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Industrial Training - I Report On

Operation And Safety in LPG Bottling Plant


At

Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Submitted By

Puneet Pawar 1021030138


In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree Of

B.Tech.
In

Mechanical Department

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(10th 23rd December 2011)

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Certificate

This is to certify that Puneet Pawar (Reg. No. 1021030138), student of B.Tech. (Mechanical Engineering) III Semester from SRM University (NCR Campus) has completed his two weeks industrial training at LPG Bottling Plant, Bhopal during the period of 10th December to 23rd December 2011.

Date: 26.12.11 Sr. Plant Manager Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. LPG Bottling Plant Bhopal

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Acknowledgement
Completing a task is never a solo effort. It is often the result of invaluable contributors by a number of individuals in a direct or indirect manner, which helps in the shaping and achievement of success. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. _____________ , Plant Manager for granting me the opportunity to undertake an internship at the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. I am extremely grateful to my project guide, Mr.______________ (___________) for his encouragement and patience throughout the duration of this project. Without his vision, guidance and support this report would not have materialized. I would also like to deeply thank the various people at Indian Oil who, during the period of my training, provided me with useful and helpful assistance. Without their care and consideration this report would not have been completed. I am thankful to the Industrial Training - I Coordinators at SRM University.

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Abstract
The bottling at the plant is done in very systematic way and there is a complete chain structure. Firstly, the LPG is unloaded either from the bullet of tank lorry at Tank Lorry Decantation Shed (TLD Shed) or from the rail tank cars at Rail gantry. The LPG is then stored in the Horton spheres, with the use pressure differential method applied by the LPG pumps and the vapor compressors installed in the Product Pump House (PPH). The transportation of LPG and LPG vapor, all this while is being done through pipelines. The bottling at the plant is being done with the LPG bottling machine which is called as the Filling Carousel. At the Bhopal LPG Bottling plant, two Carousels are being operated at the rate of filling 24 cylinders per minute. This point of bottling is known as Filling Shed. Then, various quality controls checks are being performed. Example: the valves and O-Rings of the cylinders are checked by Automatic Valve Testing System (AVTS) and defective cylinders are sent to evacuation unit and then to Cold Repair Shed where valves are replaced by Valve Changing Machine. Before the cylinders (new ones) are filled with LPG, they are sent to the Purging Unit to pump out the air i.e. vacuum formation and fill in with some vapor of LPG. The whole system at the plant is based upon the Pneumatic System except for Carousel Driving Unit i.e. hydraulic system. The filled cylinders are sent to the Filled Cylinder Shed using the conveyor system. Thus, from here only they are loaded in the trucks and sent to the distributors.

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Table of Contents
Introduction 1 About Company 1 Their Vision, Mission and Values Company Overview 4 3

Business Of Indian Oil 5 Products, Services and Brands LPG Bottling Plant 8 General Information Bottling Plant Layout What is LPG? Properties of LPG Storage Of LPG Bullet 12 13 14 12 11 11 9 10 7

Horton Sphere

Transfer of LPG Liquid Gravity Flow 14

Liquid LPG Pumping Pressure Differential Product Pump House LPG Pump 16

14 15 16

LPG Vapor Compressor 20 Air Compressor 22 Tank Lorry Decantation (TLD) Shed 23
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Loading

24

Unloading 24 Railway Gantry Filling Shed 27 General Design 27 27 27 27 26

Conveyor System

Control of Cylinder Movement Pre-filling Facilities 28

Filling Machine known as Carousel Post-filling Facilities 32 Filling Shed Layout 35

30

Safety System and Fire-fighting Equipment 36 Valves and Accessories 39 Communication System 40 Conclusion 41

