The Bulletin – November 1993

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

The wrong underground

p1p1ng material could put your entire business in the hole.

If you're rebuilding your station, you're probably in a rush for the pipe to be in the ground and tested so you can get on with your real business of selling fuel.

But don't forget to take a close look at your choice of piping materials.

Here are three things to think about when you choose between 'hard' piping like Dualoy®3000/L and the 'soft' system that's just come on the market.

For starters, there's fluid hammer. Topping off can cause pressure spikes of 20 atm or more. Soft systems use thermoplastic hoses in the primary with safety factors of 3:1 or Jess. That's not a lot of margin for failure. With Dualoy 3000/L rigid-wall fiberglass pipe from Arneron you get a safety factor of over 10: 1.

Second, there's UL-listing Soft system containment doesn't have it. Wouldn't you want the assurance of a

ril:\

Underwriters Inc .@ third party like UL that the containment can prevent soil contamination in case of a leak? You have that assurance with Dualoy 3000/L.

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Next, there's retestability. Hose systems give you soft containment and sump penetrations that rely on soft flexible boots with minimal pressure capabilities. With soft containment it's a chore to retest the system once in service-if you can retest at all. Dualoy 3000/L provides rigid-wall, adhesive-bonded containment and sump penetrations with an interstitial space that's unbroken from pump to dispenser: you can retest the entire syste m in a jiffy so you 'll know it 's really working.

We can tell you a Jot more about the differences between 'soft' and 'hard' buried fuel systems. For your own peace of mind, get the whole story by giving us a telephone call at 0233 613 884. Today. Your business is too important to take a chance on anything Jess than the proven best: Dualoy 3000 / L from Ameron.

OVERFILL PREVENTION VALVE WITH TOP-TUBE

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FEATURES:

• Industry standard.

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• Less restrictions than competitive valves.

• Distributor network second to none.

• Available in 4" and now also in 3"0

• Overfill prevention valves should only be installed by installers competent to HSG-41.

IH"VIROFLEX: For iyel d@livery. 1btal secQAdary fm $UCtion m preS$Uf8 systefTlS, or Monoilex for burial suction systems. Easy to install and maintain, compatible with all fuels and additives currently on 1he market. UL ·listed.

,f>ETPIOLgLINE: For offset-fill, vent and vapour recovery. Robust and easy to us@, this leak-free petrol and additive resistant system is ba_$ed on Durapipe's patented electrofusion jointin9 method.

year the annual Conference moved to the Metropole Hotel in Birmingham. A large amount of hard work put in was rewarded by the high turnout to both the Exhibition and Conference. Also judging from the comments received from those attending it was thoroughly enjoyed by the 475 attendees.

KEYNOTE SPEECH GIVEN AT THE A.P.E.A. CONFERENCE AT THE NEC

ByStuartHowell

It is my privilege and pleasure to not only help set the scene for s but also I hope , to play some part in the climate for our !ndustry in the coming years. Jn domg so I would IIke to put tour principles firmly in place .

The fir st is this Conference it se lf, "Innovations in Fuel Sys_te ms", the seco nd is the fact that we are in a team bu sme ss, the third of_ the ine vitability of chanae and finally , th e best way of securing succe ss, out of that change. Le t me elaborate.

Turning fir st _to_ this Conference. I cannot over-stress the importance of 111dustry confere nce s "lld tl · · , " 11 s one 111 part1ctdar. It pre se nt s us with a piime opportunity to hon e our skill s,_for the overall good. We mu st not fail o urse lves, and especially not tho se who look to us, to pe rform . t k , 1 k 1 C t' ou1 as s Let s oo on t 11s on e ren ce as th e start of tl t . . 1 . . 1 rn new begmnm g, t iat 111no va t1on , t 1at challenge for success in th e future.

seco nd _ principle I would hk e to put in place is to co nfirm th e fact, th at thi s. our bus111es s is ., tea in b · · ' " ' us1n ess We mu st co ll ec t1 ve ly ag ree ObJ eU1ves and obligations , as a n indu stry. w_e mu st hav e a co ll ect1ve: pragmatic purpose, or we will tail in our p11me duty: whi c h is to profess io nall y mee t th e needs of th e _at Luge. Wh o do I mea n by we7 l me a n leg is lato rs e nlrn ce1s, I etai lers, o il co mp a ni es a nd eq uipm e nt manu fact ur e rs and 111 s tall e rs Throughout thi s Co nfe re nce , a nd above a ll in th e clays be yo nd let us think and act as a tea m so we w i11 succeed, as a team.

Ladies and Gent leme n let me was te no tim e in s harin g my views with yo u abo ut my time! prin ciple the in ev itabili ty of change .

fr stem s from th e ve ry the me of thi s Co nfe re nce a nd parti c ularl y that wo rd inno vatio n· ·. In my di ct io nar y it

h althouah a more preci se interpreta tion would means c ange, ' o ·Jct I I . , f . tl e better" In Olli wo1 , we iave no c 1oice be "c hange Oi 1 ·. . d . · I . · t"on _ is mev itable. Th e goo new s, iS t iat chanae mnova i 1 · W h "' · · dtisti·y chanae iS not 1m g new. e ave fo US ll1 Olli ll1 , o i ' 1 d f1aa and th e two ga llon ca n, through to moved from t1e ie 'e d ·t in eastern europe, and there a re eve n ultra mo e1n Si es ' new er advances around the corner.

d 1 know that here in th e UK, there is a w id e But you anb t ·ed for In relatively rece nt years we hav e spect rum to e ea ei · · · d d I _ ah decimalisation , met n ca tion an are . say been thi ou 0 01 , our indu stry is th e mos t used dart board vilificat10n. 1 ) es , in th e fair gro und.

f . c hanae on us tod ay are num ero us. Th ey Th e 0 ; adva nces e nvironm e ntal co nce rn s come from _tee 1n o oe"'11t 'wtth th e ir and preferences. (O me r di sCei nm . . .1 · c us 1stances Th e ve ry co mp e t1t1 ve nature o d cononuc c11 cun ' · an e . d 1 mark e t here in th e U. K. would press for our bu smess not for th ose ot he r e leme nt s that '." ve change sub sta ntial factor is that nat ional mentioned . . cl po liti ca l a nd geograp hi ca l bo1 cl e 1s a1 t 'H"e be1n o i aise 1 · I ' "' 1 · -)' Com mo n purpose. or t 1e co mmon as s1n a in to 11 sto1 ·. P1 "'. aood is tak ms>: ce ntre stage. p an etai y "' · •

I k at W IY'lt li es behind so me of th ese press ures . Let 's oo ' ' .,.., 1 Joo)' Who co ul d ha ve for eca st the advanc es that , ec 111 0 "' · have bee n mad e. who wo uld dare lorec ast w hat mor e. I d Bl1t woe bet id e a nyo ne w ho see ks to li ve 111 t he aiea I vac uum of th e sta tu s- quo. And ye t. th e re s a hala11L·e_ to l e st ru ck betwee n the adva nces we must o bt a111 lik e le ature at a Tesco s ite. a nd the prngrnat 1sm \ VL' ha vt' of tt'll painfull y sec ured. We must not fa ll 111to the trap or mcrcl ) exc hanging expe n e nc e !or lash1on or lad .

I won't be universally popular by saying, that sometimes happens, when it comes to environmental issues. Our industry has special obligations no question about that no question of our ducking them. But there are some quarters which would have us indulge in self-flagellation and self recrimination in the matter, which would take us beyond the pale. Worse, they would have us put right the sins of the world for no other reason than we appear to be fair game. Let me say again, we have clear obligations to deal responsibly with environmental concerns. But as with technology, in balanced and pragmatic ways. I sometimes worry about this industry's ability to always provide coordinated and consistent views on matters of public concern. Those which require informed debate, so that legislators can take into proper account, our experience, our intelligence and our intentions, to properly see through our public, moral and corporate responsibilities. I was much taken by the paper to the Institute of Petroleum by David Pirret of Shell headed "Restoring the Balance". A well thought out piece. One wonders where we go from here in such matters. One thing's certain, we must not adopt a submissive attitude when we have wise counsel to offer. We must not be shy or apologetic for seeking to express ourselves. We must make sure we actively contribute to discussions and decisions on the environment and not merely be cajoled and controlled. We must not be silent hostages to fortune.

Turning to the economic pressures for change, these apply on any level you care to look at. Internationally, nationally or locally, albeit to varying degrees. With our prime product, crude oil, supply exceeds demand, despite resources being finite. Margins are under severe pressure and are likely to remain so, not only because of the supply and demand curve, but because, generally speaking, personal disposable income is also constrained and competition is growing, offering attractive alternatives to the established norm. This illustrates the competitive nature of all sectors of retailing in the U.K. It is obviously not confined to our particular trade. But do not decry competitive growth, far from it. However when I remind you that, as a rough average, we have 1 service station to every IOOO cars in the UK. and that means the best average motor fuel throughput each site could achieve is Im. pa an uneconomic volume for many suppliers and retailers, you can see the downward pressure on overall site numbers in this country. So this dilemma together with thin margins combined in some cases with volume down-turns. leads to the classic mix of good and bad news. The bad news is that established investment programmes are reviewed, the good news is that there is a search for greater efficiency and differentiation between types of outlets. and different brands.

The economic pressures are prime examples of the need to innovate. Nobody is better at doing so. than our industry. Long may it be the case.

Now for that all important factor for change. Customer discernment. I mean the forecourt customer. drivers and their passengers who call on retail outlets. As a team of oil companies. retailers. manufacturers. installers. legislators and enforcers we have our own needs to meet for varying reasons. But we do have a common goal. 10 meet the needs of the public at large and our forecourt custome1_·s_. And although their prime need is for a safe lnendly em ironment in all senses their aspirations go further and can he ljllite complex. certainly as far as our customers are concerned. They are driven hy economic. s<_>Cial and rersonal needs. They arc well informed and d1scernmg. <Jpen to persuasion. and to change for the better. and so must we he We must never forget the people we really -;erve .in· 1101 (llJr employers _ hut the puhlic at large and w.l<m1n' in particular. And their wish for us to a/ 1..vays cl() h, ll•T lor !hem

My fourth and final principle is to aim to get the best out of change. How to handle change constructively. I make no apologies for reminding you of the absolute need for us, this industry, to work as a team collective purpose for the common good. It is in that vein that I say we have to learn to love change. How do we do that?

I suggest we begin by accepting the fact that change is nothing new. We start to live with it from the day we are born. We learn to walk, talk and do better at school as we grow older. We even seek and accept change in the garden, in our kitchens, in our homes. Somehow, in our professional lives, change becomes an abnormality and we resist it. Why? Often it is the fear of the unknown the fear for ourselves and our personal well-being sometimes the status-quo is reassuring, whereas we know, deep down, it is Job's comforter.

We must welcome the prospect of justifiable change, and to help us do so I would like to mention a few comments a few tips I have learned in my professional life and those of you who are familiar with the work of Tom Peters the management guru, will readily recognise. '

Firstly, trust and respect the views of others. None of us have the sum total of all knowledge, none of us have the right to ignore the talent and acumen that often surrounds us. It must be nurtured, cultured and revealed.

Having the information, share it. Secure an understandmg and mutual ownership of the subject, of the work; of _the proposal. People will buy-in, if they know what s gomg on, and why.

This must cross functional teams and experiences and even mvolve the customer, the client. Heaven forbid do I hear? Of course I do "what the heck does anyone else know that I don't already", is a common response · industry. Well I_ admit there h ave to be limits, but example, me how many equipment aim to satisfy 01! companies to the relative of the end users of their products. Forgive me, I have no wish to abuse your hospitality but all too often real users come second.

in our team, we must recognise success and tolerate failure. In team we must coach, encourage, and empathise. In our team we must obtain a collect1ve a pool of knowledge that is always, always, applied with pnde, purpose and resolve. My final tip is that we should approach the process for change in a project management way. That is to say we must apply method and logic to our work to ensure we subscribe only to clearly understood objectives and priorise purposes. Properly provided for in terms of time and resources. Having applied the tests of public and commercial pragmatism to the aims whatever their origins we should have clearly defined objectives. accountabilities. responsibilities. time-scales and ahove all. clear-cut decisions.

If I may polish the principle on how to get the hest out of change. how to learn to love it, you only need to consult about it. respect and actively involve and encourage everyone who will be affected hy it. allow them to contribute and he a part of the process. recognise success and tolerate and without inhihitinu free-thoucrl1t c c

secure a project management approach to the co-ordinated progress of justifiable change. The hest way to cope with change. to encourage it and plan for it openly. and crucially. establish an of doing hetter tornorrow than we did today.

Before closing, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to refer to my current work on de-regulation with the Department of Trade and Industry and how it affects our down-stream business that's to say, everything that happens outside of the oil terminal gates.

I was especially interested when I saw this item in the newspaper some time ago (read some of the contents) however de-regulation turned out to be nothing to do with saving fallen men and women it had everything to do with cold showers!

Mixing with legislators is a relatively new experience for me. And I have been cautious, especially when I tell you that, early on, I was warned that legislators are people who say "let's find out what the children are doing, and stop them!" Not true. in fact I find a refreshing wish to apply at least one of my adages mentioned earlier to consult with industry. But what is de-regulation all about? There are two objectives. The first is to:-

Consider existing regulations and advise how unnecessary costs and/or can be removed.

The second is to advise what should be done to ensure that they are avoided, when introducing new regulations, in future.

Bearing in mind each ministry has been directed by John Major to review its regulations the work of the seven Task Forces has been to highlight those that are of particular concern to business. Industry and commerce has been trawled by representatives on the Task Forces. I had privilege of serving on the Retailing and Tourism Task Force and am continuing to represent this industry on issues that need resolution. There are many to deal with. From tobacco warning notices in shops, to the Consumer Credit Act, from p1ice displays on pumps to V.A.T., but the consensus view, by far, on what is the most important issue for resolution, is the inconsistency of enforcement of regulations. Especially those that are affected by or flow from H.S .(G) 41, the Petrolem? (Consolidation) Act 1928 and the Food Safety and Hygiene Act. The concerns regarding inconsistency of enforcement are by no means confined to our industry. They are closely followed by other concerns shared across industry as a whole by various aspects of environmental legislation, heath and safety especially the "six pack" and waste management.

The principal issues were considered at 'I c f' "tl · ' on erence w1 1 the Pmne M1111ster and C.ab_inet Ministers in July and the work to :;as ren.1forced. Especially driven by the need to thmk small that 1s to say, 95% of business in the U.K. c?mpanies I 0 or fewer employees. And wherea.s big bus11.1ess ca.n accommodate the vagaries of regulat10ns. albeit unw1ll111gly. small businesses can't and we must consider the effects on them abllVe ·ill w · 1 · ' . e mus also ensure we understand cost of comp! iance for everyone. Incidentally our considerations are not to lower or affect proper levels of safety and competitivity.

In addressing my task of advising which changes should he considered to existing regulations. I shall he takin" into account the need to ensure mistakes made in the will not he repeated in the future.

I do not have the final answers yet. But I have some open questions which I would like to share with you especially remembering my four principles.

How appropriate is the 1928 Act (and let's not forget the effect the review of local government could have on such an instrument) and is H.S.(G.)41 as goal orientated as it should be, is it too prescriptive, should "minimum required standards" be the aim rather than "best practices" and should we not incorporate some form of risk analysis making sure that the measures are appropriate to different types of site in different locations.

