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Uncle Bill

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With prices where they are we need all the help we can get. A friend sent me these and invited me to pass them on to all.

Have a safe journey,

UB




TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California

we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is

in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of

your money's worth for every gallon..



Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver

about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is

diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades.

We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.



Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground

temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their

storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the

gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon

or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum

business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel

and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the

service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.



When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast

mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,

middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby

minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at

the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of

the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being

sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less

worth for your money.



One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF

FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your

tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster

than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating

roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the

atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here

where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that

every gallon is actually the exact amount.



Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage

tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is

being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some

of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.



Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.



DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!






































 
Sounds a whole lot like an urban legend. The temperature underground is fairly constant and I believe the gas stations use volumetric meters on the pumps. There is certainly a much bigger difference in temperature between winter and summer than there is morning to afternoon.

The concern with the vapors are more related to environmental concerns than actual loss of mass. In the short period of time of pumping, the losses are negligible. Also he writes about loading trucks and temperature compensation. Most industries use mass meters and have since the late 80s / early 90s, so temperature compensation is not an issue. I highly doubt they would still use volumetric meters, especially in a high volume industry.
 
Wouldn't the underground temp, at the depth of the storage tanks, remain fairly constant?

JS
 
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