PETROLEUM SPIRIT (CONVEYANCE BY ROAD) REGULATIONS 1957 PROSECUTION

On 1st February 1982 in Leeds Magistrates' Court Mr Lee was charged with conveying petroleum spmt m a vessel not securely closed so as to prevent leakage. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined £20.00.

The case was taken by West Yorkshire Fire Service Department.

DRAFT APPROVED CODE OF PRACfICE PUBLISHED ON OPERATIONAL PROVISIONS OF THE DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES (CONVEYANCE BY ROAD IN ROAD TANKERS AND TANK CONTAINERS) REGULATIONS 1981

A draft approved c d f . . I 'd 0 e 0 practIce o gIvmg practlca gm ance on th Substances (Coe operatIOnal provisions of the Dangerous Tank Co t· nveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Regulations 1981** is published in a Commission. ument by the Health and Safety

The regulations who h . IC WIth certa' t' mto force 1 J ' In excep IOns, came on anuar th' legislation on th y IS year, extended and updated dangerous subst: by road of a wide range of 'th nces m road tankers and tank containers WI a capacIty of h more t an three cubic metres

The draft approved cod d with the CBI, TUC e, rawn up f?llowmgdiscussions

I ' local authonty representatives re evant govemm t d ' S f' t E ,en epartments and the Health and a e y xecutIve (HSE) . I . '. ' a so gIves gUidance on complIance WIth certain sections of the Health and Safety at W.ork etc Act Ul74 in relation to the compatibility of multI-loads and tile I d' did' oa mg an un oa lI1g of dangerous substances.

The operational requirements under Regulations 8, 10, 11,12,13 and 21 of the 1981 Regulations cover, in general, information to be obtained by the operator about the loads to be conveyed; information in writing to be available during conveyance; precautions against fire and explosion; prohibition against overfilling; the supervision of vehicles; '!:.nd the instruction and training of drivers, including the keeping of records.

Each section of the codes sets out guidance on a specific regulation, the number, title and content of which appear at the head of each section. The final two sections give guidance in respect of duties imposed under sections 2( 1), 2(2),3(1),3(2) and 7 of the Health and Safety atWorkAct 1974 in relation to loading and unloading of road tankers and tank containers and the compatibility of multi-loads.

* Draft Code of Practice on the Operational Provisions of the Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1981, HM Stationery Office or booksellers, price £3.00 plus postage. ISBN 0 11 883462 2.

** The Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1981 (SI 1981 1059), HM Stationery Office or booksellers, price £3.20 plus postage. ISBM 0 11 0170598.

An appendix giving a bulk chemicals compatibility guide, completes the draft code.

Comments on the draft approved code of practice, to be received not later than 1 September 1982, should be addressed to:

Mr R. E. Parsley HSDA3 Health and Safety Executive

THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SERIAL NUMBER (ISSN)

The British Library have now issued The Bulletin with an ISSN number which is ISSN 0263-4597 which will appear on future copies.

Mr. DENYS TAUNTON

It is sad to have to announce the sudden death ofDenys Taunton aged 60 of a heart attack.

He had been a longtime member and a strong supporter of the Association and had served in various capacities at different times. He was well known to traders in the G uildfordArea where he lived and served for many years as a Weights and Measures Inspector. Since he headed the Petroleum Division of Surrey County Councils' Trading Standards Department and was to retire later this year.

A Yorkshire man, born in Sheffield, Denvs served as a navigator in RAF Bomber Command and was a DFC during the Second W mid V"" ar. He leaves a wife and two grown lip children.

NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY LEAFLET OUTLINES RESPONSIBILITIES OF IMPORTERS OF MACIDNERY,

PLANT AND SUBSTANCES IN GREAT BRITAIN

A new easy-ta-read leaflet* setting out clearly how importers and suppliers of machinery, plant and substances for use at work in Britain must meet strict legal health and safety requirements, is published by the Health and Safety Executive.

Designed to be compact in a simple fold-out style, the leaflet deals with section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is primarily aimed at importers and suppliers but also spells out the duties of manufacturers and deSigners of article and substances for use at work in this country.

Mr DickGates,DeputyChiefInspector of Factories with special responsibilities for imported plant and machinery, said: 'I think this free leaflet is essential reading for foreign manufacturers and importers; people who bring into Britain plant and machinery that are below our strict health and safety standards run the risk of appearing in court.

'The responsibilities are unequivocal and apply equally to British and foreign manufacturers, importers and suppliers, even if the article is second-hand.

'Failure to ensure that any article or substance is safe for Use at work and does not give rise to health risks, so far as is reasonably practicable, can result in unlimited fines following prosecution by HSE and bad publiCity affecting future sales in Britain. In addition, the user can be barred using the supplied article or substance until any senous risk to safety or health has been eliminated.

