CONTENT

ENHANCING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY IN TANK FARMS

INTRODUCTION

> Avoid product spills by ensuring correct routing of manual valves> Improve your plant safety by ensuring correct valve switchovers> Reduce manual valve operating time

In tank farms, a safe and efficient handling of highly valuable liquids is the highest priority. Important operational focusses are on:> fast loading and unloading operations> safe and clean operations> high asset availability

Netherlocks solutions enable efficient operation and proper maintenance of the vast network of pipelines and valves in a tank farm. With our solutions we help you to offer a continuous high level of quality to your customers.

Ensure correct alignment of manual valves using valve position indicators

Avoid incorrect pump start-ups

Ensure safe switchover of parallel relief valves

Safe maintenance by temporary valve lockout

Business case: Early detection of misalignment avoids wrong loading and related clean-up expenses

Reduce operating time of large manual valves

Ensure correct alignment of manual valves using valve interlocks

CONTENT

Ensure pigging safety by eliminating the risk of incorrect valve operation

Correct alignment of manual valves is critical to avoid incorrect (un)loading, product spill or even equipment damage.

Correct valve alignment helps you to:> ensure that a pump is aligned to the correct vessel and loading arm> product is not contaminated by mixing with other product> isolation valves are in correct position before filling

Valve position indicators instantly signal manual valve positions to the control room

A VPI is permanently mounted on top of a manual valve. Without hindering the normal valve operation, the VPI detects when a valve reaches its fully open or closed position and instantly signals the position to the control room.

With the VPI you assure full real time knowledge about individual valve positions. This helps you to avoid or timely discover misalignment, thus strongly reducing the risk of high costs due to product spill or loss.

Ensure correct alignment of manual valves using valve position indicators

Valve position indication for multi turn valves

Features & benefits

> VPI is mounted on top of a manual multiturn valve

> Integrated sensors detect valve position

> Valve position is transferred to DCS

> Signal is transferred wired, or wireless via a transmitter

Challenge

Client: Large Spanish refinery Challenge: Avoid contamination during loading operations from their tank farm Solutions evaluated: 1. actuators 2. position indicators Results: > 75% savings in CAPEX> Timely signalling of misalignment> Avoiding of unanticipated clean-up costs

A large Spanish refinery operates its own tank farm for petrol storage. The tanks contain various types of product. Gasoline of various qualities and compositions is stored in separate tanks.

Incorrect valve alignment had resulted in the loading of wrong productIn the past, misalignment of manual valves resulted in the loading of the wrong product quality into a barge. Since this was only discovered after the ship left, it had to return to be emptied, cleaned and refilled, resulting in avoidable clean-up costs.

To avoid such mistakes, a solution was required for 1.100+ manual valvesThe company sought for a way to eliminate the risk to such events. A common solution would be to add actuators to the valves. These can be programmed such that misalignment is impossible and clearly indicate the position of a valve. An additional benefit of actuators, that operators should no longer go into the field to operate the many valves manually, was irrelevant to this customer. Company policy required manual valve operation in many cases. Nevertheless, the costs of equipping 1.100 + valves with an actuator are very high.

Dedicated position indicators for multi-turn valves are hard to come byFinding alternative ways to get position feedback of their manual, mostly multi-turn valves proved difficult. Although 90° switchboxes are readily available, reliable solutions for multi-turn valves are hard to be found.

Thorough testing proved VPI to be the best position indicator availableAfter an extensive search, several alternatives were piloted, for a period of over 2 years. By the end of that period, the Netherlocks Valve Position Indicator proved to be the most reliable position indicator available in the market. With VPI, the company found a highly cost effective but state of the art alternative. By installing the VPI on all manual valves in the tank farm, the refinery avoided a 4x higher investment in actuators. With this, the position of each manual valve became visible in the control room, giving the operators a good overview of the alignment of the many valves in the field before starting loading operations.

VPI offered 75% CAPEX savings compared to actuatorsQuite soon after installation VPI proved its worth. It enabled the operators to timely discover an accidental valve misalignment. Loading was timely canceled, avoiding delays and unexpected costs.

BUSINESS CASE: Early detection of misalignment avoids wrong loading and related clean-up expenses

The slightest quantity of incorrectly loaded product may cause critical contamination. Slight mistakes thus result in large product losses and high costs. Any unauthorized and incorrect operation of valves must be avoided.

Interlocks ensure authorized operation of valves

The detection of operating keys offers your control system reliable, wireless position indication of your manual valves.

