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7 Storage
Briefing This unit looks at storage what is being stored, how
and where. It also discusses petroleum products and their
properties, as well as fire safety and incident management.
Petroleum products
This section focuses on some major petroleum products and how
they are transported and stored. Some of these products are:
asphalt (or bitumen) used in road construction; kerosene, often
used as an aviation fuel (with a very low freezing point: 47C) and
for some domestic heating and lighting; propane and butane, both
liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs); petrochemicals (feedstock), a
crude oil product destined for further processing. Other new
vocabulary items are: catwalk, a narrow, usually elevated walkway;
bullet tanks, storage tanks mounted horizontally, with rounded
ends; gantries, moveable cranes fixed to trolleys.
Properties
This section examines the physical and chemical properties of
four petroleum products. Some of the verbs used to describe these
properties are: rust (a metal rusts when it is degraded by rain or
moisture); melt (plastics melt when they come in contact with flame
or great heat); stretch (synthetic fibres such as nylon become
stretched when over-extended). A common adjective to describe the
properties of a product is heat-/water-/corrosion-resistant,
meaning it is not damaged or affected by heat, etc. The speaking
practice in this section involves describing the physical
properties of a product.
Describing storage facilities
This section describes and compares the sizes, ages and
capacities of three storage facilities, in this case,
different-sized tanks. The pressure in LPG tanks is around 5 bar,
or five times the pressure of the air we breathe. The bar is a unit
of pressure equivalent to atmospheric pressure, the air we breathe.
It was introduced by the British meteorologist William Napier Shaw
in 1909. Leaks occur where holes in tanks or other containers allow
liquid or gases to escape. The Language section focuses on
comparing things and the different forms of comparative and
superlative adjectives.
Health and safety: Fire safety
This section looks at how to use a fire extinguisher. Ambrose
Godfrey patented the first fire extinguisher in England in 1723. A
modern portable fire extinguisher is tube-shaped and is used to
control small fires. Many extinguishers contain carbon dioxide, a
gas that puts out flames. Others use water or foam. A modern fire
extinguisher consists of a pressure gauge (for measuring the
pressure of the extinguishing product), a safety pin (to prevent
accidental use) a tube and a nozzle, which allows the flow to be
adjusted. Useful verbs include: pull, aim, squeeze and sweep.
Incident reports
In this section, students listen to four conversations about
different incidents and fill in incident report forms. Some key
words the speakers use are: faulty, ignite (catch fire),
extinguish, straightaway. Students practise talking about incidents
and emergencies using the past simple tense, which will be studied
in depth in the next section.
Talking about past incidents
This section introduces the past simple tense. It uses
vocabulary and verbs from the previous section and provides a verb
table for students to work from.
In the storeroom
This section includes five conversations between a storekeeper
and different refinery employees, each asking for tools. Some of
the words used are: ear plugs and ear defenders, PPE to protect
your ears; nuts, used to attach steel or metallic parts;
three-quarter inch, a measurement of the width of a screwdriver
blade; coarse thread refers to the type of thread in a nut or a
screw. Any small nut in your watch will have a fine thread, while
in a refinery storeroom, the thread will probably be coarse.
Further reading Use the following keywords to search the
internet for websites which give more in-depth information about
the topics covered in this unit: petroleum products (answers.com),
material properties (engineeringtoolbox.com), fire extinguishers
(home.howstuffworks.com).
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Teachers notes Warm-up
With books closed, ask: Whats the date today? Elicit the day and
month, then ask about the date tomorrow, some of the students
birthdays, national holidays, etc.
Draw students attention to the unit title (Storage) and ask if
they know what it means. Get them to check in a dictionary if they
do not. Then ask for examples of things we store in everyday life
and where we might store them.
Petroleum products
Listening 1 53 Ask students to open their books and look
at the list of petroleum products before they listen. Explain
that they are going to hear five descriptions of different oil
depots and the products that each depot stores.
Play the recording and ask students to listen out for the
petroleum products. If necessary, especially with less confident
classes, you could pause the recording after each description. Ask
students to compare answers in pairs, then check with the whole
class.
