Tokheim UK has fitted an automatic monitoring Stage II Vapour Recovery solution - which it claims eliminates the need for weekly and annual compliance tests - on its first two UK sites.

The new-build sites, Spar Battlefield in Shrewsbury and a Harry Tuffin Supermarkets forecourt in Ludlow, have been equipped with Tokheim Quantium 500T1 dispensers incorporating the new Electronically Controlled Vapour Recovery - Self Calibrating System (ECVR-SCS).

The solution, which is also available as a retrofit, is being used in Germany and Switzerland, where strict Stage II controls are already in place, according to Adrian Beeby, national sales manager for Tokheim UK.

It features a patented vapour-flow metre, which automatically compares the flow rate of fuel to the volume of vapour being sucked back. This, says Beeby, eliminates the need for manual inspections, helping to reduce ongoing costs.

He explains: "The ECVR-SCS system is a smart system which incorporates a real-time calibration capacity. This means that if a problem is detected it will try to repair itself. Any problems that do not respond to the automatic calibration are communicated to staff, who can then place a call to our technical staff to investigate and rectify it before the dispenser shuts off, according to the Stage II regulations."

"As the system is ’active’ and automatically monitored, legislative testing is required every three years, whereas ’non-active’ systems require testing weekly and annually as well."

To alert staff, the monitoring system can either be linked into Tokheim’s FuelPos and EcoPos or a new Minimaster system (pictured above). This handheld unit allows sites operating on different till systems to use the solution. It sits behind the counter and if there is a problem, gives both audio and visual warnings.

The system has already proved its worth at the Spar Battlefield site, says Beeby. "It detected an error almost immediately, which turned out to be a blockage in the underground vapour line. A standard system would have taken much longer to detect this, meaning the recovery system wouldn’t have been working properly during this time."

At the Harry Tuffin site the dispensers also feature the Vidium multi-media system, with 12-inch colour screens with stereo sound to broadcast in-store offers and local information at the pump.

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