Transporting hydrogen peroxide can be a real risk to pumps, since it can adversely affect seals. A range of pumps from the Pump Solutions Group coped with the corrosion and helped to improve efficiency when it undertook a long overdue replacement of AODD pumps in a US transport terminal.
The 3 Rivers Terminal is situated on 123 acres of industrial land 40 miles southwest of Chicago, USA. The terminal is made up of 17 storage tanks and 15 blend tanks used in the storage, handling and packaging of mainly hydrogen peroxide. It also deals with caus- tics, amines (a derivative of ammonia), glycerin propylene, glycol and chemical de-icers. It was established by US logistics specialist Seeler Industries nearly 30 years ago, when the company was primarily a distributor of hydrogen peroxide.
The 3 Rivers property also includes a barge dock. To accommodate the company’s constantly growing customer base the 3 Rivers Terminal is served by seven truck- loading racks and 42 railcar-unloading posi- tions. These racks and railcar positions also enable Seeler to offer transloading services to its customers, allowing loads that arrive via railcar to be transferred to tanker truck, and vice versa. An on-site truck scale ensures quick and efficient product handling coupled with accurate inventory control.
In addition to the loading and unloading of trucks and railcars, Seeler also offers its customers drum, tote, bag and package- filling services. There are currently six drum/ tote-filling stations at the facility that are capable of handling most chemical classifica- tions with direct unloading access from tank truck, railcar, ISO container or blend tank. The bag-filling services feature hopper railcars that feed the bag-filling operation, which consists of 50 to 100 lb. valve-sealed bags, 3,500 lb.
bulk sacks and open-head drums of various sizes. The packaging area allows liquid chemi- cals, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid to be packaged in various unit sizes, from quart bottles to 1-, 2.5- and 5-gallon units, with batch sizes up to 20,000 gallons.
With these varied operations available, the tank farm at the 3 Rivers terminal now features tank sizes ranging from 6,000 to 60,000 gallons, giving the facility a total storage capacity in excess of 650,000 gallons.
Seal corrosion
When Seeler began its chemical-storage operations at the 3 Rivers Terminal in the mid- 1990s, there were some obvious challenges that needed to be confronted and overcome, particular in the distribution and packaging of hydrogen peroxide. While it is classified as a weak acid, and is only slightly more viscous than water, it can adversely affect pump seals, a crucial consideration when your business involves the high-speed transfer of peroxide from one form of transportation to another, or into and out of a storage or blend tank.
When the 3 Rivers Terminal began operations, it relied on air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) and side-channel pumps that came from a wide variety of manufacturers. After several years of using these pumping systems, engineers at Seeler felt that in order for the 3 Rivers business to be successful and reach its ultimate potential, the older-generation and
“We hope to get our scale- to-scale time down to 60 minutes. With our improved setup, we’re well on our way.”
inefficient AODD and side-channel equipment would have to be replaced.
Seeler therefore approached Semler Indus- tries, a distributor for Blackmer for more than 50 years.
“Blackmer is obviously one of our core distrib- uted products and with our experience with Blackmer and with many different markets, we know they are the best pump out there for loading and unloading applications,” said Loren W Semler, vice president of operations for Semler Industries.
Replacing AODD pumps
From the early 1990s, a series of different Blackmer pump styles, types and technologies has been installed at the 3 Rivers Terminal.
The majority of the older-generation AODD pumps had to be replaced because they had become cost-prohibitive due to the increasing cost of the compressed air that was needed for railcar offloading/transloading. In their place, Seeler installed a series of Blackmer STX3 and SNP3J sliding-vane pumps.
“Before we got in there with the Blackmer vane-pump technology, they were using old technology AODD pumps and for this type of terminal it was a bad choice,” said Ron Mirshak, Semler’s product specialist for Seeler. “Bringing in a variety of pump technologies from Blackmer has really brought down their operating costs and increased efficiency.”
