We love working with clients in Texas! Aura Engineering has had the privilege to complete Phase One and Phase Two Facility Engineering for a client in Brownsville, and watching the project grow has been incredible. We’ve maintained a great relationship with this client for years, and recently, our team jumped at the opportunity to begin Phase Three Facility Engineering for them.
Phase Three facility is located approximately half a mile away from Phases One and Two. Aura worked closely with our partners to develop the site and to complete the civil, drainage, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering for the terminal. The Phase Three facility is designed to accommodate multiple customers, with each having dedicated access to one of 12, 36,000 bbl storage tanks. The final facility configuration will include up to 40 storage tanks.
Terminal automation includes radar level gauges with backup overfill instrumentation and automated shutdown valves to prevent accidental overfills. The tanks are connected to the inbound and outbound piping through a manifold with approximately 150 double block-and-bleed plug-style valves. The manifold is connected to 12 pumps that are designed to pump gasoline and diesel to the railcar loading racks.
The piping system in the tank farm also includes connections to a custom-designed Sky Eye Measurement skid with an over-the-wall transloading skid for truck loading around the perimeter of the tank farm. Aura designed the facility manifold and pumping system, which services a 10-spot railcar loading rack with plans for expansion to 30 total railcar loading spots. The rack is designed to provide dedicated product loading for each customer with both a gasoline and diesel loading arm at each spot, controlled by an FMC Accuload IV batch controller. The loading rack includes automated shutoff valves, Coriolis flow meters, prover taps, pressure and temperature measurement and a set/stop control valve for custody transfer loading.
Vapors generated during the loading process are sent to a 13 ft x 60 ft enclosed vapor-combustion system. The combustion system is connected to individual vacuum blower skids for both the truck and railcar systems that ensure fugitive vapors don’t escape to the atmosphere during the loading process.
The vapor combustor is designed to handle loading rates up to 20,000 gallons per minute of gasoline and diesel. The system can operate in multiple stages to provide flexibility of the combustion system and meet turndown requirements for as little as one railcar being loaded.
The electrical system includes a 2,500 KVA power transformer which feeds a 2,000A electrical distribution system. The electrical gear is housed in an elevated 50 ft x 12 ft climate-controlled power control building. All pumps are fed by variable frequency drives and controlled by the process control PLC system.
Facility lighting includes high-efficiency LED lighting throughout the tank farm, pump pit, and facility roadways controlled by photocells for automatic on/off functionality. The PLC control system includes an Allen Bradley PLC as the master control for the facility in conjunction with multiple remote I/O panels for tank farm and railcar loading areas. The PLC allows for an automated control of the loading operation with minimal operator interface.
Storage capacity has never been more critical to the industry than it is now. The seasoned team of engineering pros at Aura was proud to help our partners in Brownsville increase capacity with custom, compliant equipment designed to suit their specific needs. We can do the same for your organization!
For details on how Aura Engineering designs and builds storage terminal facilities for clients across the United States, contact us today. Our team is standing by to answer any questions you may have.