A fuel hydrant that could fill your car's tank in less than a second? ⛽⏱️
That's what Arthur, design lead at Air bp, helped create for Heathrow's Terminal 5.
Think of a fire hydrant you might see alongside a road. Now imagine it with a much bigger pipe and far higher flow rates. Then imagine it below ground. You're starting to get the picture.
But while the concept sounds simple, the scale is extraordinary. At a petrol station, you'd pump around 30 to 45 litres a minute. At an airport, using this design, aircraft can be fuelled at rates of up to 3,800 litres a minute – enough to fill a Boeing 777 in around 48 minutes.
Eighteen years after Terminal 5 opened, and Arthur's design was brought to reality – it's still very much in use. Your next flight could be fuelled by infrastructure that started as a sketch on his drawing board.
Yet when Arthur reflects on a project of that scale, he points to a very different quality behind its success: humility.
"You've got to keep that approach: the ability to change your mind and say, 'Yeah, that's a better idea.'"
It's a mindset that has helped Air bp innovate throughout its 100-year history, and one that continues to help bp become simpler, stronger and more valuable every day.