Are the various forum that contribute to the debate on regulations that affect us drawn from a wide enough audience? Should the likes of the National Rivers Authority and Town and Country Planners be included. And do those who represent our industry have proper mandates and clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities?

And finally. How do we secure consistency of enforcement throughout the country?

Having heard comments from virtually all quarters of the industry, I do have proposals to make on all of these points. And I will be drafting my paper to encompass them at around the end of this month. I'll circulate it to all representative bodies for comment before logging it formally with the D.T.I.

A reasonably summary on this issue is, if I may quote from one important member of our industry team, we need certainty in pragmatic standards, consistent enforcement and a speedy reliable appeals process to accommodate rare exceptions.

There are 21 issues in all to deal with on behalf of our · dustry those I referred to today represent a small 1n ' cl ·11 proportion of that number. But 111 my. JU gement. w1 have the greatest benefit for us, not to ment10n the public and our customers, in the overall.

You will be aware of this artic.le of a few weeks ago · d that Mrs. Thatcher s attempts to de-regulate 111 remm s us h 1 1 ·d- I 980s stalled. It says t at w 11 e we are rev1ew111g the mi II b · f b · cl · 0 I t lS affectincr the we e111g o usmess an its 7 00 recru a 101 o . • 0 ·ate wealth Parhament 1s busy passmg new abihty to gene1 ' ones at a rate of 3,000 a year.

· scepticism not to say cynicism, about the There 1s some · c ·i h' · d f de-recrulation. I will not 1a1 t 1s 111 ustry. hkely success o o our concerns will be heard.

d Gentlemen. in summary. I would like to Ladies an · C t' d h · , · h ·mportance of this on e1ence an O\N we emphasise t e I d . . W, d t te·rni approach to ou1 111 ust1 y. c must should a op a ' · · . · iterests in a co-ordmated pragmatic way. represent ou1 11 .. · k' tl1 shy from the need to properly serve the never see UH! · · ,· 1 public and the customers alike but never ever mterests o ie · , 1· t·· the need to express ou1 views .1s p.u t o .1 shnnkmg 10111 · • L • leb·ite aimed at ach1enng advances Ill the construct I\ c l • · · · .. . , _not merely pnff1dmg targets as s1tt1ng ducks overall c<1usc , , . .1 tliink we are lair game. trn hl.11111.::. tor those w 10 L .· 1 11·111,, of justifiable change should be welcomed. The mev 1 .i 1 · L • ., 1 ·11 ·di he better lur 11 IHl\\'L'H'r karn1ng Lo lme because v.t " ' ti"il li1 our team. we must coach and L'Hcouragc 11 1s essen • · L h tl [ 111 ct secure 11rogress. as a team. \\'Ith L'lear guals. eac o 1e • · L

1 hope J can set a good L''ample with \\ ur.k un dereuulation frel free to tell me \\hen and 11 I dun t - and I C' will do the same tor you.

Chairman. Ladies and CIL'nt kmcn. l hank \ ou h 1r '\ 1ur invitation to gi\e this nute address I dti hope it ll]1L'lb a few doors. Thank you.

APEA CONFERENCE

ENGINEERING IN THE DEALER MARKET

By Alan Dyson

I'd 1ike to apo logise to Jamie Thompson because , by the time I' ve fini s hed , I m ay well have us urped hi s title as " the man mo st likely to ruin your day!"

My n a me 's Alan Dy so n , I work for Jet and I'm an engineer. I've had many title s in my sixteen-odd years in the o il indu stry one had s ix words in it! but the one that matter s most to m e is "e ngineer" because it mean s so met hing.

E ng ineers have the mea ns. and the ability, to change things e ngineer s hav e the right to c han ge thing s they al_so have the o bligation to c han ge thing s and things Ill our mdu stry h ave go t to c han ge.

T hi s morning r wa nt to talk abo ut how we in Jet see the nee d for c hange, the se llin g of the need for c hange , and the s ub seq ue nt manag e ment of that c han ge. in o ur dealer market the mark et in w hi ch I operate.

It is a pec uli a ri ty of thi s indu s try that in the up s trea m se cto r. e x ploratio n , di scove ry , re cove ry, refinin g eve n di s trihutinn whe re produ c ts a re hancllecl b y ex pert s a nd

high_ly trained technicians, installations are protected b barriers , where cigarettes , and sources of ignition a y df .. re remove rom v1 s1tors, the products are handled in an aim Id .d 1 ost uniform manner wor w1 e . t 1s only when we take th volatile, lighter fractions, and entrust it to the hands of th: untrained general public, that every nation on the planet does it differently, and, spanng the blushes of everyone her today, even individual authorities within these nation s the .e h d f " h ,, Ie cannot be t ousan s o ng t ways of handlino 0 b ur products there can , however, be thou sa nds of wrong on d h f h es , hi story, an even muc o w at 1s current practice suooe t bb s s th a t we ' ve tned mo st of them.

Thi s mu st change. It is not enough to say that what we d ha s been good enough for eighty or a hundred years _ it not good enough frankly , it nev e r was.

Don ' t mi s under s tand thi s is not an exe rc ise in se lf fla ge llati o n the safe t y re cor d of th e retail petroleum indu st ry is s uperb. bu t we only keep it s uperb by strivin o co ntinuou sly, to improve it b

Petrol is a noxious, aggressive, toxin. It will poison you, blind you, bum you. Unlike most other toxins it will also blow you up. Yet ignorance is such that people still use it to light barbeques, still have to be told to put cigarettes out whilst fuelling their cars, still tum up expecting to buy some in lemonade bottles, sadly, also contractors can still be seen trailing extension leads across pump islands and site operators get gardeners in to mow the grass with electric mowers.

Clearly, good regulations are needed in the interests of everyone's health and safety.

So, as oil companies, what of our relationship with those who make, and oversee these regulations the regulators?

With the current barrage of sometimes misguided legislation from which we are sheltering we could be tempted to express our position in the manner of the second world war Russian general, who, forbidden to report bad news, telegraphed back to Moscow that "we are retreating victoriously before an enemy who is advancing in total disarray!"

But our relationship should not be adversarial we are on the same side. I tell you openly that if a petrol-related fire, or explosion, occurs on a filling station, I want it to have a competitors' pole-sign on it not one of mine I want to build safe sites. In that quest, good minimum standards can only help. Such standards will only emerge from a continuing dialogue between regulators, and station operators in the dealer market particularly, a need for change.

But our approach to standards themselves also needs to change. Traditionally standards have been seen almost as a specification not that which is the minimum acceptable. We have set out to achieve that which is required by a standard not to exceed it. But I give you a different view for managing change.

If engineers constantly seek, not to achieve a particular standard, but to pursue that which is "international best with apologies to round table, improving, and, where necessary, that V.:h1ch can be demonstrated to be the best techmque.' product, or philosophy, available in the world, standards will always be exceeded. As a mcreasmgly good, demonstrably rational standards will follow the advance of technology _ not seek to lead it.

Had Wilbur and Orville Wright had t · f , . o wait or an a!fw01th111ess standard, we d still be cross1 · th A I · · ng e t antic 111 ocean lmers, and 1f .James Watt had had to wait for a standard on steam engmes, we'd still be do' 't · 11 · mg 1 111 ga eons.

Good standards are essential to the safe 0 t' 1 . I h c 1 · pera ion o any 111dustry, but et t em 10 low technologi'cal d 1 . a vance, et us accept that thell' development and appl' t' " • 1ca ion 1s a continuous process - not a one-time" event. Let them be rational, please, please, let them be unified and 1. d ,, 1 , , app 1e consistently. In this iorum ask how is it sensible that a procedure, material, or product that is .safe in one part of this nation, can be dangerous elsewhere m the handling of the same product.

So, I ask for a commitment, work with us. Look at what we propose from the not of whether it complies with the "rules", but whether 1t 1s better than what is a minimum requirement.

I'll give you a couple of examples. There is one authority that still insists on single-skin galvanised lines because that's what the rules allow -a standard becoming a

specification. Another does not permit electric ducts to cross suction lines -I wonder if they think the electricity's going to leak. Traditionally both would be separated by around a foot of concrete, with the power carried by jointless MICC cable -a situation in which a fire triangle is not likely to exist of course, when we come to the pump base, a situation in which two sides of the fire triangle are certain to exist at times, fuel lines and cable joints are in very close proximity. This, of course, is permitted. A local foible but the cost of re-routing is around two thousand pounds. The pot is not infinite, that represents two thousand pounds I cannot spend elsewhere -on double wall lines, for instance I know, that like all of us, regulators are under the pressure of dramatically increasing workloads work with us, and you may well find that we need less of each other's time.

A need for change but managed change, cliches become cliches because they are a pithy way of making a point it is a cliche that "to every problem there is a solution which is attractive, available, immediate, convenient and wrong.

There is a great temptation to grab for solutions when time would be better invested in properly appraising the problem this often produces the realisation that the solutions under consideration, are solutions to the wrong problem.

An example is that of a lift engineer on a high-rise building project who was given the task of speeding up the lifts, because people found the wait in the lobbies unacceptable.

After earning an acceptable amount in fees, the engin.eer reported back that he was unable to speed up the hfts because the human body could not tolerate the increased acceleration, and deceleration. He went on to say, that he had solved the problem: When asked how, he 1:ephed "put mirrors all round the lobbies,- pe?ple get tll'ed of looking at themselves _they won t notice the wait.

As engineers, therefore, is .our an approach to station engineering which 1s also 111 need of change. I h h d ·epeatedly that the new standards are urgently ave ear 1 f' Id" h needed to create a "level playmg 1e so the I · f safe environmentally proteclive tee mques app 1cat10n o ' ,, h . . t a "safety tax on t e more pro-active do not c1ea e ' · A level foundation ce1tamly but our aim should t exceed the standards. I don't want a level f'eldo our industry is fiercely competitive I want a play111g ie • h I ·11 II la incr field that my compan.y s no ogy w1 a ow me p f'avour _ cost eng111eenng can overcome the soto t1 t 111 my " l · h · · d " · ninental premnun to t 1e pomt w ere 1t 1s calle env1ro . 'bi b 'Id new sites exceedmg all cmTent, and known poss1 e tot tdnar·ds cheaply than by employing future s an • ' · I methods and matenals 1f we are prepared convent10na · I · I I nd radically, to re-apprmse om tee 1111ques, and comp ete y, a I f I methods of work _ I"ll show you a coup e o exam1p des ot_ · h . I btit don"t expect me to share our met 10 s of this s mt Y work.

Our attitude to standards of constructiofn an1d1 in d I narket must also change -a ter a , 1t s st1 our the ea e1 t d 1· I " th Cl I I · there In the 111111 o t 1e man on e ap mm po e-s1gn up · , 1 1 'b ·· thei·e is no difference. It s a so more t 1an likely 0111111 us . . . . . 1 't'. our investment 111 there, we put ourselves at nsk 11 t 1at 1 s 1 t. we do nothing to improve the qua 1ty o construct1011. and operation on dealer sites as we do on our own.

Ifs no crood simply "'beating-up" on dealers to put their houses i1torder we are the experts. it's om prnduet. and. bearing in mind that dealers of one sort or another outnumber company sites by five-to-one. failure. on tiur part. to become actively involved smacks of environmental contempt.

I have heard it said that by becoming actively involved in the manner in which a dealer builds, or carries out modifications to his site, exposes us to risk certainly it can but we put ourselves at much greater risk by failing to become involved.

At Jet, we have been operating what we call "dealer engineering services" for the past three years, the service encompasses everything from simple technical, and problem-solving advice, to complete turnkey project design and build. During those three years we've built over one hundred and twenty sites for our dealers fifteen per cent of the network.

As technology has developed, and proven itself, we've incorporated double-skin tanks, double-wall lines we have more of the latest active/passive tank monitoring systems in our dealer chain, than we do in our company owned chain pump containment sumps with automatic pump shut-down in the event of a leak alarms worry me. How many times have you walked onto a site and asked the operator what that flashing red light means to be told "I don"t know, but it"s been doing it all week at first it made a horrible noise, but we turned that off."

Alarms need to work in spite of people electronic fire officers, saying "You don"t use that piece of kit again, until it's been fixed" the systems don"t interfere with the business they protect it.

We've done this irrespective of whether the standards required it, and we've done it with the dealer's money. Which brings me to what this whole environmental debate is about money.

Dealers are business men, they feel the impact of cost and price changes immediately, and personally. Of course they have an environmental wish-list, unlike many of us in this room, they visit earth occasionally, so we have had to sell-in the need for change.

We've done this in two ways.

The first is by demonstrating, in competition, that sites can be built more cheaply, using new techniques and materials, than the dealer can do it, using conventional techniques.

The second is by demonstrating that by "doing it right" either in a full development, or a minor retro-fit, the site can be operated more profitably again, in two basic ways.

Firstly, redevelopment, or retrofit, carried out at the same time as environmental improvement can introduce new sources of revenue.

Secondly, good wet-stock management contributes to profit. One hole in the wet-stock system, anywhere on the site. one tenth of a millimetre in diameter, will leak a tenth of a litre in twenty minutes.

All right. that's only a third of a litre an hour roughly the U.S.E.P.A. trigger rate. that's only eight litres a day three thousand litres a year. One thousand, five hundred pounds, seven thousand, five hundred pounds across the life of a typical deal. A hydrostatic tank test won't detect is. so on a four tank site. fully tested by conventional means a dealer can he losing at least thirty thousand pounds over the life of a deal

it"s more profitable not to it costs less than that to put it right. at the start

l:arlier in the year I was in Asia. Stock-loss there is around rwo percent not point two. two. They regard this as a fact 1>1 lile. In the U.K. in 1987 a report published by Imperial < 11llq.!l' o,;t;ited among other things that it is not possible to

lose less than point two two percent,, without cheating the customer. That leaves point two eight percent which can cheerfully be lost before a report to the authorities is required anything less than point five percent's all right, isn't it?

Why? It's back to the philosophy that standards become specifications, but, on a million gallon site that difference is around seven thousand pounds per year. It's more profitable to do it right at the start it isn't petrol that we risk leaking into the ground it's money.

It's true that we cannot sensibly close the gap fully, the law of diminishing marginal returns applies, but dealers are taking sound environmental decisions, for sound commercial reasons.

To it right can also remove the obligation to test tanks, and Imes, and to carry out manual continuous inventory checking the cost of which also depletes the profit line.

There are only five simple rules

Built a site that cannot leak. Know, at all times, where your wetstock is. When this leakproof site does leak anticipate the leak and plan to contain it.

Once you've contained it- detect it, and locate the cause. Remove it and remove the cause.

These mean

Double, and treble containment systems. No underground joints, which are not themselves contained, and accessible.

Continuous monitoring of stocks.

Continuous monitoring of containment systems it's easier to detect, the presence of a small quantity of liquid where it shouldn t be, than the absence of a tiny percentage of liquid from where it should be.

Fit alarms that do something or as a last resort train all staff in what alarms mean, and what to do. We stili live in a culture where, if an alarm goes off, it will be deemed to have gone wrong.

I earlier that I would show you a couple of examples of sites where altered methods of work enabled us t d " " . 0 pro uce new sites more cheaply than by conventional means.

