The Bulletin – October 1971

Quarterly Journal of The Association for Petroleum Acts Administration

E.V.BEEBY

J. BEER

J. BIRKS

P. H. CARTWRIGHT

C.L. DAVIDS

D. HALL

S. W. D. HARRIS G.H.HARVEY

THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM ACTS ADMINISTRATION

Chairman: J. SHORT

Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures

Vice-Chairman: R P. HOLDAWAY Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures

Rugby R.D.C. 2071

Worcester City 23156 Chesterfield B. 2825

Hartlepool C.B. 2474 G.L.C. Hornchurch 40794

NewcastIe-under-Lyme B. 60161

Gloucester R.D.C. 26223 Dudley C.B. 55433

Council: Officers:

W. HETHERINGTON J. W. HEWISON B. HODGSON K. C. HUGHES T. KERR H. R MELLOR C. R PESKETT R E. J. ROD EN

Witney U.D.C. 3241

Havant and Waterloo U.D.C. 6311

Wigton RD.C. 2133/5

Stafford B. 3507

Glanford Brigg R.D.C. Brigg 2441/5

Blackpool C.B. 23848

Godalming B. 6191/4 Birmingham City 021-236 9944

Hon. Secretary: J. W. FRID

Hon. Editor: B. W. THACKER FIRE BRIGADE H.Q.

Hon. Treasurer: C. T. PEACOCK Chief Inspector Weights and Measures ANGLIA CUMBRIA EAST MIDLAND

Branch Secretaries: J. W. FRID, B. HODGSON, J. BIRKS, P. H. CARTWRIGHT, H. R MELLOR, J. SHORT, C. R PESKETT, R E. DUST, R HUNTINGTON, G. BALSHAW, F. H. BENSON,

Hon. Electrical Adviser:

J. A. SHARP,

Hon Legal Adviser: P D. WADSWORTH,

Talking Point

PARKING AREAS

Home Otnce Circular No. 42/1971, which is repo'rted briefly on another page, refers to vehicles used for the conveyance by road of inflammable liquids with a flash point below 73 0 F, and indicates that new regulations will include a provision that such vehicles should only be parked unattended at places approved by the Licensing Authority. At the moment the number of such parking places is small and it is suggested that before the new regulations came into being, Licensing Authorities approve further parking places for use by vehicles carrying petroleum spirit, and that the authorities should inform Home Office 'on the action taken.

There is no doubt that more areas should be set aside for the parking of vehicles carrying inflammable substances, but readers will note that no advice is given on the type of parking area that should be provided, other than a reference to the views of the Police and Fire Service.

One wonders whether 'Or not these vehicle parks should be provided within a built up area; whether or not they should be encl'osed; whether or not other types of vehicles should be allowed; whether or not attendants should be employed and indeed who should pay the 'cost of providing such parking sites.

It is obvious that there should be some degree of 'consistency in this matter and the Association, on behalf of its members, will endeavour to clear up the vagueness of this circular.

notes and news

New Members

Marple U.D.C. Cheshire S Petersfield R.D.C. Hants S Swadlincote U.D.C. Staffs S

Associate Members

H. J. AlIen, Esq., 11 Kl1!ightsway, Sandal, Wakefield, Yorks. T. W. Armel, Esq., 37 Alexandre Gardens. Hounslow, Middlesex.

D. J Cato, Esq , Burmah Oil Trading Ltd., Burmah-Castrol House, Marylebone Road, London, N.W.I.

H. Lindsay-Bell, Esq , GEM Petroleum Ltd., Crossroads House, 165 The Parade, Watford, Herts.

G. D. Mason, Esq., Simplex-Ge Ltd., P.O. Box No. 2, Blythe Bridge, ,Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs.

W. Wright, Esq., 10 Elm Grove Road, Barnes, London, S.W.13.

APPOINTMENTS

J. Bantoft, Deputy Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Derby has been .appointed Chief Inspector.

J. Bennett, District Inspector of Weights and Measures, Leeds has been appointed Chief Inspector, Morley

G. Blakey, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, Kempston U.D ,C., has ben appointed Chief Public Health Inspector, Waltham Cross u.n.c.

J. Bowness, Deputy Borough Engineer and Surveyor, CHtheroe, has been appointed Borough Engineer and Surveyor.

J. P. Boyden, Deputy Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Eccles, has been appointed Borough Engineer and Surveyor R. BrownJohn, Deputy Borough Engineer, Surveyor and P.lanning Officer, Epsom and Ewell, has been appointed Director of Engineering Services and Planning.

W. J . G. Evelelgh, Bor,ough Engineer and Surveyor, CheHenham, has ,been appointed Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Barnet

R Farrlngton, Deputy Chief PubHc Hea'lth Inspector, Whitefield U.D.C., has been appointed Chief Public Health Inspecttor in succession to A. B. Lee, appointed Deputy Director of Public Cleansing, Bradford.

J. G. W Roberts, Deputy -Engineer and Surveyor, Cheltenham R.D C , has been appointed Engineer and Surveyor.

N Schofield, Deputy Chief Fire Offi'cer, Rochdale, has been a ppoint ed Chief F1i:r e Officer, Sunde r land

A . Se n ior, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, Hemsworth R.D :C. has been p r omoted Chief Inspector.

W. R S lm pso n, Engineer, Surveyor and Public HeaHh I nspecto r , Brigg U.D.C ., has been appointed Boroug h Sur v e y o r a n d S ani t ary I n specto r, Pete r head.

D. Stevenson, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, Chichester R.D.C., has been promoted Chief Inspector.

C. W. Thorpe, Deputy Engineer and Surveyor, Atherstone R.D.C., has been appointed Engineer and Surveyor.

RETIREMENTS

J. Ben, Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Clitheroe.

C. Cobbett, Borough Engineer, Surveyor and Planning Officer, Epson and Ewell for the last 14 years .

H. J. Dearling, Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Hove for the last 33 years.

W. H. Matthews, Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Derby. Mr. Matthews was a founder member of the former Midlands Group and had always taken an active interest in the affairs of the Association.

E. J. Woodward, Chief Public Health Inspector, Chichester R. D. C. We wish these gentlemen a long and happy retirement.

SIR GEORGE TREVELYAN

Many readers who attended the Petroleum courses held at Attingham Park will remember with pleasure the inspiring address of welcome always given to students by the Warden, Sir George Trevely,an. Equally delightful was a conducted tour of this elegant Georgian mansion during which Sir George so e'lequently turned back the pages of history and stirred the imagination.

Now after 23 years devoted service, Sir George has retired, and our good wishes are added to the many hundreds he has received for a long and happy retirement.

ELECTRICAL CERTIFICATE

The Reference and Legal Committee of the Association has recently revised the eleotrical installation test certificate and this revision has been approved by Council.

The revision modtfies the wording of the certificate and broadens the categories and qualifications of persons acceptable as responsible to carry out the test and sign the certifioa'te.

A copy of the revised certificate is included in this issue.

PETROLEUM SEMINAR

The second Advanced Petroleum Seminar organised by the ASSOciation, will be held at Derwent College, University of York .from October 2nd, 1972 <to October 5th, 1972.

Clerks to Authorities will rbe notified officially of the Seminar, but -f or ,information, readers are reminded of this annua'l event and that the closing date for application is 31st July, 1972.

HOME OFFICE CiRCULAR No. 182/1971

This circular cantains infarmatian an the revacatian af :-

The Petraleum (Inflammable Liquids) Order 1968, The Inflammable Liquids (Canveyance by Raad) Regulations 1968,

The Inflammable Substances (Conveyance by Raad) (labelling) Regulations 1968.

The Order and Regulations have naw been replaced by :The Petroleum (Inflammable Liquids) Order 1971, The Inflammable Liquids (Conveyance by Raad) Regulatians 1971,

The Inflammable Substances (Conveyance by Road) (labelling) Regulatians 1971.

The new Order and Regulations came into force on 1st July and contain the following amendments.

(1) The Order shall apply anly when substances listed have a flash paint below 73 ° F (Abel clO'sed-cup test).

(2) The exemption limit in RegulatiO'n 9 (b) has been increased frO'm 250 kg to 500 kg. (This applies also to labelling requirements).

(3) Regulations 2 (4) nO'w allows an apen tap container as the outer container.

(4) The "Inflammable" label need not be displayed on containers cantaining patable spirits.

HOME OFFiCE CIRCULAR No. 186 (1971)

This circular refers to' the a bove 1971 Order and Regulations and mentians that the Standing AdvisO'ry Cammittee on DangerO'us Substances is now engaged in the preparation of propasals for detailed regulatiO'ns to' cO'ntral the construction and aperation af vehicles used for the canveyance by rO'ad of inflammable liquids with a flash point below 73 °F.

The Committee cO'nsiders it desirable that any such regulatiO'n shauld cO'ntain a provision similar to Regulation 7 of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Raad) Regulations 1951, which deals with parking af unattended tank vehicles only at places appraved by Petraleum Authorities.

As such parking places are at present limited in number, it is suggested that Petroleum licensing autharities should apprave further parkin g plac es far vehicles carrying petraleum spirit, so that these parking places will be available when the new regulatiO'ns come into operatian. It is Suggested that the Hame Office should be natified in due course of the action t a ken by each authority.

REPORT OF H.M. INSPECTOR OF EXPLOSIVES

The report of H.M. Inspector of Explosives for the year ending 31st Septembe r, 1970 is now available (H.M.S.O. 35p)

This report highli gh ts the dangers of glass fibre petrol tanks fO' r motor cycle s and inst an ces three fat a l accidents involv,in g motor cycl e s fitted with glass fibre or resin tanks which ru ptured ca us in g the rider in each case to be t r apped in a pool of blazing petrol.

It has been agreed, says the report, that the Department of the Environment, which is generally responsible for regulating the construction of motor vehicles, should take over from the Home Office responsibility for regulating the construction of vehicle fuel tanks.

There is evidence to suggest that glass fibre tanks are dangerous in impact situations, the report continues. If there appears to be no Hkelihood of the forma ,tion in the near future of a satisfactory performance standard with which glass fibre would be able to comply, it may be necessary for the Department of the Environment, as an interim measure to introduce a regulation to the effeffct that all motor cycle fuel tanks on machines manufactured and first used after a certain date be constructed of metal. This would be consistent with the current requirement of the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicle etc.) Regulations, 1929.

lettersCONSTRUCTION OF PETROLEUM ROAD TANK VEHIClESUSE OF FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTICS

During a routine examination of a road tanker which was deHvering petroleum spirit at a petrol filling station one of my Officers, authorised to carry out inspectJions under the PetroIeum (Consolidation) Act, discovered that the cab of the vehicle was cons,tructed of glass fi1bre

Since the vehicle wa's otherwise constructed in accordance with the Regulations the matter was referred to H.M. Inspector of Explosives f or his observations.

I enclose for your information a copy of the reply I received together with a copy of a Home Offi'ce memorandum (XB 519/10/2) which, t 'o the best of my knowledge, has never been circulated to Licensing Authorities.

It occurred to me that other members of the Association should be made aware of the contents of this memorandum to assist them in carrying out their res'Ponsibilit-ies under the Act.