" Obligations on importers of machinery, plant and substances in Great Britain, leaflet IND (G) 1(L), available free 0 f n receIpt 0 a stamped-addressed envelope from the Information and Enquiry Point,Health and Safety xecutive, Baynards House, Chepstow Place, London W'2 4TF Tel: 0 3456, or any HSE Area Office.

'We are making the leaflet as widely available as possible throughout our network of area offices, at conferences and exhibitions, through professional and trade associations, as well as in Europe and abroad, incl uding direct to importing, manufacturing and other interests', Mr Gates added.

Definitions

Ariticles and substances have very wide meanings under th: legislation, says the leaflet, and cover everything which mIght be used at work,includingitems which are mainly for dum f b es IC use, ut some of which may be used at work.

, The words and phrases 'article for use at work', 'supply', plant', 'substance', and 'substance for use at work' which are used in the legislatiun, are defined for the reader, with who has duties and what they are in elatIOn to articles or substances.

The leaflet also points out that the duties extend to both corporate bodies and individuals / partnerships at the time when they are acting in the course of a trade, business or other undertaking, and apply to matters within their control.

Other legislation

the leaflet deals specifically with section (j of tlw J Act, it is pointed out that there may be other rf'Jpvant legislation which places specific duties on lllanlJla( lurers and / or suppliers.

The text of section 6 is reproduced, in full, in the leaflets, although it is made clear that the general advice given throughout cannot be considered an authoritative interpretation of the law. More detailed advice can be found in the HSE publication 'Articles and substances for use at work',* while for a number of specific articles and substances reference should be made to, for example, industry-based codes of practice, guidance notes and other advisory material.

* Articles and substances for use at work, GN GSH, HM Stationery Office or booksellers, price 30p plus postage, ISBN 0 11 H831n.

WATER DETECTION SYSTEM

The presence of water in storage tanks containing petroleum products, can be expensive, potentially dangerous and often difficult to detect.

Fuel Pumps Ltd of Harrogate announce that they have designed a unique water detection system capable of detecting varying levels of water in storage tanks.

Simple to install, competitive in price the intrinsically safe system provides accurate and instant presence of water.

The main features of 'W A TERTEC' are as follows:-

From 1 to 1'2 tanks monitored on one read out unit (capable of expansion beyond 1'2 tanks)

Detection levels 1" and '2" water (variable according to requirement)

Audible alarms and visual flashing indicators give independent warning of each tank water level

U nit automatically resets after water removed from tank

Probes are fixed in position in each tank and DO NOT need to be removed after water contamination

1" BSP socket required in tank manhole for probe entry

Independent detection for each tank Fully accepted by BASEEFA for petroleum installations

'Watertec' is retrofittable to existing standard "TANKMASTER" gauge installations, utilising the same probes. It is also an added feature to the Tankmaster ASG V ideo Gauge.

Forfurther information contact Fuel Pumps L td Harrogate

New Members

The Association welcomes the following new members.

Safety Departments, Total Oil Great Britain Ltd.,

D

BILL DALE

Bill D a le th e Head of P e t ro le um in th e GLC retire d on Jun e 10 a fter 44 yea i' ' H' rs 0 se lVl ce e IS pi c tured with a cl e ar d esk but te ll s me h e will b e working h a rd ne x t wee k o n Improvlllg hi S golf handi cap

Bill will b e re memb e re d b y t h e Assoc ia tion for his m a n y

int er esting talks and p a p e rs, his regular co umn as t o 1 n th e Bulletin and hi s se nsibl e appro ac h to P e tro le um Administrati o n H e h as b ee n an Honorar y M e mb e r fo r man y ye ars a nd ha d links with Th e Ass oc ia ti o n sin c e it s in ce pti o n .

I "0 t ".

T he As soc ia ti o n wis hes him we ll in hi s re ti re m e nt.

Mr.

Hopkins, Mr. N . O. Procter,

Mr. S. D. S Gregory, Turnkey Service Station Projects Ltd.,

Mr. R. B. Ponder, G il barco Ltd.,

Mr. R A Stout,

Mr. P. Mangan, Mangan Bros. Ltd., .

Belt Drives on Forecourt Petrol Dispensers

by R.P. Barbour General Sales Manager

During the past year a new type of drive belt has been introduced on forecourt petrol dispensers. This V -belt is called NU -T -LINK and is manufactured by Brammer Transmissions Ltd in Leeds.

