Why AST Systems Make Sense for Remote Refueling Locations
By Steve Stewart
According to Worldometer, an aggregator of facts and data about the size and scope of the world and its population, Canada is the world’s fourth-largest country by area with just more than nine million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles). This trails Russia (16.3 million km2/6.3 million mi2), and is close behind China (9.4 million km2/3.6 million mi2) and the United States (9.2 million km2/3.5 million mi2).
At the same time, Canada ranks 38th in terms of population amongst the world’s countries with 39.7 million inhabitants, right between Yemen (40.6 million) and Poland (38.5 million). Interestingly, though, while Yemen and Poland have population densities – measured as the number of people per square kilometer – of 77 and 126, respectively, Canada’s population density is a mere four people per square kilometer, lower than all but four other countries (Greenland, Mongolia, Western Sahara and Australia). For further comparison, the world’s five most populous countries – India, China, the U.S., Indonesia and Pakistan – have population densities ranging from 38 (the U.S.) to 488 (India).
What makes Canada’s large size and relatively low population even more notable is the fact that the majority of the country’s largest cities and their populations are located within 200 kilometers (120 miles) of the U.S. border. That means there are vast swaths of the country that are dotted by small, isolated municipalities that can be situated many hours or even days from the nearest town, village or hamlet.
Besides their remoteness, what these places have in common is they are all home to a population that requires an infrastructure that can reliably supply life’s basic necessities like shelter, food, water and heat.
Serving A Unique Niche
To that list, you can add motor fuel used to power private automobiles, municipal vehicles, school buses and farm equipment, among others. Doing so, however, is not as easy as plopping a gasoline station on the nearest open corner. While the highly populated parts of Canada are able to support a traditional retail-fueling operation with a convenience store, vehicle wash and underground storage tanks (USTs) storing the fuel, that kind of setup is not feasible in most remote locations.
The main reason is that there is just not enough daily business to justify an operation that features an on-site staff to serve the drivers that may come in for a fill-up. Also, the cold weather that is endemic to the northernmost reaches of the country can make it difficult and costly to install USTs where permafrost might be present, as well as having someone close at hand to service, inspect, maintain and repair a UST-based fueling operation.
To overcome these obstacles, retail-fueling operators in remote areas of the country have turned to fueling systems that feature aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) for fuel storage and dispensing. The AST is the center of a self-contained turnkey system built on a slab outfitted with a fuel dispenser with either one or two hoses, a card reader, a pumping and metering infrastructure system, and supplied electricity and Internet service. Some operators, especially those that may service multiple agricultural operations, have created what are called “mobility tank nests.” These setups put the dispenser system on a mobile skid that is strapped to a flatbed truck so that it can be taken anywhere an AST may be located and then hooking it up and dispensing the fuel as needed before moving on to the next site.
What all types of AST-based fueling systems have in common is that they need to be compliant with the CSA B139 Series code that governs the “installation of large oil-burning equipment.” Specifically, CSA B139 lists the minimum requirements for installing or altering a wide array of equipment, including “underground supply tanks, aboveground outdoor tanks and aboveground tanks installed inside of buildings.”
Choosing The Right Outfit
Realizing the demand for safe, efficient, reliable and CSA B139-compliant motor-fuel storage and dispensing in the isolated reaches of Canada, OPW Retail Fueling (“OPW”), a global leader in fluid-handling solutions, located in Smithfield, NC, USA, has developed a full portfolio of equipment that can be used to outfit an AST-based fueling operation.
Every one of these systems requires an overfill-prevention valve, and OPW has stepped to the forefront with its 61fSTOP Overfill-Prevention Valve, which has been designed to prevent overfilling of ASTs during pressurized fuel delivery. The 61fSTOP is fully adjustable, which allows for easy installation in new or existing AST setups with various heights and storage capacities. When the AST’s liquid level rises to a predetermined capacity, the single-action valve mechanism automatically closes to halt fuel flow while any excess product that is left between the valve and fuel-delivery coupler is drained into the tank via internal secondary drain valves.
