Not all motorists think about how a modern gas station works. But in order for the fuel to get into the tank of the car, it must go through a rather difficult path through the gas station itself, which now uses the most modern technologies.
Fuel gets to gas stations in different ways, fuel can be brought by train, or it can be delivered to its destination using a pipeline, but most often it is delivered to individual stations using conventional fuel trucks.
Modern fuel trucks, as a rule, have several internal sections, so they bring several types of fuel at once. From the section with a volume of 10,900 liters, the fuel will be drained for about half an hour. During this time, refueling with a specific fuel will be prohibited for safety and more accurate subsequent reporting of fuel volume.
Before the fuel is discharged into underground storage facilities, it undergoes control. First of all, the fuel documents are checked, the seal on the tank is opened, the level of its filling is checked, and then the fuel analysis is taken. New fuel is checked for density, roughly speaking, it should not be diluted with water intentionally or accidentally due to rainwater, condensate, etc.
After checking, the fuel is connected to the tank with the help of a drain pipe and the fuel is drained.
fuel storage
Fuel tanks can be above ground or underground. They are made of steel and are most often made in two layers for safety. Typically, fuel storage tanks do not exceed 50 cubic meters, but there are tanks with a volume of more than 200 cubic meters, such storage facilities are already considered mini-oil depots, to which their own requirements apply.
The fuel level in the tank itself is measured by a metro rod. The fuel level is measured not only when draining fuel, but also when changing shifts of operators.
1. Receiving valve. It prevents fuel from draining from pipelines and all equipment back into the tank. Without the valve, the pump would have to completely fill the entire system from the reservoir to the filling nozzle with each refueling, and this is an extra waste of energy and time.
2. Filter. Another filter element at the gas station, it can be installed immediately after the intake valve or in the gas separator (5). If the filter is clogged, then a rumble is heard during refueling, as the pump has to work with great effort.
3 and 4. Engine and pump. They work in pairs, connected, as a rule, by a belt drive, but there are also designs where the pump and the motor sit on the same shaft. A belt drive is considered safer, as it is protected from increased loads on the engine.
5. Gas separator. In accordance with the name, it separates excess gases from the fuel, which are in a suspended state in a calm state, and when the fuel is actively mixed, they combine and begin to create foam. The device of the gas separator is extremely simple - it is a small reservoir in which the fuel is retained for a short time, and excess gases freely leave through drainage holes above.
6. Solenoid valve. Opens when fuel is supplied and closes immediately after fuel injection stops. If this valve is broken, then it can simply shut off the entire system or not close it, in the latter case, even after the pump is turned off, fuel will flow into the dispensing gun by inertia. When the solenoid valve is not closed, the fuel dispenser fills with approximately 0.2-0.5 liters of excess fuel.
7. Liquid meter. It can be called differently, for example, a fuel gauge, a liquid meter, etc., but it has one function - to accurately measure the amount of fuel. Fuel gauges can be electronic or mechanical. In the first case, the accuracy adjustment is carried out using special commands, in the second case, with the help of adjusting bolts.
8. Viewing window. Represents a hollow flask with glass. If the flask is filled with fuel, then the intake valve is working and the fuel remains in the system after the pump is turned off.
It can be called differently, it is designed to control the supply of fuel to the tank neck, it also cuts off the fuel supply when the tank is full.
10, 11, 12. Control system. The system combines the fuel dispenser and the operator's control panel.
More about the filling nozzle device
The refueling gun device is not as simple as it seems at first glance. In addition to the fuel supply function, there is a fuel cut-off system inside when the tank is full.
You can see how this system works in the video above. With normal fuel supply, air enters the gun through a small tube and jet. As soon as the fuel reaches the level of the filler pipe, fuel enters the jet and the air pressure in the protection system drops sharply, the membrane reacts to this and the cut-off spring is activated, the fuel supply stops. When the safety system is triggered, fuel will not be delivered until the gun lever is "cocked" again.