The first site forms half of to parody Dickens -a tale of two sites, both bought from the same, defunct, company both built by the same builder. Each within a few miles of the other, one bought by Jet for company operation, one bought by a dealer, one which proved to be everyone's almost worst nightmare, one which, fortunately didn't.

The first site was bought by Jet, from the defunct deale and I it show how it can get. If you've bought a site this report landmg on your desk, really Will ruin your entire day. I'd ask you to bear in mind that th accepted trigger level is one thousand, and this site was over that.

Contamination extended to around a thousand square metres, encroached beneath the adjacent road and was carried onto adjacent farmland by a badly laid drain. We discovered the problem, when, shortly after purchase we excavated to install a new tank. Analysis showed that to be ninety-eight percent pure four-star.

Over three days we recovered around four and a half thousand litres.

Really to make the thing perfect the site is located above an aquifer and was fed from a borehole the only good news was that contamination had occmTed above and was largely contained above, a perched water table.

We mentioned the problem to National Rivers , and the Licensing Authority, both of whom expressed interest..

The suspected cause was a cracked, and bent, offset fill line.

In light of what had been discovered t.he prudent decisi?n was to scrap the entire existing installation , and start agam.

The combined clean-up and development took eleven months, the clean-up alone accounting for over two hundred thousand pounds , and the installation we put back was designed to prevent any future recurrence to th e extent of including an air-stripper downstream of the interceptor.

The other site was bought by a dealer who, on heaiing of our experience, expressed mild concern We investigated , and, fortunately, found only very slight containination. 1:'he site was closed , but, for sound commercial reasons , knowmg of what we had found, and having no realistic expectation that the standai·d of development on his site would been any better, instead of immediately re-opening the the dealer decided to rip everything out and use us to put it back as it should be. The only restriction being that we should work within the 01iginal planning consent, to avoid the delay inherent in re-design, and the gaining of new approvals this is reflected in the unusual appeai·ance of the site.

His decision was wise . We found ru sted lines with no jointing compound, barely surrotmded in concrete . Th ese lines ai·e barely a yeai· old.

The interceptor vent went into the toilet soil and vent pipe

The car wash rails ran over the tank lids

The building floor was only two inches thick

The block forecomt resembled a relief map of the North Sea

Again we scrapped the whole installation , and removed everything from site.

The full demolition and re-built took eleve n weeks , and included

Two new fifte e n thou sand gallon double-wall tanks

GRP chambers

Double-wall flexible lin es with interstitial monitorin g Automati c pump containm ent sumps

The site runs on turbine pump s, in th e e vent of a di spenser le a k into a s ump a ll turbine s shut-down , the interstitial line monitors tell us which ones we can bring back up.

Active and pass iv e tank contents monitorin o b

Off set fill s

Stage lB vapour re covery, a nd lines fo r staoe two b New shop, with fittin gs , full pos, and bac k offi ce syste m

Refurbi shed ca r wa sh

New canop y

Ne w e lec tri cs , drain age and inte rceptor

New fo rec ourt

New di spe nsers

New turbin es

Full re build

Co st ju st ove r two hundred th o usa nd po und s

Les s th a n th e co st of clea n up a t it 's siste r s ite

What environmental premium?

But, O.K. it ' s a relatively small site.

The next one I am building isn't, it's in Docklands.

This development is proceeding now, the site covers around six thousand square metres , and involved ten thousand cubic yards of spoil removal.

It features eight-hose dispensers, and high-speed diesel twins, and all the items specified on the earlier site except that on this one we have gone for te1tiary containment of tanks and lines the whole of the petroleum insta llation is fully removable.

We are operating on a fixed price , lump sum turnkey contract, in the sum, including all equipment except Mars bars , and product of four hundred and eighty -five thousand pounds

The application of best international practice can make direct profit cont1ibution by reducing capital cost direct profit contribution by reducing operating costs, and losses indirect profit contribution by protecting long-term asset values. There need be no environmental premium _ and these are dealer sites.

As they used to say on NNC R adio if you have been, thank you for listening.

Chairman Mike Lugg

PIPEWORK- Considerations in Supermarket Construction

By David Durham

Acknowledgements

Whil e the s ubject matter of thi s conference is specifically about pipework and I have been asked to talk about Tesco's expe ri ence and attitude , I feel it is nece ssa ry to put this particulcu· area into the context of the forecourt as a whole s in ce our general policy on petrol station s afety a nd e n v ironmental matters impacts eac h of the component part s of w hi c h pipework is one.

I ha ve purposefully s how n "s afet y' a nd 'e nvironmental' matters together as l do not believe the two can , or should , be se parated. When dealing w ith a potentially dangerous product s uch as motor s pirit that is also a contamination ri sk the n any s te ps taken to co ntrol the o ne mu st be de sign ed, a nd probably w ill benefit the ot he r whet her it is by the use of reg ulation s. gu id e lin es or whatever. I a m st ill s urpri sed that no attemp t is mad e to fo rmali se thi s s ituation. I know th e N RA a re re prese nt ed w hen fo rmula t in g policy and g uid e lin es but it wo uld be nai ve to ass um e that is the same thing a common approach As a res ult we th e operator, no w con s ult w ith th e L ice ns ing A uth o rit y to sati sfy th e ir requi re m e nt s and th e n re pea t the sa me exerc ise wit h th e P l<111n111 11 A uthori ty to s ati s fy ot he r bodi es s uc h as th e NRA.

I ha_ve to digress a little , so that I can give vent to some of my fru stration that thi s situat_ion produce s. If it is so important that a forecourt 1s bmlt to standards that ensure thi s kmd of all embracing protection , and I believe it is important' , why then can we not have system to ensure thi s _why is there so little consistency, why is anything at all left to Di sc retion. Are we the mdu st ry and the regulators un sure or cannot agree as to what is nght and acceptable and what is not. I cannot believe that for o_ne moment but we have a sys te m that e ncourages that It implie s that operators will do nothing unle ss compelled to do so and that Rea-ulators should be able to imp ose different condition s in cUfferent a reas du: to so me mysterious local circ um stance s poppin g up out ol the woodwork. I know ne ith er comment is fair but a 65 year old Act of Parliam e nt be ing used to enforce discretionary g uidelin es has led to the anomalies we see today. Why is it that handling of petrol, throuo-h o ut the sys tem from refine ry to forecourt , is s ubj ec t to quife spec ifi c require me nt s and reg ulation s. but whateve r happen s when it pas ses th e inl et pipe to storage ta nk s in no less dangerous c ir c um s tanc es 1s s ubj ec t to different req uirem e nt s throu g ho ut th e cou ntry.

We know the operator works in the strict commercial world but no reputable operator will sacrifice safety to save cost and consequently looks for the best solution at the best cost to achieve that. Therefore if the standards are clear, unambiguous, achievable with the technology available, fair, logical and justified each operator can confidently produce a solution that will be acceptable to all pruties. This in tum makes the job of the enforcing authorities task more meaningful, more cooperative and less confrontational. The new higher standards can be built into new sites and cmrent standards enforced on existing sites. I realise this is a complicated subject that could be debated for hours and in fact already has been with the formal consultation procedures and the less formal atmosphere of the various conferences that have covered this subject over the years.

My small contribution today is not going to alter the situation but I could not let the matter pass unnoticed since it has a direct impact on the subject in hand to which I now return. It was in 1990 that we decided to review the forecourt requirements in anticipation of the introduction of HS(G)41 other legislation and a general need to review standards to reflect experience and company policy on health and safety and environmental matters.

Some years ago the company introduced Design Standards to cover store construction. Their purpose is not only to ensure consistency in store design by giving ru·chitects and builders the specifications to be achieved but it ensures any changes are made in a disciplined way and that discipline has to be flexible enough to cater for both planned and unplanned changes. As you may appreciate the Design Standards for a large store could not be produced overnight and it took some time for these to be built up. It was not until the late 80's that the petrol stations were included. In practice certain standards were already in use either by design or evolution and the first set of design standards really put these on a more formal basis and defined the status quo rather than set about introducina radical new concepts, hence the review in 1990 that I0 have already mentioned.

The review looked at the environmental/safety requ!rements, the areas of risk, the actual and proposed legal reqmrements had to propose solutions. This is when the lack of national coherent strategy hampers any such approach on any aspect of forecourt const1 uct10n 1s either aoina to be d 1 "' "' vague an nm specific which the object of having standards or is aoing to be spec1f1c but surrounded by • t ' d "' cavea s an vanat1ons.

Certain fundamental points had to be 'd d h . . · cons1 ere w en looking at this subject first there was to b d'. · · · e no 1st111ct1on between environmental and safety matters .11 1 d d h . , any sp1 age 1a to be prevente w ere possible and s·ifely d. · d . M . · < 1a111e away when necessaty. me the opportunities for leaks to occur had to be ehmmated and where they could not be then be detectable. .1 know this is rather stating the obvious, since the. pnnc1ples underpin HS(G )41 but we were looking at it from the perception of the operator in setting the standards we to see, looking at how the existing and covered this and how to achieve it in a cost effective way. We were also takina into • b account operational reqmrements and the practicalities of how to implement all of this.

From this preliminary examination then followed a more detailed evaluation of what was available. It is from here that the complications arise in all areas we looked at. not just in the pipework alone which is what I will be looking ,;t in detail. Let us first look at spillage. which in the case of

pipework was confined to the connection between the delivery hose and the UST fill-pipes. We had to ensure the possibility of a spillage was eliminated or if that was not possible then at least reduced. One risk area was an overfill situation and the possibility that a delivery hose could be disconnected with product in it. Although not directly involving pipework action was required in other areas since other equipment used was relevant to many other situations. We had already identified the need for and were now using a more accurate and sophisticated tank gauging system and so the use of the high level audible alarm on the gauge was obviously going to help. As this was not fool proof since such alaJTns could be ignored then something further was needed and it was decided to use overfill prevention devices, which had to be capable of the controlled draining of the delivery hose when activated. One further step was required since none of this guaranteed no spillages and that was to ensure that there was adequate drainage at the fill point specifically rather than just for the tanker stand. This in turn confinned the use of above ground offset fill points and the use of a GRP chamber below ground to ensure total containment of spillages (and leaks) at this point. Because of the difficulty in draining any spillage, below ground offset fills were to be avoided where possible. I have purposely not highliahted any of the problems of selecting an OPD as I want concentrate on pipework specifically and many of the section problems ru·e common to both. The next thing was to look at leakages in pipework and how best to avoid or reduce them. Clearly the risk increased by the use of a corrodible material such as stee!, with_joints out of that could be affected by installat10n mistakes and failure of · · t' n1aterial as well as the effects of surface loads and J0111 mg b . . d nd moveln ent So the as1c requirements were un ergrou · · kl ·c1 ti.fi'ed _ non-corrosive, with all underground qmc y 1 en · · 1· · ated and not affected by movement after J0111ts e 1mm . · 11 · The areatest amount of underground pipework msta atlon. "' . h I · tile suction Imes and as t ee are pern1anent y on our sites rue · · h · d · h dtict these were the highest nsk and ad to be f1lle wit pro looked at first.

ther aspects of this investigation it is one

As with many o , · · f· · 'f the need and the WHAT 1t 1s di mme thmg to rdenti Y 1 the 'H' OW as I said when referring to d'ff It to reso ve 1

As the petrol side of our business is not ove1f11l prevent10n. . . f ·1· . h we do not have extensive testmg act 1t1es core busmess t en k' d f' f · ei·s to dedicate to this m o exercise. · teams o engme · · · 01 · 10 does in the present economic climate. B tl ere aaam w 1 . . ut 1 k"' , tl alternatives available under the headmgs We can loo <1t 1e

Cost Effective to supply and install Safe to use and in use ble corrosion and wear resistant _ lmpeunea .. Technology of today Lightweight for of PI' ble for ease of mstallat10n ta cl · Lise a11 ciby a recogmsed test house. Approve 111 •

he last point that practical problems arise It 15 1h 'ess to truly independent test results usmg 1, ot us ave <1cc · nm c · cedures for ease of comparison. This ts not st·mdard test p1 o I ,.., ,..,.. . . I · ' . . e find the proverbial Cate 1 s1tuat1on available so assess the suitability and rclati\'C cost of cannot propet '· · · · , , : , · · ·, 1 ithout knowmg the pell m m<mce L d\Mb1 ltt) ,md 1 matet td s w . · b 1 I I i · ·1 I k 10w tint unttl I trv 1t ut s 1ou L not tl", It unt 1 cannot t ' · · · s - I k the iJerformance spec1ftcatton o we 1a\'l' tu now .t.. h a proach it on a sc1ent1 ll' what arc t_hc afternatives to Slt'el and what we look.mg lur. A careful analysis of the rn cals one outstanding thing

Plastic had to be the answer.

My apologies to GRP suppliers and users but the decisions to use plastic was not quite so light-hearted and GRP was assessed as follows

GRP it is not corrodible point 1 in its favour

it is jointed underground problem unless the integrity of the joints can be guaranteed

joint making is a skilled job and temperature sensitive not really a major advance on steel

less susceptible to load stress and ground movement fine but joints are joints.

So before even looking at the cost GRP did not appear a best bet option in our particular circumstances this is not knocking exercise. From a cost point it was 80% more expensive than galvanised steel while the main plastic pipe cost was around +50% over steel.

At the time this exercise was taking place there was little choice in plastic pipe availability in the UK and on the basis of the criteria previously listed UPP was selected. This lead to the next problem having identified what we wanted to use we then had to persuade a licensing authority to let us use it. HS(G)41 may have allowed it but discretion came into play. The first site selected to trial it was in the Greater Manchester area and this was done as joint exercise between them, the supplier and our installer Cameron. This went ahead successfully and many useful lessons were learned by all parties.

Having apparently resolved the problem of eliminating leaks underground we then had to look at the terminations. Wherever a joint was made it had to be in a GRP sum to keep leakages in and water out. Here the pnnc1ple was easier to define than it was to implement and has been subject to much trial and error to produce a cost effective solution, particularly in the confines of working on a tank lid. However the important thing has been never to compromise the basis principles by ensuring the integrity of what was underground. If experimentation is to be undertaken, it can be done where it can be viewed though I should add that all the different methods used have been successful.

The remaining area to look at was the offset fill lines and vent pipes. While the use of a non corrodible material was an obvious choice, the calculation of cost effectiveness took a different aspect. First the Jines would contain product for only a limited period and in the case of vents hopefully at all and this has been subject to longer evaluation by our installers. In this case the choice is with plastic pipework which is necessary with the larger required in fill pipes but with standard jointing unaffected by external temperature albeit still requiring an element of skill. thus ensuring the risks associated with steel can be avoided.

We also looked at the necessity of using secondary As joints and corrosion underground had heen ellln1nated so had the risk of leakage. Couple this with the intro?uction of under-pump check valves which will drain in the l111c in the event of a leak it was decided not to use -;econdary containment except for strictly environmental or "'11 et Y reasons such as the presence of an underground water cciur-;e or tunnel. f have to admit that cost was also c 111..,1dcrcd and now that secondary containment can he ,JthlL'' ed more cheaply our policy will he reviewed. I am , 111J'>L 1ous that the decision on the use of secondary

containment will be based on the situation at the time the site is built, it does not allow for any changes that may take place in the future however remote that possibility may be.