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Introduction
About Company
Indian Oil Corporation Limited or Indian Oil is Indian state-owned oil and gas corporations with its headquarters are in Mumbai, India. It is Indias largest commercial enterprise, ranked 98th on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2011. It is also the 18th largest petroleum company in the world and the No. 1 petroleum trading company among the National Oil Companies in the Asia-Pacific region. It is fifth most valued brand in India according to an annual survey conducted by Brand Finance and The Economic Times in 2010. Currently, the chairman of Indian Oil Corp. is R. S. Butola. 34,363 Employees are employed in IOC. Indian Oil and its subsidiaries account for a 47% share in the petroleum products market, 34% share in refining capacity and 67% downstream sector pipelines capacity in India. President of India owns 78.92% (191.62 Crore shares) in the company. Indian Refineries Ltd. 1958 Indian Oil Company Ltd. 1959

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. 1964 The Indian Oil Group of Companies owns and operates 10 of India's 21 refineries with a combined refining capacity of 65.7 million metric tonnes per annum. Indian Oil operates the largest and the widest network of fuel stations in the country, about 19,463. Its cross-country network of crude oil, product and gas pipelines, spanning 10,899 km with a capacity of 75.2 MMTPA, is the largest in the country which maintains the marketing network with about 37,000 touch points.
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It has also started Auto LPG Dispensing Stations (ALDS). It supplies Indane cooking gas to over 62.4 million households through a network of 5,456 Indian distributors. Also Indian Oils Research and Development Center (R&D) at Faridabad supports, develops and provides the necessary technology solutions to the operating divisions of the corporation and its customers within the country and abroad.

Companies Merged:

Assam Oil Company 1981 Indian Oil Blending Ltd. (IOBL) 2006 Indo-Burma Petroleum Company Limited (IBP Co. Ltd.) 2007 Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (BRPL) 2009

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Their Vision, Mission and Values


Vision A major, diversified, transnational, integrated energy company, with national leadership and a strong environment conscience, playing a national role in oil security and public distribution. Mission o To achieve international standards of excellence in all aspects of energy and diversified business with focus on customer delight through value of products and services, and cost reduction. o To maximize creation of wealth, value and satisfaction for the stakeholders. o To attain leadership in developing, adopting and assimilating stateof-the-art technology for competitive advantage. o To provide technology and services through sustained Research and Development. o To foster a culture of participation and innovation for employee growth and contribution. o To cultivate high standards of business ethics and Total Quality Management for a strong corporate identity and brand equity. o To help enrich the quality of life of the community and preserve ecological balance and heritage through a strong environment conscience. Values o o o o Care Innovation Passion Trust

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Company Overview
1958 Indian Refineries Ltd. formed in August with Mr. Feroze Gandhi as the Chairman. 1959 Indian Oil Company Ltd. established on 30th June with Mr. S. Nijalingappa as the Chairman. 1962 Guwahati Refinery inaugurated by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Honble Prime Minister of India. 1964 Indian Refineries Ltd. merged with Indian Oil Company with effect from 1st September and Indian Oil Company renamed as Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. 1964 First petroleum product pipeline commissioned: Guwahati Siliguri pipeline 1965 Gujarat Refinery inaugurated by HE Dr. S.Radhakrishnan, President of India. 1972 Becomes first Indian Oil & Gas Company to establish Research & Development Center at Faridabad. 1985 Complex for Registered Office of the Corporation and Head Office of Marketing Division in Mumbai. 1993 New era Micro-processor based Distributed Digital Control Systems replacing the pneumatic instrumentations began in refineries. 1997 Indian Oil enters into LNG business through Petro net LNG. 2000 Indian Oil crossed the turnover of the magical mark of Rs. l,00,000 Crore, first Corporate in India to do so. 2003 First Indian petroleum company to start overseas retail business. Launches Lanka IOC Pvt. Ltd. (LIOC) in Sri Lanka. 2005 Top national oil company in Asia Pacific. 2006 Panipat Refinery capacity enhanced from 9 to 12 MMTPA. 2008 Indian Oil Chairman elected as President of World LP Gas Association. 2010 Awarded Maharatna" status by the Govt. of India
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Business Of Indian Oil