The only exception is unusual scheme with the top location of the fuel dispenser. But such schemes are used extremely rarely, primarily due to the lack of such equipment and certain difficulties with its maintenance. There is no special benefit from such an arrangement of the fuel dispenser, except that the cars can be placed a little more densely, and the fuel dispensers themselves cannot be hit by a car.
In 1888, gasoline began to be sold in pharmacies.
In 1907, the first gas station opened in the United States, it was a warehouse with cans of gasoline. Later, stations began to appear with one large tank, from which fuel was supplied by gravity.
In Russia, the first filling station was opened in 1911 by the Imperial Automobile Society.
Modern gas stations are not limited to selling only fuel. Many have small shops with related products, products, cafes, car washes, etc. Particularly noticeable is the development of gas stations in the United States, where car refueling is only part of the complex, which includes parking lots for heavy vehicles, recreation and leisure centers, shops, cafes and much more.
There are more than 25,000 filling stations in Russia, approximately 600 of which are located within the Moscow Ring Road. There are more than 120,000 gas stations in the US, about 14,000 in Canada, and more than 9,000 in the UK, while in the 90s there were more than 18,000.
To my question: “What type of gas installation does he have?”, he answered me: “Yes, I don’t know, it’s the usual one like everyone else!”. I clarified: "You are refueling", which completely confused my friend ...
As it turned out later, quite a lot of motorists with HBO installed are not "in the know" with what they refuel (methane or propane-butane), they have it installed and they have it. This state of affairs gave me the idea to write an article on which "all the dots" will be placed, allowing a simple motorist to understand how gas stations differ and what gas stations exist. If the topic is relevant to you then keep reading and I'm sure you will discover a lot of interesting and new...
Despite the general misconception, a car with HBO may not be refueled at all gas stations, or rather, there are gas stations that have gas that is not suitable for a particular HBO installation. The gas fuel that is used in the automotive industry is mainly divided into two types: liquefied gas (a mixture of propane and butane, it is also called propane-butane LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas) , as well as compressed (methane CNG - Compressed Natural Gas) compressed at a very low temperature. The result is a gas mixture that can be stored at low pressure - liquefied gas, or LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
As I wrote in my previous articles, LPG or propane-butane mixture is produced by oil refineries and then transported to gas stations in tanks. There, at the gas station AGZS (Automobile Gas Filling Station), propane-butane merges into storage chambers, after which cars equipped with LPG are refueled from these tanks. Cars are refueled under pressure of 16 atmospheres.
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) or compressed methane is produced directly at the filling stations themselves, which are called so - CNG station(car CNG filling compression station). Compressed methane is supplied to CNG filling stations through a pipeline, in the same way as household gas, which is available in almost every apartment. At the station, the gas is compressed to 200 atmospheres, after which it is filled with cars equipped with the appropriate equipment.
Outwardly distinguish AGZS and CNG filling stations can be made in size. As a rule, a CNG filling station occupies a much larger area than a gas filling station, while the arrangement, and the equipment itself, also cost a lot of money. CNG methane filling stations are most often located outside the city, for the reasons described above. Methane gas stations are much less common, perhaps the reason for this is the unpopularity of methane among motorists.
A gas filling station, on the contrary, takes up little space and can be installed in the city, at any classic gas station, or at a small enterprise that fills its equipment with gas. The gas filling station itself is a fuel tank (which can be located under or above the ground), a pump, as well as a compressor that pressurizes and dispenses.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated, and if you figure it out, the differences between CNG filling stations and gas filling stations are quite obvious and understandable.
In total, there are 15,000 filling stations in Russia, of which only about 40% belong to oil companies, the rest to independent ones, Dmitry Makhonin, head of the fuel and energy department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, told Vedomosti. But in terms of the flow rate (fuel sold through one filling station), the proportion is reversed, oil companies sell more: their share in sales is about 60%.