Chief Fire Officer, Birkenhead. W. MIDDLETON, F.I.A.O.

Thank you for your letter of the 6th July . The tanker whi'ch you mention is known to us and is of a design approved by this Department. We do approve the use of certain types of glass reinforced plasti c for the construc bi on of tanker cabs. The conditions under which this is permitted are set out in the attached memorandum (our reference XB519/10/ 2) which may be of interest to you.

Perhaps this will enable you to decide whether or not the vehicle concerned has been constructed to the approved design Do not hesitate to contact us should you require further information

For your information, the reference under which this des'ign was approved is XB/70 532/42/1.

519/10/2.

Fire Protection in Petroleum Spirit Road Tankers in which the Engine is forward of the Cab

The First Schedule to ,the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations, 1957 (S.I. 1957 No. 191) Clause lee) requires that

"the engine and electric batteries shall be effectively screened from the body of the vehicle by a fire resisting shield carried down to within twelve inches from the ground and upwards to, ,in the case of a vehicle other than a tank wagon, the level of the top of the cab, or, in the case of a tank wagon, to the top of the tank or, if the roof of the cab is of fire resisting construction and is without an opening, to the top of the cab."

Difficulty arose with regard to the interpretation of "fireresistant" in the context of proposals submitted to the Home Office for reinforced plastic materials for the construction of cabs. These proposals formed the subject of experimental work at the Joint Fire Research Station and subsequent discussions with industry. The experimental work was undertaken in an endeavour to arrive at an interpretation of "fire-resistant" based on a standard method of testing. It compared eX!isting approved sheet metal construction and took into account the essential requirements in relation to the hazards to be apprehended. Conclusions have been reached which enable acceptable materials to be defined in terms of a standard test. These conclusions have been extended to the body of the vehicle and its fittings which under Clause 5 of the First Schedule are also required to be "fire-resistant".

1. Cabs and forward fittings

In the ,case of cabs and forward fittings there are two essential requirements

(a) the materials of construction must be of low hazard from their ignitability and tendency to spread flame and

(b) the construction must be such that with a fire of the severity likely to occur forward of the fire screen the fire screen will act as an effective barrier and prevent the penetration of fire to the tank.

The first requirement can be judged by subjecting the test for surfa'ce spread of flame specified in British Standard 476: Part 1: 1953 and the acceptance level proposed is that the materials of construction throughout shall not be inferior to Class 2. The experimental work which has been carried out has provided sufficient information to indicate that compliance with the second requirement can reasonably be given by specifying a minimum standard of construction.

The 'following acceptance standards ,are therefore agreed for use of reintforced plastics in the construction of cabs and fire screens for ,the petroleum spirit road tankers. The proposed reinforced plastic construction standard should apply to the whole of the cab, not simply to such parts of the rear and roof as may be designed to ,form the fire-resistant screen in accordance with the conveyance regulations.

Materials

The materials used ,in the construction of the cab, fire screen, bonnet and wings shall be such that they are not inferior to Class 2, "Surfaces of low flame spread" when tested in accordance with the Surface Spread of Flame test of British Standard 476: Part 1: 1953.

Construction

Cabs and screens of fibreglass reinforced polyester should have a thickness of not less than l inch and should be provided with adequate stiffening members. The glass fibre should have a density of not less than 4 oz/ft 2 and the resin content of the laminate should not be in excess of 60 per cent by weight.

The use of materials not complying with the above should be referred to H.M. Inspector of Explosives.

2. The body of the vehicle and fittings

In the case of the body of the vehicle and fittings the only requirement is in relation to spread of flame as at 1(a) above. The following acceptance standards are therefore agreed.

Materials

(a) Wheel guards shall be constructed such that the surfaces are not ,inferior to Class 2, "Surfaces of low flame spread" when tested in accordance with the Surface Spread of Flame Test of B.S.476: Part 1: 1953,and (b) All other fittings shall not be inferior to Class 3.

CAR PARK BUILDINGS

In the Editorial of the July 1971 number of your Bulletin, you cite the suggestions made at a recent Symposium on the Fire Protection needed in Car Park buildings as an example of "the erosion of safety measures on the grounds of economy".

With the greatest respect we would be grateful if you would give us the opportunity to point out that this is not a true representation of our position.

A large programme of experimental fires carried out at this Station and which culminated in the three tests in which cars were ignited in a specially erected building, showed without any doubt at all that the risk of a spreading fire In an open-sided car park building was very small and that the fire resistance requirement for such buildings was such that unclad structural steel could be safely used without any danger of collapse. This work has since been confirmed by independent experiments involving ignited cars in Japan 'and Switzerland and is supported by the statistics of fire incidents ,in car park buildings.

We, ,as a responsible organization, would be failing in our duty if we neglected to point out that as a result of this work it had been positively shown that the fire resistance requirement for the structure of a car park building was relatively small and that to insist on a higher level was simply a waste of the taxpayers' or ratepayers' money.

This, Sir, is not the erosion of safety measures on the grounds of economy, but rather an attempt to ensure that the money available for safety measures is properly spent. F,ire Research Station. E. G. Butcher.

The photograph shown here might be of interest to readers of 'The Bulletin', as it shows most vividly the effect of a small fire on certain types of plastic fuel tanks. The fire started in the carburettor of the motor cycle and heat from the fire very quickly caused the fuel tank to disintegrate allowing the contents to escape. This incident occurred very close to a Fire Station, and the Brigade was called immediately . Had this not been the case I am sure more damage would have been caused.

Chief Fire Officer, Teesside.

H JOHNSON, O.B.E.

FIRES INVOLVING PETROLEUM SPIRIT

A series of demonstmtions have been given by members of the City of Coventry Fire Brigade to Petroleum Station Forecourt Attendants and Garage Staff generally. Due to the success these demonstrations a further series is being arranged durmg October for Industry and Local Authority Departments . Over 300 acceptances have already been received.

It is essential that personnel concerned with the handling of petroleum spirit should be aware of the need for constant care and vigilance and should a fire occur, be aware of the hazards involved, and the correct procedures to be adopted.

With this in mind the demonstr-ations show a number of small spillage fires which could occur on garage forecourts,

and the use of which have "to be available by legislation. All the 'incidents except the final one are of such a nature that they could be effecVive ly dealt with by Ithe attendants and garage staff if they used the extinguishers promptly and efficiently. The final item on the programme simulates a rapid fire spread and fire development should an incident get out of hand, with the serious consequences to vehicles, premises and persons This is extinguished by Bri ga de personnel using foam making equipment

The whole exercise is to promote confidence and to impart an element of knowledge and expertise under controlled conditions to enable attendants to be bette r prepared to deal with a dangerous fire situation on their forecourt should the need arise

SAFE HANDLING OF PETROLEUM SPIRIT AT DISTRIBUTION DEPOTS AND TERMINALS

A

Paper given by J. R. Hughes, B.Sc., F.lnst.Pet., Group Chief Safety Engineer, British Petroleum Co. Ltd., at York.

When I was asked to present a paper to an Advanced Course for Petroleum Acts Administration, I was pleased to accept because it gave me an opportunity to make a contribution to the co-operation which has developed in recent years between your Association, the oil companies and the Home Office. This co-operation is, I believe, unique in the world. It is also timely because we are all going to face problems concerned with matching the growing demands for more petroleum products with a proper sense of preserving and, indeed, enriching our environment.

The safe handling and storage of petroleum is completely compatible with the objectives of the environmentalists. There are, in fact, at the present moment, three international committees preparing codes on (i) Prevention of Ground Water Pollution, (ii) Prevention of Sea Pollution, (iii) Safe Handling of Petroleum.

Membership of these committees is drawn from the National Petroleum Institutes of Europe, with a Steering Committee in London. An important function of the London committee will be to ensure that there will be no conflict between the three codes. As a member of Committee (iii), representing the U.K. Institute of Petroleum, I can assure you that we are constantly mindful of the aims of our corresponding members on Committees (i) and (ii).

Committee (iii) is engaged on the European Model Code of Safety in Oil Operations, known as EMCOSPO for short. The Committee meets regularly in Hamburg. The Code will consist of two parts Part One will deal with Operations at Marketing Installations, while Part Two will be devoted to Construction and Layout. Such good progress has been made that Part One is near completion. Part Two, as you may well imagine, is proving to be a very difficult task. Our approach to Part Two will be by the application of principles based on a wealth of experience combined with a knowledge of superior materials and techniques now available, rather than composing a melange of existing national codes.

In fact, the only European codes which might be described as complete within themselves are the U.K. Home Office Model Codes, the I.P. Code of Safe Practice for Marketing Installations and your own Code of Practice. The French regulations are extremely detailed but are now in course of final revision. There is no specific petroleum safety code in Germany, the requirements being spread over a number of German enactments dealing with flammable liquids generallY· Regulations in Switzerland and Italy are very much outdated, while the Scandinavian countries generally look to those countries which have already produced relevant standards.

You may well ask what relevance has European practice to the U.K. situation. I believe that we can learn a lot from each other and when the time comes to revise our own Codes, we could benefit by looking at the European Code for guidance.

A clause by clause account of the Home Office Model Codes, with comment from me, or an explanation of the LP. Safety Codes, would be extremely dull and inappropriate for a course such as this. I have, therefore, pointed out what I consider to be three important aspects of the Home Office Codes and offered my own views on them. They are:-

l. Construction and Layout, 2. Operations and Maintenance, 3. Fire Fighting.

Construction and Layout (i) Construction

Very little has been said in the Home Office Model Codes on the design and construction of tanks. This omission was deliberate as the Codes were never intended to be 'design' codes this being a matter for the industry which has provided the technical expertise to British Standards Committees in the preparation of design and construction codes. You should be conversant, therefore, with the appropriate British and other Standards which I have tabled as an Appendix to this paper. I must admit that to a person who is not in daily touch with the storage and handling of oil in bulk, the interpretation of the B.S. Standards and their application to your functional responsibilities must present some difficulty. How, for example, does one select a particular type of tank for a given quantity of a specified petroleum product?

A good division of storage tanks is at 12,000 U.K. gallons nominal capacity since below this figure most tanks ar3 shop fabricated while above 12,000 U.K. gallons site erection is more usual. You will also need to know the volatility of the product, but since you are mainly concerned with petroleum spirit the choice would fall for the larger sizes, on one of the following :-

(a) floating roof, (b) "non-pressure" fixed roof with internal floating deck, or (c) "pressure" fixed roof.

The characteristics of these tanks are described in manufacturers' technical literature and the selection of a particular type would depend upon :-

size, frequency of oil movement in and out of the tank, vapour pressure, climatic conditions, cost.

(ii) Layout

Good guidance on layout and spacing of tanks is given in the Home Office Model Codes. In deciding spacing between tanks, height of bund walls and distances of bund walls from the shells of tanks, the Home Office gave particular attention to the ability to contain and extinguish tank fires. Bund walls are intended only to retain spillages -a catastrophic failure of a tank which resulted in the whole of the contents being discharged at once would not be contained, a tidal wave of oil would simply sweep over the bund wall which, in the Model Codes, are more correctly called "fire-walls".

