Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
(OP)
Is anyone else having issues with air elimination to prevent air entrapment in offloading pumps/false meter pulses on their offloading skids? Our standard LACT skid has a highpoint strainer (sans basket) with a small air eliminator off the top of it from FMC (http://www.fmctechnologies.com/en/MeasurementSolut...). My thought is we likely need to just upgrade to a larger knockout tank on the suction side of the unit but that leads to further discussions about level switch settings as there is limited elevation difference between the suction of the unit at ground level and the belly of the offloading truck. FMC also offers a combination strainer/meter (http://www.fmctechnologies.com/en/MeasurementSolut...) that I think might help, but was wondering if anyone had any experience with. Any thoughts on eliminating air entrapment prior to offloading pump/metering would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Jamie
Thanks!
Jamie





RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Hopefully all your internal pipe pressures are above 15psiA
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
From what I gather here, you are receiving oil from tankers then pumping and metering it off the tanker into a pipeline or other storage or processing facility??
Depending on where your air eliminator is, you might just be sucking air in.
The pressure at the air eliminator needs to be > atmospheric at all times otherwise it doesn't work and most LACT skids I've seen are setup to pump from tanks.
Your other option is to bury a small tank and feed by gravity into it with a vent going at least as high as the truck top and then pumping from there stopping before your inlet pipe becomes exposed.
Connecting an offloading pump direct to a tanker is always going to suck in air at some point and always carries the risk of collapsing the tanker if the inlet vent doesn't work properly.
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Thank you all for your input!
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
If you're really getting prblems then I would mount a bigger pressurised KO drum between the pump and the filter off to one side with a much larger air eliminator valve on it and an offtake off the side below the top dome or flange to give large air pockets somewhere to go before being released.
It's clear to me looking at the literature that these units are just not suitable for truck offloading unless modified to allow these large gulps of air to be captured and released prior to the meter.
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Take oil from tank,
run through LACT,
put into truck.
But isn't he trying to do the reverse here?
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
I'm saying that it is FOR loading trucks. It is NOT for UNloading trucks.
Are you thinking like - OFFloading TO a truck???
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Air Elimination in Truck Offloading