Operators of retail fueling sites must be intimately familiar with Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) Standard 2586, which lists the operational and safety requirements for hose nozzle valves that are used for the control of flammable and combustible liquids during motor fuel dispensing.
As the list of fuel formulations that are available at the pump has grown over the years, a familiarity with the UL2586 substandards is also advisable:
- UL2586A: regulates hose nozzle valves intended to be used with gasoline/ethanol blends with ethanol concentration above E10 and up to E85.
- UL2586B: lists the requirements for hose nozzle valves used with diesel, biodiesel and diesel/biodiesel blends with concentrations up to B20.
These standards cover hose nozzle valves that can be either manually operated or function through automated pressure-type start/stop operation.
Choose Equipment that is Approved, Not Just Compatible
Because different types and grades of motor fuels can react differently with the various metals, rubbers and elastomers that are used in their construction, it is imperative that fuel retailers outfit their dispensing systems with nozzles that are third-party approved for the requirements of the fuel that is being dispensed.
To ease this burden, especially when it comes to handling the new grades of ethanol and biodiesel-based alternative fuels, OPW Retail Fueling has developed three lines of automatic nozzles that satisfy the strict requirements of UL2586A and UL2586B:
- 11AP® and 11BP® Series Automatic Nozzles: These nozzles were among the first to meet the UL2586 requirements and are UL- and UL Canada-listed for use in gasoline, diesel and up to 10% ethanol blends. They feature a body and spout constructed of aluminum with graphite/PTFE packing and a Viton® disc. Utilizing OPW’s unique No Pressure – No Flow device, the 11B nozzle cannot open until the pumping system is pressurized and closes automatically when the pressure is removed, while both models have a FlowLock™ lever that enables the nozzle to stop dispensing fuel if it should fall out of the vehicle or is tipped up, which limits spillage and unsafe fueling conditions.
- 11BP Series Ethanol Nozzle: The 11BP is the industry’s first nozzle that has a specific model UL-listed for use with each of the ethanol-blended fuels category up to E85. There is an 11BP approved up to E10, E25 and E85. These three nozzles also benefit from OPW’s No Pressure – No Flow device and the FlowLock lever, and it has been cycle-tested for more than one million cycles, the most of any nozzle on the market today.
- 7H® and 7HB® Series Automatic Shutoff Nozzles: These nozzles are UL-listed for use with biodiesel blends of B5 and up to B20. They also feature a body and spout constructed of aluminum with graphite/PTFE packing and a Viton® disc. The 7HB nozzle offers No Pressure – No Flow operation and the FlowLock that interrupts fuel dispensing if a spill is imminent. The 7H and 7HB nozzles have also been cycle-tested for more than one million cycles.
OPW continues to be the only nozzle manufacture to offer specific nozzles listed for each of the ethanol and bio-diesel blend categories established by UL.
Visit opwglobal.com to learn about the complete lines of fuel-dispensing nozzles from OPW Retail Fueling for use with traditional motor fuels and new alternative fuel blends.