There is, I belive, some merit in the use of doubleskin tanks in lieu of single wall plus fire-wall. We are now faced with special problems at some tank farm sites in the Middle East, where it would be practically impossible to build fire-walls to Model Code standard for two reasons :- (a) the tremendous size of a firewall for a 260ft. diameter tank; (b) difficulty in getting suitable impervious material. We are, therefore, seriously considering double-skin floating roof tanks with no fire-walls. This has already been done recently in Germany, with the agreement of the local authority, but mainly on the grounds that there was insufficient space for fire-walls when constructed to contain the capacity of the largest tank. With doubleskin tanks, we have to devise new fire-fighting procedures and there are, of course, certain technical problems concerned with the differential movement which occurs between the skins as the inner tank is filled and emptied.

A sloping site may offer advantages in drainage and lower cost pumping facilities. It also lends itself to taking advantage of an impounding basin in conjunction with diversionary walls instead of fire-walls. In fact, they are on such sites superior to fire-walls, but only if they are soundly constructed and properly maintained.

operations and Maintenance

(i) Operations

Most accidents are caused by operational error and, therefore, as long 'as human intervention is necessary to operate our depots and terminals and until the human race reaches perfection, accidents may be expected to OCcur from time to time. By reducing our dependence upon manual systems we can upgrade the safety of our installations but certain manual operations are likely to be with us for some time yet and our approach to safety in these operations is through training, re-training and acceptance by each operator and line manager of the principle of personal responsibility for safe operation.

Overfilling is more likely to occur during the filling of road and rail tank cars, in view of the nature and frequency of the operation. With road and rail cars, Overfilling of storage tanks is a rare occurence. pre-set meters determine the actual quantity of product to be loaded, but error is still possible, due to:-

(i) ,failure to set the meters correctly, or (ii) compartment still contains product before loading and allowance not made for this fact.

Accordingly, oil companies have been developing high level cut-outs which stop the flow of product when a pre-determined level in the tank compartment has been reached, and within the next few years most of the road cars and loading racks on peroleum spirit duty will be equipped with high-level cut-outs working either on the electric or pnuematic principle. Parallel with the development of high-level cut-outs, progress has been made in other directions to safety by making it impossible to commence loadmg until the loading arm is correctly positioned in the tank compartment. In order to reduce the possibility of electrostatic discharge in the early stages of loading, dual speed control valves are becoming available so that flow of light products is controlled at not more than 1 metre/sec. until the bottom of the fill arm is covered.

(ii) Maintenance

The high degree of automation at our depots and terminals naturally demands a very high standard of skilled maintenance. But it is in the simpler manual maintenance jobs that mistakes can prove to be costly. I refer, of course, to tank cleaning operations. Mistakes may be due to ignorance of the behaviour of petroleum products under the influence of heat and the ability of hydrocarbon gases, when released in large volume at slow speed, to travel considerable distances. In the first instance, any heavy hydrocarbon residual products left in a tank after emptying will vaporise when heated, to form a flammable mixture with air. The use of steam to clean out large tanks is not satisfactory because the steam condenses rapidly before the temperature of the residual material has been raised sufficiently to remove its volatile constituents. In these cases, it is better to forego the use of steam and rely upon cold or hot water with added emulsifying substances. If any residual oil is still present on the tank walls, cold cutting methods should be used in preference to hot cutting, but if hot cutting has to be done that part of the tank to be heated should be cleaned down to bare metal for a distance of 12in. each side of the area to be heated. The whole subject of tank cleaning is too detailed to be dealt with adequately in this paper and I refer you to published works where tank cleaning is treated as a planned operation from beginning to end.

Respecting the drift of heavy hydrocarbon gas over long distances, this is always possible if a tank door in one of the bottom strakes is opened after a tank

which has petroleum spirit has been emptied. I recall one instance in Turkey when petroleum spirit vapour travelled 136ft. in a bunded area, to be ignited by a non-flameproof starter switch of an electric stripping pump. The man operating the switch was burned to death in the flash fire which burned back to the open door in the bottom strake of the tank being pumped out (below door level). Escaping gas continued to burn at this door opening, the consumed gas being replaced by air admitted through the roof vents, until the atmosphere inside the tank entered the explosive range. When this occurred, the tank roof (fixed) was blown off, killing another man. The men endeavoured to extinguish the fire at the open shell door by means of foam. This was, of course, useless as foam will never extinguish a vapour fire foam acts by smothering a liquid surface to prevent vapour escape and also acts as a coolant to reduce vaporisation. In the incident quoted, a curtain of dry chemical across the open door would have been successful as, at that time, the vapour inside the tank was too rich to bum.

3. Fire Fighting

You will be aware that the licensee of a distributing depot or major installation is required only to provide fire fighting equipment and materials adequate to combat a fire in its initial stages. In general, the licensee exceeds this requirement, certainly at the larger installations, and has spent considerable sums of money in fire tenders and associated fire fighting equipment. This is in addition to his not insignificant contribution to the rates for the authority in which his instillation is located. The Fire Authority is, by the Fire Services Act, 1947, charged with the duty of extinguishing fires and advising on fire prevention measures and by Section 30(3) of the Act, "the senior brigade officer present at a fire shall have the sole charge and control of all operations for the extinction of fire".

It is clearly in our interests to have an efficient means of extinguishing fires and considerable progress has been made in the past ten years in both firefighting techniques and materials, due largely to the collaboration of the oil companies with equipment manufacturers.

Because our depots and terminals are lightly manned, we welcome the arrangements made with Fire Authorities by which their expertise is combined with the best available equipment for fire fighting. Joint exercises are now common and we believe that these exercises are of very great importance.

The vulnerability of fixed equipment on tanks is now fully appreciated and the sequence of order for provision of foam as stated in the Model Code, namely:-

1. mobile appliances, 2. fixed connections, or 3. a combination of 1 and 2, was not selected by chance. Priority is given to mobile appliances because of their ability to apply massive quantities of foam where it is most required.

Whereas the major oil companies carry large stocks of foam compound in mobile bowsers (2,000 U.K. gallons), in addition to drum storage, it is disturbing to find that the Home Office stocks are in small individual drums which require to be loaded and subsequently off-loaded before transfer to foammaking machines. Much of the strategic value of these reserves is thereby lost.

By and large, the oil companies enjoy very good relationships with the Fire Authorities. We believe, however, that there is room for more effective mutual aid schemes whereby assistance to, say, a small installation or depot could be obtained from better equipped larger installations. The Institute of Petroleum has recently produced recommended procedures for mutual aid in emergencies and I expect that these recommendations will be put before your Association for comment before publication.

The main points of this presentation are summarised in the Appendix.

APPENDIX 1

1. B.S. 2594: 1955 (Amendment No. 3 1964) Horizontal mild steel welded storage tanks.

2. B.S. 2654 Vertical mild steel storage tanks with buttwelded shells for the petroleum industry. Part I, 1965 Design and fabrication. Part 2 1961 (Amendment No. 2 1965) Site erection, inspection and testing.

3. B.S. 1500: 1958 Fusion welded pressure vessels for use in the chemical, petroleum and allied industries.

4. B.S. 1515: 1965 Fusion welded pressure vessels (advanced design and construction) for use in the chemical, petroleum and allied industries. Part 1, Carbon and ferritic alloy steels.

5. AMSE Code for Boiler and Pressure Vessels, Sec. VIII, 1962 345 East-47th Street, New York 17, New York.

6. API Recommended Practice RP 2000 Guide for Tank Venting. API 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York 20.N.Y.

7. NFPA No. 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code 1966. National Fire Protection Association, 60 Batterymarch Street, Boston, Mass.

8. API Standard 650 Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage.

9. API Standard 620 Recommended Rules for Design and Construction of Large Welded Low-pressure Storage Tanks.

10. B.S. 2762: 1956 Notch ductile steel for general structural purposes.

11. API Standard 2510 The Design and Construction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Installations at Marine and Pipeline Terminals, Natural Gas Processing Plants, Refineries and Tank Farms.

12. Institute of Petroleum Safety Codes, 61 New Cavendish Street, London, W.!.

PETROLEUM SEMINAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF YORI(

An appreciation by A. F. Brunner, M.I.W.M.A., Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Hartlepool C.B.

"Entry from the north through the Forest of Galtres. In old times armed guards stationed here to conduct travellers through the forest and protect them against wolves. The Royal Arms taken down in 1650 when Cromwell passed through against Scotland. Heads of 3 rebels exposed here for attacking the restored Monarchy in 1663".

This grim reminder of past perils confronts every traveller from the north as at Bootham Bar he enters the walled City of York. During its long history, so admirably portrayed in an open-air Pageant celebrating this nineteenth centenary year, Eboracum has attracted many visitors and has accorded to each, whether Roman, Saxon or Dane, a welcome appropriate to his mission. Saxon King Harold was warmly received by the citizens after his victory over the Danes at nearby Stamford Bridge and it was from York that he marched south for his ill-fated encounter with the Normans at Hastings. As a speculative contribution to the legendry of that time it may be recorded, almost poetically, that Harold outwitted the Danish pair, Tostig and Harald Hardrada, with arrows to spare and that with traditional Yorkshire foresight the eleventh century Tykes gathered these for eventual use today in the City's traffic management scheme. And now it is those arrows rather than heads on the walls that have immediate impact upon the visitor arriving by car as they guide him and protect him from wolves in warden's wear.

Leaving the realms of speculation for the realities of 1971, one can speak with complete sincerity of the generous welcome extended to fifty or so gentlemen who were privileged to attend the Association's Petroleum Seminar held in Derwent C0llege of the University of York during the first week of July. Those who readily admitted to hav-ing been born a generation too soon greatly appreciated the amenities of the College itself and of the delightful landscaping of its surroundings. DespHe conflict between relaxing influences and necessity to concentrate, the Seminar clearly achieved its object of providing senior officers with deeper knowledge of the technicalities of petroleum production and distribution and of the legal considerations involved.

A "seminar" Chamber's says, is "a group of advanced students working in a specific subject of study under a teacher": The York Seminar amply justified this appellation in that It brought together enforcement officers representing four branches of local government Engineers/ Surveyors, Fire Service personnel, Public Health Inspectors and Inspectors of Weights and Measures all able to contribute elements of their respective fields of specialist knowledge to a common interest in petroleum administration and to combine together into a study group weB able to profit from the guidance and instruction of no fewer than seven expert teachers.

John R. Hughes, Esq., B.Sc., F.Inst.Pet., in lecturing upon "Safe Handling of Petroleum Spirit at Distributing Depots and Terminals", was able to draw upon his cons-iderable experience as Chief Safety Engineer in a world-wide and highly co-ordinated petroleum organisation. Mr. Hughes emphasised that by eliminating risk of pollution of the air, sea, rivers and ground water, safe-handling of spirit is complementary to a clean healthy enVIronment. He referred to the European Model Code for safety in oil operations and assured the Seminar .that this. was. not a concoction devised by the oil compames to SUIt theIr own selfish requirements but a sincere and positive contribution in the interests of uniformity throughout Europe. He dealt in detail with what he regarded as the three most important aspects of safety at depots and namely, construction and lay-out, operations and mamtenance, and fire fighting.