As I have already said the assessment of pipework was just one part of a total exercise looking at all Safety and Environmental requirements. The initial report led to recommendations for our policy on all the matters shown on this slide. As we are all constantly reminded at conferences and in trade press this all costs money and so commercial considerations must come into play. All that we have introduced has been to improve safety, the environment and to comply with existing and future legislation. For the small independent dealer this has to be difficult but for companies such as ourselves, the Superstore operators, as well as the oil companies there can only be one approach to do everything that has to be done, at the least cost, to the ?ighest standard, anticipating future requirements and most important of all 'Do not do this exercise in isolation but look at the total cost'. All the extra costs that this exercise caused were offset by saving in other areas.

I started out with a plea for consistency. Along with most other operators we have done this exercise against a background of uncertainty, we have still managed to produce a Tesco Design Standard, we continue to monitor change and update those standards as required as I have already both for planned and unplanned changes. Yet the reqmrements of the licensing authorities remain as as ever not even the son of HS(G)41 is going resolve this. Let me limit the example to pipework only m the 12 we have built 20 sites and I am pleased to say m the maJ?nty cases UPP has been accepted if necess.ary d1scu.ss10n between the supplier and the authonty especially this was the first example in a particular area. An and sensible precaution but is this not a .rather mformal and ad hoe way of approving somethmg that may have a significant impact in years to come. However we have had to built two sites with steel an?. two with secondary containment as a standard because that is the way we want it to be done". This mc?ns1stency cannot be acceptable either from a commercial or a practical point of view. What this industry needs are Tesco Design Standards_ I do not say this out of arrogance but to try to make the system more workable. HS(G)41 should have been the initial design standard follow by a period of evaluation and assessment with s?n of. HS(G)4 I being a statutory, enforceable regu.lat10n. w1.th a FAST-TRACK appeal procedure for dealing with important amendments quickly and a mo 'd d . re formal cons1 ere timetabled procedure for evolutiona updating. A level playing field, with fixed goal posts everyone singing from the same hymn sheet mix the cliches as much as you like it is what we want and do not have

USA Experience and a Look into the Crystal Ball

By Richard Wilkinson

1 intend to spend a_ little time reflectin g on the hi story which has shaped a n 111du st ry and to talk about some of th e exciting innovation s that are corning a bout in the measurement of fu e l 111 underground storage tanks , leak detection on Imes and th e way this relate s to operational efficiency for the Petrol Station operator and improv ed e nvironmental protec tion for eve ryone.

Th e story for me start s in the US in the late 70s when the first generations of e lec troni c tank ga ug es were revea led to 1 but the)' we re rece 1ved without a areat dea l of ti e m, · "" 1 ism as the promise ot stock meas ureme nt and the e nt lUSlc · f a bilit y to that 111 int o oth.e r e lectro ni c / ' IS 'lPIJea J111 a. but 1n sut l1 c1e ntl y so for buclaets to syste ms '-'" < • "' • "' • b 1 bl e t() impl e me nt th e new p1oc!ucts. In 19 78 Veec! e r e avai a R ·e L1 , 1 ·11a the tank gaug e to do leak tes ts but th e re oot we1 ' "' · I al.s!·it·i·on at that tim e. we we re ahead of the mark e t wa s no e 0 · < • whi ch needed some extrn dn ve r

In th e ea rl y 80s su me thin g was happe nin g in Ca liforni a that signall ed a ne1.v leve l of e nvironm e nt al co nce rn and it was associated w ith wa te r qualit y ln the US gro und water s uppli ed are c riti ca l to the nation a ncl over 60 % of our population gets it s drinking wat e r frnm we ll s. Also. once

you pollute an underground it is ext rem e ly hare! to clean up and that was the s1tuallon th e town of San Jos e. California, in the hea rt of the famous s il1con va ll ey experienced in th e early 80s. An underground chemical tank had co rrod ed and re le ased a high leve l ol chemical contamination into the wa ter s uppl y Th e lo ca l c iti ze ns were co rrectly in ce nsed, the y dernanc!ecl action and it was the San Jose Fire Marshall w ho had th e th a nkl ess ta sk to see that thi s didn't happ e n again. Why the Fire Marshall'? We ll. in a ll the years prior to 19 84. Reg ul at ion of und e rground tanks. if a ny was handl ed by Fire Marshals. a s imilar situation l gu ess as we see in th e UK tod ay and it was the Assoc iation of F ire Official s a nd more spec ifi ca ll y th e National Fire Prntection Association. maybe a n Assoc iati o n not vast ly clilTcrcnt frnrn o ur hos ts co nce rnin g und e rgro und tank s. leak;, and tank test in g a nd th ey we re th e f irst peopl e to attempt tu quantil \ w hat co nstitut ed a lea k. Stepping a l1tt le into tndu s tr\ folklore th e original spec ifi ca tion o l ()) ga llllll s per a stanclarcl for a lea k de tection system V·:a;, re put ed tll ha1 e co me abo ut frnm th e NFPA ask in g a ta nk tes ting l'Ol11 \X\ll\ what th ey co uld det ec t T he ir answer Weis U) ga llnn ;, pe r ho ur ancl that was th e lea k sta nd md th<1t 1.1as rl'l"errcd to for yea rs . No one L·ould aL·hin e 1t th e n a ml ll lll\ a fe1-1 or u;, L'C\11 toda y. hut thal wa;, another 111Clltl'r

It is perhaps unfair on some of the other States to say that California was the only one concerned with underground tanks. In the early 80s, New York was involved in a project to gather an up-to-date assessment of leak detection equipment and leak prevention techniques and one of the project participants was a guy called Don Fleischer who was then and indeed is now Veeder-Root's senior man in technology development. When he was asked one day to discuss with the Committee the capabilities of tank gauges and the Regulators asked Don if the tank gauge, at that time, could detect a .05 gallon per hour leak and Don said no. Well, if it won't do that, what size leak will it detect? they asked and no one had really asked that question before, so Fleischer thought for a minute and after pausing he said, I think it will detect .2 gallon per hour leak. Thus was born the standard that would become the EPA's base standard for monthly monitoring of a tank gauge to this day.

In 1984 a major piece of environmental legislation made it through Congress under the guidance of Ronald Reagan. It was the expansion of a 1970s Environmental Bill where the US Environmental Protection Agency were mandated to control underground storage tanks. A little bit of US political information here. In the US Congress passes a law which spells out what is expected to be accomplished. It then leaves the details of the rules to the Environmental Protection Agency to evolve and it gave the EPA, at this stage, a two year time limit for those rules to be made. It is fair to say that EPA rarely accomplishes a task within the tim limit and this was no exception. In complete fairness the task was a large one. There were a lot of unknowns, not least of which was the actual capability of leak testing equipment. There was little experience and just the opinion of the tank tester which everyone knew was wrong and Fleischer's recommendation of 0.2 gals per hour.

The EPA therefore decided that as part of their programme they would evaluate the currently available tank testing methods, the now famous Edison Armoury site at New Jersey and a contractor with knowledge of underground storage tanks, Vista research was set up to run these tests.

A characteristic of the US market has been that there have always been around commercially available systems on the market. The problem is from year to year they are rarely the same commercially available systems bar a hard core of reputable manufacturers and at that stage only 25 manufacturers actually put forward products for testing and none of those were capable of really detecting a .05 gallon per hour leak with the newly introduced parameters of 95% probability of detection, or a 5% possibility of false alarm and it was therefore felt that a more realistic leak detection tolerance at that stage was the .2 gallon per hour figure, later to become . I gallon for tank testing. Surprise, surprise the EPA also found out that they didn't have the funds to be able to run these qualifications and so it was left to 3.rd Party Testing Houses to form arrangements with the manufacturers to test products that they w.ished t.o certified meeting the EPA protocols. This is still the s1tuatmn today.

I. Automatic Tank

Gauging

ILEAK DETECTION

NEW TANKS

•Monthly Monitoring 2 Choices

•Monthly Inventory Control and Tank Tightness Testing Every 5 years ' (You can only use this choice for JO years after installation.)**

EXISTING TANKS

NEW EXISTING

• Monthly Monitoring

• Monthly Inventory Control and Annual Tank Tightness Testing (This choice can only be used -for IO years after adding corrosion protection and spill/overfill prevention or until December 1998. whichever date is later.)**

• Automatic Flow Restrictor •Annual Line Testing PRESSURISED PIPING

• Automatic Shutoff Device -and- •Monthly Monitoring Choice of one from each set •Continuous Alarm System Ccxccpl automatic lank gau,ging)

NEW & EXISTING

• Monthly Monitoring* SUCTION PIPING <e.xcept automatic tank gauging) 3 Choices • Lme Testing Every 3 Years • No Requirements Clfthc i.ystcm ha'\ lhc in the linal

ALL TANKS

• Catchment Basins and Automatic Shutoff Devices or-

• Overfill Alarms or • Ball Float Valves

The EPA also recognised that tank owners could not all come under compliance at the sam t" d h " . . e 1me, an t ere1ore, a timetable was set dictating that n t k d . . Id ew an s an piping wou have to have leak detecti"on . d f"ll . . , corros10n an over 1 prevention at installation and that th ere was a programme for existing tanks depending on th . . compliance. elf age, to come into

THE TIMETABLE

CORROSION SPILUOVERFILL New Tanks & Piping At Installation PREVENTION At Installation At Installation Existing Tanks** Installed: By No Later Than Before 1965 or unknown December 1989 1965-1969 December 1990 December 1998 1970-1974 December 1991 December 1998 1075-1979 December 1992 1980-December 1988 December 1993 Existing Piping*'' Pre<>urized December 1990 December 1998 Does not apply Suction Same existing tanks December 1998

Does not apply * New

Above all, there has been a need for flexibility. Regulations evolve and therefore, so must the solutions. Technology evolves and therefore, equipment must be upgradeable. I think the truth of all this is that the EPA's intentions, whilst they have certainly gone a long way to improve matters, have not had the enforcement behind them which has driven forward the high standards that were envisaged in the early stages of this operation. People have been able to pay lip service to compliance in some areas.

Indeed now we see some EPA protocols which are flawed and we see the unhealthy and unsightly growth of some specmanship amongst less reputable manufacturers which does our industry no credit.

The issue of fuel and the variances which affect its measurement are extremely complex. Temperature, stratification, evaporation, movement and many other factors all effect measurement. I can assure you that development of appropriate technology is an extremely expensive and challenging arena and there have been many companies laid by the side of the leak detection road, either through underestimating the task or producing inadequate systems. Systems that only worked in theory or the laboratory, but not in practice and I think the fact that my own company enjoys a world market share of somewhere around 75% is evidence that innovation and in-depth technology development can only be driven, through longterm, from commercial success. It's true that the US in the early days concentrated on tanks. The reality is that whilst tanks are a problem, lines are more so. You will hear much later in the day of some of the developments in flexible piping and secondary contained piping, and leak detection devices are normally required to monitor sumps and interstitial spaces with these systems. However, reconciliation is the heart of leak detection and environmental and commercial security is almost certainly best handled through good stock reconciliation and this is a subject which has many pitfalls associated with it.

Those of you who were here last year will remember Ken one of EPA's approved test houses telling the audience about his concerns for some of the protocols suffounding statistical inventory reconciliation often known by the _acr?nym S.I.R. This is a method by which infonnat1on 1_s sent away to a service supplier to be run on some software each month. contractor analyses the data and the tank to be tight, leaki1w or if he can't tell what's gomg on, he calls an inconclt1s1.ove D t . . ft h h I · a a 1s o en collected t roug manua readmcr of d1"pst1"ck d th tl c s an e tru 1 is that thereK1s awn concern in the US about this te chnology. en I cox told us sto1·1"es of' d" .d I , • 111 1v1 ua s over a wet weekend and a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsl1 t b . bi · ' ee emcr a e to write a program wh1c_h got through EPA protoc I d I · · t · Cert·unly · h · h 0 an am sure this is i ue. d h. ,hd 1.g number of inclusive results are being reporte t 10ug this method and in S , . t ·1ccepted , d . r some tates now SIR is no ' c1n 1· two consecutive · 1 .· are given. then some to_rm of_ mobile tank test is which. as we all know. 1s ext1emely costly.

This. however'.. is a criticism of versions of a particular and at tu:st sight low of compliance. I d 't 111·de the tact that reconclliat1on must b, t th t oesn · e a e core of leak detection._ The important point is to be able to understand the difterenccs 111 the available. which at first sight. may seem to be very s11rnlar. hut are not.

1 have always been very .wary of crystal balls and. therefore. when I talk about 111 the future. I am really only going to talk about th111gs that I know a near term reality or a proven tact and perhaps two of the most exciting developments in this area are CSLD. Continuous

Statistical Leak Detection and ASR, Automatic Statistical Reconciliation.

CSLD

This is a routine which using the tank gauge provides 24 hour or busy sites with the ability to pe1form tank tests without needing to close or for the site to stabilise to perform a static test. With EPA approved CSLD there are no lost sales whilst doing a tank test, the gauge collects the information in bite size pieces, discards the data which has noise in it and constructs an accurate report on the tanks status each month.

ASR

This is going to be the first EPA 3rd Party Certified Reconciliation System which provides leak detection on both the tanks and the lines. Using the tank gauge, some remarkable software and direct links with the pump controller to make comparisons in real time on the wetstock movement.

But I had better first explain how these technology developments have been possible. For over two years now Veeder-Root has had 73 tank installations being monitored every 30 seconds of the. day These are situated in a range of climactic co?d1tlons _from Arizona at 120°F in the summer to Mmnesota at -40 F m the winter on tanks of different throughputs, some at 3?0,000 II ns per month, some 30,000 gallon tanks, mamfolded gta ko tlle whole cramut of real live experience. Every 30 an s, e ffi d t seconds 6 high speed computers. m ? process a from these sites and take what is e ective y an average_ o 200 d crs of heicrht temperature, water etc which over rea mo c ' . k h been stmino. This now represents over our tan gauge as o I . h b" f d t base Now it might be easier re atmg t at IOcr 1cra1tso aa · ' h.· 0 0 fl d" s and the whole purpose of t 1s 1s to to 7,000 odppy alcrorithms and noise reduction d elop pro ucts 10 • e ev h.' h ·oduce leak detection routmes that approaches w ic_ fI II the variables they experience in the actually work agam_s a . bi nd of precise measurin° I ·Id This is a t1ue e '=' rea woi · l . bes and ·idvanced statistical methods technique p1odatabase• as a test and that's what utilising_ this. ugh, and it truly is a breakthrough resulted m this .. ibeal 10tm;atic stock reconciliation. system f ·eally wo1 ka e au h. o a 1 h' d EPA approval. Compare t is sort with these new en ance 1, with the other extreme of the . d I ment procrramn e . of eve op 0 his st"111dard software wet weekend ' d I t There is no compm tson. sprea s 1ee '

UK you have had much experience of Here i_n nciliation products in the 200R and 350_R automatic 1eco This Ins been invaluable 111 y, d · Root naunes. · • · I EPA ee 0 e development of these new cont11butmg tot\ t" systems which will be available to approved reconc1 rn ion , you very shortly.

1 • now ·md installed on hundreds ol sites The CSLD is 1e1e , world wide.