1. Refineries IOC owns and operates 10 of India's 21 refineries with a combined refining capacity of 65.7 MMTPA. 2. Pipelines Indian Oil owns and operates Indias largest network of crude & product pipelines. Gets closer to the clients with increasing length. 3. Marketing Wide spread marketing network with over 37,000 sales point. IOC has share of about 54% in marketing infrastructure. Sales point includes: i) LPG Bottling Plants (89) ii) Bulk Consumer Pumps (7,780) iii) Terminal/Depots (140) iv) Aviation Fuel Stations (96) v) SKO/LDO Dealers (3,960) vi) LPG Distributors (5,456) vii)Retail Outlets (19,463) 4. Research & Development Operating R&D Centre to get ISO 9002 and 14001 certifications. Involves in world-class research and is carrying out extensive work on refinery processes and transportation of pipelines. 5. Petrochemicals
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The company is currently executing a plan to achieve Rs.30,000 Crore (US$ 6.8 Billion) investment by the year 2011-12.Impleplantation of this plan are already in operation, Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) at Gujarat refinery and Para xylene/ Purified Terepthalic Acid (PX/PTA) at Panipat plant. 6. Gas Indian Oil has signed an MOU with Iran for expanding its business in the Natural Gas Sector to implement the import of 1.75 million tonnes of LNG per annum from 2009 onwards. The corporation is already marketing1.43 million tonnes per annum. 7. Exploration & Production (E&P) Under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) with other companies, Indian Oil has bagged nine blocks in the first three rounds.

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Products, Services and Brands


The companys products, services and brands are categorized under the following different segments:

Products:
Naphtha Aviation Turbine Fuel Light diesel oil Bitumen Petrochemicals such as benzene, petroleum coke, hexane, paraffin wax, toluene, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), motor spirit, gasoline, etc. Lubricants and greases such as automotive lubricating oil and greases, industrial lubricating oils and greases, agricultural spray oils, defense grade lubes, etc.

Services:
Technical advisory services Quality auditing / management

Brands:
AutoGas Indane LPG Servo XtraMile XtraPremium IBP Red

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LPG Bottling Plant


Over 100 million LPG consumers in the domestic sector in India are serviced through a network of 9686 LPG distributors who are getting supply from 181 LPG bottling plants located across the country. In 2010-11, India consumed a total of about 144.35 million tonnes of LPG which rose by 4.4% (year-on-year). LPG is transported from production installations i.e. Refineries, Fractionation plants and Import terminals to the bottling plants through pipelines, Bulk LPG Wagons or Bulk LPG Tank Trucks. This LPG is bottled in 19 Kg, 14.2 Kg and 5 Kg cylinders and is then delivered to commercial consumers and individual households. Bottling operation of LPG is very critical, as LPG is a highly inflammable product and the systems are required to be intrinsically safe. The systems also require very comprehensive fire safety arrangements. A typical LPG bottling plant has the following major energy consuming equipment:1. LPG pumps 2. LPG vapor compressors 3. Air compressors and air drying units 4. Conveyor System 5. Cold repair facilities including painting 6. Transformer, MCC & DG sets 7. Firefighting facilities 8. Loading and unloading facilities

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General Information
Indane LPG Bottling Plant is situated at Bakania nearly about 20kms from Bhopal. It is spread over 116 acres of land area. Out of which 40 acres of land comes under Green belt zone. It plays an important role in obtaining LPG through transportation from Baroda Refinery, ONGC Ankleshwar and Hazira Plant, and GAIL-Vijaypur. Then, LPG is stored in horton spheres and bullets which is used for filling cylinders. These cylinders are then transported to distributors. Supplies are being done to nearly every part of Madhya Pradesh through this plant. On 1st March 1989, this plant was commissioned. Plant is being operated in 2 shifts (first shift 06:00 to 14:00 and second shift 14:00 to 22:00) from 30th September 1991 onwards. Every day 14,000 cylinders are filled. The plant has in total eight storage vessels which are called Horton Spheres. Of these four horton spheres are of capacity 650 MT and the other four are of capacity 1400 MT. Nearest facilities available during emergency are: Fire brigade Bairagarh (11kms) Police Station Khajuri (3kms) Hospital Bairagarh (11kms) Manpowers availability is 13 officers, 3 white collar, 43 blue collar, 20 DGR security and 70 contract labour.