Brammercommenced workon the project withanumber of petrol pump manufacturers and the maintenance organisation, Pump Maintenance Ltd., late in 1979. The requirement was for an alternative drive belt to the conventional rubber endless belt, due to the short life experienced of between 2 and 6 months. This short belt life was further reduced should the drive become contaminated by petrol or diesel fuel.

In addition the use of this belt offers advantages in the manufacture of the dispenser unit by eliminating the need for tensioning devices, e.g. idler pulleys, thereby reducing moving parts. NU -T -LINK has a built in limited elasticity so that the belt is 'sprung' onto the drive pulleys at a pre determined length short of the dead-length automatically giving the correct operating tension, with no need for further maintenance. Photographs 3/6 show the Ferranti and Avery-Hardoll pump assemblies with NU -T -LINK and the previously used conventional V -belts.

An area of ini tial concern in using a drive bel t wi th steel studs was the fear of sparking if contact should take place

At the time of the initial contact, Brammer was in the process of introducing a new construction industrial Vbelt; the result of 6 years development and 2 years field trials. This belt is manufactured from a distinctive bright orange compos ite material of polyester and polyurethane, which gives o ut s tanding resistance to oil, water and chem ica ls over a wide temperature range. The belt retains the well proven Brammer construction of individual links join ed by a stee l stud but takes the development a stage furth e r in using a 'T' shap e d stud that can be rotated to co upl e and uncouple the belt (Wo rld Patent pending). (P hot ograph s 1/2)

Extens i ve trials on a ll types of dispensers have prov e d th e wo rth of th e belt in serv ice as the Oliginal trial belts fitt e d late in j a r e s till o perating satisfactorily, and hav e required a bso lut e ly no maint e nan ce or retension ing over [hi s per iod.

with part of the framework or drive pulleys. On closer examination however it was concluded that the probability of such an event was extremely low, as the belt is designed with ample clearance between the base of the stud and the bottom of the pulley groove.In the event of belt wear taking place the tension necessary to maintain the belt grip would be lost before the belt wore sufficiently to bottom in the groove.

The use of a driv e b e lt with metalic studs has been examined in great detail b y the National Coal Board and a special quality belt has been developed to m ee t th e stringent NCB specifications for underground use, but still using the same stud mat erial as NU -T LINK. After ex tensive trials the NCB d ec ided that the likelihood of a belt breakage, with possible resultant co ntact of the stud with surrounding frame work, and the produ c tion of a spark

Reproduced by kind permission of Avery-Hardoll Ltd.

Reproduc ed by kind permission of Ferranti Ltd

to be so unlikely that full approval was given against numbers VB 18 and 19.

Brammer manufacture a full range of link belting to cover most applications and one of the range is manufactured without metalic studs but using the same material as NU-T-LINK. (Photograph 7.) This belt has a lower power rating than NU -T LINK and is used mainly for conveying processes, such as canning where metal studs could cause damage. Tokheim of Glenrothes are using TABLINK on one pump assembly as this particular drive does not require the high power capabiliti es of NU -TLINK (Photograph 8)

A very H ardoll, F erranti and V eeder-Root are specifying NU -T LINK as original equipment and trials are also taking place with other manufacturers. In addition to the manufacturers, Pump MaintenanceL td the largest and best known forecourt maintenance company in the U.K have also comp leted extensive trials and received the approval of major petroleum suppliers They are now using NU -TLINK to greatly increase drive reliability and also to

reduce their b elt stocks One reel of NU-T LINK can be carried in their service vans, enabli ng the engineer to make up any length of belt to suit all pumps currently in us e, regardless of the manufacturer.

BrammerTransmissions Ltd would be pleased to discuss any aspects of this or any other drive system and may be contacted at Brammer Transmissions Ltd.,

Editorial Comment

The paper submitted by Brammer TransmissionLtd show that a number of Pump manufacturers are now using this type of belt

It is however proper to record that some Licensing Authorities have banned the use of the NU T-LINK belt due to possible sparking between the metal studs and aluminium pulley wheels. This danger does not arise with the Ta blink belt, andI understand Bassefa are satisfied that no static risk exists with this material.

