One of the key benefits of attending a fuel system class at NPTI is the Hands-On aspect of every class. Within each course, students can pick-up, examine and even take apart valves, fittings, sensors and myriad other fuel systems components in both our classroom and outdoor demonstration area. Show-And-Tell does not end as a valuable teaching tool in kindergarten. For adult technical education programs, the ability to touch and examine an unfamiliar component both accelerates comprehension on its value, application, and inspection. Show-And-Tell as an educational tool also prolongs understanding retention.
Along the walls of the classroom, you will find a vast amount of fuel system components. These are used items from older fuels systems as well as new components from a variety of manufacturers. These equipment companies provide this support to our training programs to make sure that the latest and greatest new technology is front and center for all of our students to show the best new way to solve a problem, meet a regulation or cut costs.
Another benefit of this investment is that students can compare different models, varying features and alternative configurations of items like overfill valves, line leak detectors, and anti-siphon valves. Product information catalogs are also available from the technical information cabinets for many components.
Immersion in fuel system technology does not end in the classroom. Most of our classes also have demonstrations at our Outdoor Fuel System Training Facility. It is here that everything comes together. Instead of just a bunch of disconnected parts, now the student is going to see entire fuel systems for gas stations, boiler plants, etc. Some will be above ground and others will be underground tank systems. Again, the student can get up close to every aspect of the full fuel system due to the unique ways that the tanks were installed.
For example, several underground tanks were installed five feet beneath an open-grate steel decking. The tops of the tanks are exposed in the air along with all of the piping, conduits, sumps, basins, monitoring pipes etc. The student can look down through the grating and see everything that is typically buried at an underground fuel facility. They can also walk around to the side of the site and look at the “buried” piping and conduits from eye level. From this experience, they will be able to recognize in the field where the wrong device is being used, what correct equipment looks like and even more important—when a critical device is missing.