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Bottling Plant Layout

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What is LPG?
LPG is an acronym used for Liquefied Petroleum Gas. It is a mixture or gaseous concoction of some hydrocarbons. It includes butylenes, propylene, butane as well as propane, which is present in substantial part. It is a flammable mixture and one needs to be highly cautious when dealing with it. Liquefied petroleum gas is a fossil fuel and hence, non-renewable in nature. It is normally in a gaseous state under normal atmospheric pressure and ambient temperatures. Also, it is non-toxic; but it has potential to be abused like certain solvents.

Properties of LPG:
It is a good mixture of gases, mainly constituting Propane and Butane. It has a simple structure in chemical terms. It is one of the cleanest of all alternative fuels. It is a liquid under normal pressure but at ambient conditions, it is found to be gaseous. LPG in vaporous form is two times heavier than air. LPG is almost colourless and has to be stored as liquid under pressure. Its weight is about half that of the same volume of water. Ethyl Mercaptan is another product which is used to detect LPG leaks. It works like odorant and helps to know when there are LPG leaks. LPG is also known to cause suffocation. In spite of its anaesthetic properties, LPG has never been used or considered safe enough for medicinal purposes. It is also known that liquid LPG has resulted in cold burns to human skin since it causes vaporization at a very fast rate.
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Storage Of LPG
LPG may be liquefied by moderately increasing the pressure or by reducing the temperature. The main form of LPG storage is in special tanks known as 'pressure tanks'. The above ground pressure-vessels are normally of three types as follows:

Bullet:
Commonly these pressure tanks are termed 'bulk tanks' or LPG Bullets because LPG has a high coefficient of expansion in its liquid phase, the tanks are never completely filled with liquid (tanks are filled to approximately 85% of their water capacity), the remaining space being taken up with vapor (often referred to as the vapor space) to facilitate expansion without allowing the liquid to become 100% full (often known as hydraulically full). These are cylindrical tanks, laid horizontally on the base of the truck. Bullets are normally having capacity upto 400m3. These are designed as per the recommendations in IS-2825 / ASME Sec Vlll, Div. 1 codes and the material of construction are SA-516 / IS-2062/ IS2002/SS-304. Steel used for the Tank and its fittings meets the Low Temperature Carbon Steel criteria and is tested thoroughly before fabrication. During Fabrication stringent quality norms are followed. All welding are performed by qualified welders only. Finally it is hydro tested and de-hydrated with dry nitrogen. Each tank undergoes various NDT & other inspection stages. We carry out tests like Dye Penetration Test, Radiographic Examination and the Hydro test before dispatch. These storage tanks are equipped with all standard instruments and controls like Rochester gauge (or Roto Gauge), excess flow check valves, safety valves, pressure gauges, valves, piping, drains, Pressure Regulators, water sprinkling system , gas leak detection system & a suitable Control panel.
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Horton Sphere:
These are spheroids, supported on vertical columns. Horton Spheres are the most economical form of storage for capacities more than 400m3. Four Horton Spheres with storage capacity of 650 MT and 1400 MT each have been provided at IOC Bottling Plant, Bhopal. The spheres are designed and constructed as per ASME Sec VIII Div.1, Div.2 and BS 5500 codes. The area of ground required in the case of Horton Spheres is less than that required for the equivalent capacity using LPG bullets. As a fire protection measure, the vessels supports are encased in cement concrete and based on the recommendation of risk analysis, the fire proofing of spheres and columns may be carried out to improve the fire protection capability of the vessel. These storage tanks are equipped with all standard instruments and controls like body valve, excess flow check valves, safety valves, remote operated valve, solenoid operated valve, pressure gauges, bladder (liquid level check) valve, temperature gauge, piping, drains, Pressure Regulators, water sprinkling system , gas leak detection system & a suitable Control panel.

