Gasoline filling tips from a pipeline pro

[halfdome, Danny]

Gasoline filling tips from a pipeline pro

Jonathan Kreusch says......
I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in California. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth:

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.


2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.


3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)


4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money.

Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump'.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[Kurt (Indiana)]

Interesting Danny.

I most generally use about 5 gallons for a round trip to work. Almost every day I fill up (at about 6:00am).
The advantage for me is less fillup time each day plus if a big change in gas price happens, it doesn't feel so bad. Plus I can look around a little since I pass about 10 different stations each day.

The "temperature" compensation is something I've thought about often. Our measurement systems are calibrated to temperature each time we use them so that part makes sense.

Thanks for the tips, now I know my filling techniques make some sense.

[Jiminsav]

well, I'm in the gasoline station repair bidness, and most of those saving tips are bunk.
temperature compensation isn't in gas pumps because it's not needed..the underground tanks are always cooler then the ambient air, so your gas isn't going to expand so fast as to effect your fill-up.

the tanks with membranes are HUGE above ground tanks at the terminal, not the tanks at the station..those are just tanks.

filling speed only affects those folks who have vapor recovery at their stations, if you fill slow, you give the gas more time to evaporate, if you fill faster, less time..if you keep clicking the nozzle to top it off, well, your wasting money, because the vapor recover also sucks up the gas your shooting back up the pipe that would have fell to the ground if you didn't have recovery.

now, filling while the truck drops...thats true, unless the station has filters on their pumps, which most big places do, and most mom and pops don't.

oh..and Canada has temp compensation..for in the winter time...so that you don't put 30 gallons in a 28 gallon tank at -30 degrees...because if you did, you'd park in the sun and your gas would dribble out the over fill.

[Bill Fernandez]

Thank you for the info I had no idear

[LesterS]

It never ceases to amaze me how much money people will waste in one area, and how much they'll squeeze a penny elsewhere.

Here's what 'saving' 5 cents a gallon would 'save' me...

I fill every week, and almost one tank full. Thats 16 gallons give or take.
(for the record, I can drive about 450 miles on that fuel.)
Saving 5 cents a gallon would be...
$.05 x 16 gals. x 52 wks/yr ___OR____ a whopping 42 bucks a year.
Another way is...
$42 / 23000 miles or less than 2 TENTHS of a cent per mile.
OR 1.7% of my total gas bill.

If change my driving habits I can make a bigger impact than the fews cents at the pump.

At 1.7% -- times my average mileage (28mpg) it would COST ME to drive further than .46 miles to get that savings.

SO....
Driving to ANOTHER gas station COSTS money?
It might. Unless of course you're just crossing the street.

Wanna save some gas? Ease off the pedal.

[caseydog]

Since I work for a car magazine, I get emails all the time with the same tips, and I agree with Jim in Savannah.

Another thing people often don't realize is how stations buy gasoline. You would think that at a Chevron station, you are buying Chevron gasoline. But, that may or may not be the case. In areas where Chevron does not have refining operations, they may buy gasoline from another refiner that does. And it can change during the year. Not all refineries can produce "summer gasoline" for urban areas, so a Refining and Marketing company may have to buy from another company during the summer months for stations in urban areas that do not meet EPA air quality standards.

So, if you are loyal to one brand of gasoline, you may or may not be actually buying their gasoline. Not to worry, because the API sets the standards that ALL gasoline must meet.

So, when you see a TV ad for Shell V-Power, or Chevron with Techron, just keep in mind that the difference between the gasolines is engineered more by the marketing departments, than by the scientists.

[Alphacarina]

True, there's more gasoline when it's cold than when it's hot, but it's measured at the pump as it's dispensed into your car - Shouldn't a gallon be a gallon no matter the temperature measured at the pump?

Don

[halfdome, Danny]

Whether it's all true or not is a matter of debate & I won't. Filling your tank when it's cool has been circulated by the media (Occasionally) for all my driving years. I use to watch our 10,000 gallon rubber tanks of JP-5 (jet fuel) rise 2 feet @ El Torro MCAS in the warm California sun so I know for a fact fuel will expand from temperature differences. I studied bulk fuel over 40 years ago for my MOS but can't remember squat. Danny
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[Jiminsav]

Don, your absolutely right..a metered gallon is a gallon, what the problem is that when gasoline is hot, it's expanded, so a gallon of hot gas is less dense then a cold gallon, therefore, it's energy potential is less for the same volume.

having said that, it would take a hell of a temp difference to make it worth bitching about.

but, some folks will bitch and sue over a teaspoon..

[asianflava]

Another thing people often don't realize is how stations buy gasoline. You would think that at a Chevron station, you are buying Chevron gasoline. But, that may or may not be the case. In areas where Chevron does not have refining operations, they may buy gasoline from another refiner that does. And it can change during the year. Not all refineries can produce "summer gasoline" for urban areas, so a Refining and Marketing company may have to buy from another company during the summer months for stations in urban areas that do not meet EPA air quality standards.