Other components joining the 61fSTOP in the portfolio of OPW AST products include:
- Spill Containers: The 6211-RMOT and 6221 AST Storage Tank models have been designed to protect the environment by preventing spilled product that may occur during normal AST-filling operations from reaching and contaminating any surrounding soil and groundwater.
- Vents & Vent Caps: These components combine to prevent an AST from becoming over-pressurized and vent lines from becoming blocked by debris. The 301 Series AST Emergency Vent is a weighted, mushroom-style emergency vent. When the AST builds pressure, the weighted cast-iron lid is forced up off its seat to relieve the pressure. When pressure is relieved, the lid lowers and is automatically reset.
- Fuel-Dispensing Nozzles, Swivels & Breakaways: OPW offers complete lines of nozzles, swivels and breakaways, from pressure-sensitive to automatic shutoff in the hanging-hardware product category. All of these components are designed and engineered with ruggedness in mind, which means they should be able to satisfy the demands of the most remote AST-based fueling operation. The 11B Automatic Nozzle is a workhorse in this area, while OPW also offers cold-weather-approved nozzles for use in the most trying climates.
- Mechanical Tank Gauges: The 200TG Tank Gauge is designed to read liquid levels in both horizontal and vertical ASTs with an accurate numerical-counter readout, which eliminates the need for on-site manual gauging.
- Anti-Siphon Valves: The 199ASV Anti-Siphon Valve helps prevent the siphoning of fuel in an AST should a leak or break occur in the fuel-supply line. The valve installs on the top of the AST with a suction rod on the inlet and the fuel-supply line, which runs to a remote fuel pump, on the outlet of the valve.
- Ball Valves: The 21BV Full-Port Ball Valve is used where a shut-off point is needed to isolate a section of piping. These forged-brass valves feature a manual open-close arm and a quick-turn handle, allowing for easy shutdown of the AST system.
- Emergency Shut-Off Valves: The 178S Series External Shut-Off Valve is installed on the fuel-supply piping and is designed to halt product flow from an AST or any place in the fuel-supply line in the event a fire should occur. A fusible link attached to a spring-operated lever holds the poppet normally open. In the event of a fire, the fusible link melts at 160°F (71ºC), allowing the spring-actuated poppet to interrupt the flow of fuel in the supply line.
- Fuel-Delivery Couplings: Designed to safely connect fuel-delivery transport truck hoses or nozzles to the fill pipe of an AST.
- Automatic Fire Extinguisher System: This small, non-rechargeable fire extinguisher is installed in a containment sump underneath an AST and fuel dispenser and will extinguish a fuel fire in the event of a dispenser knockover. The extinguishing agent is automatically discharged when the surrounding temperature reaches 175ºF (79ºC).
Additionally, larger ASTs may require tank alarms. In this instance, OPW offers the 444TA Four-Signal Tank Alarm, which is designed to sense up to four different liquid levels, and the 144TA Liquid-Level Tank Alarm, designed for liquid-level sensing.
Conclusion
“Remote” doesn’t mean “forgotten,” so it is imperative that Canada’s most removed municipalities are served the same as those larger cities closer to the border. When it comes to motor-fuel supply and dispensing, AST-based systems have risen to the fore as a great way to bring refueling to isolated areas of the country without incurring high overhead costs regarding staffing and the construction and installation of a UST-based fueling system. To help ease the burden, OPW has developed complete lines of AST equipment that help enable the operators of remote fueling locations to optimize their operations while ensuring that a steady supply of fuel can be safely, efficiently and reliably dispensed into the fuel tanks of the residents of even the most sparsely populated areas of the country.
Steve Stewart is the senior Canadian & Caribbean sales manager for OPW, based in Toronto Canada. He can be reached at steve.stewart@opwglobal.com. For more information on OPW, go to opwglobal.com.
