INDUSTRY
T
he nation’s first ethanol blender pump was installed in Britton, S.D., in March 2006. Less than three years later, the American Coalition for Ethanol lists more than 80 retail stations that have installed the pumps. That list continues to grow. More station owners are expressing interest in installing the fuel dispensers, driven in part by the rising demand for midlevel ethanol blends. The trend, which began in the Midwest, is beginning to gain traction in other areas of the country. However, there are some important elements that must be addressed before widespread use of midlevel ethanol blends can be achieved. Most importantly, a midlevel blend must be approved by the U.S EPA for use in standard nonflexible fuel engines. This approval would significantly increase the market for ethanol-blended fuels. The lack of Underwriters Laboratory Inc. approved fuel dispensers is another issue that must be overcome before some retailers will consider installing E85 dispensers and blender pumps.
UL Certification UL certification is one issue that should be resolved in 2009. Gilbarco Veeder-Root and
Dresser Wayne have each submitted blender pumps for E85 UL certification. According to Scott Negley, Dresser Wayne’s director of product management for North America, the equipment his company manufactures has already passed UL’s required testing procedures for E85. However, UL is requiring that a full fuel dispensing system be certified, which also includes the hose, nozzle, and other hardware elements that are attached, which Dresser Wayne doesn’t manufacture. “Until you get a full set of components certified, we are not allowed to put a label— a certification mark—on our dispenser because the system lacks certification,” Negley says. Many of those items have been submitted by their respective manufacturers and are going through the testing process. According to Negley, hoses will likely be the last element to gain approval. Gilbarco is expecting its dispenser to be approved by UL during the fourth quarter of 2008. In the meantime, the company is marketing the model it submitted to UL. According to Richard Browne, Gilbarco’s vice president of North American marketing, many fire marshals have approved the model for installation even though it currently lacks UL certification. “Our flexible-fuel unit has special material coating and elastomers
that will stand up to the aggressive/corrosive nature of high alcohol fuels,” Browne says. “Every component in the dispenser that comes in contact with the fuel has been upgraded.” According to Browne and Negley, both companies are experiencing heightened interest in the fuel dispensers. Dresser Wayne has also designed a new piece of equipment that will be compliant with some state-specific regulations that have been enacted. “We are developing a blender [pump] that will allow blends from two hoses on one side of the dispenser,” Negley says. Conventional fuels such as unleaded and E10 will be dispensed from one hose. Higher blends of ethanol, from E20 to E85, will be dispensed from the other. Negley says the new equipment is expected to be available in January 2009. As UL-approved equipment becomes available, it is likely that each state will deal with previously installed E85 dispensers and blender pumps differently. Mark Buccelli, director of the Minnesota Weights and Measures Division, says the state is not going to require fuel dispensers already in operation to be replaced with a UL-approved dispenser. David Pfahler, director of South Dakota Weights and Measures, says the issue has not yet been addressed in South Dakota.