I 1 •1 l·i"t·iiled technical explanation of ·11 t oo {1!0Ug 1 ' 'l ASR \vorks. I' II that to hov. CS f \'OU who ·ire mterested I m su1 t: tlMt to talk Wto,t_hosll:.tod _.1.11ll Martin Gafinowitz or anv or the PhT) 11te 1e, ' · 1 If. R 1,,. 1111 will be happy to take Yl'll through this Veede1- oot '"' · ·1 · I · .1 .• l d ,,·clol)ment. The purpose ol dcslTI img t 11s re mar r-a ) e e t \ l 1S I t) Y(m is to hcl1J vou understand that t 11..' , ·ipproac 1 ( · : . ' k t I .1 l'i·1·,.L'11 snme excit11H!. and to cauttnn mar·e 1,s .1 • c '"· • tl ·it there mm he many apparent snlut1ons IP thL SL you 1, · · l issues of leak dctel"tion and em iron mental prntcl°lHll1. 1u1 only those that really dP \\'ork 111 tl1L' L'Ompkx and hatard\)Us real world are or any \aluc.

Conder's aim has always been t o deve lop better products and building m ethods to acce lerate the construction proce ss the soon er your forecourt is up and running, the sooner you r return on investment. 30 years ago w e introduced the prefabricated Canopy. lat er the GRP Interceptor and most rece ntl y the revolutionary Fibrelite Access Covers with their light weight. you don 't need a 'feat' of strength to lift them. Now, Conder can offer a complete range of read y-m ade products designed specifically for the forecourt. Modular Convenience Store and Car Wash buildin gs delivered to site re ady w ired , plumbed and fitted out for rapid assembly; Access Chambers to contain pos si ble fuel spillage and keep out sub-soil water; Silt Traps to avo id d rain blockages and last. but not least, Pump Island Barri er s all from o ne source and deli ve red to site

I guess most of these developments have been made possible by the growth of microprocessors and sensor technology and now the possibility of having central consoles running a whole range of environmental sensors and routines such as groundwater sensors, interstitial monitors, interceptor sensors, the automatic reconciliation processes being linked to pump controllers and so on means that this technology is also becoming more affordable and more versatile. This provides the filling station operator with a much easier to use system for both environmental protection, the subject of this conference and in fact , also real paybacks in terms of efficiency of the operation of the filling station.

Imagine if you will one piece of hardware that can give you environmental protection, can provide you with automatic reconciliation ; which can calibrate your tanks , which will tell you if there is water present, which can act as a high or low level warning, which can enable you to plan deliveries remotely , which can enable you to make deliveries without supervision, which can avoid the need for you to do an expensive mobile precision tank test, which can monitor the interstitial space on your double-skinned tanks, which can monitor the sumps under your dispensers or can monitor the sumps on your secondary contained piping systems, which will monitor your groundwater if appropriate , which can run vapor sensors which can monitor your interceptors , which can send you automatic communications , which can store error messages All that might sound attractive, the truth is that it is available now and it's affordable and it works.

The future will see development in sensing techniques and more evolution in the ability of systems to identify and compensate for the many variables which exist in measuring and dispensing hydrocarbons from tanks and detecting leaks.

One of the things to be aware of is the growth in the so called "new fuel fonnulations" where the use of additives to boost performance and to improve air quality can have a marked effect on the pe1fonnance of some tank gauges and sensors. We have spent much time ensuring that our products will be compatible with the additives. MTBE TAME ETBE DIPE Ethanol Methanol and t-butanol are all being used. Many gauges and sensors will suffer pe1formance problems in these fuels, so be very wary about your selections for the future.

By the way, if you are concerned about fuel quality, talk to my colleagues who will be able to show you , soon , our portable fuel analyser which measures octane and additives concentrations quickly on site without laboratory time and expense

The story is not over yet. Technology will continue to step forward and new solutions to these issues will emerge. The challenge to manufacturers is to ensure that their designs allow upgradability wherever possible and that investments made today are foundations for tomorrow.

ANOTHER CASE FOR FIBERGLASS!

Dan Wendt Manager, Petroleum Marketing Smith Fiberglass Products Inc. Little Rock, Arkansas (USA)

ABSTRACT

During th e last fifty years piping systems in general have undergone substantial changes in materials and manufacturing technologies Chemical compatibility and corrosion resistance were two of the major driving force s mandating these essential changes The physical characteristics of conventional pipe s ystems have progressed from iron and cast steel to s tainless steel , aluminums , monels, hastelloys and many other exotic alloys in order to provide better operating pe1formance and to improve life expectancies. Although these newer metals did in fact offer improvements in physical performance, they were generaJly very expensive to purchase and very expensive to install.

As industry continued its search for newer technologie s and alternative materials to so lve the growing problem of conveying corrosive fluid s and exposure to corrosive atmospheric conditions , plas tic s began to enter the process piping indu s try in the early l 950's. Several types of plastic s were explored and many were found to solve numerou s pipin g problems , however, the physical characteristics of the se early plastics limited their general use to low pres s ure and low temperature type services.

By the mid I 950's new developments in pl as tics technology had established that th e combination of polyes te r re sin s a nd fiberglass filament s could far exceed the phys ical capab.ilities earlier non-reinforced plas tics. To expand the chemical resistance capabilities of fiberglass pipe systems, the use of epoxy resms was introduced s hortly thereafter.

HISTORY

Fiberglass piping systems first became a viable alternative to protected steel, stainle ss s teel and other exotic material s in 1950 . As developmental pro gra m s for fiberglass piping cont111ued, markets for fiber o la ss · · d "' p1p111g systems we1 e ex p an mg at a rapid rate , and by the beoinni a f h I960's they were fmdmo accepta 0 no o t e 0 0 ' nee 111 the municipal water a nd sewe ra0 e mmket s. By th e mid 1960 , o f fber o lass pipmo s t s, acceptance I "" ' o ys ems by petrol d d Petro leum m arketers I eum pro u ce rs a n was a so on th e .· w· h mark e t a t h a nd for fb 1 u se. It a growmg I erg ass p1p1n os s t ' m a nu fac ture rs and se 1 o ys em s, m a n) ve i a ot h e r 111d e pe11de11t g1 ot1p s recog ni ze d th e need fo · · d I 111 u s try s ta nd -d d . method s and began to d eve lo1Jthe a1 s an tes t111 g 111

TODAY

To da y there are over 17 nat io nall , nd spec ifi ca tion s for re inf· . d' Y 1 ecog n1ze cl .stanclarcls c1 0 1ce thenno t · f Pipino sys te m s ( RTRP ). Th e fo ll ow i 0 1 se ting 1berg la ss. "" · cl 11 0 is t is a sa mplm o o t th e variou s 1n us t1 y o rga ni za ti o ns th t 1 ° cl f · a 1a ve cl eve lop e cl s ta nd a rd s an s pec 1 1ca t1 o ns w 111·ch · ] ·f· · gove rn th e ma nufac turin g, c ass 1 1cat 1o n s pec ifi cat io 11 cl · , a n te s tin g of fib e rg las s pipm g sys te ms.

• Ameri ca n Society for Tes tin g and Materials

• American Society of Mec ha ni ca l E ng in ee rs

• Am e ri ca n Petro leum In stitute

•Nati o na l Sa nit ati o n Foundation

• Facto ry Mutual Resea rch

0 U nd e rw rit ers Laboratorie s In c.

• Und e rw rite rs Lab ora to ri es· of Ca nada

(ASTM) (ASME) (A Pl) (NSF) (FM) (UL) (ULC) <MIL)

Standards and specifications se rve as a m ea ns to identify the true capabilities of a pipin g system. They provid e · d dent docum e ntation and cntena for produ c t 1n epen d 1 Pment product de s ig n , manufacturin g, qualit y eve o , L d b I I Jass ification , and apphcat10n uses. 1s te e ow 1s conuo , c · · I .f.. · JI n1pl ino of product spec1f1cat1on s, c as s1 1cat1on s, a s ma sa "" · 1ethod s Ji s tin os a nd a pproval s spec 1f1c to te s tm g n , . . "' , reinforced fibergla ss p1pm g sys tems.

• ASTM D2310

• ASTM 02996

• API !SLR

• ASTM 0 2992 •UL 971

• ULC C I0 7-M l9 84

F

ittings

H ydrostat ic R e in fo rced Pip e and

Subj ec t for Nonm e talli c Underground Pipin g for Flammable Liquid s Guide fo r In vest iga ti o n Gl ass Fibe r Re inforced Plas ti c Pipe and F ittin gs fo r Fl a mm abl e Liquid s

U.S. Military Specification: Pip e & Fitting s, G lass Fib er Re inforced Plastic for Liquid Pe trol e um Lines

A yo u can see th ese ind e pe ndent standards and a re o_t s e rv in g a vas t numb e r o f diffe re nt a nd co mpl ex ctpp lic ,tt1 o ns T hey a re capab le o l aove rnin g many diffe re nt s izes of piping ran g in g from I " "' throuoh I6 " diam e ter. press ur e class es to IOOO ps i a nd 0 co ntinu ou s operat111g te mperatures up to 2) 0 °F.

LISTINGS, APPROVALS

Fiberglass piping systems may also be by independent product listings and product approvals. Llstmgs and approvals ensure the proper use of piping specifications and the proper use of fiberglass piping for a wide range of applications and services. And they_ usually to products which have been evaluated with reference to nsks to life and property.

Often the testing criteria conducted by these independent agencies reaches beyond what a manufacturer would normally consider adequate. Independent listings or approvals are usually accompanied by periodic examinations or tests of the products at the factory and may, from time-totime, require select samples from the factory, the open market, or elsewhere, to be sent to the independent testing agency for examination. Should the examination or testing disclose features not in compliance with the requirements of the listing or approval, the manufacturer is then required to correct such items or to remove the listing or approval from the product. This type of independent policing of products is an invaluable asset to end users and to the protection of the environment.

Listed below are just a few examples of independent listings and approvals which Smith Fiberglass Products maintains on an ongoing basis. Products manufactured for a particular listing or approval must also be labelled accordingly for identification purposes and are subject to continuous evaluations and testing.

Subject for Nonmetallic Underground Piping for Flammable Liquids

Subject C I 07-M 1984, Guide for Investigation Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Pipe and Fittings for Flammable Liquids

The Netherlands, Nonmetallic Underground Piping for Flammable Liquids Standards 14 and 61, Conveying Potable Water

Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act

Factory Mutual Approval. Underground Fire Protection Piping Systems

ADVANTAGES

Fiberglass piping products have successfully gained acceptance in a number of different industries today because of the many advantages they can offer. Fiberglass systems offer exceptional corrosion resistance. both inside and out. in the majority of fluid handling applications. e.g. petroleum products. alcohols and alcohol-gasoline mixtures. Strength to weight ratio per unit of weight is considered t? iron. carbon anu stainless steels. Flow charaetenst1cs are I <YYr -25o/r better than steel systems. The fact that fiberglass products are substantial I y I ighter in weigh_! than common steel systems. makes them more energy efficient.

Other performance qualities that merit mentionin_g are as f()llows: resistance lo attack from corrosive soils. thus vliminating the need for insoluble coatings and expensiH: •·at hodic protection systems: ability to lllai ntai n the system ·s pn 1duct purity. assuring freedom from c• mtamination: and 111!11·11·11t rle\ihility. allowing for conformancL· to l,!radual 'Ill• 11 · 11ntour-. <md ease nf installation.

INSTALLATIONfl'RAINING

Guarantees of reliable and long term installation's are not something that one can depend on simply because a superior product was utilized. The procedures and techniques for installing products must be completely understood and adhered to. Through years of experience in engineering and design of above and below ground piping systems, Smith Fiberglass Products Inc. has developed and published stepby-step installation procedures for each of the 12 different piping systems manufactured. These published procedures detail requirements for achieving a sound and secure installation. To offer even greater assurances to a properly installed pipe system, Smith Fiberglass Products also offers "hands-on" training seminars to installer's free of charge.

Recognizing the value of manufacturer training seminars most major and independent oil companies throughout the U.S. now require certification of an installers training prior to beginning an installation of tanks and piping. Several counties and cities have taken even greater steps to mandatory training requirements for installers mto theu underground storage tank (UST) regulations. There are even some states that have advanced the training requirement to include a minimum of 16 to 32 hours of continuing education in order to maintain their existing certification of licenses.

SUMMARY

For. the past 25 years, Smith Fiberglass Products Inc. has provided petroleum service station industry with more than 35 mlllton feet of reinforced fiberglass piping that has met or. exceeded the demanding requirements of Underwnters Laboratories Inc. (UL) for conveying liquid petroleum products underground. These same UL Listings been prerequisite for the use of fiberglass piping in service stations throughout the United States and several ot?er international countries. In countries where independent testing agencies are currently active, Smith F1berglass Products has submitted and received the following listings and approvals:

CONCLUSION

From an engineering perspective, it is important to remember. that materials utilized for underground storage and conveying of liquid petroleum fuels and fuel additives. construction, must be proven to be sound and reliable betore they are certified for the intended application. because a particular product exhibits exceptional performance in one or two other fluids media docs not mean that they will perform well in others. Only by the use of known test methods applicable to various materials. can one really be assured of a products true ability. unless. of course. successful performance in the actual application over an extended period of time can demonstrate that same ability.

First I would like to thank th e APEA f · f .,.., or 111v1t111 g a rep resenta tiv e o iota] Containment to · I d. f p1ese nt a pape r to thi s se ec t au 1ence or a seco nd tim e · 1 · b. U Ill t i1ee years Th e prev iou s s u was ST and in th e last t · ' wo years, we hav e see n Bnta lll move toward s doubl e w ill UST h. 1 f' ' w IC l IS , to my point o · view a great improvem e nt · f d . 111 sa ety an e n v ironm e nt p1otect1011 Th e s ubi ec t th. . fl . J is year 1s · ex1ble Pipin o a nd 1t mu s t be a s ubj ec t of ore a t co v o o ncern. 1 ea rs a oo Th e US E PA ha s reco g rn ze d that 80 % of t. 1 ° ' pe 10 eum leaks or ioin ate d 111 p1pmg. As we mov e towards 1i e w d d· = o an 111 e re nt ways to do th e sa me old thm g s we have to 111 ak . h ' e s u1 e t at w e improve the s 1tuat1 0 11 , not do wor s t iii th f e nam e o · pro g ress.

As a ny goo d repre se nt a ti.ve of a ny co mp a ny concerned with busin ess and eve r 1n c rea s 1n g s al es, r mu st fir s t introdu ce , o nce more. T C I s produ c ts. Don ' t worry , thi s will tak e but a f ew minutes and th e n we ca n move on to th e rea l s ubj ect of thi s prese ntati o n w l:1 c.h is ho"." to se lect a pipin g sys te m and how to make s ure 1t qu a lifi ed to c on vey n as ty pe trol e um produ c ts Ill th e so il to r a long period o f tim e w ith o ut s low pe rni c io us e manati o ns o r ca ta s trophi c lea ks.

By Mark Guindon

TCI's main product is Enviroflex , a double wall, no joint, retractable, flexible piping sys tem connected at each end to impermeable collection sumps.

