One Voice Blog

There are several critical points in the fuel-delivery process at a retail or commercial fueling site: ensuring the correct type or grade of fuel is unloaded into the correct tank, ensuring the entire payload is unloaded, ensuring correct volumes are delivered and avoiding product overfills are among the most common. While errors can be rare, they are also entirely unacceptable.

In the fluid storage terminal industry, hundreds of product-transfer activities that take place on any given day carry with them the built-in risk of a product release occurring. Product releases, especially if the fluid product is deemed dangerous or hazardous, cannot be tolerated in any form or volume because they can cause injury to those administering the transfer process, along with damage to our environment.

The third pillar that supports OPW’s “Defining What’s Next” philosophy is Enhancing Business Performance. In a way, achieving success in living up to this pillar requires melding together the demands of Protecting People and Protecting the Environment.

The second pillar that comprises OPW’s “Defining What’s Next” philosophy is Protecting the Environment. In the grand scheme of things, we are all stewards in helping ensure the well-being of the environment. As stewards, we are tasked with preventing irreparable harm to the environment due to our actions, whether intentional or unintentional.

OPW’s “Defining What’s Next” philosophy is built on three pillars, all of which, if optimized, will contribute to a safer world for its inhabitants and the environment, all while improving the business performance of OPW customers.

OPW Retail Fueling is excited to announce its innovative new Virtual Trade Show, a digital experience that provides a walk-through of the OPW booth and access to a series of informative videos and product demonstrations in lieu of the cancelled spring trade shows.

Just to keep their day-to-day operation running smoothly, retail fuel site operators have a lot of demands placed on their time and attention. However, not many have the time or depth of knowledge to stay compliant with the complete menu of local, state and federal regulations.

While awareness of the splintering demand for straight gasoline, diesel and alternative fuels has grown, it is important to note that specific ethanol and biodiesel formulations (E10, E15 and E85, along with B10, B20 and B100) can all have differing handling requirements and effects on component performance and life cycle.

No two fingerprints are alike, at least not in every detail. That same thing can be said for chemical loading and unloading applications. For this reason, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to outfitting loading bays for chemical plants, refineries and terminals.

OPW's 2019 accomplishments were all designed as ways to protect people and the environment, while improving the business performance of our customers. Take a look back at a year of innovation.

Though incorrect fuel delivery is somewhat rare, even one mistake can come with a major price tag. The opportunities to create an incorrect octane mix or gasoline/diesel mix-up come at a variety of points in the fuel delivery process, too.

Tank truck drivers are the ones counted on to deliver the right amount and grade of fuel to retail stations, but dispensing the full amount of fuel from each tank trailer compartment can become difficult based on a number of complications.

Belanger, a leading manufacturer of tunnel and in-bay automatic vehicle wash systems and one part of OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, received an overwhelming response to its new Cube® Soft-Touch In-Bay Automatic Wash System from the attendees at the 2019 PEI-NACS Show in Atlanta, GA.

If you operate a terminal in a cooler climate, you can relate to the popular phrase "Winter is Coming." When winter does come, it will present challenges that will test your operation and equipment.

Civacon, OPW’s truck transportation business unit, has been steadily perfecting this process, making life for fleets and fuel customers easier, and the company’s latest solutions were on display at North America’s premier tank truck trade show in Nashville.

The OPW Loop System represents the state of the art in underground fuel piping as a completely integrated and environmentally secure delivery system. Prefabricated, factory assembled components contribute to reducing field labor during installation and service.

OPW has been innovating in above ground and below ground fueling equipment for over 125 years, always striving to make tweaks and improvements that have major impact. At the 2019 Petroleum Equipment Institute Convention in Atlanta, OPW’s Retail Fueling business will be highlighting a powerful new component for its Loop System and a new addition to the 14 Series family of nozzles.

What does resilient mean to you? Though loading arms face being hammered by the day-in, day-out movement of product, the strongest among them can live up to the demands through the years. The LBM800 balance mechanism, by OPW business unit Liquip, is an advancement in durability and ergonomics for petrochemical distribution operations.

One way to ensure that data center evolution can happen without growing pains is the use of Fibrelite Lightweight Composite Access Covers. These internal design elements keep downtime to a minimum by creating modular containment that can be adapted over time to house growing arrays of servers, cables and other components.

From the loading of a tank trailer to the final delivery of fuel, there are several opportunities to improve uptime and track performance. The key to monitoring and controlling this process is data, and a new asset management system allows you to take command.