Tank Loading & Unloading
The above-ground tanks at the Storage terminal serve as the midstream receiving and distribution point for the crude oil that has traveled to this location via pipeline‚ rail car‚ truck tanker or ocean vessel. In addition to crude oil and heavy fuel oil‚ a wide range of premium‚ light end hydrocarbons (e.g.‚ sales oil‚ naphtha‚ distillates and gasoline) are also cycled through these temporary holding points. Apart from those products arriving via pressurized pipeline‚ all of the other aforementioned transportation methods will require process pumps to unload their cargo and to transfer it to the Storage tanks. At the required time‚ the tanks will then need to be unloaded to support blending activities at the terminal‚ or for exporting by means of vessels berthed at the terminal jetty or via a supply pipeline interconnected to a nearby downstream process facility.
As user experience bears out‚ seemingly simple services like Tank Loading & Unloading systems can offer their challenges. Stripping tanks‚ rail cars and tanker vessels demands that the pumps regularly operate under very difficult inlet conditions with tight NPSH / NPIP margins‚ often managing vortexed air that has entered into the supply manifold due to low submergence of the takeoff connection fitted to the side of the tank below the tank liquid level. The terminals themselves‚ due to the range of fluids managed and their volumes‚ are comprised of various tank sizes. Their differing working heights and effective volumes require the same Loading & Unloading systems to reliably support an extremely wide range of flow requirements‚ forcing kinetic pumps to operate well outside of their reliable‚ design working limits. This is further complicated by the fact that system operation at terminals is intermittent‚ demanding the repeated starting and stopping of drivers and pumps each day‚ increasing the potential for an unplanned discharge of process fluid. At these locations‚ more than in the Transportation network‚ leaks are extremely dangerous. Volatile hydrocarbons are inventoried on the premises‚ and explosive‚ airborne hydrocarbon vapors are potentially present in and around the rotating equipment.
Have you considered the value of using rotary PD pumping technology?
Terminal managers and operators around the globe have realized that volumetric‚ rotary PD pumps are something they can capitalize on in these services. Having one machine that can efficiently transport heavy‚ medium and lightweight products simplifies the number of pieces of fluid-handling equipment required at these facilities. Controlling the rotary PD pumps with an adjustable speed drive allows operations to be performed in a "timed" manner without the need for flow control valves‚ eliminating the need for the recirculation of surplus process fluid. This reliable system control method takes full advantage of the tremendous turndown flow range of rotary PD pumps and their inherent high suction lift capability‚ making them an ideal fluid-conveying solution for managing the Loading & Unloading on your Storage tanks.
Suitable pump types:
Progressing Cavity Pumps‚ Two-Screw Pumps and Three-Screw Pumps