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White Paper
May 2014
Safety Breakaway Technologies:
It’s Time to Separate the Myths From the Facts
By Aldo Sucaldito
The safety breakaways that connect the fueling
dispenser to the hose at thousands of fueling sites
around the globe must perform one simple task:
whenever excessive force is applied, such as during a
drive-away incident, the breakaway must disengage.
During the process, the breakaway should halt the
flow of fuel, while preventing personal injury or harm
to the environment, as well as inordinate damage to
the dispenser itself.
Recently, new magnetic breakaway technology has
emerged, with the promise of being “a better mouse
trap,” so to speak, when compared to traditional
mechanical breakaways. Although this technology
promises great advantages for the site operator, the
reality is that magnetic breakaway technology
continues to disappoint on the most relevant principles—cost of ownership AND, most importantly,
reliable separation and secure reconnection.
A pair of recent incidents highlight how unreliable
magnetic breakaways could result in potentially
“fatal results” in the field:
Failure Incident No. 1
In late 2011, during a drive-away incident at a service
station in the Montreal, Canada, area, the magnetic
breakaway connecting the fueling hose to the
dispenser did not disengage. As the driver exited the
facility, the nozzle came out of the vehicle and
whiplashed back toward the dispenser. Thankfully,
another customer who was in the vicinity was not
struck by the flying nozzle and hose, but the back
pressure that was created within the dispenser
caused the end caps of the dispenser’s meter
assembly to burst, which allowed gasoline
to spray from the pump.
Failure Incident No. 2
Then, in May 2012, the magnetic breakaway did not
disengage during a drive-away incident at a fueling
site outside of Raleigh, NC. The dispenser was pulled
over as the driver departed, setting off a fire, though,
again thankfully, no one was injured.
White Paper:
Safety Breakaway Technologies
This fire at a fueling site near Raleigh, NC, occurred as a result
of a magnetic breakaway failure.
The oil company in Canada sent the malfunctioning
magnetic breakaway to the manufacturer for inspection and analysis. Oil company sources say the
manufacturer of the product determined that the
breakaway was incapable of separating as intended
because its magnets had rusted and fused together.
The manufacturer also stated that its magnetic
breakaways require an annual separation test be
performed. This was a requirement (and cost) that the
site operator was unaware of.
Fused magnets may be one of the more extreme
examples of magnetic breakaway breakdowns, but
they are a significant piece in a larger puzzle that
shows how this technology may not be up to the
crucial task of ensuring that fueling sites are as safe as
possible for the customer, site personnel and the
environment. The purpose of this white paper is to
examine the viability of magnetic breakaway technology, particularly as it compares to time-tested,
field-proven “push-twist-click” and pin-style mechanical breakaway technologies. These technologies have
eliminated fuel-site separation anxiety for many years
and have provided marketers peace of mind when
protecting the fueling public.
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White Paper
The Concerns
While magnetic breakaway technology has been
designed to work on the same principles as traditional
mechanical breakaways—at a predetermined rate of
pull (generally 250 to 300 pounds of axial force) the
breakaway separates from the fuel dispenser—there
are still some troublesome concerns built into this new
method of operation:
The Magnets. The most common magnetic breakaway technology available today relies on “rare earth”
Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets.
However, there are some unknowns inherent in the
operation of these magnets when used in fuel-dispenser breakaways, unknowns that are even acknowledged by one of the leading manufacturers of
magnetic breakaway technology:
•R
ust - Can cause magnets to fuse together,
preventing separation during excessive-force
incidents
•M
agnetism Degradation - NdFeB magnets may
lose degrees of magnetism over time, which can
cause premature separation
•T
emperature - Elevated temperatures may affect
the properties of NdFeB magnets, which could
cause them to not operate properly
Pull/Twist Force - Since there is no swivel used in
conjunction with magnetic breakaway technology,
these units can be susceptible to leakage due to
excessive twisting (torque), especially when the fueler
swings the hose from the dispenser to the vehicle. This
could result in premature separation and the hose
dropping onto the customer or the vehicle, causing
injury or property damage and elevating liability
concerns.
