Question about petrol/gasoline tankers - Writers Forum

semtecks · 11-21-2005, 05:31 PM

I have a query about petrol/gasoline tankers. The question is: If a tanker full of petrol/gasoline were to be left untouched, how long would the petrol/gasoline be useable? Would it be possible for it to still be potent in a couple of hundred years time?

mammamaia · 11-22-2005, 08:35 AM

'tanker' as in ship or truck?

i'm guessing a lot would depend on the condition of the container... if it remains airtight, etc.... as well as the purity of the fuel... try googling for 'shelf life of gasoline'... i just did and got 680k hits!

semtecks · 11-22-2005, 10:54 AM

I'm talking about trucks. The big ones that carry it to gas stations.

Quote:

i just did and got 680k hits!

how many of those 680k hits actually related to the query though. I've tried googling, asking jeeves, and aol searches. Mostly I get stuff that has no bearing on what I want to know. I haven't tried that exact wordage though, I was trying "half life of gasoline".

mammamaia · 11-22-2005, 10:57 AM

then, go ahead and try that exact wording... do it, and i guarantee you'll find the answer...

teflon · 11-22-2005, 11:28 AM

GAsoline is mostly molecules that came from natural petroleum which sat 20 trillion feet underground for 44 zillion years under immense pressure and sometimes high temperature. Will this gas break down sitting in a large tank? Not until a terrorist blows it up.

mammamaia · 11-22-2005, 11:42 AM

it actually will 'break down' after a certain period of time, under certain conditions... and it's been 'cracked' and 'refined' since it's existence as the petroleum you describe with more than a bit of exaggerated excess above...

just go try to start your motor bike or chain saw, after it's been sitting with gas in the tank for a year or more and you'll find out for yourself... leave a glass bottle of gasoline sitting open for a few months, and you'll see it...

which is why i said it depends on whether any air is present in the storage container and on the quality of the gasoline itself...

teflon · 11-22-2005, 11:56 AM

chain saws don't start because lubricant leaks out, ignored, metal seizes, petroleum evaporates into wrong locations, etc. Gasoline is almost 100% hydrocarbons, cracked, refined, or whatever, which are NOT acids or bases that oxidize and decay. Some companies add ethers, which are also neutral to oxidation.

Yes, a gas sold at a gas station owned by Al Qaida's relatives is likely to be mixed with foreign matter, thereby decreasing the quality and leading to oxigen absorption, further leading to poor starts and emission system failures (failing state inspections).

This opinion is from having written and edited lab manuals for Marathon and other clients.

semtecks · 11-22-2005, 03:11 PM

[quote]then, go ahead and try that exact wording... [/QUOTE

Meow! Okay, okay. I did it already and I got plenty of usefull results. It's as i suspected: as long as the gas is sealed and the gasses can't escape it has a very long life, maybe indefinate if it stays sealed. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for you opinion, teflon . . . what's with the repeated references to Al Qaida?

teflon · 11-23-2005, 02:54 AM

Repeated? I see only one reference.

if you are interested in security or lab manuals or any other procedures for hazardous material handling, let me know, I can custom write anything.

semtecks · 11-23-2005, 01:38 PM

Okay, i have all the info I need now, and I'm quite sure that petrol can stay usable for a very long time as long as the vapour is sealed in, and I found out some extra info about filtering rust too that will come in handy.Thanks for the offer, teflon. I don't really need that at the moment. Is it okay if I keep you in mind for future projects, though?

teflon · 11-23-2005, 02:09 PM

Go ahead, make my day.

I can answer questions on matters dealing with naval hardware, chemical industry, data and personnel security, biochemical-medical-behavioral science and white collar crime. -?