Hydrocloric Acid Loading Bay
Welcome to a project that we are so proud of: the design and production of a complete loading bay for Ballestra.
Here, you’ll discover:
Are you ready? Let's dive into this!
The Costumer
For this project, we partnered with BALLESTRA , a global leader in the design and supply of technologies and processing plants for food, feed, green fuels, and basic chemicals.
The challenge
The customer needed a safe and efficient solution to handle hydrochloric acid (also known as muriatic acid).
The most typical use of hydrochloric acid is in the pickling of steel, where it removes rust, scale, and impurities from the metal's surface before further processing such as galvanizing or rolling.
Other major uses include oil well acidizing to enhance oil and gas production, food manufacturing (e.g., processing corn syrup, gelatin, and as an acidifier), and pH control in various industries.
This substance is colourless but extremely pungent and classified among the most hazardous due to its strong corrosive properties: even brief skin contact can cause severe burns, while repeated exposure leads to dermatitis. For these reasons, the loading system had to be designed with the highest standards of safety, reliability, and robustness.
The technical solution
We supplied a complete loading bay, including:
- fixed platform,
- two loading arms (left and right) for two different concentrations,
- folding stair with safety cage,
- local control panel,
- grounding system.
Both loading arms were internally lined with PTFE to withstand the corrosiveness of the acid. They were also equipped with pneumatic cylinders and actuated valves, allowing smooth and automated operation.
At the end of the drop pipe, we installed a special fiberglass cone, chosen specifically for its resistance to hydrochloric acid.
The local control panel, mounted on the platform, manages both arms and ensures that all loading operations are carried out safely and efficiently.
The Result
After installation, at the site acceptance testing, the system performed flawlessly, meeting all customer requirements.
The result is a safe, reliable, and durable solution for hydrochloric acid transfer.
Conclusion
As we usually do, in this project we combined engineering and ergonomics to provide our customer with a safe, innovative, and user-friendly solution.
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