Petroline: An Australian innovation

Most of us won’t spend much time thinking about the logistics of fuel transfer and supply for the Australian Defence Forces (ADF), currently active in a number of countries around the world. But for one Australian company, this very topic has been a focus for a number of years, ultimately providing the ADF with an innovative method for fuel distribution.

Melbourne­-based Crusader Hose are the manufacturers of the Petroline hose. This product has recently been used by the ADF for fuel transfer at overseas locations.

For the ADF and their staff, who often move quickly between locations­ yet still need a regular and consistent source of fuel ­ building a permanent fuel line to a set location is not a possibility, due to time and construction constraints.

The need for a temporary solution, which can be easily deployed to the battlefront, led the ADF to investigate options such as layflat hoses, so that they have the capability to transport fuels between constantly changing locations.

“The appeal of Petroline for the ADF lies in the fact that it provides a rapid and compact solution for the transportation of fuels,” said Crusader Hose Managing Director Francois Steverlynck.

“As a military deployment, the army needed the flexibility and maneuverability of the flexible layflat hose, often over rough terrain and over significant distances.

“The fuel hose reel systems were essentially modular in design, allowing for easy deployment and retrieval, at the completion of that particular mission.”

Crusader Petroline hose in use.

Additional factors central to the success was the fact that Petroline is a lightweight, easily handled and stored fuel hose of high pressure rating.

The polyurethane cover also provides chemical and abrasion resistance, plus UV stabilisation.

In securing the ADF contract to supply Petroline, Crusader Hose overcame stiff competition from international suppliers, to reach the demanding standards set by the ADF.

Since securing the initial supply contract, the Petroline hose has risen to the occasion and performed successfully in service.

As a result, the ADF has since placed several more orders with Crusader Hose.

As well as the compact nature of the solution, the ADF was also impressed with the product’s ability to pump fuels over long distances.

By using Petroline, the ADF has eliminated the need to truck fuels large distances, which has obviously provided a rapid maneuverability benefit to the front­-line troops.

As part of this contract, Crusader Hose also developed a purpose built hose reel system that can be easily deployed in the field to lay the fuel transfer hose.

Portable reels capable of each holding 800m of layflat Petroline were designed and built to exacting specifications.

This partner content is brought to you by Crusader Hose. For more information, visit www.crusaderhose.com.au.

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