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LPG Transfer Pipe(line) through Oil Products Tank Farm

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B777300

B777300

Petroleum
Oct 9, 2007
7
Does anybody know whether there is a ruling, legislation, guideline or similar (in any country) which prohibits or strongly recommends against the routing of an LPG transfer line through an oil products tank farm? The situation I am thinking of is an existing marine terminal. LPG would be offloaded at piers which could be used for both oil products and LPG. The LPG would be transferred through a pipeline routed through the existing oil products tank farm to the LPG storage facilities which are off site. Of course the engineering would take the relevant codes (spacings etc.) and risk analyses into account. Right now I am interested whether this configuration is allowed by law etc. I could not find any ruling against.
 
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Propane and butane area often pumped in batches with liquid hydrocarbon products such as Diesel, kerosine and gasoline. IMHO, routing pipe is not particularly different for propane and gasoline.
 
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The DOT regulations would not prohibit laying a line through a tank farm.

We had some cathodic protection problems with our lines going through one. The tanks have CP to protect their bases. Since the tanks were old, they "leaked" CP electrons and caused interference from our CP. We worked with the tank farm owner and bonded our lines to their tanks and everyone was happy.

 
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One thing you may need to consider is the hazardous area location. If there are flanges, valves etc in the LPG line near electrical equipment you may compromise the facility. if it a straight line fully welded you may only have to up grade the hazardous area drwaing to show where the LPG runs. either way the normal safety HAZOPS etc may need to be redone for the upgraded facility.



Geoffrey D Stone FIMechE C.Eng;FIEAust CP Eng
 
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Thanks for all your input. Actually my original question was prompted by a misunderstanding between myself and the plant HSE manager. With "tankfarm" I understood the complex (bunds, unclassified areas, everything). With "tankfarm" he meant the actual tanks impoundment within the bund walls (gasoline and diesel tanks). Routing an LPG line through a tankfarm in the former sense, yes I agree and your answers confirm that it can be done if the indicated measures are considered. Routing the line on the inside of the bund walls, however, I hold to be a bit risky (in view of accidents involving either the LPG line or tanks leading to escalation of the other). If there is a fire in the bund, there is not much one could do to save the LPG line and prevent it from releasing its contents as well.
 
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Dirt is a good insulator.

When you install the LPG line you will either have to cut the berms or directionally drill or bore under the berms. I,ve seen jet fir impinging on the ground and or pipeline was buried 7 feet at that point. The groud baked to a fire brick and just 1 foot down or less, the ants survived and came after the fire and started rebuilding.
 
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I think routing inside the dike walls is not a good idea. For example, if a tank product leaks or firewater is allowed to sit inside, the pipeline might require weight coating, not to mention the more obvious reasons.

 
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Sorry that I give the info only piece meal. The planning is to route the line per piperack along the dike (inside the dike) of the diesel tanks. Pipe line will be at the level of the dike wall top. Pipe trench/draining trench (pipes with other products) will run underneath this rack (vertical clearance approx. 12 ft). After having traversed the diesel tanks' impoundment, the line will then continue on top of the dike along the impoundment of the gasoline tanks. The rack supports are not fire insulated (don't know whether that would make much sense inside of a bund anyway - liquids absorption and becoming soggy). The plan is to rely on water to cool the rack in case of fire. I don't like this plan. Routing the pipeline outside of the dike in this area is not attractive (clashing with an existing electrical substation). Appreciating your views. Going underneath the berms sounds like a good idea. The operator might not like that, because he has just built the impoundments in question!
 
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You may wish to consider direction drilling under the whole site. That way you avoid the issues raised.

You may need to establish if the site has had seepage of hydrocarbons in the past. Testing of ground water is one way. A site in Sydney had heavily contaminated ground . So much so that they excavated the site and recovered the hydrocarbons to pay for the clean up! Such contamination could present problems for the drilling rig as well as environmental disposal of the refuse.

Running the LPG line through the facility aboveground on a rack presents its own problems of hot work in an operating environment. This is routinely carried out so is not such anissue. You just have to have all the safeguards and procedures in place.

Geoffrey D Stone FIMechE C.Eng;FIEAust CP Eng
 
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Fireproof and cooling the rack will not do any good. If the tank and dyke are involved in a pool fire, just shut in the LPG line and replace it.

 
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Directional drilling does not look so attractive in this case after all. There is already a lot of underground infrastructure there and they would have to go down to 9 ft plus. Its being a marine terminal, that would be approx. the level of the salt water table. The problems due to routing a line close to the water table (long term corrosion) might be worse than having it inside of the bund walls.
 
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We lay lines under the houston ship channel every day...
 
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Call Lyondell pipeline, they own the last open corridor across the ship channel. They sell ROW's.
 
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When you direction drill under an estuary where do you think the water table is? This is salt water.

Believe it, the technology is out there for what you want.

You would be using a cathodic protection system to protect your pipeline from corrosion.

Geoffrey D Stone FIMechE C.Eng;FIEAust CP Eng
 
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Since Lyondell sells the only ROW, if you have the right contact, you might be able to find out who is inquiring about laying a new line across the channel. When I was there, we approved every design and had our surveyers right on the backs of the company laying to make sure they followed the ROW to the nearest inch.....
 
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