Pipeline Breaks Closing Most Southern Gas Stations

[billt460]

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/pump-problem-govs-office-says-theyve-gotten-no-074312509.html

So much for gasoline being different from brand to brand. (Tier 1, and all of that other nonsense). A single pipeline breaks, and most all gas stations in the south are running out of fuel. The same exact thing happened in Phoenix back in 2003.

http://www.doney.net/aroundaz/gas_lines.htm

I've always contended all gas is the same except for octane rating. What matters more is the condition of the station's tanks, than what brand it is. If it all comes from the same pipeline it's no different than a city's water supply. It's either all good, or all bad. I keep hearing about how they add all of the, "custom secret ingredients" when they fill up the various brand tankers. But I have NEVER seen hard core evidence proving that. And over the years I have asked several tanker drivers who were delivering fuel to the stations when I was there filling up about it, and every single one of them said it was total nonsense. If anyone has a good link that contradicts what I have just said, I would very much like to see it explained with fact.

 

[Bamaro]

Originally Posted By: billt460
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/pump-problem-govs-office-says-theyve-gotten-no-074312509.html

So much for gasoline being different from brand to brand. (Tier 1, and all of that other nonsense). A single pipeline breaks, and most all gas stations in the south are running out of fuel. The same exact thing happened in Phoenix back in 2003.

http://www.doney.net/aroundaz/gas_lines.htm

I've always contended all gas is the same except for octane rating. What matters more is the condition of the station's tanks, than what brand it is. If it all comes from the same pipeline it's no different than a city's water supply. It's either all good, or all bad. I keep hearing about how they add all of the, "custom secret ingredients" when they fill up the various brand tankers. But I have NEVER seen hard core evidence proving that. And over the years I have asked several tanker drivers who were delivering fuel to the stations when I was there filling up about it, and every single one of them said it was total nonsense. If anyone has a good link that contradicts what I have just said, I would very much like to see it explained with fact.

First, I think you mean Top Tier, not Tier 1 and its not nonsense.
Second, it has been discussed over and over here that gas is basically a bulk commodity that is modified by brand at the terminal as a tanker is filled.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes -- the base liquid of gasoline is generally the same for all brands. It all comes out of the ground, goes to the refinery, and is piped do various terminals across the country. The terminals then add the additives and other constituents for each brand as it goes into the delivery truck per their contracts with those brands (Shell, Exxon, etc).

 

[Hokiefyd]

For your other question, this has been discussed on BITOG before: relevant BITOG link. One of our members, TiredTrucker, said he used to haul fuel, and that the additives are introduced at the fuel terminal when the truck is loaded.

 

[Tdbo]

At this point, I think most affected in the Southeast will take any tier fuel.

 

[6starprez]

Help! Need fuel

I only buy gas from Shell and the two stations I go to are out. I saw several stations yesterday with long lines and only one pump working.

 

[spackard]

Must be fun to see all the rusty buckets put into service as "gas cans".

(stock photo of proper cans)

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Bamaro
Originally Posted By: billt460
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/pump-problem-govs-office-says-theyve-gotten-no-074312509.html

So much for gasoline being different from brand to brand. (Tier 1, and all of that other nonsense). A single pipeline breaks, and most all gas stations in the south are running out of fuel. The same exact thing happened in Phoenix back in 2003.

http://www.doney.net/aroundaz/gas_lines.htm

I've always contended all gas is the same except for octane rating. What matters more is the condition of the station's tanks, than what brand it is. If it all comes from the same pipeline it's no different than a city's water supply. It's either all good, or all bad. I keep hearing about how they add all of the, "custom secret ingredients" when they fill up the various brand tankers. But I have NEVER seen hard core evidence proving that. And over the years I have asked several tanker drivers who were delivering fuel to the stations when I was there filling up about it, and every single one of them said it was total nonsense. If anyone has a good link that contradicts what I have just said, I would very much like to see it explained with fact.

First, I think you mean Top Tier, not Tier 1 and its not nonsense.
Second, it has been discussed over and over here that gas is basically a bulk commodity that is modified by brand at the terminal as a tanker is filled.
Yup, right there at the terminal they can magically turn pipeline grade gas into "Top Tier". And add 25 cents to the cost of a gallon just by throwing in some "additive".

 

[old1]

where I live, top tier is the same price as everything else, and YES, they do "magically" turn the gas into top tier by putting additives in at the terminal. What did you think the difference in top tier and other gas was? It is simply more additives.

 

[John_Conrad]

Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?

Like i said, i was just curious about it.

 

[MNgopher]

Why does everyone just assume the gas is gas? They do ship different products in the same pipeline, believe it or not. How else would the same pipeline move say regular and premium gas?