The Blackmer STX and SNP Series are energy- efficient sliding-vane pumps, suitable for use in terminal applications. Both are constructed with 316 stainless steel for compatibility with chemicals, solvents, caustics, sulfates and many acids. The STX and SNP pumps are designed with non-metallic vanes that allow them to run dry for short periods, while also giving them self-priming and line-stripping capabilities. The STX Series features external ball bearings, chemical mechanical seals and PTFE elastomers. The SNP Series is designed with metallized carbon sleeve bearings and PTFE impregnated shaft packing, with off-the- shelf commercial seals also available.
To date, there are more than a dozen Blackmer sliding-vane pumps in use at the 3 Rivers Terminal with one of those pumps installed on a portable cart for use where needed.
“We like these pumps because they move product at a very safe rate of 200 to 250 gallons per minute, they clear the lines for us when we’re done unloading trucks or ISO containers from overseas, they have a wide range of being able to move viscous materials
at many different temperatures and they are very easy to maintain,” said Glen Gibisch, exec- utive vice president and COO for the 3 Rivers terminal.
In addition to the new sliding vane pump technology, the plant employs Advanced Series AODD pump technology from Wilden, which along with Blacker, Griswold and Mouvex forms part of Dover Corporation’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG). This includes the company’s 3 in P1500 model with poly- propylene construction and PTFE diaphragms and ball valves that enables it to stand up to rough service. The Advanced Series pumps feature the company’s Pro-Flo air distribution system which can improve the performance characteristics of AODD pumps by efficiently and reliably reciprocating the pump.
Wilden’s AODD technology has been in operation for six months and is used to transfer various chemicals from railcars into and out of the blending barn. This particular pump was specifically chosen because its maximum flow rate of 207 gpm and maximum pressure of 125 psi (8.6 bar) make it a reliable solution for emptying and filling tank cars and other
vessels quickly and safely, while its dura- bility decreases any downtime.
“While our other outdated AODD pumps were becoming a drain on the terminal’s efficiency and bottom line, the unique performance of this Wilden pump only serves to enhance our operations,” said Gibisch.
Reducing bottleneck
Seeler next focused its attention on replacing the side-channel pumps and introduced a C-Series eccentric-disc pump from Mouvex into its operational equation.
“We bring the peroxide in at 70% and dilute it down in the blending tanks, but we were bottle-necked at our truck and railcar unloading area with the old pumps because all of the peroxide is top- unloaded,” said Gibisch. “When we brought in a 3 in C-Series pump it increased our unloading rate from 45 gpm to 90 gpm so that we doubled our capacity.”
The C-Series pump has been designed to meet a wide variety of industrial applications, including chemical handling. C-Series pumps
are designed without mechanical seals, elimi- nating leakage and reducing maintenance time, and there are no expensive magnets required because the pumps are direct- coupled to the gear-reduction unit or motor. The design of C-Series pumps also allows them to clear intake and discharge lines while providing self-priming and dry-run capability.
After installing the C-Series pump Seeler then installed Blackmer’s System One centrifugal- style pump, which has the seal characteristics required for the safe handling of hydrogen peroxide. Seeler is currently using four System One pumps at its terminal.
“Now that we had the C-Series pump filling the peroxide tanks, when we needed the tanks to be circulated or the peroxide trans- ferred out, we installed a System One pump. [...] It’s a very reliable pump since the trick with peroxide is using a pump that has seals that can handle it,” explained Gibisch.
Improving efficiency
Seeler is also using a System One pump in its blending barn, where hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid are blended to make peracetic acid. Blackmer System One pumps have been designed to maximize system reliability. All critical elements, including the seals, are protected from the damaging conditions that can compromise conventional pumps.
In addition to offering the materials of construction necessary to handle the prod- ucts that Seeler has on hand, the Blackmer and Wilden pumps and OPW loading arms have increased the overall efficiency of the 3 Rivers Terminal. Before pump installa- tion at the facility, the complete process of loading or unloading a tanker truck would take 90 minutes, with most of that down time taken up by the inefficient pumping and loading system.
With the Dover products on hand, that 90-minute scale-to-scale window has been reduced to 66 minutes. “We hope to get our scale-to-scale time down to 60 minutes,” said Gibisch, “and with our improved setup, we’re well on our way.”
These systems have also helped Seeler curb its electricity costs. “We’re doing twice as much work in volume, but our electric rate has stayed the same, even with the increase in electric rates,” said Gibisch.
