The 2016 WPMA EXPO
The 2016 WPMA EXPO ran Feb. 16-18 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. The cornerstone event of the Western Petroleum Marketers Association, it featured a range of educational sessions including a presentation by PMAA’s new chairman Rob Underwood, and an Expo with over 280 exhibitors. The exhibitors provided solutions from rack to retail on the fuel side.
While the Northeast represents the primary market for the heating oil industry, the Northwest remains a region where heating oil is a common deliverable fuel solution. WPMAEXPO had more than a few companies offering solutions applicable to heating oil and propane delivery as well as bulk plant operations. Here are some of the companies that were exhibiting at the show that should be of interest to Fuel Oil News readers.
ADD Systems was at the show highlighting its broad product offerings. On the deliverable fuels side was the Raven handheld hardware and software solution that automates the delivery process from pumping fuel to accepting payments and adding charges to printing the invoice
Alfons Haar Americas had on display an interesting new offering in the form of a direct-drive truck fuel pump that was directly coupled to the PTO with no prop shaft required. The PRO- FIT tank truck vane pump has a capacity of up to 160 gallons per minute and is said to eliminate prop shaft hammering and the eventual related repair and replacement costs.
Base Engineering Inc. was showcasing its ProControl2 radio remote control for fuel delivery drivers. This device offers up to 9 channels of customizable controls, remote meter display and RFID reader capability. It is used primarily in the petrochemical industry for fleet refueling and home delivery trucks where pump and volume control are critical. Functions that can be controlled include the hose reel, tank valves, engine rpm and it features an emergency stop capability that closes all tank valves and stops the truck engine.
Blackmer spent some time reinforcing its message that its TX Series sliding vane pumps outperform “knockoffs.” Blackmer® recently evaluated its TX Series sliding vane pumps against imitation pumps that claim to be “equal to, or as good as Blackmer.” According to the company, lab test show that these pumps cannot match its quality and performance.
Civacon displayed its CivaStar advanced overfill prevention solution. The company noted that CivaStar goes beyond safeguarding against costly overfills. By including an LED-lit tip at the end of each probe, technicians can quickly verify the active status of the probes and the connecting wires. In addition to With no need to reset probe heights and pinpoint diagnostics of non-permissive probe readings, technicians spend less time in the garage and drivers spend more time on the road, keeping deliveries on schedule. CivaStar is available in a 2-wire format for use with onboard monitors, and 5-wire format specifically designed for straight optic loading racks.
FPPF was displaying a range of products. Of particular interest was Killem fuel oil biocide and slimicide. This is an EPA registered product that is used as a biocide for the control of bacteria and fungi growth in oils and refined fuels. It will control microorganisms and fuel oil storage tanks, fuel oil and other refined or partially refined oils. It is will said to reduce tank corrosion, slime mats, odors, fuel oil filter deposits and plugging, fuel oil tank deposits and corrosion, fuel water separator deposits, injector plugging and excessive carbon deposits in exhaust gas smoke.
Peak Commercial & Industrial, part of Old World Industries, displayed its cabinet-encased BlueDEF Mini Bulk System. Capable of holding from 500-1,000 gallons, it features an automated fill port valve (to prevent overfilling), dry break adapter, fill port, high level indicator and weathertight control panel mounted on its front wall. It also includes lockable fill port door and is prewired for easy installation.
Great Plains Industries, Inc., introduced its all-new Flomec QAM 240 and QAM 150 fuel meters. These feature frictionless magnetic drives; fast, accurate oval gear technology; a rotatable mount for versatile installation; and they are available in gallon or liter readout. They have only three wetted moving parts and there is no shaft seal to freeze or replace.
MID:COM had on display a range of products including its solid-state electronic E:Count electronic counter. This is primarily used on bulk delivery trucks and can be mounted on, or connected to, any type of meter.
Scully Signal Company was promoting its Scully Rack Tester. This unit tests for the proper performance of all Scully terminal overfill prevention control monitors. It ensures that an operator’s loading rack control monitors are functioning properly and will allow properly equipped vehicles to load. It simulates optic and thermistor overfill sensors, Scully Ground Bolts and Ground Balls, and Scully TIM truck identification modules.
The big news at the show for SmartLOGIX was its name changed to SkyBitz Petroleum Logistics after its acquisition by SkyBitz®, a commercial telematics and a wholly owned subsidiary of Telular Corporation. The names of the product offerings haven’t changed however, and they include SmarTruck, SmartLynx, and SmarTank applications that help facilitate the logistics behind bulk fuels, lubes, used oils and packaged goods.
Total Control Systems was providing a view of its new TCS 3000 electronic register. The TCS 3000 is a fully integrated flow computer engineered to control all vehicle delivery operations. With its open software architecture, the customer has the option of a simple pump and print delivery, or custom measurement solution. TCS 3000 software provides flexibility of ticket format, preset and end of shift reports, calibration reports and password protection.
Total Meter Services had on display its TMS6000M truck automation software and hardware solution. This includes a wireless handheld computer, a TMS6000M host base station and 18th MS 6000 M truck interface panel which controls electronic registers, receipt printers and other truck accessories. The driver can control the dispensing process from the end of the hose using the touchscreen interface on the handheld computer. Equipment or tags to be filled can be identified with barcodes or RFID tags and scanned by the handheld computer reducing the manual entry of data.
A variety of truck and truck tank solution providers were in attendance. These included Westmor Industries LLC, Heil Trailer Intl., Beall, Oilmen’s Tank Trucks, Senaca Tank, Polar Tank Trailer, Pacific Truck Tanks Inc. and Werts Welding. They were showcasing solutions that ranged from propane bobtail’s and refined fuel tankwagons to class 8 tanker trucks. The applications showcased ranged from motor fuels to home heating fuel delivery.
Wesroc was promoting its new residential cellular tank monitor at the show. Features include a (typical) three-year battery life with weekly reporting. It checks tank levels every minute for instant event reporting and all fills are time stamped and reported immediately. It has a field replaceable battery, a rugged design and mounting magnets are included. It is compatible with all fuel types.
