Tips On Pumping Gas To Save Money

[Bobbieo]

This was sent to me via e-mail!!!!!

I don't know what you guys are paying for
Gasoline....Here in California we are also paying
Higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work
Is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are
Some tricks to get more of your money's worth for
Every gallon.

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San
Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a
24-hour period through the pipeline. One day is
Diesel the next day is jet fuel, and g asoline, regular
And premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with
A total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early
Morning when the ground temperature is still cold.
Remember that all service stations have their storage
Tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the
More dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline
Expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the
Evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the
Petroleum business, the specific gravity and the
Temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,
Ethanol and other petroleum products plays an
Important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a
Big deal for this business. But the service stations
Do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of
The nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see
That the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle,
And high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low
Speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created
While you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a
Vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate,
Some
Of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor.
Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the
Underground storage tank so you're getting less
Worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your
Gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for
This is, the more gas you have in your tank the less
Air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates
Faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks
Have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as
Zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so
It minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations,
Here where I work, every truck that we load is
Temperature compensated so that every gallon is
Actual l y the exact amount.

Another reminder. If there is a gasoline truck pumping
Into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO
NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred
Up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick
Up some of the dirt that normally settles on the
Bottom.

Hope this will help you get the most value for your
Money

[napi21]

1. Thanks for the tips. Any little bit helps! n/t

[sueh]

2. I've seen this before...

I just checked snopes to find out if this claim is true or not. Snopes says the status is undetermined and research is in progress.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[Bobbieo]

3. I never thought about Snopes on this. It does seem to make sense!!!

[Usrename]

8. It's true, all they have to do is ask the line boy at the airport.

Top off the tanks in the morning and by noon fuel will be dripping out the fuel tank vents. A lot, too. Maybe two gallons or more for a 36 gallon tank. It expands a lot.

[robinlynne]

4. cool. good to know. till we can get electric cars.

[emlev]

5. I'm going to start a DU poll...

Do you fill your tank when it's
A) "HALF FULL" or
B) "HALF EMPTY."

Please be sure to vote, but only when your stomach is either half full or half empty.

[Hissyspit]

7. Is the glass half full or half empty?

Hmm, as I observe it, it seems that it is both.

[gateley]

6. Thanks! Even if it's not 'true', these steps aren't a hassle, so why not? nt

[Sherman A1]

9. Agreed

There are all the other good ideas as well, tuned engine, regular oil changes, tires inflated, combine trips and empty the junk out of the trunk. It all adds up to a little here and a little there.

[madokie]

10. at the average depth of the average storage tank the temperature will

not change with the time of day, seasons true somewhat but not enough to make any noticable difference. the space above the gas in a closed gas tank such as in a car will only absorb a set amount of gas as vapor and that vapor is not released into the atmosphere so there is not much bang for the buck there either. beings the pumps that actually pump the gas is not variable speed I doubt that taking ones time to fill the tank has any merit either as the extra gas is recirculated back to the service stations tank raising the temp of the gas as it is pressurized and squeezed through the return valve. personally I think for the most part this is bunk but thats just me. I'm always open to enlightment though and as I haven't learned anything new yet today which I feel I must.
the dirt being stirred up part is prolly true ;-)
but pennies being what they are, pennies, who knows

[leftist_not_liberal]

12. There are multiple canister filters on gas pumps so that part

is also baloney.

You wanna save gas, buy a diesel and run cooking grease.

Better yet, walk.

[Lochloosa]

11. Sorry, doesn't pass the Physics Test

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

An underground gasoline tank at 54°F can hold 1100 gallons of gasoline. If the driver of a tanker truck fills the underground tank on a day when the temperature is 82°F, how many gallons, according to his measure on the truck, can he pour in? Assume that the temperature of the gasoline cools to 54°F on entering the tank.

2. Relevant equations

(delta)Length = 3(alpha) * Volume(initial) * (delta)Temp
i found the value alpha for gasoline to be 9.6e-4

3. The attempt at a solution

3(9.6e-4)(28)(1100)=delta(L)=88.7
thus the amount he could pour in is 1188.7
for some reason this isn't the answer though... i'm not really sure what i'm doing wrong

The equation for volume expansion will look like this:
\Delta V = \beta V_0 \Delta T

where \beta is the volume coefficient of expansion, which would be about 3 times the linear coefficient. Are you sure you found the linear coefficient of expansion for gasoline?

The 9.6e-4 already accounted for the times 3, and thus was the volume coefficient of expansion. I guess you couldn't really make one for gasoline anyway.

Solids

ΔL = L0 α ΔT linear
ΔA = A0 2α ΔT superficial (areal)
ΔL = L0 3α ΔT volumetric

Liquids

ΔV = V0βΔT

Liquids have higher expansivities than solids

β ≈ 10−3/K, 3α ≈ 10−5/K

Gases



behavior of gases is more complicated, gases will expand as much as pressure will allow

Coefficients of Thermal Expansion for Selected Materials
material linear
α (10−6 K−1) material volume
β (10−6 K−1)
aluminium 23.1 alcohol, ethyl 1120
barium ferrite 10 gasoline 950
brass 20.3 jet fuel, kerosene 990
carbon, diamond 1.18 mercury 181
carbon, graphite ∥ 6.5 water, liquid (1 °C) -50
carbon, graphite ⊥ 0.5 water, liquid (4 °C) 0
chromium 4.9 water, liquid (10 °C) 88
concrete 8 ~ 12 water, liquid (20 °C) 207
copper 16.5 water, liquid (30 °C) 303
germanium 6.1 water, liquid (40 °C) 385
glass 8.5 water, liquid (50 °C) 457
gold 14.2 water, liquid (60 °C) 522
iron 11.8 water, liquid (70 °C) 582
lead 28.9 water, liquid (80 °C) 640
nickel 13.3 water, liquid (90 °C) 695
platinum 8.8
plutonium 54
silicon 4.68
silver 18.9
solder, lead-tin 25
steel, stainless 17.3
steel, structural 12
tin 22
titanium 8.5
tungsten 4.5
uranium 13.9
water, ice (0 °C) 51
zinc 30.2

"What's more, the aircraft expands by 15-25 centimetres during flight because of the scorching heat created by friction with air. Designers used rollers to isolate the cabin from the body, so that stretching doesn't rip the plane apart." Helen Pearson "Concorde wings its way into retirement." Nature Physics Portal. October 2003.
"Concorde measures 204ft in length - stretching between six and ten inches in-flight due to heating of the airframe. She is painted in a specially developed white paint to accommodate these changes and to dissipate the heat generated by supersonic flight."

invar
water
anomalous expansion of water
ice is less dense than water
water is most dense at 4 °C (ρ = 999.973 kg/m3)
applications
frozen pipes burst
turnover of lake water in spring


:sarcasm:

[tom_paine]

13. Thank you for the very useful information. K & R!

This should go in GD, where lots of people can see it.