INTRODUCTION
As a petroleum supervisor, you must be able to determine where thousands of barrels of product are in a
pipeline system at any time. In order to do this and to provide efficient distribution to using units, you must
be able to schedule a pipeline and keep accurate records of products received and issued to base,
intermediate, and head terminals.
PART A - DUTIES
Chief Dispatcher. Is usually the Petroleum Distribution Officer in a petroleum pipeline and terminal
operating battalion or petroleum group. The chief has operation control over the whole pipeline system. As
a rule the chief officer is normally located at the headquarters responsible for the control of the pipeline.
Some of his duties are:
Coordinate the development of monthly and daily schedules.
Relay pumping orders to district dispatcher.
Keep records based on hourly reports from pump stations, tank farms, dispensing stations, and other
installations.
Keep record of fuel received, fuel delivered, fuel left in the system, and fuel lost.
Report daily information to higher headquarters.
Shift Dispatcher. Responsible for control of the pipeline in the name of the chief dispatcher during a
working shift.
District Dispatcher. Exercises control over the pipeline in his district in accordance with instructions
from the chief dispatcher. The petroleum operating companies would have a district dispatcher (normally the
OIC of product control section) controlling their 60-mile section of pipeline. The district dispatcher transmits
hourly pumping and delivery reports to the chief dispatcher. These reports include:
Barrels pumped and/or received, corrected to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Suction and discharge pressures at pump stations.
RPM at which pumps are running.
Batch changes.
Rate of flow.
In case of an emergency, the district dispatcher assumes complete control of the pipeline to include:
Diverting upstream pumping into empty tankage or shutting down the line.
Halting pumping in affected area and pumping from intermediate tankage when required.
Informing the chief dispatcher of the problem and actions taken.
PART B - ANALYZE A CONSUMPTION GRAPH
The dispatcher should maintain a consumption graph for each product storage point. Such graphs are
valuable for visualizing present and future stocks on hand and storage positions. The graph is set up to show
the total barrels or product storage available at each terminal, NOT individual tanks. Allowance for vapor
space will be calculated at 5 percent of total storage capacity. Safety level will normally be based on four
days of supply average daily consumption. This may vary based on command guidance. Calculated issues
and receipts will be shown starting at 0001 of one day to 0001 of the next day, with a starting balance in mike
barrels as of 0001 the first day. Projected tank cleaning will also be shown on the consumption graph.
Storage capacity will be plotted on the vertical axis against time on the horizontal axis. Vapor space is
shown at the top of the graph and safety level at the bottom of the graph. Storage tank cleaning will be
shown at the top of the graph and deducted from the total capacity. Issues and receipts will be shown over a
20-hour period.
8-2
QM 5096
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