Derailed Petrol Tankers in West End

"

OnOctob ')('1 " ' er -) ast year in the West End of London a goods ham Contain' l' , ' 't d mg some 1 1 3;3 g'allons of petroleum SptrI an 40 S7r- ' 11 ' ' , h " ,) ga ons of derv was involved in a derailment w en four of th W B e wagons came off the track close to est rompton Tub , ' , , ' h D ' ,t" L' e statIOn, In this area Bntlsh Rail and t e IS llCt me t b ' , , 'h u e trams run adpcent to each other, the area IS m t e open b h , ' , al I ' ut ad the derailment occurred furthel ong t le track' t Id E h'b' , I wou have been under the Earls Court x I ItlOn centre,

The outlet valv f t ' cl' c e 0 one of the waO'ons was severel y s IalI1e m the d 'I 11' b , , eral ment a OWll1g petrol to dnp out, a small fire occurred b t tl ' u liS was qui c kl y extinguished,

In a length y operation lasting :24 hours from early evemng the petrol was transferred from the derailed

wagons into road and rail tankers vvith some difficult y , The waO'ons were then lifted back onto the track, An e arlier probposal to lift the wagons full was turned down , due to surging of the petroleum in the single compartment maki ng the wagon unstabl e ,

West Brompton tube station was c los e d for th e duration of the in c id e nt and the Distri c t lin e and road bridge while the lifting operations were in progress,

During the operations the p e troleum officers of the G Le attended and '2 Senior Insp ec tor s and four district inspectors acted in an advisor y capac it y, The speech a nd safe outcome owed lllu c h to the c lo se co ope ration between Police, Fire Brigade, British Rail , The Oil Cn mp cuI\ and Petrol e um Officers

New method of Sealing Ducts on Garage Forecourts

Dow eorning ® 3-6548 Silicone RTV Foam Penetration Seals

* J. W. YOUREN AND J. LEECH

INTRODUCI'ION

The use ofD ow Coming 3- 6548 silicone R TV foam is an effective method of fire-sealing cable, conduit or piping penetration in walls, floors and roofs. In addition Dow Coming 3- 6548 siliconeRTV foam provides a water-tight, dust and gas seal. D ow Coming 3- 6548 silicone R TV foam is supplied as A and B liquid components which when properly mixed expands to approximately three times its original volume curing to a foamed elastomer and quickly sealing any size and shape of penetration. The improved fire resistant properties and largely closed cell structure this product excellent for preparing formed-in-place fire and gas seals.

DowCorning 3-6548 silicone RTV foam has been extensively in penetration sealing over the last ten years l,n the USA meeting the requirements of ASTM 119.-73, successfully withstanding three hours fire exposure. Smce introduction of this product into Europe five years ago it has been used extensively m many . h UK DC 3- (. 54° has been tested Europeancountnes.Int e ), 0 in fire seal penetrations to both BS 476 Part H and the Mobil Hydrocarbon curve successful tests varying from . h 'd d'ng on application one through to SIX ours epen 1 requirements and the seal design.

Applications include confining the hazards of fire, smoke, dust, gas and water in many areas. Some of these are covered in more detail later in the paper.

Product DeSCription

Dow Coming 3-6S4H silicone RTV foam is a density two-part product supplied as A and B hqUl.d components. The A component is black, the B IS off-white this colour difference allows for easy mdIvIdual component identification and also inspection of the mixed liquid product which should be a homogeneous dark greyblack. After thorough mixing in a one-to-one ratio by either weight or volume the product will expand and cure at room temperature to an elastomeric foam in I - :-l minutes. The escotherm generated duri ng the curing process is negligi ble being less than Typical DC :1- (i.')4H physcial properties are shown in Table I.

Material is available in Europe in cartridges for very small hand applications otherwise in :iO Kg or Kg kits. Storage of this material should be at less than :1rC in ( losed containers. The shelf life is warranted for 1 months froJll date of shipment in unopened original containers. ',ower storage temperatures will further extend the useful slwlf life.

Mixing and Material Application

If tl)(' A a/ld B ('()HlP(J1)('J1ts have been in storage fCll' some (1JIl(' SIJIIW filiPr s!'lti('mellt may have occurred, thus the IIlid!'ri;i/s should hp thoroughly stirred or shaken prior to IJS('

Table 1

TYPICAL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF DOWCORNING

3-6548 SILICONE RTV FOAM

Liquid as supplied

Appearance Specific gravity (at 25"C) Brookfield viscosity (Model HAF No. 3 spindle at IOrpm) poises.

Cured physical properties

Part A Black 1.05 45

PartB Off-White 1.05 60

Appearance Dark Grey Black +Snap Time (Min) 1.5 DenSity (lbS/fe) 17 Closed cell structure % 90 K Factor (W/mK) 7.H x Limiting oxygen index (lot rating) 35 Dielectric strength K volts/mm 6.5 Volume resistivity OHM- cm X 10 1 ; +Time to non-Pour condition-Time to begin foam rise.