So, if you are loyal to one brand of gasoline, you may or may not be actually buying their gasoline. Not to worry, because the API sets the standards that ALL gasoline must meet.

I drive by one of those pipeline terminals on the way to work. There are tanker trucks lined up waiting to get filled. The names on the sides of the trucks run the gamut, Exxon, Shell, Texaco, Coastal (the distributor for the grocery store gas) all getting gas from the same place.

From what I've been told, they put their proprietary additives in the tankers while they are getting filled.

One things for shure, after buying that 10% ethanol gas in Shreveport, I got some really crappy mileage. about 2MPG down from normal.

[packerz4]

From what I've been told, they put their proprietary additives in the tankers while they are getting filled.

my lil' brother and brother-in-law deliver gas... via tanker semi... yep they say each tradename has it's proprietary additive... so even though it all comes from the same big bulk silo tank thing, the additives make it the brand or banner where it's delivered.

contrary to a previous statement, a gas tanker truck does not deliver at a Shell, then drive down the road and deliver at a BP or Citgo. These trucks are dedicated.

that's what my brother and brother-in-law tell me.

thought you'd like to know.

tk

[Arne]

I haven't read all the notes, so this might be a repeat.... after you get down about 5 feet into the groun, the temperature of the ground changes very little during the year. it's usually about 55 degrees.. and tanks are below that, or at least the gas in the tanks is... so, hot day, cold day, makes a minuscule amount of difference...

Gas here is 2.85 per gallon. I get 20 miles per gallon. I'm not driving out of my way to try to save 5 cents per gallon. My typical fill up is 15 gallons. So, that would save me 75 cents.. so if I drove 2 miles out of my way, I'd save in theory 50 cents, and waste a bit of time...

I do avoid the real high priced stations, but I think locally, we all know where the best prices usually are and plan to stop while driving past one. My driving pattern typically goes in 3 different directions. I know where the cheaper prices are in each one of them.

[Lesbest]

My neighbor drove a gas hauler for Coastal years ago, and said gas is gas.
It becomes BP or Sheets, or whatever when they fill the tanker. BP may get additive package ABC and Sheets may get package AB and if I'm an independent I might not get any additives(lower price).
Afew years back when we first started using ethanol in gas the wholesaler added it, then the station owner added it and cars quit running on it. We measured 45% ethanol in one independent's gas. word got around that it made cars run like crap, and he stopped at the 10% limit.

As far as saving any--fill and drive, we won't get to any alternative till this is gone so burn it up sooner and get the car of the furture sooner.

The storage farm here in NE Ohio is filled by a refinery in NW Ohio with an underground pipeline. One pipe--all fuels, when they are finished with diesel they put in a plug of snot (techinical term) to keep the types seperate and send the next liquid after it. The snot (technical term) gets here it is put in its own storage tank and a truck picks it up-takes it back to the pumping station and it is reused again abd again.

The lids on the tanks float on the surface of the fuel and a few years back the operator at the pumping station had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital whike pumping fuel, the tank here overflowed and was stopped by the earthen dike around the tank by just inches, before they stopped it. The insurance co. paid the gas co. for the loss? and they pumped it out of the dike area and sold it anyway.

Also some cars run good on one brand and not another- BP used to refine their gas with the hope to run ok in 40% of the cars on the road.

Want to buy a refinery? They switch hands and the (new) owner messes with the dials and makes stinky air-the EPA come and says they have to add scrubbers etc. to clean up their smoke -they adjust the dials for the next inspection and are found to be much better--EPA pats them on the back and tells them how good they are doing.

What is the worst contaminant to find in your gas tank?













Raw eggs--it will flow thru everything before it hardens like silicone and wipes out the WHOLE fuel system. FP, injectors, lines,regulator,and nothing cleans it once it gels.

Les

[asianflava]

The storage farm here in NE Ohio is filled by a refinery in NW Ohio with an underground pipeline. One pipe--all fuels, when they are finished with diesel they put in a plug of snot (techinical term) to keep the types seperate and send the next liquid after it. The snot (technical term) gets here it is put in its own storage tank and a truck picks it up-takes it back to the pumping station and it is reused again abd again.

If it's the same thing that I'm thinking it is, I think the actual name is a "Pig."

Yup, just found it:
http://www.inlineplc.com/process/pipeli ... p?kc=cCMKA

[caseydog]

A pig is a cleaning apparatus, I believe. There are also pigs with cameras that are used to inspect the insides of pipes.

My dad, a retired oil executive told me that nothing was used to separate the different fuels in a pipeline. As long as the pipeline maintains a constant high pressure, the fuels do not mix.

Something in pipelines that is sometimes called "snot" is DRA, which is a kerosene-like goop that coats the walls of pipelines to reduce drag and keep the contents of a pipeline moving efficiently.

That's how I heard it, anyway.