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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Profiles In Propane: Tyler Misel…Jack of All Trades

    (August 2017) — Tyler Misel is the operations manager at Georgia Gas Distributors, a suburban Atlanta company started by his grandfather in 1957. The company was initially founded to cater to the forklift market and still focuses on commercial and industrial gas today, but also includes residential business, and a growing autogas clientele. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company including managing drivers, plant technicians, service, and dispatch, and he also handles IT operations. According to Misel, “Most days start early at the plant, getting the drivers on the road and liaising with dispatch and service techs to get their day going. I usually speak with the plant techs if there is something special going on that they need to be aware...

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  • Feature Articles

    Low-Emission Transfer and Redundant Fail-Safe Product Control Measures

    (August 30, 2017) Low-emission transfer is gaining popularity with the increasing use of propane, often referred to as autogas, in over-the-road vehicles. Redundant fail-safe product control measures (RFPC) is an associated concept to enhance safety. They permit separation distances to be reduced to enable installations that otherwise could not be allowed. However, our inspectors are finding places that are claiming the benefits of low-emission transfer without properly considering the rules. I apologize up front for the complexity of this article and for the references that clutter it. This is not a well-understood idea by many people who are considering its use. I will attempt to point out at least some of the nuances, but technical descriptions are necessary to convey the concept. Low-emission transfer is...

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  • Feature Articles

    Enterprise Reports No Major Damage to Facilities in Gulf

    Houston, Tex. (August 29, 2017) — Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston) reports Aug. 29 that initial assessments of its facilities on the Texas Gulf Coast showed no significant damage from the impacts of Tropical Storm Harvey. In South Texas, two of the company’s eight natural gas processing plants, including its largest, Yoakum, were in service. However, the remaining six natural gas processing plants and the Shoup NGL fractionation facility were not in operation due to the effects of the storm, including loss of power, loss of third-party services, minor damage and/or the level of natural gas production. In general, Enterprise said, the partnership’s natural gas and NGL and crude oil pipelines serving South Texas and the Eagle Ford Shale remained in commercial service. At Enterprise’s...

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  • Feature Articles

    Hurricane Harvey Shutters 2.2 MMbbld Of Refining Capacity

    (August 28, 2017) — S&P Global Platts reports that roughly 2.2 MMbbld of refining capacity has been shuttered. Houston refineries began shutting down Sunday because of flooding. Refiners have not reported any damage so far. The following plants have been, or were in the process of, shutting down Sunday:Exxon Mobil, Baytown; Valero, Corpus Christi; Citgo, Corpus Christi; Flint Hills, Corpus Christi; Magellan, Corpus Christi; Buckeye, Corpus Christi, Shell, Deer Park Pasadena, Pasadena; Phillips 66, Sweeny; and Valero, Three Rivers. The Texas Gulf Coast is home to nearly 5 MMbbld of refining capacity, while the Louisiana Gulf Coast is home to almost 4 MMbbld of capacity, notes S&P Global Platts, citing the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Oil and gas companies on the Texas Gulf Coast were...

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  • Feature Articles

    IC Bus Launches Grant Program To Help Schools Purchase Propane School Buses, Additional Items

    (August 24, 2017) — IC Bus has announced a new, environmentally friendly grant program that provides school districts with incentives to add propane-powered school buses to their fleets. The IC Bus Grant Program will offer qualifying school districts throughout the United States and Canada $5,000 in grants per newly purchased propane-powered CE Series school buses. This grant gives those school districts that would like, or are planning to make the switch to propane, more flexibility in their purchase decision. The grant can be used toward items such as buying additional buses, investing in new technology, hiring additional drivers, infrastructure updates to maintenance facilities, among other uses that the school district prioritizes. "With today's advanced propane-powered buses offering an added dimension of environmental benefit, IC Bus...

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  • Feature Articles

    Is There A Solution to Onslaught of Electric Forklifts?

    Propane forklifts have been losing ground to electricity over the last decade, despite their dominance of the market since the 1950s. What happened, and what can be done? There’s no simple answer to why it happened, but experts walked us through the issues, and they have a few solutions on how to fix the problem. According to the Propane Education & Research Council’s (PERC) deputy director of business development, Jeremy Wishart, forklifts have been around for more than 100 years, though the modern forklift began with the 1917 Clark Tructractor, according to most sources. “It had an internal combustion engine, I’d assume gasoline, simply based on what was popular at the time,” said Wishart. Propane-powered forklifts came about in the 1950s, and quickly commanded the...

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  • People

    Propane People “In The News”

    (August 24, 2017) — Bergquist (Toledo, Ohio) has named Jerry Belknap as its area sales manager for Michigan, northwest Ohio, and southern Ontario . Most recently, he has been a member of Bergquist’s inside sales team. Belknap has been involved with the propane industry for nearly 20 years, including seven years managing retail propane locations in Michigan. Kathryn A. (Katy) Regier has joined the law firm of Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. in its Kansas City, Mo. office . She has a wide range of civil litigation experience in the defense of propane companies in matters involving fires, explosions and carbon monoxide exposure in fatality, serious injury, and high-dollar property damages cases nationwide. In addition to defending propane companies in litigation matters, Regier consults...

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  • Feature Articles

    Clarksville-Montgomery Schools Boasts Largest Propane School Bus Fleet in Tennessee

    The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee has launched 15 new propane-powered Type C school buses that began transporting students Aug. 7, 2017, making it the largest alt-fuel school bus fleet in Tennessee. A launch ceremony was held at Montgomery Central High School in July and showcased several of the new buses. The vehicles were partially funded through a Reduced Diesel Emissions for a Healthier Tennessee grant that Tennessee Clean Fuels (TNCleanFuels) manages for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The event marked another step in the school system’s quest to drive down bus maintenance costs, increase fuel cost savings, and to model cleaner, feasible, and cost-effective student transportation options that are more environmentally friendly and less costly than diesel. School system vehicle maintenance...

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  • Feature Articles

    Georgia School Rolls Out 90 New Propane Buses With Three-Point Seat Belts

    As the school year begins, Georgia’s Fulton County School System has rolled out a new fleet of 90 Blue Bird propane autogas-fueled school buses equipped with three-point seat belts. It is the largest fleet of its kind in the state. The district said it chose the buses for their safety and environmental and economic benefits. The 72-passenger propane buses will begin operation in the 2017-2018 school year. “Our new Blue Bird propane buses with three-point seat belts meet our goal to provide the safest and most efficient transportation service for our community,” said Sam Ham, executive director of transportation at Fulton County Schools. “We are the first district in Georgia with three-point seat belts on a regular-route Type C bus. And with propane, we expect...

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