Product from terminal is carried to the Retail Outlet through tankers. Before a tanker is decanted into the tank, sample is drawn from each of the compartments and tested for its compliance with IS 1460 as well as Lab report of the terminal.

Currently the sample is drawn by crack opening the tanker outlet valve of the compartment, holding a funnel at the valve and collecting product in a beaker. Chances of contamination increase as the funnel may not be completely clean, there is product spillage while collecting the sample.

Tristar Tanker Sampler is a device which is connected to the tanker outlet valve and on opening the tanker outlet valve desired amount of sample is collected in the sampler. The same can be taken into the sample bottle / beaker. The tanker outlet valve can be closed and sampler removed from the tanker valve. This process ensures there is no spillage, wastage and exposure of the product to contaminating agents

Advantages of using a Tanker Sample

• Will ensure no contamination of the product while taking a sample.
• Number of people required for sampling will be reduced from 3 to 1 person.
• Will ensure the required quantity of product sample is taken before decantation.
• Save product loss by avoiding spillage.

One of the ways to check for quality of the product is visual inspection. Just as we keep the water tanks in our houses clean to ensure all the water coming into the tank is clean and without contamination similarly underground fuel tanks need to be kept clean.

When fuel is being decanted from the tanker, the decanted product is discharged at the bottom of the tank where dead stock (contaminated product) is settled. As the fresh product enters it creates agitation, fresh, old and dead stock get mixed. During dispensing due to the centrifugal suction force product close to the pump suction pipe will get mixed. The products settle down after some time based on their densities. As products get mixed the fresh product is coming in contact with contaminated products and is bound to get affected. This is one of the reasons why when a tanker is being decanted, fuel dispensing from that tank is stopped.

Tristar Bottom Sampler is a device which can be inserted through a dipstick pipe into the tank , when it touches the bottom of the tank the port on the device will open letting the product at that point enter into the sampler. As the sampler chamber gets full the port locks itself. The sampler is then pulled back up and sampler taken into a sample bottle by manually opening the port. Using the same process sample of middle, top or any level point in tank can be taken by manually opening and closing the port.

A study conducted by an oil marketing company found that the biggest contaminant of fuel is the tanker truck used to carry fuel from terminal to RO (Petrol Pumps). The tanker along with fuel also carries with it water, rust particles and other contaminants. These are transferred to the underground storage tanks where they accumulate and eventually come into the system.

By decanting filtered and water free products into the storage tank, life of the product along with the storage tank is improved. As water accumulation is curtailed microbial growth and rust formation is greatly reduced.

Features of the Decantation Filter

• Magnetic filtration to capture rust and iron particles
• Filtration up to 20 Micron
• Free Water and Dense material separation
• Single decantation filters can be used for both ms and hsd

Tristar Decantation filter is to be connected to the tanker on the suction side and Underground tank on the outlet side. During decantation if the water level increases beyond set point, stop the decantation and release the water through the drain valve and continue the decantation process.

Advantages of Decantation filter

• Ensures the product entering tank is clean
• Rust / contamination above 20 micron prevented from entering tank and causing harm
• Free water removal which causes phase separation and corrosion

Tristar Moisture Trap helps prevent atmospheric moisture entering the tank. As the product is being dispensed fresh air through the air vent enters the tank to make up for the space previously occupied by the product. This atmospheric air contains moisture which converts into water on condensation in the tank. Tristar moisture trap absorbs the moisture and lets dry air pass through it during breathing of the tank. Since air entering the tank is dry, water from condensation is eliminated, thus improving product quality, especially in MS tanks.

How does moisture trap work?

Air-vapour mixture in the tank vapour space is expelled when the tank is being filled & atmospheric air is sucked in through the tank vent when the product is being withdrawn. This air coming from the external atmosphere is humid. The Moisture Trap on the tank vent forces this air through a bed of hydrated silica that absorbs the moisture & lets only dry air to pass into the tank. Thus, the air in the vapour space is always maintained in a dry state and water contamination due to condensation of moisture in the tank is prevented and the overall quality of the product maintained.