TCl's primary pipe happens to be the most flexible fl exi ble pipe. Why is it that flexible? Because of its corruoated The barrier essential to making ;: pipe has to be ng1d The more ngid the barrier materi al is the better pipe you get. But the more rigid the bani e r the more rigid the pipe beco me s. Corrugations this contradiction. Each COITugation becomes a littl e hinoe where the pipe can bend Why is it going to go on bein a the most flexible flexible pipe ? Because it is protected b y patents! Also becau se it is pain to produce

It is a multi layered product using nylon as its b affier product , co-extruded with polyurethane (one of the only polymer to stick to nylon) a polyester braid a nd a polyurethane outside cover. This is the press ure (submersible pumps) gasoline version. The suction version does not require a braid and is priced accordin g ly A si ng le wall version is also available with a polyeth y le ne cover as polyethylene gives the produ ct an excellent so il resistance that polyurethane would not provide

But fuels change! They did in Brazil a few years ago and they are changing in North Ame1ica as I speak. Fuels there are becoming 1nixtures of alcohol and gasoline and eth anol s are nasty liquids. M eth anol s which are also us ed are even nastier. Alcohol mixed with gasoline will penneate the wall s made of most resins known to man. TCI did not let itself di s traught by that! No! It plunged ahead and a t g rea t expense (believe m e I am the largest shareholder of T CI) develop ed an alcohol vers ion of its p1imary pipe. It uses a primary banier of incredible complexity, so much so that it cannot be described in front of c hildren or m public so I will have to le t our competitors fi g ure it out b y them selves

TCl's primary pipe comes in 1.5 and 2.5 inch sizes in a ll pos sible combination s.

Of course the idea of usin g flexible pipes is to red uce to a minimum the number of j o int s and couplings in the s ys te m. Everyone knows th a t a n pipe .w ill leak a t it s j o ints. Flexible piping has JOJ nt s or couplings. o nl y at It s e nd s, 2 joint s for eve ry pip e run That 1s a 11: aJo r · provement. Still we h ave to bewar e of the couplmg s . Jill f h b TCI's couplings compress the pipe rom wit m e tw ee n a n inside and an outside m etal form m atc hmg the co rru gation s of both in side elements.

Th e seco ndary pipe is a si mpl.e poly e th y len e pipe. a ls_o cornwated for impro ve d fl ex 1b1hty Whil e pol ye th y le ne 1s t 0 000 d enouah barri e r aga in s t petroleum produ c ts. as a no a 0 o .d t- . . . d ar)' pipe or as an o ut s1 e cover or primary pipe, 1t sec on ' _ .1 . ha s s ufficient qu aliti es ot res is tance to so i agg ress ive ness a nd petroleum produ cts.

To co mplete th e e nviro nm e nrnl protec tion of th e sys te m. TCI uses ta nk s ump s a nd d1 s p.en se r s ump s to c.onta 1n o te ntial leaks at th e num ero us JOlllts a nd co nn ec tion s a l p Ii e nd of th e pipin g. These s ump s a re impe rm ea ble to eac II t I · fluid s from th e in sid e as we as r o m ti e o ut s id e. Ir wa te r ca n co me in th e sump s o b v io us ly product co uld f!O\.v o ut and that is w hat we want to preve nt. Th ese s ump s a re mad e of HOPE , ha v in g exce ll e nt res ista nce to so il a nd pe tr o le um Th a t is th e easy pa rt. Th e tough pan is to mak e th e pe ne tration s to the se s um ps impe rm ea bl e Wh e re th e pipes pe net rate the s ump s. we nee d a pparatu s liquid lea ks TCI uses t wo m e th o d s: c ulls w ith re du cers or bulkhead fittin gs.

Both reducers and bulkhead fittings are made of Buna-N rubber. We have found no magic product, rubber or other which could provide the required flexibility to provide a good compressed seal against the walls of the sumps and at the same time would have long term resistance to petroleum products. These will do the job for a while but due to porosity and swelling will eventually break down after 30 or 60 days. Sumps cannot be used as depositories for leaked product. Sumps have to be monitored if we want them to play their role of secondary containment. Anyone telling you that their sumps have a rubber seal and will resist indefinitely to petroleum product is a liar and should be treated as such. Unfortunately Her Majesty's government has done away with capital punishment for most offenses committed by petroleum equipment salesmen.

TCI will introduce this fall a flexible vent pipe, 2 1/z inch coextruded nylon and polyethylene pipe. WE will also introduce a vapour recovery pipe. The nightmare of any installer of vapour recovery systems is that the pipe will sage and create a valley or a pocket that will trap the condensed vapors. This pocket will block the system and prevent the vapor from being recovered. In an assisted system, the problem will be Jess pervasive but will still happen. TCI has created a pipe that will flex horizontally but not vertically thus preventing the creation of pockets. In addition we have provided for an area where the condensate will go before reaching the tank so that no blockage can happen.

In conclusion, TCI will provide the end user with a system that will contain any possibility of leak from the tank sump at one end, through a double wall flexible retractable pipe, :Vith a minimum of joints, all such joints accessible for mspection, to a dispenser sump at the other end.

Now anybody can say they will do that. Remember that petroleum equipment salesmen cannot be sent to the gallows anymore.

How can you make sure that you are buying or approving a product that will work for a long period of time in a nasty environment. The only way is to rely on standards and in the absence of standards to rely on tests. Tests made by a competent and independent testing institution. Test that are in their scope to cover all aspects of the p1pmg. Your American colleagues are lucky 111 that they can rely on UL to fulfil! this role of creating standards confirmed by testing.

TCl fully endorses the independent testing and prays that European authorities do something to fill this gap. f e looked for an approval body in Europe and the ield pretty much empty. We found KIWA 111 the Netherlands and our products are under tests from an by them. ln other countries we found a void. In Britain we found a void but a definite will to fill this void. will support this action in any way it can as feel _it ;"di ?enefit this industry by protecting it against itself Ill <1ssunng that only the hest products come to market.

Lets look at some of the tests and standards. UL, ULC. KIWA and TC! consider necessary to perform hefore selling a conveying petroleum underground. TCI does not agree with all that UL and KIWA want to do or vice versa. We feel some tests are too severe and some not enough and "''>met i mes we may recommend some tests that are not rL·quirecl at all hy UL or KIWA.

Describe briefly test and test methods- ASTM-

Cyclic pressure test; 1.5 million cycles at rated pressure and temp.

Leakage test: 5 minutes, 2 times rated pressure.

Hydrostatic pressure strength test: After leakage test, minute at 5 times rated pressure.

Burst test: standard to be determined, 5, 8, 10 times rated pressure.

Drop test: 2 hours at 120 F, drop from 6 feet, pass leakage test.

Low temperature drop test: same at -20 F.

Ball impact test: from 6 feet, 1.18 pound 2 inch diameter, pass leakage test.

Low temperature ball impact: same at -20 F.

Pull test: assemblies pulled to failure- determine standard

Crush strength test: load between plates to 40% of outside diameter without signs of cracking, splitting or breaking.

Stress cracking for couplings: 30 minutes in aqueous mercurous nitrate lOg and nitric acid IOmill per liter.

Immersion tests: To simulate use of pipe inside and outside. Describe type A and B liquids. Liquids to be at 1OOF strength test, burst test and tensile strength test (with couplmgs) to be compared with conditioned samples.

Primary 30 to 270 days type A inter and external 50% 30 to 180 days type B inter and external 30% Secondary 30 days inter and 30 to 270 external type A- 50% 30 days inter and 30 to 180 external type B- 30%

Air oven aging: 158 F, 30, 90 180 days _ same tests 80%.

Permeability:

Standard: 5g/sq.M/day primary. of 140 Iiter/year for a 500 M mstallation, in the Iona run this is much too h. h "' ' 1g . 30g/sq.M/day secondary. Also high but OK for secondary. Standard too high, Kiwa requires 10% of that for primary.

Conclusion:

In the absence of standards, Manufacturers should provide end users .and regu.Iators such as petroleum officers with complete files of third party test reports and approvals. UL and test agendas can be used as a reference until a Bntish or European standard is established. Non objective can be misleading and become the source of ma_ior d1fficulties.

UPP PIPEWORK

By John Boudry

A. INTRODUCTION

It wo uld h a v e been eas ier fo r the prev ious s p eake rs , my se lf, and next s p e akers if we could have spo ken to yo u a bout ou1 products ex plainin o ho th t · t' a I 0 · 1 · • o w ey me e ex 1s 111 0 e 0 1s at1ve 1eq unements a nd nati o nal E d d 01 uropean s ta n ar s.

In th e absence of any s uc h s tand lrds 1 1 II 1 d t d · t · ' 01 eg1s at1on a can o o is o g ive yo u th e reaso n s as to wh UPP is fa s t b eco m111g th e indu s try's s tandai d Y. . syste m. ' non m e talltc pip ew ork

B. BACKGROUND

I. The industry

There a re se veral sys te m s now o n oft'e. h U 1 on t e K market.

If we inc lude ga lva ni zed s tee l b ' uye rs a nd s pec ifi e rs ca n today c hoo se fr o m

tw o GRP sys te ms fo ur Ny lon/P E sys te m s s tee l

UPP/PE

Jn add iti on to th ese t he re is a no th e r PE sys te m so ld to co mpl e te o ne of th e Ny lo n/ PE .

Of a ll th e no n me ta lli c sys te ms desc rib e d a bo ve o nl y UPP and GRP are co m p le te sys te m s UPP is th e o nl y UK ow ned co mpl e te fl ex ibl e no n me ta lli c sys te m

2. Galvanized Steel Pipes

"Thirty five years of experience" or "One yea1· of mistakes repeated 35 times" .

The res ult of a s urvey of s ites in th e Lond o n a rea s how that 70 % of the leaks ca me from lines. The s ur vey also s how s that offse t fill s uc tion a nd ve nt lines a ll fail.

From the in fo rm ation g iv e n it becomes obv iou s th a t all types of Jin es fail equ.a ll y w he n taking th e le ng th of pipe of th e vari o us diam e ters mvo lved mto acc ount.

If we acce pt th at 50 % of s ites in th e UK are " leak in g' ' and th at eac h leak re prese nt s I500 litres los t per a nnum ( 125 litres p er month ), th e total loss tor th e co untr y 1s a bout 14,2 50.000 litres p. a

O f co urse th e re is not hin g new in th e in fo rm a ti o n I ha ve ·ust g ive n and I do ubt if th e re is a nyo ne he re toda y vv h o is full y awa re o f th ese fac ts and fi g ures

The qu es ti o n th e refo re ar ises 1

A re yo u s till s pec ify in g s tee l. us in g it. in sta llin g it. se llin g it o r bu y in g it '?

C. THE LEGISLATION

There is no legislation in the UK of for that matter in Europe covering non-metallic pipework which can be used by the industry.

HSG 41 was supposed to have been out by now and in fact the document itself is ready for public comment.

For some obscure reason its publication has now been delayed by several months.

Just like the industry, this gobledigook is even better summarised by the next slide.

How can we the suppliers and our customers be expected to work in unison with the authorities when the situation is in fact so confused that even the authorities are struggling to put up a common stand.

I would suggest that the APEA could put the "A" for administration back in the system and prepare a guideline for use by all, the authorities, the users and the suppliers.

All it would take would be for the proposed revised HSG4 l to be issued with an APEA front cover to it.

C. UPP PIPEWORK

With over 250 installations of various types completed to date in the UK, UPP has, for the last two years, probably outsold all the other non-metallic systems put together just as it has done in Scandinavia for the last 13 years.

In total over 1,000,000 metres have been installed worldwide.

1. The product

UPP is a PE (Polyethylene) based system available in different combinations of either coils or straight length depending on the pipe diameter and the purpose for which it is used.

PE has been used in the gas industry and water industry for over 30 years.

ISO 9000 permeates throughout all the facets of the manufacture and supply of UPP.

Many tests have been and are being carried out on the product.

Such tests include:

Permeability tests using alcohols in the fuel mix.

Crush tests.

Tensile tests.

Elongation tests.

Torsion and bending tests.

2. Advantages of UPP.

2.1.

Costs

UPP is the cheapest of the non-metallic systems.

It is also very quickly installed and a typical takes less than 4 days to complete with the real time taken being as low as l/3rd of similar installation.

2.2. Ease of installation.

To install quickly UPP must by definition install easily.

l Jpp docs not require particular procedures during 111-,tallation lo avoid pipe cracking. crazing or crushing.

The assembly of the various fittings and other components is done either by thermofusion (welding) or by means of compression fittings.

The contractors job is made easier in that there are very few specific requirements imposed to achieve a perfect installation every time.

3. Product characteristics.

3.1. Fuel compatibility.

UPP has been tested with a variety of fuels including fuels containing alcohols.

In addition to UPP being used for over 13 years PE has been the subject of extensive testing in a petroleum environment.

In a Kunstoffe paper dated 1979, G. Died1ich, B. Kemp and K. Graf tested PE for "Creep Rupture Strength in the presence of various chemicals".

They found that " Alcohols behave best" in PE pipes.

In the same paper they state that with petroleum " It may therefore be assumed that the creep strength for 20°C and 50 years is about 4.5 N/111m2 or 9 bar ( 130 psi) internal pressure." This test had been ongoing for 23 years at the time the paper was published with the pipe not having cracked.

In a later Kunstoffe paper dated 1985, E. Gaube, H. Gebler, W. Muller and C. Gondro tested PE for "Creep Rupture Strength and Aging of PE pipes".

They state " the pipe samples are still without failure after a test period of 30 years."

It is important to note that the recently published paper of the Panel A suggests that working pressure of pipes for forec_ourt systems should be of a maximum of up to 30 psi runmng on pressure systems and -1 o psi on suction systems. Somewhat considerably Jess than the German test of 30 years mentioned above.

3.2. Rodents and Microbial attacks.

Various papers show that the incidence of rodent attack is limited to pipes of 20mm diameter or less. This is therefore likely to occur on pipes with corrugations and uneven surface finish.

The pipes of a diameter larger than 20mm and with a smooth surface finish do not aive rodents teeth sufficient hold for biting to occur

. According to tests carried out by the Botanische Institute 111 Karlsruhe, PE is not a nutrient medium for bacteria, fungi, spores etc PE pipes are therefore resistant to all forms of microbial attacks.

It must also be noted that sulphate reducing bacteria in the ground have no effect on PE pipes as it is resistant to both sulphurous acid and sulphates.

3.3. Static Electricity.

The build-up of static electricity is a phenomenon which occurs with all non-metallic systems.

BS 5787 Part I and 2 show that in the case of an installation properly earthed, with a fuel speed not exceeding 7m/s and a fuel resistivity >= than 50 picosiemens/metre, no hazardous circumstances resulting from static electricity bui Id-up wi 11 occur.

In Europe they take a more conservative view and limit the fuel speed at 3.5m/s.

Oil Companies add products in all fuels to bring the resistivity above 100 p/sm/m.

Installation are earthed at the tank and the dispensers ends.

Fuel speed in all lines are less than 3.5m/s even in high speed diesel pumps installation.

All conditions are therefore met to eliminate the hazard of static electricity build-up

3.4. Permeability.

No other product has received as much attention on this subject.

UPP has been tested using various fuel mix.

At the beginning of this year we started a new test programme which was recently concluded.

With 10% ethanol and 10% methanol in the fuel mix the permeability rate for 180 days was of 0.84%. This test was conducted by The Swedish Test and Research Institute in Gothenborg.