A and B components are mixed in equal volumes or weights. If hand mixed this should be thorough and vigerous for about 30 seconds. The final foam density will be approXimately Iblft 1 Kg/ml For most on site applications automatic mixing using suitable metering and mixing equipment is recommended. This utilises a quantity of air introduced into the mix to give a fine and uniform- cell structure together with a density of 17 Ib/ftl Kg/ m 1). The exact density and cell structure will be influenced by the efficiency of mixing, and any constriction imposed by the space bemg. fdled. These criteria are monitored by the foam applIcatorl contractor (see Table IJ) as part of their quality assurance d Th tl e preferred proce ure. e use of an applicator IS 1 approach as the Dow Coming :-l- (i.')4H RTV. foam . f I I t ot the system, IS requent y on y one speCified componen . h "'11 -lb' h . ,t'm whIC >VI a elt t e malor one and it is the total sys e . h b f·' TI ther Important ave een Ire tested by the applicator. le 0 criteria in the mixing process are:1) 'I' h' h . fl h n'I)) time. This empelature, w 1C 111 uences t e s < • should ideally be I () <IO"C': (dispensing eqlllpmenl usually has provision for healed lines).

Dispensing of liquid foam into a dry clean area as water can inhibit foam cure. This can also apply to a number of chemicals for example organo tin

compounds, amines, sulphur containing compounds etc. Presence of surface inhibition is easily checked for and may be overcome if present using a PVA barrier coat.

3) The A and B components present no toxicity hazards should they accidentally be ingested on mixing. However a small quantity of hydrogen is evolved during the foaming process and curing, thus the material should be mixed and applied away from sparks and open flames.

Table 11

FOUR STEP QUALITY CONTROL REQUIREMENTS FOR CHECKING DOW CORNING 3-6548 SILICONE RTV FOAM AND DISPENSING EQUIPEMENT. 1. Snap time, minutes :2. Free foam density, Ibslft 3. Colour chart comparison, (Dow Coming form no. 61-337) 4. Cell structure chart comparison, (Dow Coming form no. 61-339)

1 -3 14 20 Pass Pass

SUGGESTED GUIDE FOR DESIGNING MINIMUM PENETRATION THICKNESS FOR DESIGNATED FIRE RATINGS

Thickness of Dow Coming 3-6548 Silicone RTV foam alone

FIRE RATING 1 hour 2 hour 3 hour fire test fire test fire test 4 inches 8 inches 12 inches

Thickness of Dow Coming 3-6548 Silicone RTV foam plus 1" of fire approved

damming material 3 inches 4 inches 9 inches

(Data extracted from results of several large scale E 7 79-76 fire tests of different Dow Coming 3-6548 silicone RTC foam penetration seal systems in both floor and wall test structures)

Figure 7.

Schematic representation of typical floor and walls penetration seals.

3 25mm

AL. SILICATE DAMMING ELEMENT

Seal Design

The sealing of a pipe and cable penetration containment of the Dow Coming 3- 6548 foam whilst the product is in the liquid state prior to foaming and curi?g. This is achieved using damming elements those WhICh ma y be left in place to form part of the final seal for example aluminium silicate fibre board, fibre matting and putty or temporary damming elements such as plyboard or chipboard used for containment only and removed after foaming.

Schematic examples of typical floor and wall or conduit seals are shown in Figures I and n.

One application recently carried out was the gas sealing of pipes/cables in lOO-I.')Omm diameter ducts on petroleum garage forecourts. These largely ducts involved placing mineral fibre between the pIpes andl or cables at a depth of 7 inches into the duct. !he entrance of the duct was closed with a disc of mineral fIbre board, any small spaces around cables being sealed with mineral fi bre. Sufficient Dow Coming :-:1- 6548 silicone RTV foam was injected to provide a foamed 6 inch plug between the mineral fibre layers / (See Figure n.)

Essentially this mechanical seal works by developing a considerable compression force both on the cables or pipes and the containing wall. Adhesion to these substrates may be developed but is generally not necessary.

The requirement to insert an extra cable or remove an existing one and keep the integrity of the seal is no problem. The foam may be pierced by a sharp pointed tool and the cable may be either pulled through the foam or through an oversized metal sleeve which is then removed. lIw foam closing onto the cable. In removing a cable the hole may be filled by fresh foam which adheres

exceptionally well to the existing foam or by use of a one part fibre retardant sealant Dow Coming 96 O!) 1 simply injected to seal the space.

How the seal functions in the presence of Fire

In a fire situation theDowCorning 3- 6548 silicone RTV foam forms a surface char layerof silica. This char limits the rate at which the foam is decomposed; removal of the heat source and the foam will not support combustion. The products of combustion besides the silica (Si OJ are COL and traces of incompletely burnt hydrocarbon, hence both the smoke produced and toxicity of decomposition products are very low. On exposure to fire the silicone foam seals even more tightly due to expansion of the gases within the enclosed cell structure.

