The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but Without Clint Eastwood

The Good
I believe this issue continues the tradition of high quality, current and concise information. The article by Sullivan "Sully" Curran reports the history of the use of fiberglass tank in the U.S., directly contradicting report of frequent FRP tank failures being experienced in Europe. Another old friend, Bob Brandt, updates us on thermal oxidation technology for vapor recovery and a Portland distributor/contractor provides a detailed analysis of his company's approach to providing petroleum equipment for standby generation for the electronic world. A new approach to grounding the floating roofs of terminal tanks is introduced by the manufacturer and Howard Upton provides his usual insightful assessment of one of my favorite topics. I have also included two previously published articles on marine fueling because of the current interest in the subject.

The Bad
As I have stated repeatedly, without funding, PE&T Online will cease to exist. Thanks to the good efforts of Veeder-Root, NPN, com-A-tec and others, we are hanging in but more support is required. We are seeking individuals and companies who feel that loss of PE&T will constitute an irreplaceable loss for the industry. The archive is used daily by individuals needing the type of unbiased technical information contained in over 700 articles. Take a minute to use one of the many search engines to look up a topic you find interesting. I believe you will see why losing PE&T is a serious matter.

The Ugly
Reports from manufacturers, distributors and contractors indicate that the current lack of market activity will continue indefinitely. Those who are building are reported to be more cost conscious than ever and many projects are given to the low bids regardless of the qualifications of the bidders. There are more user purchases directly from manufacturers, even down to pipe and fittings. Many equipment distributors disregard their traditional lines and sell whatever the users want to buy. The results are frequently facilities with built-in problems to be faced in the future. After years of designing around regulatory requirements, we have failed to recognize that regulations form poor criteria for complex petroleum system design.

The Good Again
Dr. Wolf Koch, a frequent contributor to PE&T, and I have been selected by the American Petroleum Institute to create an industry sponsored recommended practice for the operation and maintenance of vapor recovery systems. We will undoubtedly be in touch with all interested stakeholders.

Please send any comments and inquiries to me at jhartmann@pe-t.com or use the contact page provided on the web site. (www.pe-t.com or www.PetrolPlaza.com)

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