The number of "Basement and Multi-storey Car Parks" in the area of the Greater London Council enable? W. C. Dale, Esq., A.F.Inst.Pet., to speak with authorIty. on t,hIS subject. He introduced legal argumen: favour of hcensmg such premises and said that the prmcIple was now wellestablished insofar as the G.L.C. was concerned and appeared to be finding increasing acceptance elsewhere in the country. He stressed that his Authority had not attempted to extend licensing control to open-air car parks otherwise, he quipped, one might as well license a jam. in Piccadilly! He made reference to the only instance m which the powers of the G.L.C. had been challenged in relation to the licensing of an open-sided multi-storey car park and he advised the Seminar that the decision in this case, expected in September, might provide an acceptable guide-line for future policy. Licensed quantities could reasonably be calculated, he said, on the basis of five gallons per vehicle or parking space. Mr. Dale, in answering a variety of questions with accustomed competency, discussed considerations applicable to the venting arrangements for car parks and explained the G.L.C.'s 'attitude to motor car showrooms in which more than sixty gallons of petrol might normally be "kept" in the fuel tanks of displayed vehicles. In this connection he advocated a request for written assurance in any instance of an occupier of sizable premises claiming that a lesser quantity was involved.

The Seminar was extremely fortunate to have as its third lecturer, W. M. C. Jones, Esq., M.Eng., F.I.C.E., M.I.Mech.E., Pipeline Inspector for the Department of Trade and Industry, who during the course of his Paper "Distribution of Inflammable Liquids by Bipeline" unearthed many hitherto hidden mysteries. At the outset he established quite clearly the two principal criteria, namely quantity and distance, which determined the stage where it became viable to use a pipeline for the conveyance of oils and he explained that these two factors were the basis of economic

considerations, whether in relation to collection or distribution services. His description of the detailed surveys, the complicated legal and technical procedures associated with routing, and the practical problems encountered the installation and protection of pipelines was later Illustrated by a film. Mr. Jones resumed to deal with questions ranging from the effectiveness of anti-corrosive coatings and cathodic protection systems to the manner in which. "cuts" in the standard pipeline product sequence of senes and gas oils" were precisely calculated to mInimiSe contamination and wastage.

J. M. Watson, Esq., Executive Officer of Chemical Industries Association Limited, was no doubt pleased to have as his subject one of such topical interest as "The Conveyance of Inflammable Liquids". Problems of enforcement associated with the conveyance of inflammable Hquids and, more recently, corrosive substances assured Mr. Wats?n of an attentive audience. He was able to present a picture of current legislation as seen by those who had to comply it was refreshing to be reminded that there are two POInts of view, particularly regarding what is desirable and what is practicable. Lecturer and listeners probably shared common ground, however, when he condemned the enabling Act of 1928 as being out-of-date and no longer relevant to modern conditions and practices and expressed the hope that a new Act to remedy obvious defects in current legislation might not be long delayed. In the meantime, said Mr. Watson, he trusted that industry could expect responsible enforcement to secure compliance with the spirit rather than the letter of the law. Management accepted responsibility for good practice in the transport of chemicals with high risk potential and would, he felt sure, welcome any official guidance which might seem necessary, He looked upon safety as a state of mind which should be generated in the board room and effectively communicated to the shop floor. He advocated the American philosophy that "a safe opel'ation becomes a profitable operation yielding larger slices of cake to all participants" and said that this implied acceptance of safety as a personal responsibility. Management had failed unless every tanker driver really believed that responsibility for his load rested upon him no less than upon the firm's safety officer. Developments were taking place at international level to introduce uniform emergency precautions and procedures. The Conseil Europeen des Federatios de l'Industrie Chimique had to date prepared a series of 150 "transport emergency cards", each appropriate for individual loads of big tonnage products. These, explained Mr. Watson, were already being printed in eight languages for use in twelve countries and in every case the message was deliberately simple to ensure immediate identification of the product and appropriate 'first aid' treatment. A manual in course of preparation would amplify the information on the cards and would be made available to the police, fire brigades and other emergency services. When questioned about his Association's power to discipline members who failed to observe the rules of conduct he had advocated, Mr. Watson replied that whilst the Association was by its nature the conscience of the industry, it had no teeth and it could not apply sanctions without risk of a communication breakdown which would be contrary to the objects of the organisation. But, he added, manufacturers werejealous of the industry's reputation and were well able to tackle the

problem of any member "rocking the boat".

H. Jagger, Esq., B.Sc., F.Inst.Pet., who is the Conservation Co-ordinator for Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd., provided the Seminar with interesting and useful background information concerning "Exploration, Production and Refining in the Petroleum Industry". He traced the history of "petroleum from the first successful drillings in Pennsylvania in 1859 when oil from beneath the earth's surface was prized as a sUbstitute for whale oil for use in lamps. Twenty years later Abel designed equipment to determine the safety of oils for this purpose. The ,apparatus and testing techniques evolved by Abel at that time for the purpose of ascertaining flash points were substantially as subsequently incorporated in the statutory definition of "petroleum spirit". With the aid of film, Mr. Jagger explained the relevance of geological features in the search for oil and he gave statistics linking increased oil consumption with continuing demand for larger tankers. This he related in turn to the progressive trend towards refining crude oil at point of need rather than at place of production and it was this development which had created demand for additional refineries and greater storage capacity in the U.K. for both crude oil and its products. Mr. Jagger confirmed a previous speaker's claim that given adequate maintenance and inspection, pipelines provided the safest means for conveying products from refinery to point of of consumption and he estimated that pipeline construction could cope with a doubling of consumption every ten years. Looking to the future, he said that known and anticipated reserves of crude oil suggested adequacy of suppHes for a further 25 or 30 years. He had little doubt that many opportunities remained for further "exploration, production and refining in the petroleum industry". Mr. Jagger's Paper evoked lively interest in a number of aspects outside the experience of many petroleum officers and was obviously in line with the declared objects of the Seminar.

For most it is something of a challenge to give a talk in one's native tongue but Herr J. M. Dopner, Chief Engineer for British Petroleum Ltd. in Germany, appeared to revel in combining his growing fluency in a foreign tongue with deep knowledge of his subject in addressing the Seminar upon "Future Trends in Self-service and Administration as Developed on the Continent of Europe". Past experience has shown that the petroleum industry in the U.K. cannot operate in isolation and that happenings and developments abroad, especially in Western Europe, are likely to have impact, sooner or later, upon the British scene. Herr Dopner's contribution to the Seminar was anything but an exercise in crystal-gazing; it was a realistic appraisal of innovations and developments in West Germany and elsewhere on the Continent which will undoubtedly influence the lay-out and operation of future filling stations in Britain.

Nevertheless Herr Dopner did find himself "crystal-gazing" when as Guest of Honour at the Seminar Dinner (of roast duckling with Claret or Liebfraumilch according to palate) a York Goblet was presented to him by J. Short, Esq., Chairman of the Association. The Goblet was No. 189 in a limited edition of only 500 produced to commemorate the founding of the City of York. It was hand-made in full lead crystal with an air twist stem and was eight inches high. The Coat of Arms of the City of York and the inscription

"York AD 71-1971" were engraved on the front of the bowl and a number of miniature York Roses on the reverse, Goblet No. 189 was accompanied by a numbered certificate indicating registration 'in the name of Herr Dopner and was presented in token of his long and generous interest in the affairs of the Association.

G. J. Jeacocke, Esq., M.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.I.C., of the Home Office Inspectorate, having asked the Seminar not to expect from him an erudite lecture on "Liquefied Petroelum Gas" or an explanation of the philosophy behind the "Code of Practice for the Storage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas at Fixed Installations", promptly proceeded to provide both in seemingly easy manner. The Technical Committee responsible for the Code had confined its interest to bulk storage and, faced with the difficult problem of how much or how little to include, had elected to deal only with those aspects which were capable of enforcement and which would cover everyday situations in a manner likely to preclude necessity for over-frequent references to the Home Office. With regard to the Code's "'Safety distances", Dr. Jeacocke felt that they represented a reasonable stab at the problem .in the light of present knowledge but warned ,that failure of a refrigerated system of L.P.G. storage could give rise to such an ,immense escape of gas that "safety distances" might have little or no practical significance. The best precaution in such circumstances would be an emergency warning system to ensure evacuation of the area until the hazard had abated. A:fter dealing with a number of other matters associated with bulk storage vessels and installations, Dr. Jeacocke turned to a consideration of the risks inherent in storing bulk quantities of L.P.G. in large numbers of relatively small containers. He rated the hazard potential in congested areas as extremely high and said that the obvious and perhaps ideal solution would be to site cylinder stores at points remote from town centres and shopping areas. Referring to design specifications being drawn up for large conveyance vessels, he said that as in the case of all pressure vessels the major difficulties tended to be those associated with valving or similar closure systems. With regard to small units of storage, realistic "private use" exemptions would be essential to relieve occupiers of camping and caravan sites for licensing control. He could see little prospect of there being a spate of applications for L.P.G. filling stations and he based this view on an Italian statistic that conversion of a petrol engine was uneconomic for vehicles with an annual mileage of less than 12,000 even if the Chancellor was able to resist the temptation to his option to impose duty on L.P.G. Legislation covermg filling stations was not contemplated 'at the present time and in the absence of statutory control it would see.m reasonable to take advantage of the experience and of the marketing company concerned and, m a SPIrIt of co-operation to ensure that the best possible storage is established. '

The final session of the Seminar took the form of a "Course Forum" and provided members with opportunity to give vent to their feelings. Risks of explosive atmospheres were astutely limited by Dr. Jeacocke who had "volunteered" to preside and whose careful handling ensured that both temperature and pressure remained under control. The hazard area embraced such features as vehicle

labelling under Conveyance Regulations, sealing of manholes to counter high water tables, atmospheric pollution by over-rapid venting, emergencies involving former "Defence" storages, relaxation of 12' 0" limit for flexible hoses, accuracy of octane ratings from blenders, vent pipe hazard areas, tank immunisation, treatment and exhumation of disused tanks, and additional conditions where storage capacity exceeds licensed quantity. This closing session of the Seminar afforded ample evidence that the students had absorbed much from their teachers and were keen to learn even more.

In conclUsion, congratulations must be offered to all who participated in organising the York Seminar. Officers of the Association and those co-opted to assist them can have had no real doubts concerning the success of their efforts and they must have been encouraged to contemplate the possibility of a repeat Seminar in the near future. If criticisms may properly be included in an appreoiation (and it was tempting providence to invite a Lancastrian to speak well of York!) they could not relate to more than two minor points, namely that some provision for recording the proceedings would have been helpful to "The Bulletin" and eliminated a risk of any mis-quoting in this present commentary and that provision of improved facilities for the Chairmen presiding chair-less in the lecture theatre might have rendered them less vulnerable to any by-passing procedure. A special tribute is due to the Domestic Bursar and her staff for catering so admirably for the creature comforts. Accommodation, catering and amenities left nothing to be desired. And finally, a word of sincere appreciation for the bonhomie of the students themselves"Gentlemen Au Revoir !"

DEMOLITION OF PETROLEUM STORAGE TANKS

at the Mobil Gas Depot, Coventry

By A. Leese, Q.F.S.M., M.I.F.E., Chief Fire Officer, City of Coventry.

