David Plumb helps the race to refuel the racers

David Plumb & Co was part of the team that won its own race to provide temporary refuelling facilities for a 24-hour endurance race at the world famous Silverstone Race Track.

When the European Endurance Racing Club needed to set up a temporary pit lane for the Britcar 24-hour race, the Silverstone round of it’s championship, it called in refuelling specialist Ledbury Welding & Engineering, which rented and installed the racers a brand new 37,500ltr Supervault above–ground petrol tank, eight pumps and the connecting pipes.

The system provided fuel for the wide variety of cars, from porches to minis, which raced continually from 5pm on Saturday to 5pm on Sunday.

The whole system was installed 3 days before the endurance race and had to be removed from the track within 2 days after.

The actual supply, although a large project, was a fairly straightforward process for an efficient organisation, as all the equipment was new and clean. However getting it out again and back to the factory was another matter, as the tank, specially designed to safely store petrol above ground, could not be transported away from the site until it had all fuel cleaned out of it and all fumes expelled.

To help achieve this in the tight time frame, Ledbury Welding & Engineering called in specialist tank cleaning company David Plumb & Co. Between the end of the race and the arrival of the heavy lifting crane and transport to take the tank away, David Plumb’s team had to pump out residual fuel, de-gas the tank with compressed air and then physically go into the tank to finish the cleaning process by hand. This entails one operative donning full protective clothing, a safety harness and breathing apparatus going into the tank and finishing the emptying process by hand and then thoroughly scrubbing the inside. A ‘buddy’, who is similarly attired, stays on the outside in case the person inside gets into trouble.

All this ensures that the tank can then be handled safely with no risk of contamination during the transport process. All contaminant is removed and disposed of by David Plumb in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

15 November 2006

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