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Transfer Of LPG liquid


The high volatility of LPG calls for transfer techniques different from the conventional pumping system used for the less volatile petroleum liquids. LPG may be transferred by gravitational flow, pumping or pressure differential between the ullage space of the vessel being discharged and the ullage space of the receiving vessel.

Transfer through Gravity flow:


Flow of gravity is rarely used as a means of transferring LPG, since it is slow and inflexible. But gravity head is, however, an important consideration for transfer by pump, since a certain minimum suction head at the pump inlet is necessary.

Transfer through liquid LPG pumping:


If LPG is pumped from vessel A to vessel B along a single line system, the pressure in the ullage space of vessel A gradually falls and may reach the atmospheric pressure. When this happens, the liquefied gas in the vessel A commences to boil and this boiling continues as long as pumping continues. The latent heat of vaporization absorbed from the liquid and the vessel surroundings cools the LPG and in consequence, the vapor pressure of LPG falls. If the vapor pressure falls below the vapor pressure of LPG, vapor lock may take place in pump resulting in stoppage of LPG transfer. In the receiving vessel B, the vapor in the ullage space is compressed as the vessel gets filled. Some of compressed vapor gets condensed and gives out heat to cause a further rise in pressure in the ullage space of vessel B. With falling vapor pressure in vessel A and rising vapor pressure in vessel B, pumping becomes increasingly difficult.

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Pumping difficulties encountered with single line system may be overcome by equalizing the ullage space pressure through equalization or vapor return line.

Transfer through LPG Vapor Compressor or Pressure Differential:


Withdrawing vapor from the receiving vessel, compressing the vapor and discharging the compressed vapor into the ullage space of the delivering vessel. This method of Pressure Differential is well suited for unloading operation. An important additional advantage of compressor over LPG pump is their ability to recover vapor from the delivering vessel. The vapor recovery can be achieved by reversing the compressor connections at the end of discharge operation.

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Product Pump House:


Product Pump House consists of LPG pumps, Vapor compressors, and Air compressors.

(I)

LPG Pump

Pumps used for LPG service are basically similar to those used for other petroleum products. Following specific aspects are to be considered for the selection of pumps: LPG is very penetrating and is prone to leak at packing glands. Mechanical seals designed specifically for these liquids are provided for sealing the shafts of all rotatory pumps. Pumps shall conform to API 610 standards. LPG does not possess lubricating properties and this fact is taken into consideration while selecting the materials for pump construction. Although pumps for use with LPG are normally designed for low differential pressure, the total working pressure taken by the pump casing may be high, since it is dependent on the sum of the differential pressure and the maximum vapor pressure of the product. Designed working pressure of the pump is marked on the pump. Centrifugal Type LPG pumps are being used which may be horizontal or vertical. They are suitable for filling cylinders at Filling Sheds, Loading/Unloading of bulk LPG tank trucks at TLD Shed, Unloading bulk LPG tank

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wagons at Rail Gantry, and transfer of bulk LPG from one Horton Sphere to another. They may be operated against closed delivery valves, but such use will cause heating and vaporization of the product. Thus, provision made for re-circulation of product by means of a by-pass arrangement. How LPG Pump Works? Each revolution displaces a constant volume of fluid. As the rotor turns, sliding vanes move outward at the intake port, expanding the pumping chamber and creating a void to draw fluid into the pump. Fluid is transferred between the vanes from the inlet to the outlet port. At the outlet, fluid is discharged as the pumping chamber is squeezed down and the vanes are forced back into their slots.

LPG Pump Design

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Minimize losses in the Suction Line Use properly sized suction line. One size larger than the pump suction connection (if possible). Place the tank as high as possible above the pump. Place the pump as close as possible to the tank. Use low restriction valves and other fittings. Keep the strainer clean. Don't Let Vapor Form! a) Consequences of Vapor formation Reduces pump capacity Reduces seal life Reduces vane life Reduces maximum differential pressure Increases noise b) Prevention for vapor formation in the Suction Line Use long radius ells. Use low restriction valves and other fittings.