 

[WylieCoyote]

This makes me really curious about gasoline marketing. Nothing recent, but I remember Amoco touting an 'additional refining step' that further rid the fuel of contaminants. I remember the three test tubes they used a visual. First one contained gas from a 'lesser' brand. It had a pink-ish tint to it. Second one contained Amoco Ultimate, which was crystal clear. Third one contained about 2 centimeters of black sludge, which they claimed was the difference between 'their' fuels and Amoco's.

Was that all just B.S.? It's sounding like all stations get the same gas, and add their own proprietary additives after delivery. I hardly think they were refining it at the stations.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Story about an AAA study on using no-name gas without enough detergents...

http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/08/autos/aaa-cheap-gasoline/?iid=EL

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
This makes me really curious about gasoline marketing. Nothing recent, but I remember Amoco touting an 'additional refining step' that further rid the fuel of contaminants. I remember the three test tubes they used a visual. First one contained gas from a 'lesser' brand. It had a pink-ish tint to it. Second one contained Amoco Ultimate, which was crystal clear. Third one contained about 2 centimeters of black sludge, which they claimed was the difference between 'their' fuels and Amoco's.

Was that all just B.S.? It's sounding like all stations get the same gas, and add their own proprietary additives after delivery. I hardly think they were refining it at the stations.


I remember those ads...maybe the distribution model was different back then? Like, Amoco trucks only filled up Amoco stations??

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: old1
where I live, top tier is the same price as everything else, and YES, they do "magically" turn the gas into top tier by putting additives in at the terminal. What did you think the difference in top tier and other gas was? It is simply more additives.
It's not the same price here. I "only" put 350K on a Gen 4 Camry using milk store gas.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?

Like i said, i was just curious about it.
It's for sale but you need a BIG filter.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?

Like i said, i was just curious about it.


Won't it just evaporate?

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Why does everyone just assume the gas is gas? They do ship different products in the same pipeline, believe it or not. How else would the same pipeline move say regular and premium gas?
The pipeline operators can, using interesting technology, track "lots" of fuel through the system by grade, if 100,000 gallons of "regular" go in one end they know when to remove that 100,000 at the other, plus or minus, but the system doesn't get down to distinguishing batches by additive package so that few cents worth of chemicals per gallon is added at the terminal.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?

Like i said, i was just curious about it.


Won't it just evaporate?


No, it won't evaporate. I'm not up to speed on the nature of the spill, but it depends on the situation. If it spilled onto the ground surface, it likely ran across the ground and into a waterway somewhere. Dry creek beds will quickly collect spills like this and it'll seep into the ground, potentially contaminating the groundwater. If it's a wet creek, the gas will generally float on top of the water and can be transported a LONG way like that. In that case, hazmat crews will use spill containment booms on the water surface to try to contain the spill. In either case, it's a potentially a very complex and costly cleanup effort. Depending, obviously, on the amount and nature of the spill. Gasoline is certainly more volatile than diesel, but if we're talking about bulk quantities here, then there will be a spill response of some kind. Even if most of the gasoline volatilizes off and into the air, it will leave heavier constituents behind, which will have to be mitigated somehow.

I remember a big Colonial Pipeline spill in Herndon, VA, in the early '90s. Diesel fuel gushed out of the ruptured pipe like a geyser. We saw the plume in the air on our way to church that morning (it was right behind Reston Hospital along Baron Cameron Ave). Hazmat crews were already on scene, and I presume Colonial was, also, trying to get the pipe shut down. Most of the fuel spilled got into Sugarland Run, which drains to the Potomac River. They had an oil slick as far downstream as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (some 60-100 miles south on the Potomac). I used to ride my bike all the time in Sugarland Run Trail Park (paved trails along the stream), and I couldn't ride for weeks because the stench of diesel filled the air. There was a huge fish kill and all sorts of ecological problems.

Colonial had a huge PR response, including a massive picnic for the public up at Algonquin Park that summer.

 

[javacontour]

It's not like those trucks didn't get their fuel from a refinery with another brand name, with the additives added at the fuel rack.

Or do you think BP is sending fuel to locations without a BP refinery via their pipeline network?

I realize they have pipelines. But do they really cover the entire US?

I suspect SOME BP Ultimate is refined as described. I suspect other offerings are nothing more than the local refiners premium offering with their "special sauce" added at the fuel rack.

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
This makes me really curious about gasoline marketing. Nothing recent, but I remember Amoco touting an 'additional refining step' that further rid the fuel of contaminants. I remember the three test tubes they used a visual. First one contained gas from a 'lesser' brand. It had a pink-ish tint to it. Second one contained Amoco Ultimate, which was crystal clear. Third one contained about 2 centimeters of black sludge, which they claimed was the difference between 'their' fuels and Amoco's.

Was that all just B.S.? It's sounding like all stations get the same gas, and add their own proprietary additives after delivery. I hardly think they were refining it at the stations.


I remember those ads...maybe the distribution model was different back then? Like, Amoco trucks only filled up Amoco stations??