Customers involved
We worked with one of the world’s largest petrochemicals manufacturers, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company has operations in around 50 countries with a global workforce of over 31.000 individuals.
Problem to solve
Customer needed to transfer on tanker trucks in a safe way red oil, that is a substance of varying composition formed when an organic solution (TBP) and its diluent meets concentrated nitric acid at a temperature above 120 °C. It is relatively stable below 130°C, but it can decompose explosively when its temperature is raised above 130° C. To minimize the possibility of hazards, operators can’t have a direct contact (for handling purpose) with the loading arm.
Technical solution
To do this, we designed, manufactured, and tested a semi-automatic loading arm with a control panel made of stainless steel AISI 304 (ATEX certified). The arm is equipped with a hydraulic power unit to operate hydraulic cylinders that moves the loading arm in the three axis and so there is no need for the operator to touch the loading arm for the handling.
The drop pipe is telescopic and hydraulic, activated by a remote pendant. At the end of drop pipe there is a deflector that avoids the accumulation of electrostatic charges. Furthermore, the telescopic terminal reaches the bottom of the tanker, in order to avoid the fall of the liquid and the accumulation of electrostatic charges.
Conclusions
The results are excellent, and the loading arm works properly. We managed to satisfy all the customer needs and to guarantee the safety of the operator. The customer is already replacing this type of loading arm in other plants where they process the same product (red oil).