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Keep strainers and other fittings at least 10 pipe diameters from the pump. Paint the lines white or silver. Place suction lines in shade (if possible). c) Eliminate Vapor Pockets in the Suction Line Use eccentric reducers, flat side up.

Make the suction line horizontal or slope downward. Don't set the pump above the liquid level.

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(II) LPG Vapor Compressor


An LPG compressor is basically a vapor pump. It has distinct advantages over the LPG pump for the LPG transfer, as under: Pumps leave all tanks full of vapor equals 3% of total tank capacity while compressors do not. Compressors can transfer all products, both liquid and vapor. Compressors are not the subject of poor pump suction problems. Problem of vapor locking i.e. cavitation in the system is eliminated. Recovery of vapors is possible. Thus, reducing the stock loss. The vapor compressors method of product transfer is based on the principle that the compressor creates a pressure differential pressure between the receiving and discharging vessels by withdrawing the vapor from receiving vessel and forcing it into the discharging vessel, thereby establishing smooth product flow.

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LPG Vapor Compressor Design

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(III) Air Compressor


An air compressor is a device that converts power (usually from an electric motor, a diesel engine or a gasoline engine) into kinetic energy by compressing and pressurizing air, which, on command, can be released in quick bursts. There are numerous methods of air compression, divided into either positive-displacement or negative-displacement types. Positive-displacement air compressors are being used Indian Oil Bottling Plant. They work by forcing air into a chamber whose volume is reduced to effect the compression. Piston-type air compressors use this principle by pumping air into an air chamber through the use of the constant motion of pistons. They use unidirectional valves to guide air into a chamber, where the air is compressed. There are two main types of air compressor's pumps: Oil lubed and oil-less. The oil-less system has more technical development, but they are more expensive, louder and last for less time than the oiled lube pumps. However, the air delivered has better quality. But, here Oil lubed air compressors pumps are being used to supply a large amount of moderate-pressure air to power pneumatic tools present in the Filling Shed.

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Tank Lorry Decantation (TLD) Shed


As the word Decant implies that the transfer of liquid from one container to another. TLD shed is an area where loading and unloading of bulk LPG from tank lorry takes place. It consists of 8 tank truck bays for loading and unloading operations with facilities such as loading/unloading arms, spool, chalk block, etc. Vehicle has to be parked on the leveled surface known as bays and hand-brakes are to be applied, and connection with the battery has to be cut-off using master switch provided in vehicle. Chalk blocks are to be placed at front and rear wheels to prevent it from rolling. Fire extinguishers are to be placed at specified points (yellow marks). Check the roto-gauge present on the bullet, whether it works correctly or not. Roto-gauge is an instrument that measures and gives a visual display in percentage of the total volume of LPG liquid filled w.r.t the total volume of the bullet. Earth (electrical connection to the ground, regarded as having zero electrical potential) must be provided. If the electric potential cant be zero than it must be equal electric potential of both Loading/Unloading arms and bullet. Thus, they must be earthed. Loading/Unloading arms are made of steel pipes with swivel joints and thus, get rotational freedom connected with special couplers. They are provided for making quick connection/disconnection from LPG bulk tank. Its various advantages are: Long life and doesnt require frequent replacement.
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Considerably safe as it is tested for a pressure upto 40kg/cm2. Ease in connection and disconnection. Due to use of Quick Connect Dry Break Couplers leakage of LPG vapor to the atmosphere is almost nil. Time consumed for connection/disconnection has been reduced to nil. It also improves safety and productivity. At the end connection, Loading/Unloading arms can have normal flange which can be directly connected to the truck flange. But, for ease in operation Quick Connect Dry Break Coupler is provided which can also be considered as female coupler. While, the male couplers fixed separately on the LPG and vapor line of the bulk LPG truck. Emergency Break Away Coupler is also provided in the Quick Connect Dry Break Coupler for the emergency situation. If truck drives out without disconnection, then the breakaway coupler operates. On experiencing a pulling shear force results into the failure of the weakest link called Shear Pin. Due to this, the two halves of the breakaway coupler get separated and consequently close the spring loaded valves to stop the leakage of LPG from both the halves of the couplers. Afterwards, this breakaway coupler can be reassembled and fixed with a new shear pin. ( I ) Loading Firstly, leakage must be checked by slightly opening the valve. If all the joints are perfect then we may proceed. Following valves must be opened: (We may also equalize their vapor pressure by opening the Equalization valve and then closing it) 1. TLD Loading valve opened (Horton Sphere) 2. LPG line valve opened 3. Vapor Pressurization valve opened
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4. To/From line valve opened Monitor the roto gauge, till the bullet of bulk LPG truck is filled. Close all the valves firstly, LPG one. And then, flare the Loading/Unloading arms for any left LPG. Now, disconnect the Loading/Unloading arms and couplers. Earth and also chalk blocks can be removed. ( II ) Unloading Firstly, leakage must be checked by slightly opening the valve. If all the joints are perfect then we may proceed. Following valves must be opened: (We may also equalize their vapor pressure by opening the Equalization valve and then closing it) 1. 2. 3. 4. TLD Unloading valve opened (Horton Sphere) LPG line valve opened Vapor Suction valve opened To/From line valve opened