Oilmen lack gas stations
The antimonopoly service, as a rule, does not approve the purchase of several dozen gas stations by vertically integrated companies, Makhonin says: “This allows you to maintain a balance between independent gas stations and gas stations owned by oilmen.” True, there have been no requests for major deals with gas stations for a long time and the oilmen are not planning them in the near future, he knows. According to him, point purchases - 1-2 gas stations - are taking place.
The top three companies that own the largest filling station networks in Russia are Rosneft (2897 filling stations), Lukoil (2603), Gazprom Neft (1244).
The Rosneft representative did not answer whether the company would expand its retail network. Lukoil is not considering the issue of a significant increase in filling stations in the long term, an extensive development path has already been completed, there will also be no mass exodus from the regions, says a company representative.
“The long-term strategy of Gazprom Neft assumes a slight increase in the number of filling stations, the priority is to increase efficiency,” said Alexander Krylov, Regional Sales Director. Shell (more than 220 filling stations) plans to expand the network, says a company representative: “By the end of the year, we will open filling stations in Nizhny Novgorod and Samara. Shell sees Russia as one of the top priority regions for the development of its filling station network.”
How independent filling stations work
When the retail sector was developing, filling stations were built wherever necessary, says the head of the Russian Fuel Union, Grigory Sergienko: “The main thing was to put a column. It was believed that gasoline will always be. It turned out not. We only learned when BP came to Russia in the early 1990s.”
“She showed how to choose a location for a gas station, analyze the demand for fuel, etc.,” continues Sergienko. – And then the oilmen acted like that - they bought up, which was profitable in terms of location, strait and profitability of filling, and now gas stations that attract little are left out of their attention. Makhonin says that recently the share of independent gas stations has declined insignificantly.
Oil workers brew coffee
In 2016, Gazprom Neft sold 21 million cups of coffee at gas stations. “All coffee machines at our gas stations are also controlled from a single automated center that monitors compliance with the recipe and the number of cups sold,” says Krylov. “Coffee sales are steadily growing. In the first eight months of 2017, coffee sales revenue reached RUB 1.7 billion. This is 22% more than in the same period last year.
The retail business is uninteresting - investment attractiveness is low, Sergienko notes. The times when in winter, albeit with low demand, the margin reached 30-35% are gone, now it is 13%, and if you subtract the costs of maintaining the business, then profitability goes to the zero zone, says Algorithm. Fuel integrator” Viktor Kostyukov.
Due to declining profitability Lukoil” thought about selling a third of the gas station, but abandoned the idea. “In 2017, for the first time, retail faced a sharp decline in profitability,” Krylov states. “But nowhere else in the world does retail remain a profit center for oil companies.” “For oilmen profitability in this segment is not important. They earn on wholesale sales,” Sergienko assures: vertically integrated companies dominate the market, set the rules of the game and prices, and thereby bury independent retail.
Makhonin says that in recent years the total number of filling stations in Russia has remained almost at the same level. Vertically integrated companies prefer to build gas stations rather than buy them.
Independent gas stations have to survive. Some manage to negotiate with oil companies to work on a franchise, but they are few, Sergienko knows. Others negotiate to sell oilmen's fuel for a commission, increase sales of related products, or trade in surrogate fuel. The last state is trying to stop.
For the development of independent retail, all fuel consumers must have equal access to petroleum products, says Ilya Moroz, CEO of Solid Commodity Markets (it owns 18 gas stations in the Smolensk and Nizhny Novgorod regions): “We need at least half of the fuel that is sold at domestic market, sell through transparent exchange auctions. In addition, fuel shipments on the exchange market should mirror the proportion of shipments on the over-the-counter market - there are very few shipments through the pipe on the exchange, he complains.
Cafes and electric cars
To increase profitability, it is necessary to reduce costs and receive additional income from the effective organization of retail, Krylov believes. For Rosneft, the sale of related products is a priority, says its representative: in two years, sales of related business grew by 20%, the strategy provides for a doubling of sales in 3-5 years.