Transporting hydrogen peroxide can be a real risk to pumps, since it can adversely affect seals. A range of pumps from the Pump Solutions Group coped with the corrosion and helped to improve efficiency when it undertook a long overdue replacement of AODD pumps in a US transport terminal.
The 3 Rivers Terminal is situated on 123 acres of industrial land 40 miles southwest of Chicago, USA. The terminal is made up of 17 storage tanks and 15 blend tanks used in the storage, handling and packaging of mainly hydrogen peroxide. It also deals with caus- tics, amines (a derivative of ammonia), glycerin propylene, glycol and chemical de-icers. It was established by US logistics specialist Seeler Industries nearly 30 years ago, when the company was primarily a distributor of hydrogen peroxide.
The 3 Rivers property also includes a barge dock. To accommodate the company’s constantly growing customer base the 3 Rivers Terminal is served by seven truck- loading racks and 42 railcar-unloading posi- tions. These racks and railcar positions also enable Seeler to offer transloading services to its customers, allowing loads that arrive via railcar to be transferred to tanker truck, and vice versa. An on-site truck scale ensures quick and efficient product handling coupled with accurate inventory control.
In addition to the loading and unloading of trucks and railcars, Seeler also offers its customers drum, tote, bag and package- filling services. There are currently six drum/ tote-filling stations at the facility that are capable of handling most chemical classifica- tions with direct unloading access from tank truck, railcar, ISO container or blend tank. The bag-filling services feature hopper railcars that feed the bag-filling operation, which consists of 50 to 100 lb. valve-sealed bags, 3,500 lb.
bulk sacks and open-head drums of various sizes. The packaging area allows liquid chemi- cals, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid to be packaged in various unit sizes, from quart bottles to 1-, 2.5- and 5-gallon units, with batch sizes up to 20,000 gallons.
With these varied operations available, the tank farm at the 3 Rivers terminal now features tank sizes ranging from 6,000 to 60,000 gallons, giving the facility a total storage capacity in excess of 650,000 gallons.
Seal corrosion
When Seeler began its chemical-storage operations at the 3 Rivers Terminal in the mid- 1990s, there were some obvious challenges that needed to be confronted and overcome, particular in the distribution and packaging of hydrogen peroxide. While it is classified as a weak acid, and is only slightly more viscous than water, it can adversely affect pump seals, a crucial consideration when your business involves the high-speed transfer of peroxide from one form of transportation to another, or into and out of a storage or blend tank.
When the 3 Rivers Terminal began operations, it relied on air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) and side-channel pumps that came from a wide variety of manufacturers. After several years of using these pumping systems, engineers at Seeler felt that in order for the 3 Rivers business to be successful and reach its ultimate potential, the older-generation and
“We hope to get our scale- to-scale time down to 60 minutes. With our improved setup, we’re well on our way.”
inefficient AODD and side-channel equipment would have to be replaced.
Seeler therefore approached Semler Indus- tries, a distributor for Blackmer for more than 50 years.
“Blackmer is obviously one of our core distrib- uted products and with our experience with Blackmer and with many different markets, we know they are the best pump out there for loading and unloading applications,” said Loren W Semler, vice president of operations for Semler Industries.
Replacing AODD pumps
From the early 1990s, a series of different Blackmer pump styles, types and technologies has been installed at the 3 Rivers Terminal.
The majority of the older-generation AODD pumps had to be replaced because they had become cost-prohibitive due to the increasing cost of the compressed air that was needed for railcar offloading/transloading. In their place, Seeler installed a series of Blackmer STX3 and SNP3J sliding-vane pumps.
“Before we got in there with the Blackmer vane-pump technology, they were using old technology AODD pumps and for this type of terminal it was a bad choice,” said Ron Mirshak, Semler’s product specialist for Seeler. “Bringing in a variety of pump technologies from Blackmer has really brought down their operating costs and increased efficiency.”
