Almost commonsence - FUEL BARRELS!

[Steve76]

One would think this would be taught during Helicopters 101.
BUT.... No.

PLEASE ADD YOUR THOUGHTS:

Fuel barrels are a regular hassle of the VFR and odd IFR pilot. Thou it would be expected to be a VFR issue really.

Here are the rules as I know them about Fuel barrel etiquette.

1) Fuel barrel New:

New seals and water protectors. Lay on SIDE with large bung hole at the top.
Some others like to see them stored upright so the new water protectors can be seen on a fly-by and the full/partial/empty ratio of barrels in the stockpile can be guaged. Personally, I am not too fussed but if the barrel is a used barrel refilled; I think it more prudent for it to be laid down to prevent water pooling. Especially in a lot of rain :)

2) Fuel barrel full but not new:

Check seals are OK, lay on SIDE with large bung hole at the top. Check for leakage. Check for water prior to use.

3) Fuel barrel partial full:

As above but check for water since it is no longer a secure barrel. If you open it, mark the date and year on the top for the next pilot.

4) Fuel barrel empty:

Seal and stand upright with the bottom showing. Why? very easy for other pilots to fly past and note how many empties are in the stockpile. Pretty handy.

Bungs can be removed with two screwdrivers or other implements if the bung wrench is not handy.
Empty fuel barrels can come off the barrel sling if there is no weight in them. Full do not do this.

I know there is more....
But I'm le tired.

[Hidden Agenda]

I am a firm advocate of storing barrels on their side with the ‘bung’ wholes at the 3/9 o’clock position. This keeps fuel pressure on the seals from the inside and is supposed to prevent water getting into the barrel.

I never, and I mean never, fuel from a barrel that isn’t sealed with a seal that I recognize (that is from a fuel vendor or an operator).

If, as a regular practice, you are not going to take a complete barrel each time you refuel then buy/get your company to buy a supply of caps and a ‘drum-capping machine’, they are not expensive, easy to operate and if used correctly can prevent the barrel from being tampered with, and reseal the partially used drum after use.

Always test for water. Look inside the drum to see if the lining of the drum is flaking (dents in the drum are a clue that this may be a problem) and use a filter in line between the drum and the aircraft. If time permits let the drum stand upright from 20 – 30 minutes before refueling. This should allow some of the bits you don’t want to settle to the bottom of the drum. Don’t take the last drop; leave some fuel (hopefully with the ‘crud’ it) in the drum.

In the remote areas of many parts of the world, kerosene (jet fuel) is a valuable commodity. People use it for heating their homes, cooking their food and filling their Zippos. I have known hill tribe people replace fuel stolen from drums with water so that ‘nobody will know’.

As an operator I have always made it a policy to charge customers a premium for using drum fuel. This has ensured that I have always been able to dispose of damaged drums and afford to buy new ones. Sometimes it is necessary to dispose of drums after only using them once.

[Farmer 1]

I agree, Hidden. Always leave the bung holes in the 3/9 o'clock positions.

I've been pretty fortunate, touch wood, in always having the client as the responsible party for providing the drums. The first time you refuse to use the fuel because it is out of date, or the date is not painted on the drum, etc. - that is usually the last time.

So, we would never use a drum more than once. Anything remaining in the drum could be given to the locals, and possibly helped to cut down pilfering.

Also, the fuel was never drawn from the bottom of the drum, but through a hole in the pipe a couple of inches above it.

[Ascend Charlie]

Scenario: You are in need of a quick refuel, you plop down next to the drums lying on the grass with bungs at 3 and 9 o'clock. The small girl pilot is unable to wrestle the drum to an upright position. A passing local is able to help her stand it up. To test the fuel, one must wait 20 minutes per foot of fuel, i.e. about an hour for a 200l drum. Time ticks away.......

So much for the quick refuel.

How about:
Stand the full drums, bungs at 3 and 9, with a plank of 4x2 wood wedged under the bottom, so the tilt on the top means the water never covers the bungs.

Empty drums are left lying down.

A fly-by makes it easy to count the standers, and having the drum already upright means you can test it without moving it, and the rapid refuel is a reality. The small lady pilot doesn't get her white shirt dirty.:8

[Outwest]

I agree with Charlie. This is the best way to store your drums outside. His comments about the water are true as well, the fuel needs to stand to be able to settle. One trick I learned over the years, is that if you don't have any fuel/water paste with you, you can take both bungs out and with your handy dandy mini mag light shine it down thru one of the bungs while looking at the bottom of the drum thru the other. Any water will be beaded up on the low side of the drum. Try it some time. Man am I glad fueling out of drums is now only a memory for me.
Cheers

[remote hook]

Full drums are normally stored lying down with the bungs at 3 and 9 o'clock. The reason for this is to keep the fuel over the inside of the bung so that when the drum is exposed to the regular heating/cooling cycles in a day, no air is sucked in. If you are flying in coastal or otherwise humid areas, this can lead to a fair amount of moisture finding its way into the drum.

