Downstream Summer 2007 - Downstream Magazine

Safety and security
Tighter security on tanker fuel hatches
In these security-conscious days,
UK distributors may like to note
that an Israeli energy company,
Paz Energy, is using active Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) to
track exactly when the fuel valves
and hatches on its tanker trucks
are opened and closed.
Paz owns gas stations and
convenience stores and has its own
distribution company with drivers
delivering fuel from its own refinery to
filling stations around the country. In
late 2004, Paz’s technology partner
began working to design a system that
would help Paz secure the valves on
tankers (as required by Israeli law), as
well as deter fuel thefts and improve
the efficiency of the fuel-delivery
process.
The Tanker Truck Monitoring System
(TTMS) utilises active RFID tags built
into valves and hatches. Each time a
valve or hatch is opened or closed, its
RFID tag transmits a signal that is
picked up by an interrogator mounted
in the cab of the truck. The interrogator
Fozmula say they have been
surprised at the rapid rise in sales
of their compact bund space
monitor (BM06) to domestic and
industrial users of heating oil and
diesel/petrol storage tanks.
The monitor gives immediate warnings
of fuel leaking into the bund, whether
caused through damage, faulty
connection or overfill. The BM06 has a
moulded housing which sits at the
bottom of the bund space and is
connected electrically and
pneumatically to a control unit
comprising battery, test switch and
high intensity LED. The device fits
easily into a new or existing storage
tank bund space, in minutes, with no
technical know-how or skill needed.
“The product has already proved its
worth with a number of customers”,
said Les Line, Head of Sales at
Fozmula. “Harlequin Tanks have
bought thousands since placing their
first order with us two years ago.”
relays the data, via a general packet
radio service (GPRS) connection, to a
computer in a central operations center
in Tel Aviv, where managers oversee
tanker trucks and their deliveries.
TTMS works in conjunction with a
GPS-enabled fleet management
system so Paz can also track its trucks´
locations.
Most of the 50 trucks in the Paz fleet,
and many belonging to third parties
that deliver fuel for Paz, are now
equipped with the hardware. A total of
100 trucks are expected to be outfitted
by the year´s end. Before TTMS, drivers
used mechanical clip seals on the
valves and hatches. They had to keep
track of seal numbers, writing them
Big take-up on bund monitors
Clarehill/Harlequin Head of Sales and
Marketing, John Switzer said: “We’ve
come to rely on these valuable devices
to perform an absolutely fundamental
job during the service life of any of
our tanks.”
The Bund Monitor from Fozmula
addresses Environment Agency
Regulations calling for oil and fuel
tanks to have bunding to reduce the
risk of damage to the environment by
fuel leakage.
down by hand. Later, the company
began using electronic reusable seals
and it has now moved to the RFIDenabled
seals.
The fact that GPS tracks the exact
location of each vehicle and RFID
records any opening and closing of fuel
hatches and valves provides Paz with a
strong theft deterrent.
"The main problem was that we
wanted to assure that our trucks arrive
at our gas stations filled up, and that
nobody opened the compartment
along the way," says Moshe Sabag,
Paz´s vice president of IT. "We took the
system to be sure that the
compartments are opened just in the
locations we want. We get real-time
reporting and real-time information."
Now, when a driver arrives at a station
and begins pumping fuel from one of
the truck´s 12 valves or hatches,
managers at the command center can
oversee which fuels are being pumped
and for how long, so they can calculate
the amount of fuel delivered.
An extra eye
on security
Forward Vision CCTV
has launched the
Mic1-440, an
explosionprotected,ATEXcertified
pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ)
camera.
The Mic1-440 is
specifically designed to
provide effective
surveillance at critical
infrastructure sites. The
camera, part of the
company’s ‘Metal
Mickey’ line, can be
integrated into various
video management
platforms and even used
on the move,
transmitting pictures
back to base via a 3.5G
wireless network.