The Blackmer STX and SNP Series are energy- efficient sliding-vane pumps, suitable for use in terminal applications. Both are constructed with 316 stainless steel for compatibility with chemicals, solvents, caustics, sulfates and many acids. The STX and SNP pumps are designed with non-metallic vanes that allow them to run dry for short periods, while also giving them self-priming and line-stripping capabilities. The STX Series features external ball bearings, chemical mechanical seals and PTFE elastomers. The SNP Series is designed with metallized carbon sleeve bearings and PTFE impregnated shaft packing, with off-the- shelf commercial seals also available.
To date, there are more than a dozen Blackmer sliding-vane pumps in use at the 3 Rivers Terminal with one of those pumps installed on a portable cart for use where needed.
“We like these pumps because they move product at a very safe rate of 200 to 250 gallons per minute, they clear the lines for us when we’re done unloading trucks or ISO containers from overseas, they have a wide range of being able to move viscous materials
at many different temperatures and they are very easy to maintain,” said Glen Gibisch, exec- utive vice president and COO for the 3 Rivers terminal.
In addition to the new sliding vane pump technology, the plant employs Advanced Series AODD pump technology from Wilden, which along with Blacker, Griswold and Mouvex forms part of Dover Corporation’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG). This includes the company’s 3 in P1500 model with poly- propylene construction and PTFE diaphragms and ball valves that enables it to stand up to rough service. The Advanced Series pumps feature the company’s Pro-Flo air distribution system which can improve the performance characteristics of AODD pumps by efficiently and reliably reciprocating the pump.
Wilden’s AODD technology has been in operation for six months and is used to transfer various chemicals from railcars into and out of the blending barn. This particular pump was specifically chosen because its maximum flow rate of 207 gpm and maximum pressure of 125 psi (8.6 bar) make it a reliable solution for emptying and filling tank cars and other
vessels quickly and safely, while its dura- bility decreases any downtime.
“While our other outdated AODD pumps were becoming a drain on the terminal’s efficiency and bottom line, the unique performance of this Wilden pump only serves to enhance our operations,” said Gibisch.
Reducing bottleneck
Seeler next focused its attention on replacing the side-channel pumps and introduced a C-Series eccentric-disc pump from Mouvex into its operational equation.
“We bring the peroxide in at 70% and dilute it down in the blending tanks, but we were bottle-necked at our truck and railcar unloading area with the old pumps because all of the peroxide is top- unloaded,” said Gibisch. “When we brought in a 3 in C-Series pump it increased our unloading rate from 45 gpm to 90 gpm so that we doubled our capacity.”
The C-Series pump has been designed to meet a wide variety of industrial applications, including chemical handling. C-Series pumps
are designed without mechanical seals, elimi- nating leakage and reducing maintenance time, and there are no expensive magnets required because the pumps are direct- coupled to the gear-reduction unit or motor. The design of C-Series pumps also allows them to clear intake and discharge lines while providing self-priming and dry-run capability.
After installing the C-Series pump Seeler then installed Blackmer’s System One centrifugal- style pump, which has the seal characteristics required for the safe handling of hydrogen peroxide. Seeler is currently using four System One pumps at its terminal.
“Now that we had the C-Series pump filling the peroxide tanks, when we needed the tanks to be circulated or the peroxide trans- ferred out, we installed a System One pump. [...] It’s a very reliable pump since the trick with peroxide is using a pump that has seals that can handle it,” explained Gibisch.
Improving efficiency
Seeler is also using a System One pump in its blending barn, where hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid are blended to make peracetic acid. Blackmer System One pumps have been designed to maximize system reliability. All critical elements, including the seals, are protected from the damaging conditions that can compromise conventional pumps.
In addition to offering the materials of construction necessary to handle the prod- ucts that Seeler has on hand, the Blackmer and Wilden pumps and OPW loading arms have increased the overall efficiency of the 3 Rivers Terminal. Before pump installa- tion at the facility, the complete process of loading or unloading a tanker truck would take 90 minutes, with most of that down time taken up by the inefficient pumping and loading system.
With the Dover products on hand, that 90-minute scale-to-scale window has been reduced to 66 minutes. “We hope to get our scale-to-scale time down to 60 minutes,” said Gibisch, “and with our improved setup, we’re well on our way.”
These systems have also helped Seeler curb its electricity costs. “We’re doing twice as much work in volume, but our electric rate has stayed the same, even with the increase in electric rates,” said Gibisch.
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