The following items should be ticked: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11,
12
Play the recording again and ask questions like: Description 1:
Why are the tanks heated? Description 2: What do they use the
gantries for? Description 3: How many types of petrochemical are in
the Chinese storage facility? What are they used for? Description
4: Who does the tank farm supply? What does sixty represent?
Description 5: Where do they have additional capacity?
Extra activity With in-work classes, ask students to work in
pairs and look at the list of petroleum products in Exercise 1.
Then ask them to group together the products used for similar
things (for example, heating in the home, in different types of
engine, road-making, etc.) and note down examples of these
uses.
Vocabulary 2 Ask students to look at the five photographs
and
tell you what they can see in each one. Get them to complete the
exercise individually. Check answers with the class.
2 C 3 D 4 A 5 B
3 Go over the instructions in the book, then divide the class
into two teams (or in small groups if that is easier). Each team or
group appoints one person to write. When you say go, the members of
each team suggest as many petroleum products as possible. Set a
time limit of one minute. Then ask the team member who has recorded
the different products to tell their words the rest of the class.
List and go through all the words on the board, checking that they
are understood. The winning team is the one with the most correct
words.
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Properties
Reading 1 Before students open their books, explain that
they are going to read a text and complete it with four
headings. Read out the headings from the box and ask students what
they think the text will be about. Then ask them to open their
books, read the text and add the headings in pairs. During
feedback, ask students to correct or change their original
suggestions, then go over the whole text, checking vocabulary.
1 Petrol 2 Jet fuel 3 Plastics 4 Synthetic rubber
Extra activity With books closed, write properties on the board.
Then ask students to write the four headings Plastics, Jet fuel,
Synthetic rubber and Petrol in their notebooks. Ask them to work in
pairs for two minutes and note down the properties of each. Do an
example with the class (Petrol: ignites easily; stays liquid at
normal temperatures). Write whatever is suggested under each
heading on the board.
2 As a review of Exercise 1, ask students to look at the five
pictures before they read the sentences. Ask: What are they? What
are they used for? Elicit or teach elastic band, screwdriver,
melting ice, a man in water-proof clothing, a safety notice. Then
ask students to work in pairs to do the exercise (see Briefing or
use a dictionary if any students have problems with the
vocabulary).
If you brought in any of the items suggested in Preparing for
the next unit at the end of Unit 6, this would be a good time to
show and discuss them with the students.
2 A 3 E 4 D 5 C
3 Before students read the sentences, review the products from
the text in Exercise 1 by asking/saying: What are fire hoses made
from? What fuel is used for aircraft? Give two other names for car
fuel. Give an example of a synthetic fibre. What are water bottles
made of?
Ask students to complete the sentences, then check answers with
the class.
2 Jet fuel 3 petrol, gasoline 4 Nylon 5 thermoplastics
4 Ask students to work individually to match the products to the
descriptions without looking back at the text. Check answers and
anything they are not clear about with the whole class (for
example, nouns like thermoplastics and thermosets or key verbs like
rust and stretch).
2 c 3 a 4 d 5 b
Speaking 5 Before students do the activity, review the
language of properties (see above and Briefing) and make a more
complete list on the board of other petroleum products and their
uses, appearance, etc. Go through the language students will need
for this activity (This product is /These products are , Is it
?/Are they ?). Put students in pairs and explain that they should
describe a petroleum product without naming it. Go round the class
helping students as necessary.
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Describing storage facilities
Reading 1 First get students to skim-read the text, then ask
comprehension questions: What is the text about? What are the
tanks for? What is stored in them? Read the first part of the text
to the students (up to Here it is on the right.). Present this as
if you were showing a visitor around the facility, stressing the
emboldened comparative and superlative adjectives and this, these,
here, etc. Then ask two or three confident students to read the
rest of the text in the same way.
Check for any vocabulary queries, then ask students to decide
which sentences are true/false before comparing answers with a
partner.
2 T 3 F (higher) 4 F (35)
Language Go over the Language box with the whole class.
Explain that we use comparative adjectives to compare two things
and superlative adjectives to compare three or more things.
Draw students attention to the differences between the forms of
short and long adjectives. Explain that short adjectives take the
-er/-est endings, while longer adjectives take more/the most. Point
out the adjectives ending in -y and the irregular forms.