Monitor the roto gauge, till the bullet of bulk LPG truck is filled. Close all the valves firstly, LPG one. Now, recovery is done through Recovery line i.e. removal of LPG vapor from the bullet and using it for pressurization of any other bulk LPG tank, bulk LPG wagon or Horton sphere. And then, flare the Loading/Unloading arms for any left LPG. Now, disconnect the Loading/Unloading arms and couplers. Earth and also chalk blocks can be removed. Now, the bulk LPG truck can be drove from bay to the weigh bridge which can be of two types installed mechanical and electrical. Weigh Bridge is an essential feature for every LPG plant. Since, it is the basic means to check the quantity loaded into or unloaded from the bulk LPG tank trucks in terms of weight. Provision of Electronic Weigh Bridge interlinking with computer is also available.
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While providing weigh bridges of adequate weighing capacity, the size of the platform is considered taking into account the capacities and sizes of the trucks to be handled.

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Railway Gantry

Railway Gantry is a point where placement of bulk LPG tank wagons is done in the set of four. Each set consists of 16 bulk LPG tank wagons. Earth (electrical connection to the ground, regarded as having zero electrical potential) must be provided. If the electric potential cant be zero than it must be equal electric potential of both Loading/Unloading arms and bullet. This is done for grounding the charges accumulated over tank wagon. Loading/Unloading rubber hoses are provided at railway gantry which is used to connect LPG and vapor line with the screwed coupler. After, all the connections are done then Unloading LPG line and vapor line valve is opened. The process of unloading is carried out using the method of pressure differential.

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Filling Shed
General
LPG in packaged form can be handled through cylinders specially designed for this purpose. LPG cylinder provides storage in convenient size and facilitates easy transportation from bottling plant to distributors premises and customers premises. It is also convenient for use by domestic and commercial customers.

Design
LPG Cylinders are manufactured as per Bureau of Indian Standards i.e. BIS 3196 and are inspected and certified by BIS officials and thereafter, approved by the Chief Controller of Explosives (CCOE), Nagpur.

Conveyor System
Chain conveyors are being used to convey and distribute the cylinders mechanically, thereby reducing the manual handling and faster movement of cylinders to various online facilities. Power operated chain conveyors are widely used due to various advantages: a) Control of cylinder movement on the conveyors i) Pusher/ Shifter: It is intended for automatic diversion to the required direction and conveyor sections. They are operated pneumatically actuated by pneumatic/ electro-pneumatic signals. ii) Pneumatic-Cylindrical-Stop-Device: It can be placed at desired locations on the chain conveyor for stopping, retaining or releasing LPG cylinders at designed intervals. They are also operated pneumatically actuated by pneumatic/ electro-pneumatic signals.