In the UK foam is largely applied by recommended applicator; these either use licensed seal technology or have developed their own technology part of which includes passing recognized fire tests. A wide variety of tests have been carried out using both the BS 47(j Part 8 and Mobil Hydrocarbon time-temperature curves. Test durations have been from one to six hours for both pipe and cable penetrations and several other types of fire seal. These are usually Lloyds andlor Det N orsk Veritas approved.

Penetration Seal Applications

Sealing applications involving Dow Coming :isilicone RTV foam have been very broadly based, typIcal areas covered to date have been: a) Petrochemical Offshore applications include pipe and cable penetrations for Mobil, accidental and T exaco platforms.

Schematic representation of 750mm dzam garage forecourt Gas and Fire seal.

DC 3-(j54H SILICONE RTV FOAM 5

PIPES OR CABLES 4

2 150mm DrAM CLAY PIPE

Figure 3. Floor penetrations behind each controller's console carry voice-communications and radar data lines A lthough cable routings areji-equently changed to re-configzae the capabilities of the console, each penetration must be fir eproof

Figure 4.

Beneath th e floor of the A ubum control room, lit era lly hundreds offloor penetrations canying thousands 0/(([ bles present ed FAA engi /l ee rs w zth an zmmense fireproofin g proj ect. They turned to DO lO earning silicone RTV foam to solv e th e /nob l elll, not only bemus e il pro vid es superIOr fire proofing, but becaus e it is extremely simple to install

Petrochemical Onshore similar applications for Mobil and a gas pumping station for Shell; valve and actuator protection for Esso; cable and pipe duct sealing against petrol vapour on BP garage forecourts, method now accepted by the GLC.

Industriall y hazardous areas for example cable and penetration sealing in breweries, paper and board mills, automotive paint spray shops such as at Fords, British Steel and the N.C.B.

Power Industry- cable seals both C.E.G.B. fossil fuelled and Nuclear Stations.

e) More generally- as fire and gas seals in hospitals, old peoples homes, Building Societies, computer companies, Banks and "High Rise" buildings.

. Other areas currently under development include aIrports, storage areas for highly flammable materials and offshore module sealing.

h

Branch Meetings

Midlands Branch Meeting 17th February, 1982

The meeting commenced at 11.00 am at the S tyvechale Arms, Coventry. At a short business meeting a new chairman, Ken Lees, and a new secretary, Adrian wer: elected. A vote of thanks was given to the retmng chaIrman and secretary, Don Page and Neville Fox respectively. Discussions took place as to the level of a branch subscription and it was decided to charge an annual subSCription of £ 1.00 with a meeting fee of SOp per meeting those attending each branch meeting. Mr. Levett gave a bnef account of a recent Council meeting describing the proposed changes to the constitution to be put before the A.GM. in April.

, The speaker of the day was Mr. Reynolds from the C:leansmg Service Group, Newbury, who showed a short fdm and described the work of his company. He was kind eno.ugh to answer questions about the maintenance of dramage installations at the end. Mr. Massie of Pump M aintenance Limited continued the morning by raising the pro?lem to contractors caused by non-unifonnity of tank requirements of Local Authority officers. An discussion took place which highlighted the divergence of opinions on the subject. Immediately before lunch Mr. Edney from the Petroleum Industry Training spoke about the Courses run at nearby Coventry personnel employed in the petroleum ll1dustry 111 fire fighting.

, After I unch the meeting reconvened at the Fire Training (Jround situated on the airport and two very cold but f'.llluyable hours were spent watching training in progress. I hiS was lllterspersed by several very hot and realistic slIllu/aUons of possible fire situations.

l/l if 11 il very instrllcti ve afternoon. The thanks of the llUlI]! h <In' to all who took part in the busy day.

Figures III and IV show typical penetrations in a communications network.

Summary

Dow Coming 3- 6548 silicone RTV foam has been successfully used as a fire, smoke, gas, dust and moisture seal in a wide variety of applications.

This material has been extensively fire tested in pipe, cable and other sealing applications, the seals being flexible (accommodating movement), exhibiting low toxicity levels. The foam is capable of easIly sealIng awkward shapes even in complex cable trays. Seals may be easily altered to remove or accommodate further cables.

*Dow Coming is a joint venture company of Dow Chemicals and Coming G lass. The company is Dow Coming Ltd., Reading Bndge House, Readmg, Berkshire.

AGM of South Eastern Branch of the A.P.EA. at B.P. Research Centre, Sunbury on Thames, at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday 30th March 1982.

Members were wannly welcomed to the Centre by the Engeering Safety Officer Mr.]ohn Lock, follOWing which the meeting was fonnally opened.