Ask students to look again at the text, especially the
adjectives in bold. Ask them to identify what is being compared in
each case.
Extra activity Get the class to make comparisons between
different things using any of the adjectives on the page (or other
adjectives that they know). Start them off by giving them two nouns
(not necessarily related to the oil industry) to compare (for
example, Russia, Italy: Russia is bigger than Italy.). Practise a
few times, then ask individual students to take over.
2 Ask students to read the sentences. Ask them how they will
change the adjectives. Get them to do the exercise individually,
then check answers with the class.
2 the oldest 3 the furthest 4 closer 5 the largest 6 the
greatest
Writing 3 Ask students to work individually to write five
more sentences comparing the three facilities from Exercise 3.
Go round giving help where needed.
Speaking 4 Encourage students to compare their sentences
with a partner first and self-correct. Then ask them to mingle
with other students, reading out and comparing what they wrote.
Give a time limit of five minutes, then have a brief feedback
session.
Extra activity With in-work classes, ask students to work in
pairs or small groups to share what they know about two or three
local/national petroleum installations or storage facilities. They
should record relevant information and compare the facilities (for
example, their size, age, proximity to sea, number of tanks, etc.).
Students report back to the rest of the class on the facilities. If
students require specific information and statistics, they could
check on the internet, using the name and location of the facility
in their search engine.
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Health and safety: Fire safety
Listening 1 54 Before students listen, remind them of the
emergency procedures in Unit 6 (page 49). Ask them what they
know about fire extinguishers and, with an in-work class, if they
know where they are located. Then ask if anyone has ever had to use
one. With a stronger class, you could get students to talk about
the incident (but be diplomatic here).
Ask students to open their books and study the diagram of a fire
extinguisher before they listen. Put students in pairs and play the
recording for students to fill in the four missing labels. Check
answers with the class. Refer to Briefing above if necessary.
1 pressure gauge 2 safety pin 3 handle 4 nozzle
2 Ask students to correct the sentences in pairs. Review
prepositions of place if necessary.
2 The safety pin is above/over the pressure gauge. 3 The nozzle
is on the left. 4 The tube is inside the container. 5 The gas
canister is next to/to the right of the tube.
3 With books closed, write on the board: When you squeeze the
handle, . Ask one of the students to complete the sentence, with
help from the rest of the class.
dry chemical, carbon dioxide or water goes up the tube and comes
out of the nozzle.
4 Explain to the students that these are typical instructions
for using a fire extinguisher. Ask them what they notice about the
language (imperative verbs, short sentences, no articles). Notice
also the slightly different vocabulary used in Exercises 1 and 4
(safety pin/ring pin, handle/lever).
ring pin: label 2 (safety pin) lever: label 3 (handle)
Speaking 5 This pair work activity practises giving
instructions in a clear sequence. Discuss with the class how
these oral instructions will differ from the numbered instructions
in the chart (use of sequencing words such as first, then, after
that, finally, and complete sentences). Point out that they will
still use the verbs in the imperative form.
Put students in pairs and tell them to take turns giving their
explanation. Go round giving help where necessary.
Suggested answer First hold the fire extinguisher upright and
pull the safety/ring pin. Then start back ten feet from the fire
and aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. After that, squeeze the
lever/handle and sweep the extinguisher from side to side across
the fire.
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Incident reports
Listening 1 55 Ask students to look at the photograph.
Ask what it shows (a fire or explosion at a refinery) and what
they can see (flames, smoke, steam, distillation columns, pipes,
catwalk). Ask: What do you do in an incident like this?
Go through the first incident report form with the class. Draw
their attention to the style of the forms and make sure they
understand the meaning of each heading.
Play the recording for each incident separately.
Incident 1: Play the recording once and ask students to just
listen. Then play it a second time, asking students to fill in the
report form individually and then compare their answers in pairs.
Then, either in pairs or groups of four, ask one of the students to
describe Incident 1 in his/her own words. The other students listen
and ask for clarification if necessary.
Incident 1 Location: Tank number 3 Possible cause: Faulty
pressure gauge Action taken: John Smith called the fire team.
