A fuel container is a

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

such as a steel can,

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

, etc. for transporting, storing, and dispensing various

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

Construction

A wide variety of container types and constructions are used for fuels. Each has its own engineering challenges. The

jerrycan A jerrycan or jerrican (also styled jerry can or jerri can) is a fuel container made from pressed steel (and more recently, high-density polyethylene, high density polyethylene). It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hol ...

is a robust liquid container originally made from pressed steel. It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal) of fuel. Three

handle A handle is a part of, or an attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and object manipulation, manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomics, ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt wi ...

s allow for two people carrying a full can or one person handling an empty can. The basic design is still in use today although construction is often of high density polyethylene. Portable plastic gasoline containers are commercially available and are in common use. These are usually blow molded polyethylene or other polymers compatible with the designated fuel. It has been found that the use of

flame arrester A flame arrester (also spelled arrestor), deflagration arrester, or flame trap is a device or form of construction that will allow free passage of a gas or gaseous mixture but will interrupt or prevent the passage of flame. It prevents the trans ...

s reduces the chance of fire or explosion of gasoline. Child resistant caps or closures are required in some regions or jurisdictions. A

(also called a barrel) is a cylindrical container used for shipping fuels. A typical drum has a nominal capacity of 200 litres (55 US or 44 imp gal). Drums are usually made of steel, but plastic drums are used for some liquids. Fuel drums need have the appropriate certification for shipment of

dangerous goods Dangerous goods are substances that are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment during transport. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabically abbreviate ...

Flammable liquid A flammable liquid is a liquid which can be easily ignited in air at ambient temperatures, i.e. it has a flash point at or below nominal threshold temperatures defined by a number of national and international standards organisations. The Occup ...

s, etc. Steel drums are suited for reconditioning for multiple uses.

Grounding

Pouring of a flammable liquid has the potential of generating

static electricity Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away by an electric current or electrical discharge. The word "static" is used to differentiate it from electric ...

. Having the fuel container on the ground or having a grounding strap helps reduce the risk of sparks. In particular, loading a fuel container on a flatbed truck or vehicle can be dangerous because it is insulated.

Regulations

Shipments of flammable or explosive liquids are highly regulated. Based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods model regulations, each country has coordinated design and performance requirements for shipment. For example, in the US, the Department of Transportation has jurisdiction and published requirements in

Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations CFR Title 49 - Transportation is one of fifty titles comprising the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Title 49 is the principal set of rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) issued by the Departments of Transpo ...

. The applicable regulation depends on the

flash point The flash point of a material is the "lowest liquid temperature at which, under certain standardized conditions, a liquid gives off vapours in a quantity such as to be capable of forming an ignitable vapour/air mixture". The flash point is somet ...

of the fuel, quantity being shipped, mode of transit, etc.

Examples

File:What do you call politicians who suggest people store petrol in cans? (6953654954).jpg, 1930s vintage 2-gallon petrol can File:The British Army in North Africa 1942 E18640.jpg, WW2 4 imperial gallon (18L) can or Flimsy File:Britische copy wehrmacht-einheitskanister 1943 jerrycan.jpg, WWII

Jerrycan A jerrycan or jerrican (also styled jerry can or jerri can) is a fuel container made from pressed steel (and more recently, high-density polyethylene, high density polyethylene). It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hol ...

File:CPCCT Kerosene 4L can 20161107.jpg, 4L can of kerosene File:Embers Charcoal Lighter Fluid.jpg, Charcoal lighter fluid in a plastic

Squeeze bottle A squeeze bottle is a type of container such as a plastic bottle for dispensing a fluid, that is powered by compression (physical), squeezing the container by exerting pressure with the user's hand. Its fundamental characteristic is that manual ...

File:Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. CH13310.jpg, Drums of aviation fuel 1945 File:Ronsonol Lighter Fluid.JPG, lighter fluid can File:CIMC tank container T11.jpg, Intermodal

tank container A tank container or tanktainer is an intermodal container for the transport of liquids, gases and powders as bulk cargo. It is built to the ISO standards, making it suitable for different modes of transportation; as such, it is also called an ISO ...

File:ATL-Cargo-Flex-Fuel-Bladders-Antartica.jpg,

Fuel bladder Fuel bladders or fuel storage bladders are a type of flexi-bag used as a fuel container. They are collapsible, flexible storage bladders (also known as tanks) that provide transport and storage (temporary or long term) for bulk industrial liquids ...

in Antarctica File:GasolineContainer.JPG, A typical gasoline container. File:Drums Shell GTL fuel.JPG,

Gas to liquids Gas to liquids (GTL) is a oil refinery, refinery process to convert natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons, such as gasoline or diesel fuel. Methane-rich gases are converted into liquid synthetic fuels. Two general ...

fuel containers File:Propane tank 20lb.jpg, A 20 lb () steel propane cylinder. File:Butane camp stove.JPG, Camp stove with can of butane fuel

References

* ASTM F3063, Standard Specification for Aircraft Fuel Storage and Delivery * Yam, K. L., ''Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology'', John Wiley & Sons, 2009,

External links