Seminar at York

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

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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 !"

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