![]() ![]() The Venturi effect causes a pressure drop when you compress a moving fluid. There’s a small hole near the end of the nozzle that has its other end near a flexible diaphragm and a Venturi tube. The video below from shows a good diagram. The most amazing part of the gas pump is how it somehow knows - even with old tech - that the tank is full. Of course, brands that are not TOP TIER may be the same or better, they just aren’t tested. AAA found that using TOP TIER gas did produce fewer deposits in the engine than the minimum standard gas. They formed the TOP TIER standard that gas producers could certify against. With higher compressions, direct injection, and other modern engine techniques, this is more important than ever. ![]() In 2004, automakers were concerned that some gas didn’t have enough detergents to prevent carbon buildup effectively. The additives are very important for modern engines. This allows the exact mix of two fuels into an intermediate grade. But if you turn the first valve to 60%, the second valve will be at 40%. For example, if one valve is at 100% the other is always at 0%. This is two valves connected in such a way that when one is open, the other one is closed in proportion so that the total flow is always equal to 100%. When you buy midgrade gas, you are really just mixing regular and premium together right in the pump. However, there is usually no mid-grade gas. One for regular gas, one for premium, and one for diesel. The trucks usually have a few different compartments. That’s what makes one gas of the same octane rating different from the other brands. Either at the terminal or at the point of delivery, special additives are mixed in with the gas. ![]() The Exxon truck and the Texaco truck get their gas at the same place that the Shell truck does. Trucks periodically stop by and refill these tanks. Mid-Grade: The Cocktail of the Filling StationĪt the core of it all are large underground tanks that hold the gas. But with the proliferation of pumping stations, and microcontrollers decades away, designers had to do some clever electromechanical work to make a functioning pump that could be used without skill or even by the customer themselves. Obviously, this is a simple arrangement but ripe for improvement. In some parts of the world, a gas pump is sometimes called a bowser, although in the United States that term usually means a fuel truck for aircraft. Sylvanus Bowser sold a pump as early as 1885 to sell kerosene that people used in lamps and stoves. Oddly, the gas pump predates the automobile. Once it held the requisite amount, the hose would go into your gas tank, the attendant would open the stopcock, and gravity would do the rest. If you wanted, say, 5 gallons, the attendant would pump the gas from the underground tank into the big glass tank that had measurement marks on it. Many old gas pumps had manual pumps, a big glass tank at the top, and a siphon hose with a stopcock. Let’s pay homage to those silent safety features and explore the tricks of the gasoline trade. Safety is paramount and, experientially, we don’t hear about gas stations blowing up two or three times a day, so there must be some pretty stout safety features. Plus, we’re talking about highly combustible materials, there has to be more to it then just a big tank of gas and a pump. But what about the automatic shut off? It isn’t done with some fancy electronics, that mechanism dates back decades. There’s some way to tell how much is pumping and how much it costs and, today, some way to take the payment. As the name implies, there must be a pump. Gas pumps are everywhere and it’s a safe bet to assume everyone reading this has used one at some point, most of use on a regular basis. One of these things is the lowly gas pump. But there are some things so commonplace that even the most tech-savvy of us don’t bother thinking about. Ask someone who isn’t technically inclined how a TV signal works or how a cell phone works, or even how a two-way switch in a hall light works and you are likely to get either a blank stare or a wildly improbable explanation. ![]()
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