The fire extinguisher has been used - what to do next? What is the name of rebooting the device? When should it be done? What types of fire extinguishers are there?
Refilling fire extinguishers is called “refilling” or “recharging”.
The fire extinguisher recharging service is necessary not only for large companies, but also for private traders who have a fire extinguisher. It is highly not recommended to perform such a procedure on your own, since it can lead to injury if certain safety measures are not observed.
Finding out when this procedure is needed is quite simple. If your fire extinguisher was used at least once, and after that it stood for more than a week, then this procedure is simply necessary for you.
Many experts recommend carrying out this procedure immediately after the first use. However, despite all the prescriptions, many people ignore these requirements. After that, the most unforeseen situations may arise, ranging from the failure of the fire extinguisher to other problems.
Even if a fire, in your opinion, cannot occur in your company, under any circumstances, you should still use the recharge service. According to safety regulations, this procedure should be carried out by absolutely all companies and individuals after the fire extinguisher has been used at least once.
Is it possible to do without a fire extinguisher?
It is worth noting that it is almost impossible to do without a fire extinguisher. Such a vital thing as a fire extinguisher should be present, both in a car and in any office, store, and so on. Even if you have other means of fighting a fire, having a fire extinguisher is a must for everyone.
If you have any questions regarding this activity, then you can always go to the site www.gorpozhservice.ru and get the most complete and comprehensive information about the company's activities and how to solve a particular problem. There are professionals of the highest level who will be happy to help you.
Please note that the cost of services in this company is an order of magnitude lower than that of most competing firms. In order to verify this, it will be enough just to compare prices.
What are fire extinguishers?
There are several types of fire extinguishers that are used in our country. It is worth noting that all of them can be used to solve problems associated with ignition. The most popular are:
- Air-foam fire extinguishers.
- Powder.
- Carbon dioxide.
All of them have the right to exist, however, according to many, powder ones are considered the simplest and most effective. In fact, everything here is not so obvious. In a variety of situations, it will be more effective different types fire extinguishers.
With an open fire, powder and air-foam ones show themselves best.
If we talk about small fires that are difficult to determine, then carbon dioxide ones show themselves best.
Whatever your fire extinguisher, remember that timely maintenance can save not only your property, but also your life.
Experienced drivers know which gas stations are the most quality gasoline. Each “ace of Russian tracks” accumulated invaluable experience not for self-interest, but for benefit. Because I experienced it myself: deviation from standards, the presence of impurities (to be honest: although gasoline is not sour cream, it is also diluted with water, fuel with a lower octane number) are fraught with big troubles.
Clogged filters, candles went out
If you approach the issue without due attention, the machine slowly but surely, and sometimes instantly, reacts to a violation of the rules of "nutrition". Clogged filters, nozzle malfunctions, candle soot - this is not a complete list of troubles awaiting us after we filled in fuel tank God knows what, although we were assured that it was good gasoline.
What you need to know in order to avoid the troubles associated with visiting the “wrong” gas station? To begin with, let's analyze the factors affecting the quality of the fuel: (measure starting, working and end fractions, measure of the content of alkalis, acids, organic compounds, etc.
Although there is an opinion that fuel at branded gas stations is not always better than that sold by little-known points, many drivers are asked about “ best gasoline”, at which gas stations they are sold, they answer that they like Shell, Rosneft, and some other popular stations.
When You Don't Need Lemonade
How to find out about the progress of fuel quality control? Law-abiding owners of each gas station put special certificates on public display. I want to believe: in fact, everything is as it is written. Unfortunately, practice shows that the data of an official certificate are not always reliable. It is impossible to demand the same utility from gasoline 80 and 95 - the fractional indicators are different.