Apologies for absence were received from Messrs W.E. Wright, S. Worsfold, T.S. Welsford, D. Haveland, M.E. Smith, R.G. Hall and K. Potter.

1. There were no matters arising from previous minutes.

2. Chainnans (Mr. D. Bicker) address

I was regretted considerable time had elapsed SInce the last meetmg of the Branch owing to the illness of the Secretary who happily has now recovered.

It was with pleasure and surprise when I opened the Bulletin to find thatJim had been elected Chainnan fO,r the cU.rrent year and ,I' m sure you would like to join With me m congratulatmg him.

3. Sadly, as I'm sure most of you have heard, of the sudden death Mr. Denys Taunton inJanuary. He had an active and enthusiastic supporter of the ASSOCIatIOn for many years and served in different capacities. (Members were then asked to stand for 1 minutes silence).

4, Treasurers report (Mr.]. Muskett)

Statement of accounts given from which there arose a discussion regarding a lack of claims for expenses (postage etc) , Whilst the Secretary had records of expenses, claims had been left in abeyance until capitation fees had been claimed from the National Treasurer.

The Secretary pointed out that following instructions given at the last Association's AGM, capitation fees claims would now only be accepted if made in writing. Members felt this should be done as early as possible because of the in-advisability of operating the Branch with proper expenses claims or capitation fees.

Secretary's Report (Mr.]. Cook)

Gratitude was expressed to all Officers of the Branch and individual members for their support and encouragement during the past year. Evidence that such enthusiastic support had been given was shown in more new members joining the association and attendance at meetings generally. It was felt that now that they were members only many more people from Industry would support the Association and take an part, thereby providing a platform for making the VIews and hopes of the Association more widely known.

6. Election of Officers

Chairman Mr. D. Bicker

Vice-Chairman Mr. K.]evons Secretary Mr.]. Cook Treasurer Mr.]. Muskett

Committee Members Mr. M. E. Smith

Mr. K.]evons

Mr. B. Wright

The above officers were returned unopposed.

7. Open Forum

It .was suggested that visits or future meeting venues mIght be arranged to include L'p.G. interests and major installations.

London News

DangerUXB?

The destruction of a Brixton shoe shop by means of an mcendiary device one Saturday in November was the alarming culmination of an inspector's investigations into a of petrol at the premises. He had been called to the asement sales room three days earlier and enquiries revealed that the smell had also been apparent in the basements of adjoining shops. No petroleum spmt.or mixture was found to be kept or used at any of the premIses, however and an inspection of the drains and the surround·' Th C II d mg area revealed no likely source. e 10 owmg ay the smell persisted in the shoe shop and the manageress finding staining on some of the boxed stock. The also smelled of petrol and the hardboard backing to e. shelves bore trickle marks consistent with a liquid aVrng been thrown or sprayed by someone. The inspector that the circumstances were suspicious and the manageress accordingly but she apparently dOo no further action. The remains of a clock operated Be:Ice were found in the burnt out shop by an officer of the ngade's Fire Investigation Unit but it seems unlikely that It was.present during the inspector's visits. The local CID is pursumg its enquiries and has taken statements from the rnspector and the FlU officer.

Infringement of licence condition customer drenched

A lady customer at a filling station was drenched with petrol from th h h flexible e overhead arm of a petrol pump w en t e £ t hose attached to it dropped off. In the interests of h sa e y(and possibly as a rough and ready way of controlling er mounti h water ng ysteria} the attendant threw a bucket of OVer her Th h . I· understandb . . e customer was taken to OspIta III an pump ftt. ly dIstressed condition. Examination of the showed that the incident was probably e to lack f . . The 0 preventIve maIlltenance. IncIdent d proceedings s an the prospect of ensuring legal service the company concerned to issue a maintenance. Th0 Its operators on the subject of pump hose Court and Al £ 135 costs f:; Ltd were fined £500 with condition. mfnngement of a petroleum licence

Interceptor problem waxing dangerous

A potential major hazard was unwittingly caused by a licensee in Haringey immediatel y prior to lastA ugust Bank Holiday week-end when he removed water from a contaminated petroleum spirit tank and disposed of it together with some spirit in a yard gulley. Within 24 hours from this event, dead fish were found by a fisheries baliff in the River Lea, but that the cause was petroleum spirit was not appreciated by the water authorities until after the Bank Holiday when it fell to a deputising district inspector aided by uniformed personnel, Borough Council employees and Thames Water employees to trace the source to a motor dealers. premises some three miles away. The yard, of which the petroleum spiri t storage area formed part, was drained to an interceptor and was used for a new car dewaxing process employing a paraffin/hot water spray. All three chambers of the interceptor were subsequently found to be full of a paraffin/water/wax emulsion heavily contaminated with petroleum spirit. The emulsion had acted as a carrier for the spirit which had not separated in the usual way. Drains and watercourses over a considerable area were affected and the Brigade mounted a flushing and venting exercise over several hours.