Incident 2: Warn students that they will have less information
this time and that there are two problems but the questions are
similar. Play the recording once while students listen, then play
it a second time for them to fill in the form individually before
comparing answers in pairs. Then, in the same pairs or groups of
four as for Incident 1, ask another of the students to recount
Incident 2. Make a distinction between the written and spoken word
(for example, spoken: last night around three oclock; written: 3
a.m. or 03:00, following the style in the forms).
Incident 2 Time: 03:00 Location: Building 4 Description of
incident: two problems fuel ignited, wrong extinguisher Possible
cause: faulty switch Action taken: The labourer used an
extinguisher/water on the fire.
Continue in the same way with Incidents 3 and 4, with students
listening to the incidents at least twice and completing their
forms. Make sure that each student then has the opportunity to
retell the incident at least once.
Incident 3 Location: (one of the) asphalt tank(s) Description of
incident: flash and smoke Possible cause: electrical problem Action
taken: called duty electrician Incident 4 Time: 06:00 Location:
near main gate Description of incident: broken wall Possible cause:
The tanker hit the wall, perhaps the driver forgot to put the
brakes on. Action taken: called Maintenance
Speaking 2 Students can do this exercise in pairs, as
indicated, or in groups of three or four, with each student
changing some of the information he/she has already described.
Students then move on to a new partner/group. Monitor and give help
where necessary.
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Talking about past incidents
1 Ask students to do this exercise individually. Check answers
with the whole class, drawing students attention to the verb
endings and question forms in the past simple, which they will
learn more about in the Language box.
1 happened 2 did 3 caused 4 did
Language Go through the Language box with the class.
Help students to understand the use of the past simple (to talk
about completed actions in the past) by asking questions about what
they did yesterday or last weekend. Explain that the past simple is
often used with time expressions.
Now go through the verbs in the box in more detail. Explain that
regular verbs in the past take -ed (for example, call called) or -d
if the present form ends in -e (for example, ignite ignited).
With a stronger class, you could also point out that in British
English, consonants are doubled when the verb ends in consonant +
vowel + consonant (for example, travel travelled). Also, for verbs
ending in -y, we change the -y to i and then add -ed (for example,
study studied).
Go over the irregular verbs in the box and explain that there is
no particular rule about what makes some verbs irregular. Students
often have to learn them from lists of irregular verbs. Finally,
note the auxiliary verb did, which is used in all negative and most
question forms in the past simple.
2 Ask students to complete the sentences individually, then to
compare answers with a partner. Explain that the sentences are all
taken from the four incident reports they listened to in the
previous section.
1 was 2 didnt work 3 didnt go off 4 heard, had 5 ignited 6 used
7 turned on 8 called 9 forgot 10 rolled
For extra practice, you could ask students to turn to the audio
script for track 55 on page 76. Ask them to work in pairs and
underline all the past simple verbs. Stronger classes could do this
for all four incidents. Alternatively, give different pairs one or
two incidents, as appropriate to your students abilities. Then do a
whole-class feedback session.
Speaking 3 First, briefly review the language for dates,
times
and places, as presented in the incident report forms (for
example, 10th January, 15:00, near the main gate, etc.). Give
students a few minutes to make up an incident it could be at a
refinery or storage facility and to note down the date, time, etc.
In their pairs, students then take turns to report the incident to
their partner, who records what happened, asking for clarification,
etc. as necessary. Go round the class helping where necessary.
Extra activity First, review some simple wh- question words
(what, when, which, where, who, how). Then ask students to look at
the audio script for Incident 1 (track 55 on page 76) and get them
to suggest possible questions they could ask about the incident
using the past simple. For example: What happened? What happened to
the alarm? Which tank was it? What did John Smith do? What was the
problem? Who raised the alarm? Then put students in pairs to
roleplay Incident 1, with Student A asking the questions and
Student B answering. Students could then swap roles for Incident 2.
Go round the class encouraging and correcting.
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In the storeroom
Listening 1 56 Before students listen, write tools on the
board, then ask what they can see in the photo at the bottom of
the page (tool box, hammer, screwdriver, pinchers, fuses, spanner
heads). If they do not know the name of a tool or item, ask if they
can explain what it is used for or act out how it is used.
Explain the context for the listening: five people come into the
storeroom to ask the storekeeper for different items they need.