Before we talk about which gas stations sell the highest quality gasoline, let's evaluate a different, consumer rating. The most popular is the 95th, the least popular is the 76th. And what? It seems that some gas station employees have learned the advice of Dale Carnegie "if fate gave you a lemon, make lemonade out of it" in their own selfish way. Using the so-called additives for diesel fuel(improvers), they do anything from the 76th “lemon”, up to the 95th “brandy”.
A huge number of cars across the country are powered by this dubious mixture. Particularly harmful to the car are improvers that were originally added to the raw materials from which gasoline is produced. However, not all “jambs” are stacked on the conscience of fuel dealers. So, it falls if it was stored for too long. At the same time, the content of resins increases (due to an increase in the concentration of fuel hydrocarbons).
Question to a friend
How not to miss the choice of gas stations? There are many ways. First of all, ask those whose opinion you consider objective and honest (friends, work colleagues, relatives). Although opinions may differ in this narrow circle, you can catch the vector of actions and draw conclusions. The most high-quality and proven brands in Russia in 2016 are: Lukoil, Gazpromneft, Shell, TNK. But maybe this applies only to the center?
There is an opinion that when traveling around the country, one may encounter the fact that the gas station, which has a high reputation among the capital's consumers, sells fuel that does not meet the declared quality. What to do in this case? Interview local residents among motorists where they prefer to be served. Or watch the "behavior" of cars with local numbers. Which station has the most of them - there really is.
Another subtlety: watch out for excessive use of the bright words "luxury", "premium" in the fuel price list at the station. Remember that everyone knows how to splurge in our advertising time. Look for a bit of modesty: a brand name without any "luxury". This is how a product is presented where there is no need to prove that it is of high quality and proven.
Gasoline passport
Which gas stations offer the best quality gasoline? The responses of the people sometimes slightly (and sometimes drastically) change the places of accents. For example, Shell is in the top three. It is believed that the product is environmentally friendly (corresponds to the Euro-4 standard), GOST standards are observed in the production. Fuel system does not get dirty. But you can also hear that Shell (as well as TNK) in a number of cases sells fuel stored at not the most classy oil depots (the owners of the storage facilities turn off the partners, to put it mildly, not that).
So attention, attention and more attention. Look at the gas station, find a gasoline passport there. If the fuel has been improved, it has a separate document. Read whether this process was carried out in accordance with GOST or on the basis of technical specifications. Assess the environmental safety, find the name of the refinery manufacturer.
Passport of gasoline may be expired (valid for 10 days). At the end of this time, the initial indicators decrease, the quality of the fuel decreases. Do not take risks, do not buy fuel at gas stations before you familiarize yourself with passport data. If there is no document in sight, this is already a signal of dishonesty of the seller.
Do not chase, driver, for cheapness!
Almost every second driver at least once thought about where to buy not too expensive gasoline. An understandable desire. But standing at a gas station with goods “at a reasonable price”, think about it: GOST is unlikely to be so cheap, and one made according to TU will certainly not be very useful for your car. The quality of conditions is initially less stringent.
Of course, there is strength in knowing which gas stations offer the highest quality gasoline. But always remember that in large cities there is less falsified and low-quality fuel, far from them it is better to keep your ears on top. In addition, gas is better on weekdays than on weekends and holidays.
Check the quality. Look at appearance flammable liquid, evaluate color scheme. There are poisonous shades - do not take risks, do not fill the gas tank, even if the price is tempting.
About color. Connoisseurs say that A-72 is pink, A-76 is yellow, 93 is orange-red, 95 resembles gastric juice (yellow-green) in color. Although there are those who find that sometimes it looks like Duchess lemonade, and doubt the quality.
What smells?
There is a touch check. This is done like this: gasoline is dripped onto the hand (the back side is more sensitive). Dry skin? you did it a good choice. Are there greasy marks? Stop! Diesel fuel was added to the fuel, which lowered the quality. Highly bad smell- also a signal of fuel trouble. Experienced car owners and attentive beginners are wary when they catch the smell of burnt rubber, chemistry.