In early April, 1971, a request was received by the City of Coventry Fire Brigade from a local demolition contractor for advice as to the Fire Safety Precautions to be adopted in the demolition and removal of petrol and oil stofage tanks on a former petroleum distribution depot at Torrington Avenue, Coventry.

The site covered some 4! acres with two 225,000 gallon petroleum storage tanks, two 65,000 gallon petroleum storage tanks, six 65,000 gallon oil tanks, all ancillary pipework, valves and fittings. The petroleum tanks were vertically placed each in its own bund; the gas oil tanks were horizontally placed, bunded in pairs. When the depot was operational it was supplied by rail tankers from the depot sidings; these sidings running off the main Birmingham to Coventry line. The distribution from the depot was by road tankers, loaded from an overhead distribution system.

The depot had ceased to operate some twenty months previous, due to the installation of an underground pipe-line supply running from the oil terminal in the Thames Estuary to a new distribution depot at Kingsbury, Warwickshire. The petrol em tanks had been subject to a detection of inflammable vapour test, and a monthly certificate was issued. When operational the site was licensed under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928. The City of Coventry Fire Brigade acting for the Local Authority as the Licensing Agent.

It was, therefore, agreed that in consultation with H.M. Factory Inspectorate, advice would be given to the contractor on the hazards involved, and the method to be adopted in dealing with the empty tanks. The City of Coventry Fire Brigade to provide practical assistance when required.

The agents who placed the contract with the demolition contractor laid down specifications which they requested the contractor to comply with. These included the requirement to comply with all necessary regulations and notices to be given to the Factory Inspectorate and the Fire Brigade.

For the contractors part he was fully aware of the task before him and was eager that all safety standards and provisions were adhered to.

A site meeting was convened in April, 1971; present were representatives from H.M. Factory Inspectorate, Construction Division, the Contractors, and the City of Coventry Fire Brigade.

H.M. Factory Inspectorate, in consultation with the Fire Brigade representatives, laid down the safety precautions as follows :-

1. All pipework and supplementary equipment would be removed first by unbolting all the joints. The pipework to be flushed with a non-toxic, non-flammable

liquid to reduce and disperse vapours or any residues. Explosive meter tests to be made before work commenced.

2. Before work started on the tanks a gas free certificate would be issued by an Industrial Chemist. If this could not be produced, then the tanks would be steam cleaned until such time as an inert atmosohere existed and the certificate could be provided.

3. If hot cutting was the method favoured the tanks would be filled and kept filled with high expansion foam.

4. The roof of the tanks would be removed first.

5. During the operations, periodic tests with an explosive meter would be taken to ensure inert atmosphere.

6. Fire applances and crews would be standing by during these operations.

7. A qualified Safety Officer would be permanently in attendance the whole time.

8. In his absence, all safety requirements made by the Brigade would be carried out as if by himself.

A of Technical Data Note No. 18 on the Repair and DemolitIOn of Large Storage Tanks, issued by the Department of Employment and Productivity, H.M. Factory Inspectorate, was handed to the contractor at the conclusion of the meeting.

There. followed a further site meeting, present were representatIves of the contractor and the City of Coventry Fire Brigade. The contractor stated that he had agreed with the Factory Inspector that hot cutting would be the method used. The format was finalised as follows :_

(a) Work on site would commence on Wednesday, 26th May, 1971, when railway lines and pipework would be dismantled.

(b) Vent caps on all tanks, together with control valves would be unbolted and removed.

(c) Inspection covers on top of the tanks would also be unbolted and removed.

(d) Before and during these operations the Industrial Chemist who would be permanently on site, would carry out tests.

The demolition of the four large storage tanks requiring the attendance and participation of the Fire Brigade would commence when the above jobs had been completed.

The method of demolition to be as follows :_

Prior to the commencement of work on any of the four tanks, the Industrial Chemist will carry out tests and issue a gas free certificate.

Immediately after issue of this certificate, the Brigade will fill the tank with high expansion foam from the base and, in addition, place a layer of high expansion foam about 1ft. deep around the outside of the tank in the bund area.

Hot cutting of the tank top will then commence.

A continuous input of foam into the tank will take place during cutting operations.

When the top has been removed, the tank will be kept topped up with foam whilst the base is cut, after which the tank will be pulled over.

The Industrial Chemist to take readings inside the tank from time to time whilst cutting is in progress. Fire Service personnel, who were to be present throughout the operation, were briefed as to the task and were made fully aware of all safety requirements, both of personnel and others.

Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus and proximity suits were carried on the appliances attending.

Access for additional appliances and other emergency vehicles to be maintained throughout the operation.

On Wednesday, 2nd June, 1971, crews with a Pump and Foam Salvage Tender attended the site to fill the tanks with high expansion foam and provide fire cover.

A Waiter Kidde P.500 Portable Hi-Expansion Foam Generator capable of producing some 5,000 cubic feet of foam per minute was placed within the bund approximately 10 feet from the base inspecting cover of one of the 225,000 gallon tanks. A three foot diameter canvas tube was attached to the generator and to the inspection hatch at the base of the tank.

The Hi-Expansion Generator was placed as close to the tank as possible for the following reasons :-

(a) To give the shortest delivery line to overcome the back pressure of the foam inside the tank.

(b) The area of ventilation in the top of the tank was of a far less proportion to the surface area of foam being introduced (back pressure).

(c) The short canvas delivery tube could be controlled by the generator operator and two men when the Hi-Expansion Unit was shut off.

(d) It has been found that to lift Hi-Expansion Foam within large tanks by base injection is proportioned to the distance the unit is away from the tank.

(e) When hot cutting takes place, protection has to be given to the generator and the delivery tube from hot metal dropping from above, therefore, the nearer the generator the less length of delivery tube to be protected.

The above were actual practical incidents that were experienced whilst the tanks were being filled. Whilst it may be stated that the tanks could be filled from the top, this was not a practical proposition due to the working space required for cutting, and pockets of vapour could be trapped beneath the roof crown and the inlet manhole due to foam dropping into the tank.

When the tank was two-thirds full it became obvious that the displacement of air and vapours by the foam in the tank was having the desired effect. Petroleum vapours could be detected by smell and were being forced out of the tank through all the top outlets. Readings were taken throughout this process, and when foam poured out through the top outlet in the crown of the tank a final reading was taken and a gas free certificate was issued. Cutting was commenced at once around the top .of the tank, the roof being cut into sections and allowed to fall into the tank.

When the top was completely removed the contractor cut around the base of the tank. Readings were constantly taken and the tank was kept topped up with foam.

Following the final cut in the base of the tank, a steel hawser was secured to the tank, and it was pulled over by a tractor.

The same procedure and precautions were taken with all the tanks until they were opened and pulled over.

It would be untrue to say that the operation was without incident, two small fires did occur but were quickly dealt with by the hose lines laid out for such a purpose. One incident involved a small area of grass that was ignited by hot metal being blown by the wind for about a hundred yards, the second incident occurred when a small area of soil beneath a pipeline drain valve ignited when the valve was being cut off. These were two isolated incidents which were quickly dealt with away from the main area of operations, and they did not place any persons or property in any danger.

Whilst the successful conclusion of such a hazardous operation can be looked upon with a certain amount of satisfaction, it can only be successful with the co-operation and willingness of all concerned to take the necessary precautions.

Although guidance can be given in circulars which relate to particular hazards, it is only the personal approach in ensuring that these standards are strictly adhered to. In this instance the site agent and contractor were more ,than willing to play their part, and the presence of personnel and appliances throughout the cutting operations made them aware of their task.

DIESEL

1111 FLAMMABLE ATMOSPHERES

(Development of the IIDiesellntake Flame-stopll)

By K. W. Pick, Engineering Services (Wilton) Ltd.

It is considered that the cause of a serious fire at Wilton Works Nylon Plant in 1969 was the ignition of a cloud of cyclohexane vapour by a diesel engine. An investigation was carried out which indicated that the vapour had been ignited by the pas age of flame from the engine cylinders via the air inlet made possible by the "bouncing" of the valves due to the engine racing on the cyclohexane vapour which it was using as a fuel.

The diesel fuel supply had been cut off once the engine had started to "race" and it is felt that if the engine had stopped at this point then the accident could have been avoided.

Following the fire some initial work was done by Engineering Services (Wilton) Ltd. and Nylon Works to produce a device for stopping a diesel engine which became enveloped in a cloud of flamable vapour. A method was found and installed on some engines and for a more flexible solution the the British Internal Combustion Engine Research Institute Ltd. was commissioned to carry out an investigation.

B.I.C.E.R.I. produced a device of which six prototypes were manufactured and these were fitted to the engines of mobile cranes operating on the Wilton Site. Each device was thoroughly inspected after every 320 running hours when it was also checked for trouble-free operation and after a total of 3,400 hours running the device continued to give satisfactory service.

The device is a stop valve with the ability to prevent a vacuum being produced in the engine. The valve is operated by means of CO, pressure, the CO, also being able to bypass the valve to prevent a vacuum. The presence of the inert gas in the engine eliminates the possibility of drawing

COUNCIL

in air or lubricating oil to the cylinders both of which conditions have been reported in other situations. A flame trap is also fitted in the device as an added precaution to prevent any ignition through the air inlet. The complete device is fitted inside the standard air filter for the engine and is operated from a standard CO, fire extinguisher bottle which is operated by a plunger.

After the site trials of the prototypes we now consider that this device meets our requirements and arrangements have been made to manufacture sufficient of these to meet our needs. We also now intend to market this device and would be pleased to discuss/demonstrate the equipment.

at BRIERLEY

Report of a meeting held on Wednesday, 2nd June, 1971

Present

The following members attended: F. H. Cartright, J. W. Frid, D. Hall, R. Holdaway, K. C. Hughes, H. R. Mellor, C. T. Peacock, C. R. Peskett, R. Roden, J. Short.

Apologies

Apologies were received from: E. V. Beeby, J. Beer, J. Birks, C. L. Davids, G. H. Harvey, W. Hetherington, J. W. Hewison, T. Kerr, B. W. C. Thacker.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The Minutes of the previous meeting (circulated) were accepted by the meeting.

Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

Correspondence

The Secretary drew members' attention to a letter which he had received from an Associate member, Engineering Services (Paisley) Limited which contained a request for clarification of Association Membership rules. This was referred to the Constitution and Rules Committee.

A letter from the Association's insurers regarding libel insurance was discussed and the Secretary was instructed to deal with the matter.

The Secretary drew the meetings attention to correspondence which he had had with the British Standards Institution concerning a draft of a proposed new Standard "Non-refillable Liquefied Gas Containers Part 1 Metallic Containers for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Metric Units)". The Secretary informed the meeting that he had received six copies of the Draft Standard, five of which had been circulated to members of the Council for comment.

Finally, communication from the member for Londonderry in which the question of forming a Branch of the

Association in Northern Ireland was proposed resulted in the Secretary supplying copies of the Association's membership forms, forms outlining the aims and objects of the Association and back-copies of the "Bulletin" for distribution to authorities administering petroleum in Northern Ireland in an attempt to increase the membership in that area.

