Chemical Loading Skids help fluid conditioning ensuring optimal production rates and sustain pipeline integrity by keeping product moving and protecting pipe interiors simultaneously. Controlled chemical injections like corrosion inhibitors and Drag Reducing Agents (DRAs) help optimize throughput. Many of these chemicals and agents are made from expensive, long-chain polymers that can be sensitive to fluid shearing when transferred by mechanical equipment. That’s why your company’s metering systems need to be precise – to ensure that proper volume in the flow network increases productivity by allowing extra volume to move through the same pipeline with the same pressure drop. Also the transportation circuit can be protected long term from corrosive salts and microorganisms that corrupt the pipe walls’ interior surface.
Ensuring your company’s chemical Injection equipment is capable of handling these fluids without damaging the stability of the polymers is a critical requirement when evaluating technical solutions. Skid mounted chemical injection systems need to be well engineered. Reliability is critical, and pumps must be capable of withstanding exposure to full line pressure in the event of an unplanned shutdown.
Tank Loading and Unloading
The above ground tanks at a storage terminal serve as the midstream receiving and distribution point for the crude oil that has traveled to this location by pipeline‚ rail car‚ tank truck or ship. All of these transportation methods require process pumps to unload cargo and transfer it to the storage tanks.
Even simple tasks like loading and unloading tanks can pose challenges. Terminals themselves‚ due to the range of fluids managed and their volumes‚ are comprised of various size tanks. Differing working heights and effective volumes require the same loading and unloading systems to reliably support the wide range of flow requirements. This is further complicated because system operation at terminals is intermittent‚ demanding repeated starting and stopping of drivers and pumps every day thereby increasing the potential for an accidental leak or spill. Leaks and spills are extremely dangerous at these locations, more so than in the transportation network. Volatile hydrocarbons are present and explosive‚ airborne hydrocarbon vapors can be present in and around the rotating equipment.
Progressing Cavity Pumps
A progressing cavity pump is a rotary‚ self-priming positive displacement pump. It’s often used for transferring crude and other liquids or chemicals. The two pumping elements – the rotor and the stator – come into contact with each other at two points‚ forming two sealing lines along the length of the conveying elements. The fluid entering the suction area of the casing enters a cavity, which is formed as the rotor turns. As the pump shaft continually rotates‚ the cavity is sealed and the captured process fluid is displaced axially along the length of the casing to its ultimate exit point at the casing discharge. This creates a continuously smooth pumping action for consistent and correct volumetric output and minimizes pressure pulsations at the pump discharge.
Tank Blending
Prior to exporting, some of the fluids temporarily stored at a tank farm will be used for blending. For example, lower-quality, off-spec crude may be upgraded to improve marketability by mixing it with oils of greater value, or several fluids may be combined to suit the specific requests of a client. In order to perform these tasks, tank blending pump systems are required to accurately meter in the prescribed volumes. Working alongside this equipment are circulating systems, either mixers or pumps, to ensure that the blended fluids are consistently commingled. At specific times, based on the fluid volumes involved, a terminal operator will take a sample of the blended mixture for analysis by quality assurance to ensure that the desired product has been achieved.
Effective blending is almost a science unto itself, where process control is directly linked to operational profitability. There is a constant give and take between the pressures and their head resistance, which creates the challenge for operators to maintain control of blending rates handled by pumping systems.
From flow rates to accurate metering, skid mounted systems and more, Carbis Fluid Handling, LLC has the knowledge and inventory to create solutions for your company’s fluid handling needs. Contact us today.