Valve interlocks regulate the operation of manual valves with the use of unique operating keys. Operators can only operate a valve with the use of its dedicated key, taken from a key cabinet in the control room.

Ensure correct alignment of manual valves using valve interlocks

Challenge

More about mechanical valve interlocks

Features & benefits

> Valves are locked for operation without use of dedicated key

> Operating keys are stored in a key cabinet in the control room

> Key presence in the cabinet indicates valve status in the field

> The cabinet communicates presence of individual keys to DCS

> Fully wireless solution for valve position indication

CONTENT

Parallel relief valves should never be isolated at the same time. For a safe changeover between relief valves you want to ensure that operators cannot accidentally close all inlet valves simultaneously.

By interlocking all in- and outlet block valves, you avoid that all relief valves are isolated simultaneously.

Valve interlocks, permanently mounted onthe in- and outlet block valves, enforce that one inlet valve is to be opened before another one is closed.

Valve interlocks ensure safe change oversof critical equipment like relief valves byeliminating the risk of human error. They can be applied to systems with any number of parallel relief valves.

Valve interlocks for pressure relief valves (PSV)

Ensure safe switchover of parallel relief valves

Features & benefits

> At least one PSV is always online

> One PSV must be put online first, before another one can be isolated

> Outlet block valves can not be closed when inlet valve is open

Challenge

During pipeline pigging, operator mistakes could lead to very dangerous situations. High pressure and toxic gasses seriously threat operators’ lives.

Interlocking the closure door with vents, drains, main valves and kicker line valves eliminates dangers from incorrect valve operations.

By interlocking all critical block valves that are involved in a pig launching and receiving procedure, the correct operating procedure is enforced. Commonly, the vessel door is interlocked with block valves to the vent, drain, main and kicker lines. This way operators are guided through a safe operating procedure, without any chance on dangerous mistakes. Often MOV’s are part of a pigging operation. Various solutions are available to include these valves in the pigging interlocking sequence.

Ensure pigging safety by eliminating the risk of incorrect valve operation

Challenge Features & benefits

> The vessel closure door can only be opened when - pressure is relieved through the vent - residu is removed through the drain - vents and drains are shut - main line is closed

> The throttle valve can only be closed when the main valves are open

> MOV’s are included in the interlock system with a specific locking solution

Valve interlocks for piggingPigging infographic

Pumps are isolated by suction and discharge valves. When starting up or shutting down a pump, these valves and the pump must be operated in the right order to avoid serious equipment damage.

Interlocking the electrical pump switch with suction and discharge valves avoids damage to your equipment

The pump switch is equipped with a special locking mechanism and the related valves are also interlocked. Operation of the switch is unlocked only after a key is inserted. This key is only available to the operator after he has performed the required valve operations. Hence pumps can only be started with the valves in the correct position.

Avoid incorrect pump start-ups

Electrical Switch Lock

Features & benefits

> Pump can only be started with suction and discharge valve in the correct position

> Pump is protected against damaging overpressures

> Pump operation can be authorized by controlled key handout

Challenge

While performing maintenance to field equipment, valves must often be temporarily locked out. You prefer universal valve lockout products that can be reused.

Netherlocks reusable valve LOTO fit any type of valve

Netherlocks provides locks for all levels of safety.

The Netherlocks Wire Lock is a flexible lock specifically designed for any type of hand wheel operated valve. The Netherlocks Hybrid lock (NL-H) suits both hand wheel and lever operated valves. Both types of locks are easy to install and do not require any mounting parts.

Safe maintenance by temporary valve lockout

Netherlocks LOTO products

Challenge Features & benefits

> Fit any type of hand wheel or lever operated valve

> Fully AISI 316

> Fully reusable

> Including colored labels, indicating valve position

Large manual valves may take a lot of operating time. Operation may become increasingly heavy and cause injuries.

Power Wrench operates large manual valves quickly and easily

The Power Wrench is a portable valve actuator. Universal mounting plates are bolted to hand wheels of a number of manual valves. There the operator takes the wrench and connects it to a local air supply. The wrench head is then connected to the mounting plate on the valve and is ready for operation.

By using the Power Wrench, operators save a lot of time for operating large manual valves. They experience less physical strain during valve operation.

Reduce operating time of large manual valves

Power Wrench introduction movie

Features & benefits

> Severe reduction of valve operating time

> Strong reduction of physical operator strain

> Universal mounting plates fit all multi-turn valves and gearboxes

> One tool for many valves

> Cost effective alternative to fixed actuators

Challenge