What is the basis for setting the flow rate of the loading pump in the tank farm?
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Recently, when designing a tank farm, we specified a pumping capacity of 300 M3/H for the loading pumps on land. However, the design firm responsible for the dock suggested that this flow rate must meet the requirements set out in the \"General Design Code for Seaports\" regarding the time required to load and unload ships of certain types. I’m not sure whether the loading time specified in this code is mandatory or merely recommended – is such a requirement reasonable? If designed according to this requirement, the flow rate of the loading pump will need to increase significantly, and the diameter of the pipes will also have to be enlarged. I would like to ask the experts here: what should be done in this situation? This shiploading time data was selected when calculating the throughput capacity of the dock berths; I wonder if it can be used as a basis for choosing shore pumps?
It is correct that the dock design team should ensure that the flow rate meets the requirements of the \"General Specifications for Port Design.\" If you set the flow rate at 300 m3/h, it will take 6 to 7 days to load a ship with a volume of 50,000 cubic meters. Theoretically, loading and unloading times of 24, 36, or 48 hours are generally considered; the models chosen for this purpose are usually of larger size, with the pipe diameter increased to meet the requirements regarding safe flow rates.
The flow requirements specified in the so-called \"General Code for Port Design\" are primarily determined based on the ship loading and unloading time. Determine the loading and unloading time based on the size of the ship, and then calculate the flow rate. After all, the costs associated with loading and unloading ships at the port are very high. Therefore, overall, increasing the pump flow rate and pipe diameter is economically reasonable.
The port terminal regulations require this; we stipulate that the unloading time at our terminal must be within 18 hours. The Port Authority and Maritime Bureau will conduct inspections during the initial setup phase. Our solution is to unload the ship using two methods simultaneously; of course, this is just a workaround, as it’s not actually necessary. At this time, the ship’s crew is also required to operate two pumps simultaneously, but usually they don’t do that.
What the design agency proposed focused mainly on the loading time, but in reality, the amount that can be loaded at one time by third-party storage companies (which are not refineries or other processing facilities) is quite small. This is especially true for chemical products, where the maximum amount that can be loaded in a single batch is 2,000 tons; the same applies to refined oil products. Therefore, using the theoretical values specified in the standards is not practical
The design institute believes that it is a 50,000-ton port, so a loading capacity of 50,000 tons must be taken into account, which creates problems
The traffic volume must meet the requirements of a certain ship type as recommended in the \"General Design Code for Seaports.\" The focus here is on the ship type, not the capacity of the dock; therefore, you can discuss your ideas thoroughly with the design firm to resolve this issue.
Shipment time, safe flow velocity, medium properties