Local fuel pumps manufacturer and supplier Prowalco Tatsuno completed the refurbishment of a filling station in Pretoria for private owner and developer Marius Smith last month.

The project is worth about R6-million.

“The completely revamped filling station is ready for recommissioning, pending the completion of the retail shop and signage. “We expect to perform the final calibration of the pumps and, thereafter, recommission of the station before the end of October,” Prowalco Tatsuno senior project manager Barend Bekker tells Engineering News.

The project began in June, and involved the installation of six of Prowalco Tatsuno’s Icon 1000 six-hose petroleum-dispensing pumps.

Fuel can be dispensed from the pumps using two different types of systems. One system involves a dispenser whereby fuel is supplied from the tanks by means of a submersible pump at up to 40 ℓ/min. The other system incorporates a suction pump mounted to the inside of the pump that will suck fuel from the tanks at up to 35 ℓ/min.

The fuel products to be dispensed on site will include diesel 50 ppm, unleaded petrol 93 and unleaded petrol 95.

One of the benefits of using the Icon range, is that the site can be monitored remotely by Prowalco Tatsuno to ensure that any errors or alerts are detected early, subsequently allowing for proactive measures to be taken to avoid critical breakdowns.

The Icon range of pumps is supplied in three different series, namely the Icon 1000 and Icon 6000 units that are used in the retail market, and the Icon 5000 series that is used in the commercial market.

Prowalco Tatsuno was responsible for the complete installation of equipment on site, including new universal petro pipe – also known as UPP – lines, containment chambers for the pump sumps and three 46 000 ℓ dumpy tanks.

The Evo automatic tank gauging solution was supplied by US technology developer Franklin Fuelling Systems, distributed locally by Prowalco Tatsuno.

The solution offers a turbine pump interface, inventory reconciliation and tank autocalibration, with accurate inventory monitoring, as well as static and continuous tank testing.

Customisable user roles and log-in security offers protection against unwanted access while keeping track of user activity within the system. It can also store up to three years of data to provide backup security should there be power outages or other system interruptions.

Bekker says the company was also responsible for installing new concrete slabs and paving at the forecourt, as well as a new canopy.

All civil work was performed by contractor Petrocom Construction.

The pumps supplied have a two-year warranty, whereafter the upkeep will become the responsibility of the nominated party in a maintenance contract. The Franklin equipment and civil work have one-year warrantees.

Meanwhile, Prowalco Tatsuno’s main activities include the supply and maintenance of pumps and dispensers for retail forecourts, as well as for commercial and consumer fuel outlets. It also undertakes maintenance and repairs at these locations.

The company is the sole African distributor of Japanese manufacturer Tatsuno’s range of pumps and dispensers. Prowalco Tatsuno also manufactures its own range of pumps and dispensers locally.

Nine other filling stations are currently under development by the company, several of which are in Namibia, Zambia and eSwatini, while others are in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Phalaborwa, Witbank, Durban and Kimberley, Bekker concludes.