The hydrated silica provided is indicating type & changes from its normal blue colour to pink on getting saturated with water & can be viewed easily through the transparent acrylic container. Spent hydrated silica can be replaced in situ with fresh hydrated silica.

Design & construction features

• Tristar Moisture Trap is compact & light.
• Installed on the vent line of the underground tank at about 1.5 m height – for easy access.
• Replacement of spent hydrated silica without dismantling through the ports provided.
• Liberal flow paths result in negligible pressure drop.
• SS Sparger prevents hydrated silica entry into the tank.
• Always installed in combination with PV Vent Valve.

Tank cleaning in India unfortunately is still being done manually. This practice continues because of availability of cheap uninformed labour and insensitivity of people responsible for the tanks primarily driven by compulsion to spend next to nothing when it comes to maintaining RO assets. In both the public and private sector as long as their employees are concerned, they cannot enter confined spaces hence all high-risk jobs are done through outsourced contractors.

We at Tristar have developed cleaning systems where not only tanks can be cleaned without man entry into confined space but also all the existing fuel is filtered and polished where muck, sediments, free water are separated and fuel filtered upto 5 micron.

Why do tanks need to be cleaned ?

• Fuels have a shelf life of approximately 6-12 months at temperatures above 30 Deg C
• At terminals fuel is filtered upto 40 Mesh (420 micron) before being loaded into tankers.Tankers carry fuel along with sediments, water and other contaminants and offload into RO tanks without any filtration.
• RO tanks have various openings which are exposed to the atmosphere which are a source of water seepage into the tank.
• As diesel gets older a fine sediment and gum forms in the diesel brought about by the reaction of diesel components with oxygen from the air.
• As tanks warm up during the day and cool down at night, water from condensation is introduced to the tank.
• This water helps germinate fungal spores present in fuel, known as the Fuel Bug or Diesel Bug. These organisms spread rapidly, eating up the fuel’s hydrocarbons and leaving behind a waxy sludge or Biomass.
• Microbes depend on this water for growth. Additionally, microbes depend on the organic and inorganic molecules in diesel fuel for nutrition.
• Microbes in diesel fuel produce acids that gradually skew the fuel's pH towards an acidic environment causing increased corrosion.
• Fine rust particles generally do not get captured in filters, these damage precision components, injectors on the Engine.

Tristar FFP Process

• Product and contaminants are sucked from the tank bottom.
• This is then passed through 7 stages of Filtration and Separation where sediments, rust particles, muck, free water etc. up to 5 micron are separated.
• The filtered product is put back into the tank.
• The process of recirculation is carried out for 4-5 Hours depending on the level of contamination until a clear product is being sucked from the bottom of the tank.

Watch a short video of FFP Process.

Watch Tristar Deep Tank Cleaning video.

Advantage of Tristar FFP System and Process.

• Zero down time Keep the RO operational while cleaning is carried on.
• Remove contaminants from tank - Rust, Muck etc
• Remove water accumulation in tanks.
• Arrest microbiological growth
• Increase shelf life of product
• Fine filtration up to 5 micron

Floating Suction Units for Underground Tank

The primary concern for Oil marketing companies is to ensure quality fuel is being provided to the consumer. The fuel may pick up impurities and water as it passes through the terminal tank, Tanker and finally stored in an underground tank being dispensed to consumers.

Tristar FSU ensures that the best quality fuel is dispensed to the customer from the available fuel in the underground tank. Tristar FSU sucks the top most product which is generally free of sediments , impurities and water. Since impurities in the form of sediments and water have higher density they would settle at the bottom of the tank or would float at a level below the lower density product. FSU units use this phenomenon and float near the top of the liquid surface and draw from this near-surface, contamination-free liquid.

Advantages of using Tristar FSU

• Ensures best quality fuel available in UGT free of contamination is being dispensed to the consumer.
• Will ensure water and other heavier density contaminated product is not being dispensed to the consumer.
• Tristar floating suction units are unique as they are non-sinkable, even if the floats get punctured the FSU will not sink. Generally, the biggest problem faced with FSU's is that the floats develop pin holes after a few years and let liquid enter, once this happens, they will sink to the bottom of the tank.