May 2014
entire system after reconnection to ensure that all
of the system’s components are operating properly.
In fact, even a major manufacturer of magnetic
breakaways, who trumpets how easily station
personnel can inspect and reattach a fueling hose
following a drive-away incident, points out in bold
ALL CAP lettering in its Installation Instructions that:
(ONLY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL SHOULD INSPECT/
REPAIR EQUIPMENT).
The Solution
Mechanical breakaways from OPW Retail Fueling
provide peace-of-mind reliability and consistent
performance. No matter the model, OPW mechanical
breakaways will not rust and do not require an annual
separation test to be performed on them, unlike
magnetic breakaways, which removes a costly and
time-consuming record-keeping nightmare from
the busy-enough life of the station operator.
OPW has taken the performance of its mechanical
breakaways to an even higher level with the release of
the 68EZR Reconnectable Breakaway. The new 68EZR
utilizes field-proven “push-twist-click” technology that
has been specifically designed for use at retail and
commercial fueling sites. The result is the highest level
of security—for the site operator, customer and
environment—fueling functionality, cost-effectiveness
and service life available in a breakaway valve today,
even in the most serious of separation scenarios.
Cost - Magnetic breakaways must be serviced at least
once a year, increasing the overall life-cycle cost when
compared to mechanical breakaways. If you factor in
the annual inspection costs, magnetic breakaways
have a total cost of ownership more than twice than
that of mechanical versions.
Professional Help Required
One of the main selling points of magnetic breakaway
technology is the ease with which the breakaway can
be reconnected should a separation occur. But this is
only part of the story. It is also recommended that a
qualified technician inspect, at an added cost, the
White Paper:
Safety Breakaway Technologies
The OPW 68EZR breakaway does not have the operational
issues currently found with magnetic breakaways. OPW breakaways will not rust and do not require an annual separation
test or annual maintenance.
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White Paper
May 2014
Key features of the 68EZR
Breakaway include:
• Fast and easy reconnectability
• Clear visible reconnect instructions
• An audible “click” that lets the user know the
breakaway is locked and secure
• Trusted and proven OPW technology
• No annual maintenance
• Lowest overall total coat of ownership
Regarding cost of ownership, OPW mechanical
breakaways have been designed to be installed and
then operate maintenance-free for five years. On the
other hand, magnetic breakaways must be serviced
once a year by a trained technician. Using list-price
research, for example, a new 68EZR breakaway costs
$82. To replace it after five years requires another $82
plus $100 for the service call, for a total of $264. A
magnetic breakaway has a lower initial cost of $71, but
it requires a yearly expense of $105 for a service call
and O-ring replacement. In five years, its total cost of
ownership is $596, which is more than twice the cost
to install and maintain a mechanical breakaway.
In conclusion, while attempts will always be made to
improve any type of product, those improvement
attempts must take many things into consideration.
While there may be a future for magnetic breakaway
technology, as recent disturbing incidents have
shown, the jury is still out regarding the technology’s
operation and reliability. These are the same concerns—with proof at thousands of fueling locations
worldwide—addressed by the mechanical breakaway
technology that has been developed over the years by
OPW Retail Fueling, a legacy of innovation that
continues with the 68EZR Reconnectable Breakaway.
Aldo Sucaldito is a Product Manager for OPW Retail Fueling, based in Cincinnati, OH, USA. He can be reached
at [email protected]. OPW is the global leader in dispensing products, environmental systems,
secondarily contained fuel delivery systems, fuel management systems and clean energy fueling products,
including dispensing nozzles for vapor recovery, gasoline, diesel, LPG, Hydrogen and CNG; swivels, breakaways, valves and fittings; underground and above ground storage tank equipment, spill containers, overfill
prevention devices, secondary containment sumps and flexible piping; tank gauging equipment and
automated fuel management systems. OPW is part of the Dover Energy Segment of Dover Corporation
(NYSE: DOV). For more information on OPW Fueling Components, please go to www.opwglobal.com.
OPW Retail Fueling
(800) 422-2525 • www.opwglobal.com
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