These tips help identify low quality fuels but are not ideal testing methods. There are also chemical tests that can be done at home. Pour the test substance into a glass beaker and observe. Soot deposits formed on the bottom? This indicates that the fuel was enriched with carbon or benzene.
If you take a sheet of paper and put a drop of gasoline on it, the real one will evaporate without a trace, while the low-quality one will leave behind a greasy and dirty mark. If you set fire to a drop - a clean one will burn without a trace, more precisely, a white circle will remain. The presence of brown and yellow indicates an excess of resin content. Particularly vigilant drivers resort to the study of the fuel consumed by their favorite car in special laboratories.
We continue testing
Didn't make it to the lab? Continue your personal experiments: see how a drop of gasoline behaves on glass? "Experimental" spread in diameter up to 5 mm? This means that the concentration of resins in it is 9-10 milligrams per 100 milliliters (the norm for high-quality fuel is 7-15 mg).
Spread up to 30 millimeters? The resin content is exceeded and reaches approximately 19 to 21 milligrams per hundred milliliters. A permanent excess of this indicator by half reduces the motor resource by 20%.
On the amount of water in the test gasoline. Add potassium permanganate crystals to the vessel with fuel. If the composition becomes typically purple, there is an excess of H2O in it. AT quality fuel crystals do not dissolve. Watery gasoline will make the spark plugs unusable and contaminate the fuel equipment.
Beautiful word "ariometer"
Cantly? It is worth it to learn to recognize the highest quality gasoline in Russia, at which gas stations it is most likely to be found. Many people like to use a household gasoline meter (ariometer). Of course, you should not rely completely on the reliability of the data obtained with its help. But if you need to separate the "grains from the chaff" and determine gasoline and diesel fuel, then the ariometer is what you need. Once you've identified fuel problems, take the time to have your vehicle professionally diagnosed.
In the event of a breakdown and repair of transport due to poor-quality injections, having laboratory reports on low-quality fuel in hand, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor (engaged in consumer protection) with an application for reimbursement of costs for bringing the machine into working condition.
TOP 10
Looking for where there is the highest quality at which gas stations, some motorists did reviews while driving through the expanses of Russia. The experiment showed that eight samples for sulfur content met the requirements of class 4 (a pair of which approached the fifth), two showed the third class (we are talking about the sulfur content). So it's not all sad. If you are not refueling from a fuel truck, do not chase cheapness, you have every chance to refuel with a decent 95th, no matter where in the country wanderlust takes you.
Praise brands "Gazpromneft", "Kirishsky gasoline" (tests give a steady positive result). The first of these has two factories - in Moscow and Yaroslavl, both guarantee the quality of products.
More about those that are ranked among the "ten brave": these are the well-known companies TNK, Rosneft, Shell. Familiar to many "TNK-BP", "Neste". Gas stations of these brands are based on domestic fuel (with the exception of 98th gasoline). But be careful: in the wrong place or “at the wrong time” you may encounter the fact of a discrepancy between the desired and the actual - there are complaints about the quality from consumers.
German and Russian quality
There is a small company "Statoil" and a large, well-known, but not too beloved by consumers, "PTK". The list of average quality is completed by Tatneft (there is no own tank farm) and Bashneft (there is a tank farm). They shared 10th place among themselves. With regard to global assessments, there is an International Center for Monitoring Fuel Quality. It is believed that the highest quality gasoline in the world is sold in Germany. Japan is in second position, six countries are in third, including Austria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden.
What is it, the highest quality at which gas station is found? The question is rather rhetorical. Some are sure that it is necessary to adhere to the principle of "one filling station - one manufacturer." Others believe that you can contact different stations, as long as they are branded. Still others say that even at a small gas station you can stock up on high-quality fuel, and fly at a luxury one. These are just some of the opinions!
I think the wisest of them is this: do not look for a clear answer to the question of which gas stations have the best quality gasoline. Get to the heart of the matter. And you will always find what you are looking for, driving around the endless Russian expanses.