Charlie, the only time I would leave a drum in the condition you describe, is when my fuel gear is left in the drum(never ever an empty) and I'm doing quick trips requiring frequent fueling. With the fuel gear left in, and ANY threat of precipitation, I put the bung wrench, a rock, or some wood under the 12 o'clock position on the drum. However, never would I leave drums for extended periods in that condition.

I've worked at companies where proper fuel cache proceedure is so important, guys have been let go for not observing it. If you are standing used drums upside down, do so far enough away from the landing area that the next guy doesn't blow them all over Hell's half acre.

Again, bungs always at 3 and 9.

AR

Oh, one more thing. When you put the bung back on, be gentle, you can way overtighten them so the next guy can't get it off at all, or breaks the bung in the process. Last summer 100 forestry supplied drums in B.C. were delieved with at least 50 being scrap as they couldn't be opened.

[WLM]

Was taught and always use the 3/9 positions for bung holes also always carry water detecting paste or capsule (my cost) .As a further precaution, my hand fuel pump (McNaught) has a clear fuel bowl and paper cartridge filter to remove any impurities. If I get to a refuelling point and the drums have no seal or no dates on them, I do not use them.
Storing the drums upright is asking for trouble as the bottom will rust in no time including water leaking in throught the seals. Totally agree with storing empty drums upside down.
Great tip using the torch light will try that.
:D

[twinstar_ca]

excellent topic... but how many of you have gotten to your fuel cache and found that it had been "borrowed"?? what's the rules of the field these days??

it was my impression that you only borrowed in dire circumstances and that contact info was left or you made arrangements ASAP to advise the owner of said fuel and replace!!!

to say nothing of the fact that you shouldn't be in the state of having to borrow, but s**t can happen.. :cool:

[Farmer 1]

How about:Stand the full drums, bungs at 3 and 9, with a plank of 4x2 wood wedged under the bottom, so the tilt on the top means the water never covers the bungs.
Charlie, I take it you are talking about rain water here? You will still probably leave the bungs with air on each side of the seal. You need to have positive pressure inside at all times in order to prevent any air or whatever entering the drum, and to do that you need to lay the barrel down, bungs in 3/9 o'clock positions. If you are not strong enough to raise the barrel, then you just might have a problem.

As regards the torch business - yes, you must do that. BUT it is a visual check - right? You can only ever see something which is visible: water globules or other more serious contamination. You will never see suspended water - for that you need the water detector capsules, which have to be in date etc.

We always did a visual check, then one with paste - which can detect very small water globules - and then one with a capsule.

And, when you've finished sucking your eggs, you must remember that if you allow any fungus into the fuel tanks it will probably not have any effect for quite some time. But it is very patient stuff, and it will eventually come back to haunt you, either you directly or one of your colleagues. It will be extremely expensive.

Under the same proviso, when you do a visual check with a torch, open both bungs, shine the torch through the small hole and look through the big one.

[paco]

Liquid food colouring is a good emergency substitute for water finding paste or pellets - and you can get it in any grocery shop, even in Baffin island. The stuff will go straight to any lumps of water.

phil

[Barndweller]

Interesting thread that brings back memories (and back pain) from my early days in the industry as a crewman.

Thoughts...

Always stored our full drums on side in 3/9 position for reasons already stated - Yes it means that you need to lift them, but there are several different kind of barrel lifters available that allow even the slightest person to tip a barrel on its end using minimal effort if shown the correct technique - only wish someone had given one to me earlier rather than allowing teenage bravado to wreck my back! Barrels lifters are collapsable and can be carried in just about any aircraft - most companies will have an engineer that can make one for you for a couple of beers.

Was a great supporter of the torch method, however... there is a BIG GOTCHA here... It is quite correct to say that small and medium amounts of water will show up like the dogs b0ll0ck$ as mercury like bubbles at the bottom of the barrell, BUT... a large amount of water (more than a litre or so) will form a complete layer across the bottom of the barrel (no bubbles) which will be impossible to spot. Ok, this should not happen with decent quality control, but it has! Fortunatley the aircraft involved flamed out on the ground before it could lift off, otherwise i would have been standing underneath it attaching the load!!! Learned about flying from that!

Company i worked for eventually banned the use of water paste, because the engineers were finding so much of it in fuel filters and FCU's that it was deemed to be a bigger menace than water -water detector capsules only.

Lastly - little lesson i learned the hard way. If you're standing drums up next to each other, don't put them too close together and watch where your fingers are. Drum rims are very good at seperating knuckles (bit like a ball joint splitter - ouch!) Still have the scars. Always wear glove when handling drums.

Safe flying to those who still live out of cans from one who is glad he no longer has to!!