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

In his capacity as Vice-Chairman, he attended the Residential School for Petroleum Officers at York University from 13th to 15th April, and had taken the Chair at all sessions. The course had been voted a success by all who had attended.

The Annual General Meeting, after re-arrangement of the date because of the postal strike, had taken place in Paisley on Monday, 26th April, 1971. All the business had been concluded successfully with the exception of the election of a Liaison Officer as no nomination had been received because of the lateness in notification by the previous holder of this office that he would not be seeking re-election. The filling of the vacancy had been left to the Council.

An invitation to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Yorkshire Branch on 19th May, 1971 had been accepted. At the meeting it was quickly apparent that there was a keen interest in Association affairs amongst the Yorkshire Branch members, and in the afternoon session several interesting items of a technical nature were brought up for discussion.

HONORARY SECRETARY'S REPORT

The Secretary reported on fourteen applications for membership of the Association. These were all approved.

HONORARY TREASURER'S REPORT

The Treasurer briefly reported that he had officially taken over his duties from the past Treasurer on 3rd May, 1971.

HONORARY EDITOR'S REPORT

The Secretary, in the absence of the Editor, read out the following report :-

"Council members will no doubt have noticed discrepancies in the frontage piece of the April "Bulletin" in that Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Holdaway are listed as Council members. A correction was made on the proofs but unfortunately these were not made good during the printing and therefore I am afraid it was something beyond my control. However, I have no doubt that the only persons who will notice this discrepancy will be Council members themselves.

At the moment I am maintaining the cost of printing "The Bulletin" within the limit allowed by the Council, but I should remind members that the postage rates went up this year and ·the cost of postage is approximately £20 per issue, as almost 800 are posted off. If membership continues to increase we will obviously have to increase the number of "Bulletins" at print which at the moment stands at 850.

You will recall that Mr. Holdaway mentioned the sale of Codes of Practice and that he would continue until the middle of July to distribute these Codes. I will insert a paragraph in the July issue of "The Bulletin" to the effect that these Codes will be obtainable from me.

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN'S REPORTS

(a) Education and Publication

It was confirmed that a second Advanced Seminar be held at York University in 1972. The Honorary Secretary reported that there had been a disappOinting response for this year's seminar but it was felt by the meeting that this may have been due to the effects of the postal strike earlier in the year. It was reported that the Southern School had again been a success. Council agreed aifter some discussion to again underwrite both the Northern and Southern Schools should this be necessary.

(b) Reference and Legal

The Chairman drew the Council's attention to a list of contents gauges which had, in the past, been used in petroleum storage installations. It was stressed that the list does not contain recommended equipment but solely information for the benefit of members; it will be published in the "Bulletin".

The Chairman went on to report on the progress made by his Committee in the formulation of a new electrical certificate. After some discussion Council approved the new certificate.

Matters Arising

(a) Mr. H. R. MelIor requested that the Home Office be approached with regard to obtaining from them methods of disposing of disused bulk storage petrol tanks. This matter was referred to the Legal and Reference Committee for consideration.

(b) Proposed by D. Hall, seconded by R E. J. Roden, that R. P. Holdaway be appointed to the post of Hon. Liaison Officer. This was agreed.

Election of Committees

The following Council members were elected to serve on the Association's Committees in 1971/72.

Constitution and Rules D. Hall (Chairman) J. Beer E. V. Beeby J. W. Hewison K. C. Hughes

Education and Publication H. R Mellor (Chairman) J. Birks S. W. Harris W. Hetherington B. Hodgson

Reference and Legal C. R. Peskett (Chairman) P. H. Cartright C. L. Davids G. H. Harvey T. Kerr

One other

Chairman'S Badge

It was proposed by the Chairman, seconded by the Honorary Treasurer that the Chairman's Badge of Office be insured for all risks in the sum of £100. This was agreed. The Secretary was instructed to arrange this.

Timetable for Future Meetings

15th July Finance and General Purposes Comm15th September 19th January, 1972 12th April, 1972

Any Other Business

ittee. BIRMINGHAM. Council (Venue to be arranged). Council. BIRMINGHAM. Annual General Meeting. (Venue to be arranged).

There was no other business the meeting being closed at 4.00 p.m. '

BRANCH REPORTS

Wessex and South

The Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held at the Council Chambers of Gloucester RD.C. on Monday, 5th April, 1971.

Present

The Chairman, Mr. R. Crowther, and 27 members. Mr. Crowther welcomed the representative from Bristol who was attendin2 for the first time.

Apologies

17 apologies were received.

Minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held at Newport on 12th October, 1970 were confirmed and signed.

Correspondence

The Secretary reported on various correspondence which had been received and dealt with. It was decided not to take action in respect of a Chairman's badge of office.

Report of Hon. Secretary/Treasurer

This Branch was formed on 5th December, 1968 with a membership of 59. The present membership is, members 61 and associates 65. This is only about one third of the potential membership in the area covered by the Branch. I doubt, however, whether it will be possible to recruit many new members with the recent publication of the proposals for Local Government reorganisation.

At the present time this Branch has no formal rules or constitution. Those originally adopted by the Branch were not confirmed by the National Association because revised model rules were being prepared. The new model rules and constitution had been received and your Executive Comm'ittee has studied them and made recommendations for consideration at this meeting. I would like to draw attention to members to the following provisions, the nominations for office; the financial year to end on 31st December; provision for the payment of expenses of certain delegates and members; the need to appoint scrutineers; the need to appoint two auditors from within the Branch; the Hon. Treasurer only to sign cheques; an audited balance sheet to be published by the Treasurer each year, and copies to be submitted to members, the Association's Hon. Secretary and the Association's Hon. Treasurer; and the submission of a report by the Branch Representative.

Your Executive Committee has met regularly on four occasions, and they have been well attended meetings at which much of 'interest has been discussed.

New Branch Rules

The report of the Executive Committee was received and it was resolved that their recommendations be adopted in respect of the revised Branch rules and constitution based on the Association's model with appropriate insertions.

Election of Officers

The following were elected :Chairman

L. Haggett, Merthyr Tydfil. Vice-Chairman

T. L. Cox, Cricklade and Wotton Bassett. Honorary Secretary-Treasurer

R. Huntingdon, Thornbury.

Executive Committee

D. Addison, Port of Bristol.

T. K. Blackwell, Sherborne.

M. Clarks, Cheltenham.

W. J. Jones, Newport.

V. Rowlands, Llanelli.

L. J. Storey, Bath.

Branch Representative

S. W. D. Harris, Gloucester.

Auditors

F. H. Lewis, Cheltenham.

Captain Peoton, Port of Bristol.

Any Other Business

On the question being raised in respect of sub-standard Petrol Filling Stations, vadous members expressed views, and related their experiences. D. Boyne, Bristol F.S., expressed the view that good stations should have an expected life of 30 years. That it was reasonable to allow in cases of bad stations a life of 5 years and where reasonable, a life of 10 years in which to comply or be refused a licence. Attention was drawn to H.O. Oircular 70/1971 which drew Hcencing authorities attention to the need for allowing adequate time for appealing against a refusal to licence, and the possible issue of "short-term" licences.

The Secretary and F. H. Lewis of Cheltenham made references to the difficulties raised by Planning Authorities, when Petrol Filling Stations tried to improve conditions. Members were reminded that a Local Authority must not be unreasonable, that the Home Office would not support them if an unreasonable attitude were adopted, and that if stations had been satisfactory for upwards of 30 years, some good reasons should be advanced for refusing a licence, or not giving plenty of time to comply.

D. Boyne, Bristol F.S., expressed the view that stations do deteriorate and that if Home Office is not prepared to support the Licencing Authority, then they should be made to accept responsibility.

On a question of the employment of young persons at Filling Stations, the Chairman reminded members of The Code of Practice recommending a minimum age of 15 years, and that the liability and responsibility in all cases remains with the Licensee.

Station Officer Jones, Newport, drew attention to some of the problems and matters of non-compliance found by police in respect of vehicles in the conveyance of petrol by road:-

No indication of quantity being conveyed.

No fire fighting appliance.

Not suitably marked "Petroleum, etc."

Danger of over-fi1Jing if not provided with a dip-stick.

O. W. Barnes, Cardiff City, added the further problem of split-loads in the cases of large capacity tankers being used to supply the smaller garages.

S. W. D. Harris, Gloucester R.D., referred to glass fibre reinforced plastic tanks being installed underground. Home Office have considered this and are prepared to recommend them being allowed.

Visit

The meeting was adjourned for lunch, and at 2.15 p.m. assembled at Shell Mex & B.P. Ltd. Depot, Quedgeley, Glos. Members were welcomed by Mr. May and Mr. Tagget, on behalf of the Company.

The oil terminal is situated on the bank of the GloucesterSharpness canal at Quedgeley. Receiving supplies from the refinery at Llandarcy in South Wales by way of the Severn Estuary and the canal in 1,000 tons capacity barges. It is classed as a medium size ,terminal with a through-put of approximately ! million tons per year. Constructed in 1959

and with a capacity of approximately 45 days supply. It is an "all products" depot, capable of handHng and unloading two barges at a time. A fleet of 14 lorries operate from the depot, serving a wide area inland. All storage tanks are above ground and fitted with the necessary foam and water sprays in case of fire. The heavy oil storage tanks and their ancillary pipe work being lagged and heated to 130°F. Members examined the loading bays and the equipment as well as details of the individual tanker lorries. Small ones with five compartments and 3,000 gallons capacity, and large ones with seven or eight compartments and a capacity of 6,000 gallons.

The problem of rising transport costs and the difficulties of maintaining supplies were discussed. The methods adopted to offset some of the problems was to operate "shift" working, week-end deliveries, and encouragement to users to install increased storage capacity.

At the conclusion of the meeting members were entertained to refreshments by the Company. Thanks were expressed to the Company's representative and generally the visit was considered to be extremely useful and instructive.

Northern Branch

Report of a Meeting held at Teesside Fire Brigade Headquarters on Wednesday, 27th September, 1971.

In the absence of the Chairman it was agreed that Mr. F. Onions (Teesside C.B.) take the Chair.

Present

Thirteen members and one visitor.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. Johnson and Thacker (Teesside C.B.), Hardy (Richmond R.D.C.) and Scanlan (Easington R.D.C.).

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting, which had been circulated, were approved.

Matters Arising

(a) The Secretary reported that he had submitted the Branch Rules to the Chairman of the Constitution and Rules Committee for approval by the Association but because of certain omissions he had been asked to bring them back to the Branch for further attention. The meeting then gave consideration to the matter and agreed the following amendments and additions ;Rule 13 Line 2. Delete "3rd of total membership" and insert "ten".

Rule 14 Line 2. Insert "six".

Rule 23b Line 3. Insert "1st May"

Rule 28 Line 3. Insert "three"

Line 5. Insert "fourteen days".

(b) Mr. Onions referred to the disposal of disused petrol tanks and of the difficulties they were experiencing in locating competent persons who were prepared to

undertake work of this nature. They said they would pursue the matter with a view to compiling a list for distribution to members. In the discussion which followed, Mr. Waters (I.C.I. Wilton) referred to his Company's use of explosives to demolish, without incident, several disused above-ground storage tanks of from 5,000 to 11,000 gallons capacity within 150 yards of an operaPing plant. He said that this was a cheap and effective way of disposing of unwanted tanks.

