7 minute read
Marker injection in oil terminals
Nicolas Winkler, ALMA, France, details the benefits of automatic marker injection at oil storage terminals.
Hydrocarbons are first stored at a terminal before being differentiated according to their applications and customers. They often do not have the same final recipients, with different markets, customers, and countries. For example, if an oil terminal supplies several countries, the taxes will differ whilst crossing different borders.
Depending on the business activity (such as construction, agriculture, fishing, or mining), fuel taxes are often lower than those applied to private vehicles. In order to differentiate hydrocarbons according to their final purpose, a colouring agent/marker is incorporated at the oil depot before the different shipments are sent or sold. This colouring agent differentiates the hydrocarbons and allows traceability, both of which are simple anti-fraud solutions.
In Europe, marker injection is already carried out automatically with plates at the loading arms. Globally, there are still places where this mixture is done manually, often on the truck after the loading process, where the colouring agent is introduced in a defined quantity, by authorised personnel, before being sealed. Increasingly more injections are carried out at arm level, during loading, in order to rationalise equipment and storage. Marker injection can also be carried out in a regulatory environment and thus has to meet the requirements for legal metrology.
Reasons to automate marker injection
The systematic automation of marker injection has several benefits: n A tax benefit thanks to perfect traceability in a certified environment. n It is a safer process for operators (less hazardous than solvent handling) and more fluid than manual injection (it offers better diffusion). n Enhanced reliability with automatic control via a single computer. n It is also possible to control the injected volume, which offers an economic benefit.
When the solution is automated, via an end-to-end measurement instrument directive (MID) and International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) certified system, product traceability will be complete. The advantage of having the elements certified both on the product and on the injection is that all of them are controlled by a certified calculator that allows guaranteed compliance throughout the full value chain.
When the injection is manual, a worker incorporates the marker into the hydrocarbon at the top of the compartment at a rate of 300 ppm (for example). The manual handling of several litres of marker involves safety risks including inhalation, contact with the product, spillage for the manipulator, and a lack of precision and of homogeneity.
For example, 4.5 litre of marker must be added to a 150 00 litre tank. Once the marker has been added, the manipulator seals the hatch to ensure provenance and to apply the corresponding taxes at the final delivery location.
However, when the injection is automatic through a certified injection plate (volumetric injection module), it is carried out at the same time as the hydrocarbon loading of the truck, both managed by the computer's loading arm. The calculator controls the loading of the base product as well as the injection of the marker. This is called a DUAL operation. The incorporation is made in dynamic mode, with small doses, which enables a homogeneous mixture, according to a required injection rate.
The automatic incorporation is carried out with an injection plate certified in accordance with legal metrology and also calibrated on a COFRAC bench dedicated to the final product, which guarantees the accuracy of the mixture. This allows total accuracy in the measurement. Calibration is carried out with a calibration product, which has the same characteristics as the marker.
The economic benefits are twofold. There is a guarantee of the customs declaration (and therefore tax recovery), as well as the initial low investment for this automatic and certified injection solution and its annual regulatory control.
The optimisation of the blends in automatic mode avoids any excess incorporation and also enables a decrease in the purchase cost of the raw material for the marker.
Automatic marker injections can be compared to the processes used in the design of new fuels, which are obtained through a mixture of traditional fuels.
An end-to-end certified solution enables the following: n A turnkey project: from the definition of the specifications according to the regulatory local certification, to the storage management in the marker deposit, as well as automatic mixing at each loading, automatic sealing, and annual regulatory maintenance. n Only part of the process needs to be managed, leaving the manual management of seals to the dedicated service team, for example. n A factory calibration of each measuring system (main product and marker). n The mixed products are to be controlled while guaranteeing their traceability – a truck cannot leave the depot without injecting the marker if it is programmed to do so.
There are also different levels of solutions, from automation at the loading arm only, to automation at the oil terminal with truck traceability.
Figure 1. Global injection marker solution at the terminal loading trucks.
Figure 2. Certification of global solution.
Figure 3. Injection marker storage tank on a compact and customised support in a depot/terminal.
For example, the African market is starting to use automatic additives with injection plates during hydrocarbon loadings. However, the system as a whole is not yet certified and non-certification has the potential to lead to a lack of traceability or fraud. The addition of a regulatory framework ensures both accuracy and traceability.
Benefits of a fully certified solution
Injection modules type MIV10.2 D are MID and OIML certified. They are integrated into a complete solution with the combination of a MID and OIML certified calculator and this marker injection solution is also MID and OIML certified.
To monitor the whole system effectively, the solution should include the following: n Control of the entire value chain: § The R&D that created the products. § The production that manufactures and assembles them together in a customised way (to fulfil the client's specific needs). § Service integration for all the products in their ecosystem, as well as dedicated project teams to deploy storage/pumping skids. § Maintenance performed by the manufacturer or by their qualified and trained partners. n Improved safety onsite: no product handling. n Control of the quantity injected, with high precision (0.1%). n Simple maintenance of the elements. n Easy implementation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to enhance all of the benefits, from tax to safety, as well as economy and reliability, automatic marker injection at oil storage terminals is highly recommended as a fully certified solution.
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