As far as loading systems are concerned, nobody wants to be left behind. We all want the quickest operations for loading and unloading.
The commercial benefit is worthwhile in terms of all of the financial factors, as well as the costs involved with using and sustaining the gas pumping business. Security is essential, and prevention of spills, operator safety, prevention of fires, and successful vapor recovery must be high on the agenda of all.
All things considered, the loading systems we offer will improve all of the dilemmas mentioned earlier, providing you with peace of mind, quality, decades of experience, and long-term value for money.
As a process of filling most types of tank trucks by pouring chemical, petrochemical, or petroleum products into the cargo, bottom loading is achieved through a series of valves and fittings placed under a tanker. When on the top of the tank truck, the conventional loading method (top-loading) is via the open utility hole covers.
Bottom Loading Key Advantages for Tank Trucks
Prevention of fire: The top-loading process requires the splashing of fluids during loading. Inside the compartment itself, this triggers a large build-up of electrical charges. For several reasons, electrical discharges may occur. With moving men and machinery on the top of the vehicle, you cannot avoid the possibility of producing a fire-igniting spark. Eliminating this lowers the risk. Grounding devices associated with the mitigation mechanism for overfilling further minimize sparks’ potential.
Vapor recovery: The transfer and transport of petrochemical/chemical products directly contribute to the area’s emissions rate. Compared to top-loading facilities, the bottom loading technique makes the efficient recovery of petroleum/petrochemical/chemical vapors easy. The company can achieve a successful recovery of 95%, avoiding environmental hazards.
Prevention of spills: Any spill of petrochemical materials is potentially dangerous in terms of fire protection, pollution control, and the loss of valuable products. The bottom loading features meeting the API standards with dry disconnect capabilities minimize or remove the potential for product spills at both the loading terminal and the service station. As defined by the API, the overfill protection system also avoids the risk of a serious spillage at the product terminal.
Mitigation of substance contamination: The maintenance holes on the top of the tank truck are open during top-loading, and contamination like snow, rain, loose items, or dust can occur easily during top loading. There is no need for a maintenance hole in a bottom-load tank because it is a sealed and protected system.
Security of the operator: The process of top-loading a tank truck endangers a person to work on a narrow walkway raised above the road at the truck’s top part. The operator has to handle cumbersome equipment and to accomplish his mission, and he takes multiple roles. At the same time, in bad weather situations, the operator may be outdoors, and he may well be breathing elevated levels of hazardous chemical vapors that may affect his performance. When an emergency strikes, the same operator is liable to respond quickly. The operator could stay still comfortably on the ground during the loading process by loading a tank truck from the bottom. In most cases, the operator is casually in a standing position at the control during the actual loading, ready to respond quickly in case of an incident.
Faster loading of trucks: Many variables combine to make bottom loading a method of filling a truck much faster than top-loading. The operator does not have to climb up the tank truck’s top portion to open the manhole and place the loading arm in its loading position at the outset. It is safer to maneuver bottom loading weapons into tank trucks’ adaptors. More compartments can also be safely filled simultaneously, provided that the equipment needed is mounted. Loading rates are also even higher than those for top loading. Top load rates are in the 1100-1500 liters per minute (lpm) range, while the 2100-2800 lpm range for the bottom-loading type.
Less costly loading islands: The building and maintenance of bottom loading islands are considerably less expensive than top-loading islands. The walkway and overhead loading operation involved with the top-loading option can now be abandoned. When it is time to reinstall the loading islands, the savings can be very significant.