Play the recording and ask students to work individually or in
pairs to complete the table. Pause after each conversation to allow
students time to write in and check their answers. Play the
recording a second time if necessary.
2 a/another toolbox (the correct one) 3 a (three-quarter inch,
flat blade) screwdriver 4 ear defenders 5 (coarse thread) nuts (two
different types/sizes)
2 56 Before students do this exercise, review/teach language for
greetings (from formal to informal: good afternoon, hello, hello
again, hello there, hi, hows it going?) and note it on the board.
Ask students to complete the beginning of each conversation.
Then play each conversation in turn, with books closed.
Depending on the level of your class, ask comprehension questions
and/or do some choral or individual repetition of greetings. For
example, for Conversation 1: When did he leave the tool box in the
storeroom? Whats his name? What does the storeroom employee do?
Ask students to open their books and play the five conversations
straight through so they can check their answers.
Conversation 1: here Conversation 2: Everything, isnt
Conversation 3: need Conversation 4: bad, any Conversation 5: Nice,
can, some
Focus also on typical responses to greetings (for example, Hows
it going? OK/Fine/Not too bad, thanks.). Finally, go over the audio
script with the students, checking that they understand the
technical vocabulary (see Briefing).
Speaking 3 Put students in pairs to read and then act out
the
conversations on pages 7677. After they have acted out the first
conversation, they move on to a new partner to act out the second
one and so on. Go round checking that they are using requests
correctly (for example, I need a , Do you have any ?) and
formal/less formal greetings and responses. You could ask one or
two of the more confident pairs to act out the conversations for
the rest of the class.
4 Ask each student to make notes of similar conversations before
they practise them. For example: Student A: You want a new
half-inch screwdriver/a hammer/a safety helmet/three- quarter inch
nuts. Student B: You are the storekeeper. You have quarter-inch
screwdrivers/hammers/ safety helmets/one-inch coarse thread nuts.
There will be more tools next week. Ask students to add some extra
details to these roleplays. For example: Student A: You are in a
hurry. Student B: You are new to the job.
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Review
Writing 1 Ask students to complete the crossword
individually or in pairs. Explain that it revises the first two
sections of this unit. If possible, they should complete it without
referring back to the relevant sections.
Across: 1 polymers 2 thermoset 4 jet fuel 5 tank farm 6
synthetic Down: 1 petrol 3 road tanker
2 Ask students to complete the sentences individually and check
answers in pairs. If they are not sure, suggest that they look at
whether the verb is in the singular or plural form in the sentence
and then look for it in the box. They can refer back to the first
two sections of the unit if necessary.
2 used 3 provides 4 supply 5 re-melted
3 Explain that students should write the three sentences in
their own words. To help them remember, they could exchange
suggestions on the properties of plastics with a partner before
they write.
Suggested answers Plastics are also called polymers. They can be
made into different shapes. There are two types of plastics.
Thermoplastics melt and can be shaped. You can re-heat
thermoplastics. You can recycle thermoplastics. You cannot re-melt
thermosets. Thermosets are heat-resistant.
4 Go through the instructions and the words in the box with the
class, and together work out an opening sentence for the
description. Students can refer back to the audio script for track
55 on page 76 if necessary. Encourage them to keep their
descriptions short. Set a time limit for the writing activity.
5 Ask students to look at the photo and suggest what might have
happened. Remind them that this report form is the same as the one
looked at in the Incident reports section. However, this time, they
have to invent some of the information, making use of the
information in the photo.
With weaker classes, you could brainstorm all the necessary
information as a class activity first. Otherwise, get students to
work in pairs.
Suggested answer Date: 15th May Time: 15:30 Location: outside
our local refinery Description of incident: road tanker and trailer
overturned Possible cause: driver fatigue and extremely bad weather
conditions (ice and fog) Action taken: tanker emptied of fuel; all
road traffic suspended; waiting for police and medical reports on
drivers health status
Preparing for the next unit
Unit 8 examines different forms of transport in the oil
industry. It also discusses off-shift activities and hobbies. You
might wish to bring in some photos or magazine adverts of different
leisure activities (for example, sports such as football, squash,
etc.; TV listings; gym facilities) to stimulate discussion of the
students own hobbies and interests.
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