Correspondence

The Secretary reported receipt of a letter relating to Depth Gauges and copies of an accompanying leaflet were distributed to members. A discussion ensued upon the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of system for measuring the contents of underground storage tanks.

Branch Representative's Report

The Branch Representative reported upon his attendance at the meeting of the Council of the Association held at Brierley on 2nd June, 1971.

Place of Next Meeting

An invitation from Mr. Waters to provide accommodation for the January meeting of the Branch and to arrange a conducted tour of the petroleum production area at Wilton was accepted.

Mr. Clapham (Richmond M.B.C.) offered to make arrangements for the Branch to hold the 1972 Annual General Meeting at Richmond and this was accepted.

Any Other Business

Mr. (Hartlepool C.B.) spoke of the arrangement made b'y with the local Electricity Board for thepenodlc and testing of electrical equipment at pet.roleum mstallations. He indicated that a certificate of safety issued by the Board must accompany all appllcatlOns for a Petroleum Spirit Licence and must be rene:ved annually to comply with his Council's Conditions of Licence.

Mr. produced a series of photographs showing the remams of a motor cycle after a fire in its glass-fibre petrol. tank. The resins had been consumed by fire thus exposmg multitudinous strands of glass-fibre and leaving t?e as one member was heard to comment, 'looking like a big shaggy dog'. Mr. Waters assured members however, that new resins now being manufactured are ly fire-resistant.

meeting cl?sed with a vote of thanks to the acting Chalrman, followmg the projection of a short set ()f slides of a fire and its aftermath at the wad tanker gantry filling compound of a major oil terminal.

REFINERIES OF GREAT BRITAIN

No.4 Heysham

Introduction

Heysham Refinery, sited on the north west coast of Lancashire by Morecambe Bay, is one of five Shell U.K. refineries in the United Kingdom. It was Shell's first crude oil refinery in the United Kingdom and concentrates on producing gas oils, fuel oils and chemical feedstocks which are sold to the adjacent works of Imperial Chemical Industries Limited f.or the manufacture of ammonia and methanol.

History

The building of Heysham Refinery was commenced in 1939 as a result of the Air Ministry's need to meet the R.A.F.'s war time demand for aviation fuel. The site at Heysham was chosen for strategic reasons; enemy bombers would be at the limit of their range, and the shallows of Morecambe Bay would enable tankers to load and discharge in comparitive safety from submarine attack. The refinery came on stream in April, 1941, and from then until the end of the war it was in continuous production and made a substantial contribution to the country's war effort.

After the war the demand in products from Heysham decreased but it continued to manufacture motor fuel instead of aviation fuel. The process was expensive, and by the middle of 1946 oil operations at Heysham ceased. Early in 1948, at the time of severe steel shortage and when Kuwait crude oil became available, the oil plant at Heysham was purchased from the Ministry of Supply by Shell and within four months, by converting existing equipment it was able to provide petrol, gas oils and fuel oils. At the same time Imperial Chemical Industries purchased a chemical plant which had been built in 1942 alongside the refinery and together with Shell set up a joint company, Trimpell Ltd., to provide them with a common service. Heysham was the first crude oil refinery to be brought on stream in this country after the war and processed one and a half million tons in its first year. It played an important part in the country's economy during petrol rationing and now has a crude oil processing capacity of two million tons per annum.

The Refinery Today

The refinery, which employs about 100 people, is split geographically ,into four areas the Main Site, the Heysham Refinery Depot, the Crude Oil Tank Farm and the Jetty and Harbour.

The crude oil processed is mainly of North African, Venezuelan and Middle East origin.

Since in recent years crude oil has increasingly been carried in larger tankers than could be accommodated at the Heysham jetty, it was decided to replace this method of importation in 1967 by a pipe line and the jetty is no longer in use. The pipe line, some 70 miles long, carr-ies crude oil from the Tranmere oil terminal on the River Mersey where very large ocean tankers can be accommodated.

Heysham is a specialised refinery and its products, in comparison with those from the more complex refineries which have since been constructed, are small in number and are as follows :-

Gas this is produced on the distilling units and part is used as fuel on these units, the remainer being sold to Trimpell and I.C.I. as fuel.

L.P.G. Butane this is produced on the distilling units and mainly distributed to various industrial users.

Light Distillate Feedstock (L.D.F.) this is sold direct to the I.C.I. factory where it is used as a chemical feedstock.

Gas and Diesel Oils these are the fra'ctions that lie between the L.D.F. and fuel oil fractions. They are used as fuel rfor relatively low speed diesel engines and for domestic central heating systems (pressured burner type).

Fuel Oils about half of the refinery production is made up of four grades of fuel oil. The heaviest grade, known as marine fuel oil, is mainly used in large ships and in big factory boilers. The medium grade is also used in ships, and the lightest grade is used for burning on small heating and steam raising units. The fourth grade is low sulphur content quality.

Main Site Crude Distilling Units

There are three crude distilling units in all, each capable of processing about 2,000 tons/day each.

They are all operated in a similar manner, taking gas and L.D.F. overhead, with 2 side streams (gas oil and diesel) and fuel oil as bottoms product. The gas oil streams are stripped in separate columns to remove any remaining light constituents but the fuel oil stream is stripped in the lower part of the crude columns.

In the event of an emergency on one or more of the units, the hot oil can be immediately released to a 'blowdown' tank in which the temperature is quickly reduced to a safe level. This is part of a comprehensive range of precautions, in the design as well as the operation of the refinery, aimed at reducing to the minimum any possibiHty of interference with people and amenities in the neighbourhood by pollution of air and water.

Main Site Installation

The other facilities on the main site consist principally of the tanks for feeding crude oil to the units, and the tanks and pumps for receiving and transferring the products. There are a number of loading arms for filling road tankers with fuel oil and diesel oil, and products can also be transferred to the Crude Oil Tank Farm, the Finished Products Tank Farm, and the Heysham Refinery Depot respectively. Liquefied petroleum gas is also loaded into road tankers on the main site.

The Heysham Refinery Depot

The Heysham refinery depot covers an area of 32 acres, about ! mile north west of the refinery. It consists of 21 buried or semi-buried tanks with a total capacity of some 80,000 tons, together with associated pumphouses. Facilities exist for road and rail loading and drum filling. The depot handles light distillate fuel, gas oils and all grades of finished petrol and diesel fuel for road vehicles, which are brought in by rail from Stanlow Refinery, for redistribution by road.

Crude on Tank Farm

This area, which lies between the refinery and Heysham Harbour, consists of 16 buried tanks of about 5,000 tons capacity each. Twelve of these are used for storing crude oil; the remaining four tanks store fuel oil for delivery to coasters. The terminal facilities of the Stanlow to Heysham crude oil pipeline are located on this site.

Finished Products Tank Farm

The Finished Products Tank Farm to the east of the refinery provide storage for gas oil and fuel oils, together with modern facilities for loading block trains with these products.

Legal Proceedings

HYDE

The danger arISlOg from interconnected vent-pipes to underground tanks was well illustrated at Hyde (Cheshire) recently when a petrol 'tankwagon was discharging petroleum spirit into underground tanks situated on the forecourt of licensed premises.

Three underground tanks each with a capacity of 500 gallons had been installed prior to 1939 with an interconnected venting system terminating in a common ventpipe. At the time of the delivery the garage proprietor informed the tanker driver that he required 400 gallons of 100 octane petrol in the first tank which already held 70 gallons, and 700 gallons of 98 octane petrol in the second and third tanks in the ratio of 500 and 200. The petroleum spirit scheduled for delivery was contained in two compartments on the tankwagon, one holding 400 gallons and the other 700 gallons.

The tankwagon driver was unfamiliar with the lay-out of the six compartments on the particular vehicle from which the delivery was being made, consisting of five on the nearside of the vehicle and one towards the rear, and consequently he connected to the first tank the discharge hose from another compartment which contained 800 gallons of 95 octane petrol. At the same time he connected to the second tank the discharge hose from the compartment which contained the 700 gallons of 98 octane petrol, his intention being to place 500 gallons of the latter into the second tank and the remaining 200 gallons from this compartment into the third tank. In order to be in a position

Harbour

Coasters can be loaded at two berths on the north side of Heysham Harbour, and there are also facilities for bunkering other vessels using the harbour. The pontoon in Heysham Harbour was originally part of a 'Mulberry Harbour' used in the D-Day landings in France in 1944.

Services Provided by Trimpell Limited

The function of TrimpeU Limited is to provide services in support of the manufacturing activities of both Shell and I.C.I. at 'the. Heysham site. It supplies these companies with coohng water, compressed air, electricity, civil engineerlOg, workshops and transport and commercial services. In addition, a fully equipped medical centre and fire station provide a 24-hours service. Canteens operated by Trimpell provide meals throughout the site.

The Trimpell Sports and Social Club situated in the centre of Morecambe provides comprehensive leisure for Shell man at Heysham. Equipped with extenSIve plaYlOg fields, a pavUion and clubhouse the club caters for the recreation and sporting activities of all its members.

control the flow of petrol from the compartment contain109 the 700 gallons, he positioned himself on the top of the tankwagon where he could operate the footvalve to cut off after the .delivery of 500 gallons as shown on his dIPStIck, thus leavmg the discharge of 800 gallons into the first tank unsupervised.

As a result a considerable quantity of petroleum spirit overflowed on to the .forecourt and into the town's drainage system. doubt exists as to the SOurce of the leak but the most. hkely explanation is that the cap on the ?f the tank had been removed preparatory to connect109 the hose from the tankwagon, and that as a of mterconnected venting system, petroleum SPIrIt found itS way from the first two tanks into the, third out of the open fill-pipe. Fortunately there were no serIOUS consequences.

proceedings were taken against the tankwagon drIver and the garage proprietor for contraventions of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1957 the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928, the former bemg fined £10 and the latter £20. Since the incident the have been replaced by an installation more in keeping WIth present-day standards.

T?is type. of occurrence highlights the advisibility of havmg a sUItable means of identification associated with delivery sheet and the on the tankwagon, eIther by numbers or havmg an associated label denoting the octane rating near the outlet valve from each compartment.

TAUNTON R.D.C.

On the 28th July, 1971, the Council prosecuted the driver of a petrol tanker delivering petrol spirit to a petrol filling station under contract to one of the main petroleum companies for infringement of Section 3 of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1957.

The driver pleaded guilty and was fined £10 with £5 towards the Local Authority's prosecution costs.

The incident occurred on the 13th April, 1971 when the tanker driver connected his hose to the tanker but did not connect it to the filling pipe of the storage tank. At the same time as connecting the hose to the tanker he turned on the faucet valve underneath the tanker. He then climbed on to the top of the tanker to read his dip sticks and switched on the foot valve thus causing an immediate discharge of petrol on to the forecourt into the gutter of an extremely busy trunk road and the Fire Brigade was immediately called. The Fire Brigade washed the petrol into a nearby roadside gulley which later had to be checked for vapour and was fortunately found to be free.

LIVERPOOL C.B.