The licensee was cautioned severely for failure to maintain the interceptor efficiently and failure to keep records for a tank over ten years old, and was under threat of prosecution by the Thames Water Authority. Inspectors have advised that the de-waxing process should not be carried out in areas drained to a petroleum interceptor.

Abandon Ship

A lady houseboat resident left the calor gas cooker tap turned on but unlit for abour hours during the evening. On discovering the escape of gas she turned off the tap, disconnected the cylinder, opened the windo\vs and spent the night ashore. She asked for LFB's advice on reoccupation the following afternoon. The petroleum inspector visited, could not detect a smell of LPG and obtained no reading from explosimeter on the bilges of the boat or the pontoon to which it was moored. After the 24hour ventilation period and the lack of evidence of LPG vapour, the inspector felt that there was no reason why she should not again live aboard.

Lucky Escape

The forecourt attendant at a filling station in Wembley escaped with superficial burns to hi s fa ce, hands and neck following a fire in a manhole chamber.

As the att e nd a nt remov e d the central plug of a manlid to a tank manhole c hamber, there was an explosion and fire. The Bri gade was called but when th ey arri v e d th e fire had e x tinguished it self. A t first the caus e of the fire was something of a mystery, there was an eyewitness who confirmed that there was nobody smoking in the vicinity and th e injured attendant could offer no explanation a nd was understandabl y very shocked and distressed b y the occurre nce.

Having interviewed the witnesses, the inspector set about his sleuthing. He exam ined the manhole chambers and found sp iri t from a l eak in the flexible connection of a petrol pump Th e inspec to r reque s ted that the pumps be repair e d and th e chambers pumped out, but was apparent ly no nearer identifying the source of ignition

The next day, after th e pumping out had been don e, a ll w as revealed. A cigarette lighter was found at the bottom of th e chamber. Th e attendant quickly identifi e d this as his own. Apparently h e had been carrying the lighter in his jac ket pocket and it had dropped out as he bent ov e r to remov e the plug, causing the incendiv e spark.

The lic ens ees were cautioned in respe c t of various infringements that came to light in the course of th e investigation and th e attendant will certainly think twice about the co nt e nts o f his po c kets wh en working on the for ec ourt in future.

Furniture Factory Fire

A fi re in a furnitur e factor y is though to hav e been caused b y a spark from a n e l ec tri c fan motor which was within the exhaust trunking. Th e lic encee has been told to ac co rd with m o dern pract ic e and put the motor outside the trunking.

Whoops apocalypse?

Once again an inspector was called in to investigate a fire , at a lock-up garage, possibly involving petroleum sp irit. It appears that a welding torch was being used in the vicinity of the off side whee l arch of a Ford Cortina probably resulting in the melting of a p lasti c fuel lin e beneath the car. Fire broke out whic h d e stroyed theC o rtina a nd severly damaged the lo c k up garage. Happily, no one was injured.

These licens ed pre mises and al though there was a strong SuspICIOn that petroleum spirit was involved in th e earl y stages of the fire, action was taken by the Council. The owner of the Cortlll,a may, however, consider further action.

Death from a petrol fire

A man was criticall y injured a nd subsequently d' d ' I f 'f' bb l e 111 hospita a ter settmg Ire to ru ish in a skip at Sta nmore Cri c ket club 111 Harrow. Th e skip was of an unusual de having 8' high walls and a door ( 4' x 3') in one sid e held b y a drop bar. Th e cont e nt s of the skip came mainl y from the club bar a nd included many bottles Appar tl I d f d' en y t l e usual procde. urle l or dlsposlhn.g of the rubbish was to se t fir e to It peno Ica y an ,o n t IS occasion, three memb the club undertook to carry out the tas k One . d e rs of I f h b plO Uced can of petro rom t e oot of his car and pou d b a a g a llon on to the contents of the skip which half the lower lev el of the door. He then se t I" 'ht above Ig to a p " petrol soaked trousers and threw th e m int th aIr of vapour in the skip ex ploded a nd the door 0 bel sktp. Th e was ow ff' hing es and struck the m a n on the head' a PIn 0 It s door was also blown off and c rack ed;w ane. opposite the o sec tIOn s of cast concrete fenc e about 13' away F t a pre- or unat e ly e lse was hurt despite bottle s being th ' nO one the skip. rown up to oS' from

Heavy