Analysis of the core role of barrier explosion-proof technology in skid-mounted fuel station

To analyze the core role of barrier explosion-proof technology in skid-mounted fuel stations, we must first clarify the characteristics and safety pain points of skid-mounted fuel station. Then, combining the principles of barrier explosion-proof technology, we can analyze this core role from three perspectives: proactive risk control, compliant operations, and functional optimization.

I. Two Key Basic Concepts:

• 1. Skid-mounted gas station: A mobile refueling facility that integrates ground-mounted flame-retardant and explosion-proof double-layer oil storage tanks, refueling dispensers, an automatic fire extinguishing system, and a monitoring system. Its key features include a small footprint, a short construction period, relocation, and flexible deployment. It is often used in areas difficult to reach with fixed stations, such as bus stations, logistics parks, ports, airports, and within large enterprises.
• 2. Barrier explosion-proof technology: A safety technology used to fill tanks with flammable and explosive liquids. Its core technology involves filling the tank with a special aluminum alloy mesh barrier explosion-proof material, dividing the tank's interior into countless extremely small "cells."

II. Background: Characteristics and Safety Hazards of skid-mounted fuel station

Skid-mounted fuel station (also known as "skid-mounted refueling units") are small refueling facilities that integrate oil storage tanks, dispensers, and control systems within a removable steel module. They are widely used for internal use in logistics parks, mines, large enterprises, ports, and other locations. Its core features are modularity, portability, and a small footprint, but these also present significant safety risks:

• 1. Enclosed oil storage space: Oil storage tanks are sealed containers, and the flammable mixture (oil, gas, and air) generated by the volatilization of fuel (gasoline, diesel) can easily accumulate. Once the "explosion limit" is reached (for example, the explosion limit of gasoline is 1.4%-7.6%), it can explode when exposed to a fire source.
• 2. Static electricity and spark risks: During fuel filling and storage, the flow and sloshing of the oil generates static electricity. If the static electricity accumulates and cannot be released, it can easily generate sparks and ignite the oil and gas.
• 3. External shock/high temperature risks: Skid-mounted stations are often located in work areas and are exposed to vehicle collisions, mechanical shock, external fires, and high temperatures. These risks can cause tank ruptures and fuel leaks, further escalating accidents.
• 4. High compliance requirements: The national safety standards for skid-mounted stations are strict (such as GB 50156, "Design and Construction Specifications for Automobile Gasoline and Gas Stations"). If core safety technologies are lacking, they will fail acceptance inspections.

III. The Basic Principles of Barrier Explosion-Proofing Technology

To understand its core function, we must first grasp the underlying logic of the technology: by filling the oil storage tank with special barrier explosion-proof materials, the combustion and explosion conditions of the flammable and explosive media within the tank are altered, thus interrupting the explosion chain at the source.

1. Core Material Properties

Currently, the mainstream barrier explosion-proof materials are aluminum alloy honeycomb/net structures (modified polymer materials are used in some applications). They possess three key properties:

• Porous Structure: The material forms countless tiny "honeycomb cells" within the material, each independent and interconnected. This structure neither hinders fuel storage and transportation nor hinders the fuel vapor space within the tank.
• High Thermal Conductivity: Aluminum alloys offer high thermal conductivity, rapidly absorbing heat from the combustion/explosion process.
• Chemical Stability: They are fuel-resistant and non-reactive, while also being strong and resistant to deformation, ensuring long-term use without compromising the tank's structural safety.

2. Core Mechanism

The essence of barrier explosion protection is to disrupt the coupling conditions of the "three elements of explosion" (combustible material, combustion-supporting material, and ignition source):

• When an ignition source (such as static electricity, electric sparks, or lightning strikes) appears inside the tank, the porous material divides the flame/shock wave into countless tiny cells, limiting energy concentration.
• The material rapidly conducts heat, lowering the local temperature below the fuel's "flash point" (the lowest temperature at which fuel vapor can ignite), thereby terminating the combustion reaction.
• The divided fuel vapor spaces cannot reach the "explosive limit concentration" (the explosive limit concentration for gasoline is 1.4%-7.6%). Even if a concentration is reached locally, the energy is dispersed, preventing a full-scale explosion.

IV. The Core Role of Proactive Risk Control

Combining the safety pain points and technical principles of skid-mounted oil storage stations, their core role can be summarized as "five major safety barriers," covering the entire chain of "explosion prevention, risk control, and compliant operations":

1. Suppressing explosions at the source, eliminating "fatal risks"

This is the core role of barrier explosion protection technology¡ªtransforming "potentially explosive oil storage tanks" into "inherently safe oil storage spaces." When the oil and gas inside the tank reaches the explosion limit (e.g., due to fuel evaporation or air ingress during refueling), even if a fire source (such as static electricity or external sparks) is present, the mesh structure of the barrier explosion-proof material will:

• Split the flame: "Chop" the flame into tiny flames with a diameter of less than 1mm, preventing the formation of a "flame wave" that can trigger an explosion;
• Absorb heat: The material's high thermal conductivity quickly transfers the combustion heat to the tank body (and then releases it through grounding), lowering the tank temperature below the fuel's ignition point (gasoline's ignition point is approximately 427¡ãC), interrupting the chain reaction of "combustion ¡ú heat accumulation ¡ú explosion";
• Practical Effect: Even in extreme situations (such as a small amount of impurities in the tank causing localized combustion), only a small amount of harmless smoke will be emitted from the tank's breather valve, preventing catastrophic accidents such as tank rupture and explosion.