To ensure that the Swedish methodology met with UK accepted norms we commissioned the ERA of Leatherhead to inspect the STRI during the test.

This was done and the report of the ERA gives the Swedish Test and Research Institute a clean bill of health.

In the UK we have had a tendency to use the UL 1% criteria as a yardstick and the new panel A document is based on this criteria.

The UL have just changed this yardstick with a fonnula allows. permeability expressed in quantity per square foot irrespective of the pipe diameter.

If the I% criteria is no longer good for the US what are we to do in the UK? '

3.5.

Single or Double containment

UPP is available in either single or double containment form.

your_ whatever your reasons for makmg_ that chmce rt rs important for you to know that UPP will enable you to test the outer pi"pe at a f 0 , pressure o up to 3 psi.

UPP secondary containment pipe is available in coils.

It is a co-axial pipe. i.e. the primary pipe is contained within the secondary pipe and both pipes are therefore laid in one pass.

The costs and installation advantages of the sinole containment are also found in the double containment. e

3.6. Coils or Straight length of Pipes.

UPP is available in coil form on diameters up to 66mm. This makes it particularly suitable for use on suctions or pressure lines.

It is also available in straight length of 6 or 12 metres on all the diameters up to and including 160mm.

3.7. Thermofusion (welding).

One of the many advantages of the system is its fast and easy jointing of pipe to pipe or pipe to fittings when using the "welding sockets".

Providing the contractor respects the simple assembly procedures a perfect fusion of the welding socket and pipe and/or fitting will be achieved every time.

In actual fact, what has been achieved by this welding process, is to product a continuous PE material assembly. This is important as the weld can be buried in the ground without fear of failure at a later date.

3.8. Pipe thickness.

It is particularly important to pay attention to pipe thickness when considering using PE pipe systems.

UPP has been developed over a period of 13 years and the thickness produced is the result of long experience.

We could of course supply a thinner pipe. It would be cheaper for the user to buy.

However, we will resist doing so as we know that damage will occur during transport and during installation and that the laying of thinner pipes is much more demanding and critical than for thicker pipes.

CONCLUSIONS

I stated earlier that UPP was a UK owned product.

In June this year, impressed by the its rfonnances and its potential, we at PetroTechmk bought f:e system from its original Swedish owners.

In addition to this we also invested heavily in the necessary infrastructure reqmred to ensure that the product is properly supported.

Amongst the investment made we installed a CAD system h. h ot only enables us to develop and extend the product W IC n · b h" h I bi range by doing in house u_t w a so enca AeDs llnl·cate directly with our maJor c 1ents own us to comm systems.

1 have given before details of the rigorous testing to which UPP has been submitted.

I d "th this we have 13 years of totally trouble free Coup e WI .· · h ·Id k ·d spannino many count11es m t e w01 trac 1ec01 e

d t oes of the product are numerous and amongst The a van a"' · I 1·t· I ts npidity ot mstallat1on. ong 1 e expectancy these ow cos ' ' L 1 t i·eliability of supply are paramount. and comp e e

W b I tll'lt ·is it did in the gas and water industries. e e 1eve , · '· E ·k systems will become the standard and the p p1peWOI · ·. . . commodity in our mdustiy.

UPP is British owned and it is here to sta:y.

Thank you.

Poly-Tech™

Piping System

The Cost Effective Route to Maximizing Environmental Security

By Andy Youngs President, Advanced Polymer Technology, Inc., Elkhart, Indiana U.S.A.

I n t roduction

P o ly Te c h TM i s an int eg rat e d underground pipework s y s te m for the s torage and di stribution of fl a mmable and ha z ardou s liquid s Th e prim ar y applic a tion for th e PolyTe c h s y s tem h as be e n in the retail petrol e um indu st ry , co nnectin g underg round s torag e tank s (U ST' s) a nd a b oveg round s to ra ge tank s ( AST' s) to pump s a nd di s p e n s e rs Th e s y s tem h as a l s o s e e n e x ten s ive u s e in indu s tri a l a ppli c ati o n s, for use with s ol ve nt s s uch a s methyl e th y l k e to n e and to lu e ne , a s w ell a s wat e r tre atment c he mi ca ls s uc h a s so dium hy p oc hl o rite.

P o ly-Tec h wa s d eve lo p e d b y Ad va n ce d P o ly m e r Tec hn o logy, [n c (A PT ) A PT wa s fo rm e d as a j o int venture w it h EBW, fn c ., a lea din g US m a nu fac tur e r o f v al ves , fi tt in g s, s pill co nt a in m e nt m a nh o le s a nd e lec t ro ni c ta nk ga ug in g a nd ove rfill p ro te c ti o n d ev ices . A PT is ass is te d in ma r ke tin g e ffo r ts w ithin t h e U ni te d K in g d o m b y a p art ne r s hip w it h L in k H a m p s o n , a lea din g tec hni ca l d is tri b uto r o f p rod u ct s fo r t h e c h e mi c a l a nd p e t ro le um rn d us try

T he hea rt o f th e p ip e w o r k sys te m is th e p rim a ry p rod uc t p 1p 1n g T hi s p ip in g, a co n tro ll ed fl ex ib ili ty pipin g w ith a n rnt eg ra l seco nda ry co nta in me nt jacke t , p ro v id es ma x imum e n v i ro nm e nt a l sec uri t y b y e li m in at io n o f b u r ie d no n aL·cess i b le , n o n -c o nt a in e d JO in l s W it h P o ly Tec h , c () nn e ct io n s a re mad e o n ly w it hin access ib le co ntain me nt

s ump s, _ eliminating the potential for le a king joints to contammate the environment with fuel.

In addition to the primary product piping , the Poly-Tech s ystem contain s a number of other components Current components of the system include :

• Primary product piping both direct bury and secondarily contained

• 2:: vent and vapour reco very piping

• 3 offset f ill and manifolded vapor recovery piping

• Submersibl e pump (tank ) sump s

• Und e rdi spen se r sump s

• Fl ex ible e ntry boots

• Pipe fitting s

• C o mp os ite manh o les

Future s ys te m component s, and compon e nt s for other appli cation s, in c lude:

0 Prim ary s uc ti o n produ c t pipin g 13/.1" and l " , dire c t bur y and seco ndaril y co ntained

0 W' a nd 3/ 4" produ c t pipin g direc t bury and secondaril y co nt a in e d , fo r ge ne rato rs

0 In te rmedi ate pipin g s ump s

° C o n ve rs io n sump s fo r AST use (a bovegro und stee l to be low gro und Po ly Tec h)

0 U nde rcl is pe nse r pan s

Product Descriptions

Poly-Tech primary product piping is a nominal l3/4" inside diameter controlled flexibility, multi-layer product. It is composed of a fuel line grade nylon 12 inner liner, a nylon 6 oriented fiber reinforcement, and a polyethylene cover. In addition a proprietary and patent pending treatment is applied to the piping to vastly improve permeation resistance, to both alcohols and alcohol/gasoline blends as well as standard petroleum fuels.

The nylon 12 utilized as the liner material for the piping is a material which has been specified by automakers all over the world for fuel lines since 1980. With over 13 years of use, and with well over 100 million vehicles on the road today containing it in fuel lines, this grade of polymer is an obvious and optimal choice for the pipework liner. It was developed to provide maximum resistance to fuels and chemicals, while maintaining excellent flexibility and resistance to kinking.

The braided reinforcement which is applied over the nylon 12 liner provides additional strength and kink resistance Because of this layer, Poly-Tech has been shown to have a fifty year continuous pressure capability of 375 psi, and be fully kinked over 50 times without loss of hydrostatic strength or burst pressure. With a burst pressure of over 800 psi, Poly-Tech provides a burst pressure over 25 times the pressure put out by submersible pumps. Poly-Tech also shows a 25" Hg vacuum capability, more than sufficient for suction fueling systems.

Polyethylene is used both in the outer cover and in the secondary containment jacket, and provides resistance to groundwater conditions, as proven by over 40 years of use in buried piping, as well as resistance to fuels and chemicals.

Secondarily contained Poly-Tech utilizes a special, patented comformable secondary jacket design. The secondary jacket fits loosely around the primary, with 24 ribs protruding inward toward the primary. Under the weight of backfill, the secondary jacket conforms to the primary, providing a permanent installation with 24 channels through which fuel can be channelled to a sump with installed leak detection.

Tech prim_ary product piping is connected at the tank and dispenser with ?rass swivel fittings. Available in both and swivels, these fittings attach to the piping without spe.cial_ tools, utilizing a clamp design proven within the hydraulics for over 50 years. The swivel 0-ring are a UL listed Viton compound, with proven to a broad range of fuels and chemicals. These withstand. over 1600 psi without leakage, and are qmck and easy to mstall.

Test. fitting.s for testing the integrity of the secondary containment Jacket made from oil and gasoline resistant and are designed to prov.ide a means for periodic testmg of the secondary after mstallation. After initial testing, the boots are loosened and slid back II · f I " , a owmg ue leaks access to the flow channels of the secondary. At any time in the future, the boots can be reinstalled, and the secondary tested agam.

Substantial testing has been performed on Poly-Tech by Southwestern Research and L.J. Broutman laboratories in US, showing compliance with all generally accepted and standar?s., Poly-Tech is currently undergoing testing at Underwriter s Laboratories to UL 971 with a listing for alcohols. alcohols blended fuels ancl petroleum products expected in rnid-1994.

To supplement the primary product piping, and provide a complete system, APT has developed controlled flexibility piping for tank venting, offset tank filling, and stage II vapor recovery. This provides a real and significant breakthrough in the piping industry. By providing "controlled flexibility" piping, exposed joints in fill, vent and vapor recovery piping are eliminated, secondary containment of such piping is made easy, and installation times are slashed substantially.

But what does "controlled flexibility" mean? It means finding that balance point at which the pipework is flexible enough to provide for rapid, easy installation, while being rigid enough to tolerate minor grade fluctuations and pockets without sagging and allowing blockages and restrictions to occur. APT has managed to strike this balance, as seen in V-200-D, and R-300-D & SC.

V-200-D is a 2" ID piping used for tank venting and stage II vapor recovery. It is an olefin-based multi-polymer sandwich with braided reinforcement and APT's patent pending protection I.t has 36" bend radius, and a working pressure of 50 psi. With a 2 ID, when used for tank venting it allows tank fill and empty rates of over 1400 gallons per minute, according to NFPA Code 30. A vent conversion fitting is provided by APT to connect the polymer based underground piping to the steel piping required aboveground. This fitting is made from crosslinked polyethylene, and comes with a hose barb on one end, and a 2" galvanized union fitting on the other end.

For stacre II vapor recovery, V-200-D allows for rapid and asy ins7allation of the additional pipework required for systems. Current PEI recommended practices for balance systems allow up to 6 points t.o be placed in series with 2" ID piping, with 3 p1pmg reqmred after that. With the joint-less liner and higher flow a controlled fl ·b"l"ty system, APT believes that testmg will show that ex1 11 d · · ·1· · y 12 or more fueling points can be place in senes utJ 1zmg 200-D.

R-300D and R-300-SC are products developed for remote tank filling, tank manifolding, II hicrh volume diesel fueling . e TithmayR crlorified tank truck hose 1t isn t. e \ ::ork series was adapted from plant hose, and p p · f a cross-linked polyethylene lmer, a polyester consists o " · I d · d wi·re helix reinforcement, and a specia gra e of fabnc an h . I h chemically resistant rubber. t cover. ndt de bcase of the R-300-SC, this primary piping is sm:roun e . y a bi polyethylene secondary contamment Jacket conforma e . ·k· . . with 36 ribs. The R-300-D pnmary a wd01. mg_ · d a 10" HG vacuum ratmg, an 1s smta e or of 150 psi, an '. · . direct burial apphcat10ns.

'd for a complete pipework system. and to To p1 ovi e · h II I f" · d t the system reqmrements t at a meta 1ttmgs accommo a e · I b · · APT I d · accessible contamment c rnm e1 s. 1as be placed itn k su;nps dispenser sumps, flexible entry develope an · · · I d l·glltweicrht composite rnanho es. boots, an 1 "'

PT"s tank sump utilizes a technology whic.h d:Veloped for and sh1pp111g d . . By employmg a modulai. th1eaded design. the 1ums. 11 j Q · k-S tTM tank sump 1s easy to msta .am easy to work mc e j t· I . h . "th. yet provides a water am ue -t1g t conta111111en1 WI 111. I chamber to maximize security. All APT sumps are made .from which provides much lugher levels ot durah1lity and chemical resistance than conventional high-density polyethylene.

The tank sump starts with a 16-sided base unit. This unit is 42" in diameter at the bottom , and provides 16 piping access panel s , each 8" x 9". Each base is provided with a molded-in mounting panel , located ju s t below the threads and seal, which allows accessories to be mounted with sheet metal screws no special brackets required. The geometry and thicknes s of the sump bottom and walls provides the stiffness needed to prevent buckling under high water table conditions. The seal material is oil and gasoline resistant nitrile rubber.

The threaded seal design provides three sealing points the threads themselves , the tongue and groove seal, and an inner seal utilizing the flat portion of the se al and the base of the last thread. A similar design is employed in the threaded seal of the acce s s cover, and in the inspection cover, to provide confidence in sealing ability.

The riser portion of the sump is easily height adjustable in the field. Utilizing a hook blade knife , such as a linoleum knife , the ri ser c an be cut off at any of 4 positions , allowing a full 24" of height adjustability. This adjustment step takes only a few minutes , and allows for burial depths of anywhere from 32" to over 60".

To facilitate entry of piping into s umps , a flexible entry boot was de signed. These boots allo w up to a 30 degree piping entry angle , and a re av a il a ble in sizes from 1/2'' to 4" The uniqu e feature of APT' s flexible entry boots is that they m stall from inside the sump , and are repl aceable should the need ari se at some future time. The y are also a one-unit c on s truction , w ith no un att ached nut s or bolts to deal with. Th e seal is m ade by th e e xp andin g rubber gromm e t, which a llo ws th e entry boot to seal e ither in a throu g h-hole such as a s ump w all , or in a blind ho le, s uch as in a concrete s ump or wa ll.

To pro vide a cce ss to th e tank sump , APT has de veloped a 42 " di a m e te r compo site m a nhol e . Utilizing a gra de-level s tee l s kirt a nd a fib e r reinforc e d co mpo site co ve r w ith two s prin g- lo ad ed b e lo w g rad e handl e s , the APT C OMPOSITETM m a nh o le pro vid e s safe and easy acce ss to th e Q ui c k-S e t s ump. APT a lso m a rket s a full lin e o f co mp o site manh o le s for oth e r sizes of containment s ump s M a nh o le siz e s ra nge fr o m 18 " to 4 2" , a nd are ava il a bl e ro und , squ a re , no- bo lt o r wate rti g h t

A PT CO MP OS IT E TM cov e rs h ave bee n ind e pe nd e ntl y tes te d to o ve r 85 ,000 po und s of loa din g ca pability, and ha ve be e n s ubmitt e d to in ex c e ss of 3 0 ,0 00 lo adin g cy c le s at I 0 000 to 20 000 p o un d s In a dditi o n, APT m a int a in s a ri g oro us in ho use te s tin g p ro g ra m , utili z in g a rec ipro ca tin g tes t p ress w ith I 50 ,000 p o und loadin g c a pa b ilit y APT C OM P OS IT E 42 " c o ve rs ha ve bee n te s te d o n thi s press to o ve r 5 0 000 cyc le s at 20 00 0 po und s of load , w ith ad d iti onal cyc les be in g g e ne ra te d as tim e pe rmit s

O n the o the r e ncl o f the p ip in g run. access to fi tt in g s und e r the d is pe nse r is pro v id e d by A PT' s spli t di s pe nse r s ump s A lth o ug h ve ry m uc h li ke ex is tin g c o n ve ntio na l d is pe nse r s ump s in d e s ig n, A PT adcl s tw o key fa c to rs - c ro ss- lin ked po lye th y le ne fo r m a x i mum du rab ili ty a nd c he mi c a l res is ta nce. a nd a two p ie c e d es ig n fo r e ase o f in s ta ll atio n.

