On June 30, a man in Davenport, IA, crashed his car into a fueling facility at the Davenport, IA Municipal Airport after a high-speed chase with police. An update of the incident revealed that although the accident did result in a fire, it was contained to the pump dispenser platform, and the Fireguard tank, manufactured by Acterra Group, remained in great condition. 

Officials said in a subsequent report, "Although there was a fire following the heavy impact of the vehicle, it was contained to the pump dispenser platform. The three fuel dispensing safeguards installed throughout both fuel systems worked flawlessly. These safeguards include thermal shutoff valves, impact shutoff valves, and power interruption shutoff valves. On the initial impact, each valve closed preventing the release of fuel from the ballistic grade main storage tank. Although there was a small release of fuel from the pump and supply lines on the platform, it is estimated to be less than 40 gallons and was contained by the specially designed concrete platform. The fuel that was released, along with the water applied to fight the fire was cleaned up within hours of the event and never left the concrete platform. The main fuel tank itself suffered cosmetic damage only." 

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In October, STI-SPFA/API held a Storage Tank Fundamentals Seminar in conjunction with the API Conference in Austin, Texas. The content of the seminar was related to API 650, and STI/SPFA member companies developed and presented the information. The seminar highlighted what tank fabricators would like buyers to know. Speaker companies included Advance Tank & Construction Co., Chattanooga Boiler & Tank Co., Fisher Tank, McDermott Intl - CB&I Storage Tank Solutions, The Sherwin Williams Company, and Tnemec Company, Inc. This year's seminar had over 60 attendees and was well received by those that participated based on evaluations received. More storage tank seminars will be planned for 2019. Look for STI/SPFA's education newsletter, Education Connection, to learn about other educational opportunities both online and in-person.

Eaton Metal Products pulled out 40,000 gallon underground storage tanks at a hospital in Colorado in Summer 2018. The 3/8" thick steel walled tanks, originally built and installed in 1973 in Denver, hadn't spilled a drop since their installation. On the right side of the image below, you can see the circumferential welded seams are still shining. Trig Travis of Eaton Metal Products witnessed the excavation and declared the tanks were in "pristine" condition.

STI/SPFA's inaugural Plant Leadership Workshop, September 17-18 in Houston, Texas, was a great success. Over 30 attendees included plant leaders from Boardman, Eaton Metals, Chicago Boiler, Brighton, Usemco, Uni-form Components, Watco Tank, Lannon Tank, J.L. Houston, Taylor Forge, Newberry Tank, Mid-South Steel Products, Ward Vessel & Exchanger, Hamilton Tank, and Kennedy Tank. The manufacturing leaders formed a networking group to share best practices and keep in contact for years to come. 

Quality presentations were given, helping drive an increase in attendees capabilities. Topics covered included:

• Building a Safety Culture
• Supervising Generational Differences
• Steel Fab in Today's Digital World
• The 5 Voices of Leadership

Additives are very common in the petroleum industry, often mixed to give the petroleum important characteristics and properties for specific end use. As fuels change, such as with the removal of sulfur from diesel to create ULSD, additives might be modified or enhanced to achieve desirable properties. The lubricant industry is no different.  The below charts are from the 2018-2019 Lubricants Industry Factbook. 

  

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STI/SPFA spends time compiling resources and information on various topics to serve as an informational resource. Discussion on compatibility in all states and the concerns with equipment that may not be compatible with today's biofuels has heightened. EPA expanded its regulatory requirements with compatibility by... One example of this is E15 soon being available year-round. As an example, the state of Illinois checklist for documenting UST compatibility can be found here. 

STI has engaged experts to test compatibility of biodiesel, ethanol and methanol. Links to this research, along with other materials can be found on the Steel and Alternative Fuels page and also on the Steel and Alternative Fuels tab on the Shop Fabricated Tank page on the STI/SPFA website. 

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