On Saturday, 17th April, 1971, the Fire Brigade attended an incident at the "Everton Road Service Station" IAverpool 6, involving the vehicle servicing bay. It appeared that an employee was engaged in cleaning away about 2 gallons of spilled petroleum spirit from the floor of the bay when the became ignited, resulting in the entire bay becommg mvolved in fire. The employee was removed to hospital suffering from severe burns to his face, hands and legs, and was detained for treatment.

Contents Gauges

For ,the benefit of members, the Council publishes the following list of Contents Gauges. It is stressed that the list does not contain recommended equipment but is solely for information :-

Continuous and non-continuous gauges

KD.G. Instruments Ltd., Manor Royal, Crawley, Sussex.

Continuous reading

R. & G. contents gauges by Bayham Ltd., '

"Tankometer" contents gauges by British Syphon Co. Ltd.,

The cause of the fire was recorded as "Vapours from spilled petroleum spirit being ignited by an electric fire in an adjacent office".

Subsequent enquiries by a Petroleum Officer revealed that the occupier had acquired the tenancy ,within the previous two months and had omitted to carry out the necessary transfer of licence procedure, consequently a petroleum Spirit Licence was not in force for the premises.

Legal proceedings were instituted under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, Section 1(2) and the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles &C) Regulations 1929, (Regulation No. 10).

The summonses were heard by the Stipendiary Magistrate on Wednesday, 21st July, 1971, and pleas of guilty were entered on each count. The occupier was fined a sum of £2 and £50,jn connection with each charge respectively.

STALYBRlDGE

On 4th November 1970, a youth aged 16 years was using a Paint Stripper from a one-gallon can for cleaning paint from a sideboard at a French Polishers' premises in Stalybridge, when he caught the tin with his elbow and knocked it off the bench on to the floor. The contents spread over the floor and the vapour was ignited by the flames from a freshly lit coke stove, the draught door of which had been left open. The top floor of the two-storied building was gutted.

Seven gallons of Paint Stripper No. 2 (a Petroleum Mixture) was discovered on the premises but was not involved in the fire. Legal proceedings were taken against the owner of the premises for storing petroleum mixtures without a licence and he was fined £3 and £10 Test Fee.

Subject Index-Cumulative

PERIOD 1967-1971 (VOLUMES 6 to 10)

References indicate year and page numbers. All articles are not indexed but references to other articles may be found in those listed. The index particularly in Volume 8 (October 1969) contains information prior to 1967.

ACCIDENTS 1971-3

ASSOCIATION AP.AA Constitution and Rules 1970-63

DRAINAGE Pitch fibre pipes 1967-76

ELECTRICAL Circuits 1970-3

Electrostatic spraying 1967-76

Flameproofing 1968-27: 1971-2

Safety: standards 1967-90: 1969-55: 1970-4, 16,24,26,82

Sparkmg 1969-48

Static 1967-22, 28, 76: 1969-34 Tank protection 1967-9,40

FIRE Diesel engines 1971-9, 74

Fire extinguishers 1967-22, 88: 1968-19,31,75: 1971-51

Ignition 1967-98: 1968-27

Major incidents 1967-60: 1971-5,23 Tanker accident 1969-52

GARAGE EQUIPMENT

Car Parks 1971-61,64

Heaters 1967-18,80

Layout of premises 1969-77,83: 1971-45

LAW Administration 1969-49,75 (Maud proposals) 75: 1971-26 (Code of Practice)

Cases: Storage without licence 1971-39,81 Licensing conditions 1968-28,52: 1969-24: 1970-20 40 62 84 Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance etc.) Regs. 1969-72: 1970-20 40 62' 1971-80 81 Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicle) Regs. 1967-98: 1969-24 ' ,. ,

Faulty Tankers 1968-51, 110 Petroleum Law 1968-88: 1969-33: 1970-69: 1971-60,63

L.P.G. (Liquified Petroleum Gases

Aerosols 1967-97

Car Fuel 1970-43, 58

Major incidents 1969-53 North Sea Gas 1967-14

Safety 1968-8

Storage 1967-29: 1968-8

Testing 1967-3

Transport 1968-8,33

MODEL CODE 1968 1969-11, 41, 52, 75: 1970-3, 53

NOZZLES 1967-79: 1968-5,47,57,68,84,88: 1969-52,65: 1970-25

PUBLICATIONS, ETC. Association publication 1969-52

Book reviews 1967-7: 1970-24

Historical 1970-61

PUMPS AND FITTINGS

Blending pumps 1967-4

New forecourt equipment 1967-11, 49: 1968-91

Petroil 1968-47

Pump motors 1968-109

Self service (see below)

Swing arms 1967-26

SELF SERVICE

Attended 1967-49,79: 1968-12,37,62,93, 107: 1970-9,72,77: 1971-30

Unattended 1967-30, 36: 1968-4, 12,31,47, 62, 73, 93, 107: 1970-9,72: 1971-30

Conference B.P., 1969-6

Note acceptor 1967-30

Paraffin 1967-34

SPILLAGE AND LOSSES

Faults and emergencies 1970-38, 48, 67 Spillage 1968-50: 1970-76

STORAGE Airport storage 1969-5, 76

Boats 1968-39

Bulk stores 1967-16,62: 1968-41: 1969-71: 1970-6: 1971-26,66

Can stores 1967-63: 1970-15

Content gauges 1969-88: 1971-81

Depot fire

Disused tanks 1968-49: 1971-43,46,72

Double tanks 1969-53

Filling 1967-80: 1968-72

Frozen earth storage L.P.G.

Glass fibre tanks 1967-8,38: 1968-20: 1969-2,73,88: 1970-66: 1971-63

Leaking tanks 1971-57

Offset fillers 1968-49: 1969-70

Plastic storage tanks 1967-8, 38: 1968-2, 20

Safe storage 1967-85

Tank cleansing 1967-6: 1971-24

Tank numbers 1968-43

Tank protection 1967-9, 40

Tank testing 1967-21,47: 1968-102, 105: 1971-35

Underground tanks 1969-77: 1970-45

Ventilation 1967-98: 1970-19

Vent pipe 1970-66: 1971-20,58,80

TECHNICAL: Evaporation 1967-39 FUEL AND CHEMISTRY

Flammability 1969-47, 48: 1971-43

Flash 1967-98

Flashpoint tester 1970-30

Hydraulic oil 1967-5

L.P.G. 1968-8

Nature of petroleum 1968-8, 98 Refining 1967-31 Safety classification 1967-90: 1968-3

Small pumps 1968-109

Solvents 1967-85 Ventilation 1967-98

TRANSPORT AND Dangerous liquids 1967-97

DISTRIBUTION

Heavy oil 1968-11

Hose coupling 1969-54

L.P.G. 1968-33

Offset fillers 1968-49

Petroleum, bulk 1968-17, 72

Pipelines 1967-14: 1968-15, 59: 1970-28 Refineries 1971-17,39, 58, 79

Road Transport 1967-97: 1970-11, 67: 1971-63,81

Tanker ships 1967-82

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Paisley, 26th April, 1971

APPOINTMENTS

H. J. Archer

J. Bantoft

J. Bennett

G. Blakey

R. Brownjohn

B. E. A. Bodman

J. Bowness

J. P. Boydell

W. E. Buxton

W. J. G. Eveleigh

R. Farrington

A. F. Green

D. E. Jones

J. F. Lawndes

A. B. Lee

P. W. Riley

J. G. W. Roberts

N. Schofield

A. Senior W. R. Simpson

N. V. Spink

D. Stevson

C. W. Thorpe

R. Walker N. Willingdale

BRANCH MEETING

Anglia

31st March, 1971, Harlow

East Midland 4th November, 1970, Chesterfield 21st April, 1971, Grantham

Northern 17th September, 1970, Teesside 19th May, 1971, Teesside 29th September, 1971, Teesside

North Western 22nd October, 1970, AItrincham

Scottish 16th March, 1971, Glenrothes

South East Midland 6th October, 1970, Bedford 21st April, 1971, Aylesbury

South Eastern 14th December, 1970, Godalming

Wessex & South Wales

12th October, 1970, Newport 5th April, 1971, Gloucester

West Midlands 23rd March, 1971, Shrewsbury

Yorkshire

12th October, 1970, Bradford 19th May, 1971, Scarborough

IN DEX 1970

Page 49 22 62 62 62 62 22 62 62 2 .62 62 42. 22 22 62 42 62 62 62 62 42 62 62 22 .42 37 15 52 13 54 78 35 36 13 53 16 14 76 51 34 55

CONGRATULATIONS

J. J. Unsworth ... it M. Smith

K. L. HoIland S. G. Keely

COUNCIL MEETINGS

SolihUll-9th December, 1970 Solihull-3rd March, 1971 BrierIey-2nd June, 1971

EDITORIALS

Page 2 42 42 42 11 32 75

Who's to Follow 1 Future Administration 21 What Price Safety 41 Parking Areas 61

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Bradford-Storing without a licence 44 Hyde--Conveyance by Road Regulations ... 80 Liverpool-Storing without a licence 81 Shrewsbury-Storing without a licence 39 Stalybridge-Storing without a licence 81 Taunton-Conveyance by Road Regulations 81 Teesside--Conveyance by Road Regulations 39 West Bromwich-Conveyance by Road Regulations 38

LETTERS

Car Park Buildings-E. G. Butcher... 64 Dudgeons Wharf-J. R. Domoney 23 Petrol Tank Explosion-T. H. C. Bartrop 43 Plastic Fuel Tanks-H. Johnson 68 Petroleum Spillage-G. L. Davids 4 Q. & A. Bulletin No. 2-0. W. Bames 24 Road Tank Vehicles-Wo Middleton 63 R. P. Holdaway, An Appreciation-G. C. Davies 24

MISCELLANEOUS

A Department Store Petrol Station... 45 Contents Gauges 81

Cumulative Index 82

Demolition of Petroleum Tanks-A. Leese 72 Fire at Conoco, Plymouth-R. Havery 5 Fire at Nantwich Road, Crewe 19 Fire at Shell, Teesport 24

Fires Involving Petroleum .. . 65 Petroleum Seminar 69

Petroleum Technology Course-York 44 Petroleum Technology Course-Godalming 48 Petroleum Leakage-Whitchurch ... 57 Petroleum Self Service-Q. B. Rankin 30 Publications 21, 22 42,63

Purging Disused Tanks 24

Safeguards with Diesel Engines-G. Nash 9 RETIREMENTS

K. W. Pick 74 J. Bell 62

Safety Precautions-A. Hewitt 46 C. Cobbett 62

Safe Handling of Petroleum Spirit-J. R. Hughes... 66

The Chairman '" 25 R. E. Cooper 42 H. J. Dearling 62

The Model Code Part 11 Section 2-R. B. Robertson 26 H. Griffiths 22

OBITUARY

L. Burrell 42

W. A. Walker ... 2

M. Hedley 42 W. H. Matthews 62 H. J. Mead 2 C. T. Peacock 42

OPEN FORUM R. Roper 42

Vent Openings 58

Watch That Vent 20 Sir George Trevelyan 62 E J Woodward 62 Whither Baseefa 29

REFINERIES

Heysham 79 Shell Haven 39 Stanlow 58 Teesport 17