T he _A PT d es ig n s p lit s the s ump to p ro vid e a n e a sy to wo r k Wllh in lo we r sec t io n. a nd the nec ke d- dow n to p sec tio n w h ic h fits the d is pe nse r base T he to p sec ti o n ca n be se t in to the 1s la n cl for m a t g rad e leve l. a n cl th e bo tto m se ct io n d ro p pe d cl o w n to pro vid e room to wo rk w ith in . A ll pip ing is dune in th e lowe r sec t ion . aft er w hic h tha t sec tio n rn ise cl. h1>lt e cl to the top sec t ion . a ncl the im pa c t va lves sec ured to t l 1e \ t<.1h i!11. e r har kit.

Marketing

Within the United Kingdom, Poly-Tech is available exclusively through Link Hampson. A s an aid to the contractor, Link Hampson provides site delivery and on-site measurement of Poly-Tech , as well as contractor training. Poly-Tech is only to be installed by contractors certified by APT or Link Hampson. A significant stocking quantity of pipework components is maintained in the UK.

As an additional aid to users of Poly-Tech , site planning is offered free of charge Simply fax a rough site layout to APT, and a CAD drawing and bill of materials for the site will be provided normally within 24-48 hours.

APT provides a 10 year waJTanty for Poly-Tech piping.

Summary

The Poly-!ech advanced flexible underground piping system provides easily installed environmental security in a cost-effective manner. Reduction of installation time aquates to lower labor costs and less down-time in forecourt retr?fits. Elimination of exposed joints maximizes environmental security.

The Poly-Tech total systems approach provides controlled flexibility piping for every portion of an underground tank fueling system, along with a ccessible contamment chambers , flexible entry boots ancl composite manhole s.

Use of proven, st ate-of-the-art polymers provides pe1formance stand ard s which meet or exc eed all applicable codes and standard s, as proven by independent testing.

Environmental security, ease of inst a llation and co s teffecti ve ne ss were the cornerstones around which the PolyTech syste m wa s de signed , and on which it delivers

Genesis of the Bufflex Piping System

By Dean Flessas, General Manager Buffalo Environmental Products Corporation

The mid l 980's in the United States was a time of great change for the owners of underground storage systems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had begun to investigate leaking underground storage tanks, the State of California had begun to regulate underground tanks to the point of requiring secondary containment, and no one in the petroleum market knew what double wall pipes or tanks really were. In general the market was confused. By the late l 980's, the problems associated with leaking underground tank systems was obvious. The cost of cleaning up a spill was tremendous, and the federal government was issuing technical requirements well above what existed in most tank systems as well as requirements for insurance and financial responsibility.

The EPA had funded several studies to detern1ine "Why the systems leaking?". They came back with a wide vanety ?f answers, all of which pointed at piping as being the mam contributor. Over 60% of the spills from underground storage tank systems were coming from above the tank top. The piping was failing due to corrosion, ground improper installation and improper maintenance. Solving the problems associated with the piping was the reason for the Bufflex flexible piping system.

A division of Buffalo Tank Corporation, now known as Buffalo Environmental Products Corporation, had the idea of developing a risk free underoround storaoe tank system. "system" includes jacketed0 tanks, flexible double wall piping, and continuous leak detection with automatic shut down capabilities: 1!"- critical component in this package is the d?uble wall P.1pmg system. The use of flexible piping is .because It eliminates most of the connections made m the field, and it has the ability to withstand ground movement. The of the number of field connections that a mistake will be made during mstallat1on, while also reducing th f d . 11 system. Further, the us e 11:iie reqmre to msta a • 1 f e of non-metal he components and the me us10n o secondary containment r "d f" Protectino from co t . . • P ov1 es the security o o n ammation and cost) d" TI use of 'l structurall d . y reme iat1on. ie ad. the line provides another ' ' • <lcea I ity of the .· , . h analogy "Like pulling a wire through a phipe. T _e · II d . ·b d . ' con mt 1s t e way 1t 1s genera y escn e . Providing th UST system with the lowest possible ri:k b with a possibility of a release, was the ma.in glyl:1Jp1 eventmg the of the design team.

The But1lex II piping system is the restilt f h d . "f · o t e es1011 effort. The system of ers several options t 1 · eh 0 p1ov1te t e optimum solution to any apphcat10n. The systei · 1 t. t"" b . · · 11 1s a s1mp e comb111at10n o 1ve as1c components· p111n . . . . · · a1y p1p1110. Pnrnary coupl111gs. secondary p1p1110 t'mk . t . e e ' con a111ment chambers. and dispenser mterface and containni, t 8 I . 1 en . y mixing and mate 1111g t components. the needs of vi1tually any site can be satisfied.

.II !s. unic.!ue in industry. The pnmary pipe otters compat1h1hty with the full ranne of fuels available today and fuels that are still under Permeation rates are comparable to conventional non-

metallic piping. The pipe is provided in either I", 1.5'' or 2" inside diameters, because one size does not suit all applications. The smooth inner bore of the pipe reduces restriction to product flow and produces higher flow rates at the dispenser than comparable rigid or corrugated flexible piping. Bufflex II arrived after two years of intensive development and new methods of producing statistically controlled thermoplastic extruded flexible piping has evolved. One such development is the introduction of a steel wire helix into the product, this provides the security of an electrically grounded connection while adding strength to the pipe for use in both pressure and suction applications. Kink resistance in tight turns during installation and a small bend radii are additional benefits of using the steel helix. (Bufflex II products, to be used for the transport of gasolines, ethanol, methanol, alcohols, and MTBE's are cmTently on test with UL of Canada.)

Primary piping is assembled in the field using either the Bufflex quick connect or Bufflex face seal couplings. The hioh-tech quick connect coupling is made in universal sizes whh unisex connections that require no tools to assemble. A simple quarter tum by hand of the connection. The quick connect 1s available m a vanety of confiourations to satisfy the demands of any application. This provides the installer with as close to a "foolproof' connection as is possible.

The face seal coupling was added to the system to satisfy th needs of customers requiring a lower cost alternative to th: quick connect. designed for the service industry, face seal couphngs have many years of perfonnance in liquid tight transp01i systems. couplmg utilizes a Teflon gasket and a snap over clamp, this takes the work out of coupling assembly. Once assembled, the guess I I f l" b·1· eal couplino provides the same eve o re Ja 1 1ty as a aces , e · k connect. Face seal coupl111g components are also qmc · f.. · available in universal sizes. and 111 a umsex con to allow mix and match assembly. seal c.ouplmgs are · II d on the pipe using a hydrauhc expansion tool. The ms ta e d .d . . tool requires no calibrat10n an prov1 es a positive connection each time.

Th B [flex secondary containment pipe in 3" or 4.5" inner d e tu_ si"zes is the most durable flexible secondary iame e1 · · , · 1'nl pipe available. It 1s a heavy wall. smooth bore cont,unn l'. · · · • tl ·t ·1· TI i e with surprising capab1ht1es 111 ex111 1ty. 1e 4.5" Pp · d" ni'ter secondary pipe can he bent to a radius as mner 1<1 l'. • • II J'i" The design uses a ng1d plastic spiral sma as · · . . . I t.,d in .1 fuel resistant thermoplastIC tube to prov1ck encapsu a ' h tlll 1) strennth able to handle excessive lrall 1l" t e struc ' · c I • 1. 0 ·is \veil as the ngors ot sh1pp111g. handling and o,1t 1n_. , . . . . I. Bufflex p1p111g 1s 11ghl) abrasion and uncture resistant and 1s ideal open trench \\'nrk on a joh The smooth inne1: bore ot the pipe )ll"ll\ optimum conditio.ns tor leak nHm1tonng. \\;'hen pniperl) installed and slopmg toward the tank. the pipe will not hold liquid between bul allll\\ to drain to the lowest point in the system \\here the\ can be detected and removed rrom the ·

Bufflex is designed as a complete system, providing containment from the top of the tank to the inlet of the dispenser. The Bufflex tank containment chamber and dispenser trays provide containment while maintaining a high level of accessibility. Easy access inside a sump installation can often be the difference between a tight connection and a leaking connection. By providing good access, a contractor is less likely to make a mistake during the assembly of connections. Good access also makes testing and inspection easier. The Bufflex tank containment sump is designed with a low profile base to allow all of the piping to be assembled before the top is installed. By cutting a section out of the corrugated top, the height of the containment sump can be adjusted to match the requirements of the installation.

The dispenser interface and containment similarly provide easy access. The dispenser containment tray has a wide opening at the top, providing good access to the piping connections in the base of the tray. A steel mounting frame at the top of the tray utilizes interchangeable adapter plates to match the make and model of dispenser or suction pump specified. This allows for trays and frames to be universally sized. The rotationally moulded polyethylene trays provide a seamless, open containment zone beneath the dispenser and are easily adjusted for piping depths of 12" to 40". The method of connecting the secondary pipe to the containment chamber and dispenser tray is the only system available that allows testing of the complete connection made in the field. Electrical conduit entries and other pipe penetrations into the sumps can be sealed using flexible, testable entry boots.

A true solution to the problems associated with underground storage systems should be a complete system approach Easy installation, and design flexibility make a product simple to use for the installer and reduction in the of connections, reliable couplings, and secondary contamment provides security to the system owner and operator. The Bufflex piping system is designed to provide the safest possible solution to the risks of owning an installation. With bufflex piping in conjunction with continuous leak detection and c01Tosion protected double wall tanks. the optimum solution to the problems of underground storage tank systems is achieved.

The competitive nature of the new flexible piping systems Is worthy of comment at this point. Several vendors of such systems have emerged and Buffalo Environment Products welcomes this competition. Through compet1t1on our products will become better and will reduce in As a competitive development Buffalo Environment has introduced a non-replaceable double wall flexible pipe This product was developed directly from the Bultlex II primary pipe and includes an extruded ·•jacket" that provides both corrosion resistance from di reel soi I contact and a contai nment/moni torable space.

Finally. a brief discussion of the practical issues of doublewall removable flexible systems vs. non-removable systems.

Ruffalo Environmental Products Corporation. although both types of piping system in order to meet LLIStomei demand. oilers the following for your c<insi_dera11on: All new piping systems. whether removable. 11 on- 1crno\'able. double wall or single wall. inh1:rently share 1.·erta1n components. ie. all systems have a product delivery PIJW < on1a111111ent sumps and fittings that terminate in ''•llta11rnw111 ..,urnps. Other than till' selection of materials

and differences in design, all would be considered similar. The difference then, is whether a secondary or containment pipe is included in the installation. As cost engineerina enters into design considerations of double wall system; overall costs will go down and so too, the cost of secondary containment pipe. The secondary containment pipe will eventually represent a low percentage of the total cost, perhaps pennies per foot.

In our view, the advantages of a removable system today far outweigh current cost differences when compared to the total cost at a job site. A cost that may be as little as 1/4%.

All products require maintenance of some kind unless they are disposable products, it is a matter of time. Maintenance requirements for. flexible piping, when they eventually and will occur at some point in the life cycle of a flexible pipmg system that remains in the around indefinitely, will be far less costly with a removable than with the non-removable counterpart.

Failure of a primary product pipe will likely occur in one of three One, the product pipe will simply wear out from contmual use. Two, the product in the pipe may cause unacceptable permeation through the piping walls in per_haps, ten, fifteen or twenty years. Three, some of the may In all cases, a removable system will be serviceable without at least partial excavation. Unless the installer has left enough free pipe within the containment sumps i? order remove failed fittings and to swedge on new fittmgs, partial excavation would, at the very least, be necessary.

from a manufacturer's point of view, we cannot a. product as potentially hazardous as gasoline p1pmg to disposable. History has shown however that most if.not all countries, have experienced steel tanks and piping. Fibreglass tanks and fibreglass p1pmg have suffered considerable failures and certain polyethylene piping systems have yielded catastrophic results. Flexible systems would not be the "state of the ait systems" that they are considered today, if that were not the case. Today, the tank of choice in the U.S.A. is a. steel with a fibreglass "jacket", such as Buffalo"s F1brestar. coated tanks typically carry thirty year product warranties and have a projected buried life span in excess of (I 00) years. Will our new technoloay pi pi no last as long? 0 0

provides a one year product warranty on direct ?uned, wall piping, since little knowledge regardrng longevity of such systems is known. Today we are announcing that we are offering a thirty ye.ai product warranty on our removable Buftlex II primary pipe. We also confirm that Buffalo Environmental Products Corporation carries insurance on Bufflex II primary piping that will cover pollution cleanup at a site in amounts up to $2,000,000. Both the limited product '.""arrant7 the insurance coverage require that the mstallat1on is made in accordance with our instructions and by a certified Bufflex installer.

BUFFLEX PIPING IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM: CONDER PRODUCTS LTD TELEPHONE No. 0962-863577 FAX No. 0962-841759

To run a safe and efficient retail petroleum site y ou must have good control of you r wet stock and reliable protection for the environment. At the heart of both these functions is accurate , reliable tank gauging

Ve ed e r-R o ot En v ironmen tal Systems ha s a w ide ra nge o f produ cts d e si g ned to prov ide you w ith the ri g ht specifica ti o n s for y our ne e ds , at unbeatable va lu e

O ur b usi ness is ta nk ga ug ing a nd en v iro nm e nta l pro tect io n a nd we are in ve stin g in the futur e to be ab le to prov i de the products a nd serv i c e s w hi c h m ee t the ma rket's re q ui rements , both no w and in the years a hea d

Having the right products is only part of the solution and we recognise the need for excellence in service and installation. We operate our own national engineering team supported by technical specialists and our customer care department at Head Office Their sole purpose is to serve you from enquiry to field support.

WHY NOT TALK TO THE WORLD LEADERS? CALL US NOW ON 081 392 1355 AND WE'LL REC OMMEND THE APPR O PR IATE PACKAGE FOR YOUR SERVICE STATION .

TANK.

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A WEFCO underground storage tank delivers petrol to the nozzle, where it's needed, not into the ground.

That 's because at WEFCO we ' re leading the field in environmentally friendly fuel storage with our double skinned tanks, giving maximum protection against leakage

WEFCO were the first petroleum tank manufacturer to be accredited to BS 5750 Part 1 - ISO 9001 1987 , so setting the standards for other manufacturers to follow.

Underground storage is just one aspect of the WEFCO range of services and products , which also include GRP access chambers and cathodic protection , all designed for efficiency, performance and environmental protection