News & Press Releases

OPW’s 125-year-plus commitment to providing one of the safest, most reliable and most efficient storage-terminal loading-arm technologies has rightfully positioned it as one of the acknowledged leaders in the field. The latest manifestation of its expertise in this realm came in 2019 when the company announced that it had performed a top-to-bottom reimagining of its loading-arm business, with the creation of three distinct OPW Engineered Systems loading-arm families: StandardLine, ProLine and CustomLine.

There are several critical points in the fuel-delivery process at a retail or commercial fueling site: ensuring the correct type or grade of fuel is unloaded into the correct tank, ensuring the entire payload is unloaded, ensuring correct volumes are delivered and avoiding product overfills are among the most common. While errors can be rare, they are also entirely unacceptable.

In the fluid storage terminal industry, hundreds of product-transfer activities that take place on any given day carry with them the built-in risk of a product release occurring. Product releases, especially if the fluid product is deemed dangerous or hazardous, cannot be tolerated in any form or volume because they can cause injury to those administering the transfer process, along with damage to our environment.

Per its mission to protect people and the environment while also enhancing business performance, Midland Manufacturing developed a Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) pursuant to the DOT-117/TC-117 regulation.

With all of the varying characteristics that need to be analyzed for loading arm systems, it can be hard to find a “one size fits all” solution that the bulk-terminal operator will be comfortable installing and using. It is at this point that the flexibility that is offered by customization enters the picture.

The members of the engineering team at OPW Engineered Systems like nothing more than packing up their measuring and surveying tools and heading out to a bulk-plant or terminal site where they can begin the process of designing and creating yet another best-in-class solution for a difficult fluid-handling challenge. Since March, “work-from-home” has become the new normal – at least for the near future.

OPW Fuel Management Systems is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2020, customers purchasing a SiteSentinel® Nano® Automatic Tank Gauge will be eligible for 90 days of ClearView™ monitoring services at no-cost.

Receiving or making a fuel delivery seems pretty straightforward – a petroleum trailer or tank truck pulls up to the loading rack or storage tank and loads or unloads the required amount of fuel. In reality, there are numerous pieces of critical data during each fuel delivery that must be recorded, collected and reviewed if the delivery routine is to achieve its ultimate level of competence and cost-effectiveness.

OPW thanks all the local foodbanks that have worked hard to support families in need around the world, especially during these uncertain times. With many foodbanks reporting shortages, OPW has donated between $500 and $1,000 (USD) to key foodbanks in communities where OPW employees live and work.

A real-world example of OPW Engineered Systems’ unique ability to confront a complex challenge and respond with the optimum solution played out recently at a high-volume bottom-loading petroleum terminal in Kentucky. Originally built in the 1940s, the terminal’s truck-loading lanes had undergone a number of “on the fly” upgrades, expansions and reconfigurations over the years that had ultimately resulted in an unorganized and inefficient loading operation.

As regions across the globe begin to re-open sectors of their economies, OPW continues to take the appropriate actions and precautions to help ensure the safety and health of our employees, while also preserving our ability to operate.

OPW recently announced its winners for the Dover Sons & Daughters Scholarship Program, selected by a committee of college admissions professionals.

OPW is excited to announce the launch of its new Virtual Trade Show. This unique digital experience will provide customers with access to a series of informative videos and product demonstrations in lieu of the spring trade shows that have been cancelled or postponed.

The lifespan of valves that are used to control and contain bulk materials transported via railcar – whether liquid, gas or solid – is finite. As mechanical instruments, it is inevitable that one day they will begin to break down or outright fail, which will prevent them from adequately and reliably doing the job for which they have been tasked.

There are a number of ways that chlorine carriers can find themselves out of compliance, often through no fault of their own. To aid in the never-ending battle to stay compliant, many railcar component developers and suppliers like Midland have made a commitment to designing Advanced Chlorine Railcar Assembly equipment that addresses all of the FRA, PHMSA and DHS compliance needs of chlorine carriers.

Compromised connections can lead to product leaks which are often the most obvious problems perceived. These are not only dangerous for site personnel but can lead – in the worst-case scenario – to the accumulation of prohibitive cleanup and remediation costs.

Building a retail fueling location with an underground system of storage tanks, piping and dispensing equipment cannot be an “out of sight, out of mind” proposition for the operator. The smallest leaks in an underground fueling system can lead to large problems for drivers, site personnel, the environment and the site operator, who can be subject to exorbitant repair, replacement, cleanup and remediation costs, with actual site shutdown a worst-case scenario.

Completely overhauling or replacing your railcar valves every few years can be a time-consuming and expensive process. This has led many railcar valve manufacturers to begin offering remanufacturing and repair programs in which customers can send valves that have been in the field back to the manufacturer for testing, inspection and cleaning.

No two fingerprints are alike, at least not in every detail. That same thing can be said for chemical loading and unloading applications. For this reason, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to outfitting loading bays for chemical plants, refineries and terminals.

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.