2. Eliminating Static Electricity Accumulation and Cutting Off Ignition Sources

Static electricity is the most common "invisible ignition source" in skid-mounted fuel loading stations. (Fluid flow and sloshing generate static electricity due to friction. If the accumulated voltage reaches a certain level, it can break through the air and produce sparks.) Barrier explosion-proof technology actively conducts away static electricity, minimizing risks:

• Barrier explosion-proof materials (such as aluminum alloys) have excellent electrical conductivity and can capture static electricity generated by fuel flow and sloshing in real time. Through contact between the material and the tank, the static electricity is transferred to the tank wall and then released to the ground through the skid-mounted fuel loading station's grounding system.
• Compared to a situation without this technology, if static electricity cannot be conducted away, the accumulated voltage could reach thousands of volts. Once the static electricity breaks through the air and produces sparks, it can instantly ignite the oil and gas inside the tank, causing an explosion.

3. Impact and High-Temperature Resistance, Protecting Tank Integrity

Skid-mounted installation stations are often located in work areas and are subject to external impacts (vehicle collisions, mechanical impacts) or high temperatures (external fires, summer sun exposure). Barrier explosion-proof technology protects the tank through a combination of structural support and thermal resistance, preventing fuel leaks:

• Impact Resistance: After filling, the material forms a "honeycomb support structure" inside the tank. When the tank is impacted, the material acts as a cushion, reducing deformation and preventing rupture. (Even if local deformation occurs, the material can "lock" the rupture, minimizing fuel leakage.)
• High-Temperature Resistance: If an external fire occurs (such as a nearby vehicle fire), the barrier explosion-proof material can withstand temperatures exceeding 800¡ãC (aluminum alloy melts at approximately 660¡ãC, but the honeycomb structure disperses heat and delays melting), maintaining the tank's structural integrity while preventing external flames from entering the tank and igniting fuel and gas.
• Key Value: Avoids the chain reaction of "tank rupture ¡ú fuel leakage ¡ú fire expansion," minimizing the scope of the accident.

4. Reducing Fuel Evaporation, Balancing Environmental Protection and Energy Savings

In addition to safety, barrier explosion-proof technology can also optimize the operational efficiency and environmental performance of skid-mounted fuel station. This is an often overlooked but important additional function:

• Principle of Evaporation Reduction: After filling, the "free surface area" (the area of ​​contact between the fuel and air) of the fuel inside the tank is significantly reduced (from the entire tank top surface to the tiny surface area between the material gaps), reducing the fuel evaporation rate by over 60%;
• Practical Benefits:
  • Environmental Protection: Reduces VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions, complying with environmental protection requirements such as the national "Blue Sky Defense Campaign";
  • Energy Savings: Reduces fuel loss (can reduce fuel evaporation losses by 3%-5% annually), significantly reducing costs, especially for long-term skid-mounted fuel station;
  • Safety Gains: With reduced evaporation, it is more difficult for the oil and gas concentration inside the tank to reach the explosion limit, further reducing safety risks.

V. Core Function in Compliance and Application Expansion

This is crucial to the legal existence of skid-mounted fuel station.

• Meeting Regulatory Requirements: In China, the national standard "GB 50156-2021 Technical Standard for Automobile Gasoline, Gas, and Hydrogen Stations" clearly stipulates the conditions for using skid-mounted refueling systems, a core requirement being the installation of a barrier explosion-proof device. Without this technology, skid-mounted refueling stations in most urban areas would fail to obtain construction approval. It is the technical cornerstone for skid-mounted refueling stations to gain "legal status."
• Reducing Safety Distances: Because barrier explosion-proof technology significantly improves the inherent safety of storage tanks, relevant regulations allow skid-mounted refueling stations using this technology to maintain significantly shorter safety distances from surrounding buildings and roads than traditional gas stations. This allows skid-mounted refueling stations to be "embedded" within confined spaces such as corporate campuses and logistics centers, truly leveraging their advantages of "local fuel supply and flexible deployment." Without this technology, safety distance requirements would negate their application value.

VI. Core Role in Economic and Social Benefits

• Reducing Land Costs: Construction can utilize marginal land parcels or internal corporate sites, eliminating the need to acquire large tracts of land and significantly reducing construction and operating costs.
• Ensuring Production Continuity: For large fuel users like logistics companies and bus companies, on-site stations eliminate the time and fuel costs of refueling vehicles outside the station, ensuring operational efficiency. Their exceptional safety is a prerequisite for companies to internalize risk management.
• Improving Public Safety: In crowded public spaces like airports and bus hubs, barrier explosion-proof skid-mounted stations significantly reduce significant safety risks and offer significant social benefits.

Conclusion

In summary, the relationship between barrier explosion-proof technology and skid-mounted fuel station can be likened to the relationship between "soul" and "body." skid-mounted fuel station offer a flexible and convenient application model. Barrier explosion-proof technology gives this model its core safety and legitimacy.

Their core function can be summarized as follows: through mechanisms such as explosion suppression, fire prevention, and anti-static measures, skid-mounted refueling equipment is transformed from a potential "massive bomb" into an intrinsically safe device. This allows it to be legally and safely deployed within urban areas and businesses, meeting the fuel needs of end users and ultimately achieving a perfect balance of safety and efficiency. Therefore, analyzing the role of barrier explosion-proof technology is fundamentally understanding why skid-mounted fuel station have become such a crucial component of the modern oil distribution system. Without barrier explosion-proof technology, the convenience of skid-mounted fuel station would lack a safety foundation, and its application in logistics, mining, and internal corporate environments would be impossible. This technology is not only the "core barrier" for the safe operation of skid-mounted stations, but also a key prerequisite for promoting the compliance and large-scale development of mobile fueling facilities.

Written by

TAIAN SHENGDING METAL CONTAINER MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.

Editor Wang

WhatsApp:+86 152 5486 3111

Email:shengdingtank@126.com