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iii) Manual Conveyor Diverter: It is intended for diverting movement of cylinders to different conveyer sections by means of pneumatic device. iv) Manual - Cylindrical-Stop-Device: This is a pneumatic device to stop the cylinders by manual activation. b) Pre-Filling facilities are the facilities provided prior to the filling of cylinders such as Purging Unit, Washing Unit, Dry Unit, etc. Unloading Point (Or Receipt of Cylinders): The plant has the facility to receive LPG cylinders of various capacities i.e. 5kg, 14.2kg and 19kg by trucks. This facility is known to be Unloading Point where incoming cylinders fall into following categories: (i) New cylinders from manufactures (ii) Cylinders in circulation from distributors (empty, under-filled, defective) (iii) Cylinders received from Statutory Testing Plants, duly tested (iv) Repaired cylinders received from the approved repairers. All cylinders received should be against valid documents and shortages or any other shortcomings should be endorsed on the body of the document. Visual Inspection (Or Segregation): Based on visual inspection, cylinders should be segregated as under: i. Cylinders for Statutory Testing & Painting (to be sent to testing Plant). ii. Defective cylinders received from distributors, duly tagged (further processing) iii. Cylinders found unfit for filling i.e. heavily rusted or heavily dented iv. Cylinders found defective, but repairable such as twisted valve spindle, broken/bent foot ring or valve protection ring v. Cylinders owned by other marketing companies (to be handed over to OMC) vi. Empty cylinders fit for filling (to be sent for filling) Statutory Testing & Painting: Due cylinders received and sent to De-Gassing Point where valve is removed and cylinder is filled with water till 30 minutes while water overflows and then emptied. Now, in washing area, cylinder is washed thoroughly with light soap solution and then with fresh water. Checks external surface and segregates. Now, hydro-static test is performed for checking any leakage. Water removal and drying internal surface with hot air. Using magnet for removing small iron particles, if present and valve is fitted. 7.5 kg air pressure is given and pneumatic test is performed for checking valve. During painting,
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primary coating and then synthetic enamel paint. Using stencils, weight, company name, etc. are marked. Purging Unit: The unit consists of Vacuum pump with gauge and a manifold with sets of adopters for removal of air from the new cylinders or cylinders received from Statutory Testing Plant and filling it with little bit LPG vapor. Washing Unit and Dry Unit: It is installed online for the cylinder washing and subsequent drying of empty cylinders prior to filling. It consists of continuous water rinsing section with rinsing nozzles and water tank with filter, centrifugal pump and air blower. Checking Cylinder for filling Safety cap removal from the cylinders valve. Blow the cavity of valve with air to remove any dust particles or water. Also check for the presence of 'O'-ring fixed on the valve. Tare Weight Punching: Punch the tare weight on the Tare Weight Punching Machine after checking punched tare weight marking on the cylinders shoulder. For accuracy of filling, the correct and legible marking of tare weight on the cylinder body is essential.

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c) LPG cylinder filling on the basis of Gross Weight System on filling machine known as Carousel. Gross Weight System: It is adopted for filling operation in all plants. In this case, the machine is provided with individual adjustments for Tare Weight and Net Weight. Once the weight of the product to be filled is preset as Net Weight which remains constant, the only adjustment required is that of Tare Weight. Once the set Gross Weight (arithmetical sum of preset Net Weight and set Tare Weight) is reached, the product flow is cut-off automatically. So, the accuracy of the filling relates to the accuracy of TareWeight Marking on the cylinders and the tare weight set on the machine. Carousel and its filling machines Filling Carousel is intended for bottling LPG cylinders. It consists of a carousel frame with running wheel and corresponding running rail, a central column for LPG and air, and a hydraulic unit. From the central column, LPG and air are distributed through distributing pipes to circular pipes behind the filling machines. A filling machine can be shut-off for repairs without affecting the operation on the other filling machines. Carousel Type and its Selection The carousel frame chosen can be equipped with a number of filling scales covering the present demand and also for the future demand. It can also be provided with equipment for automatic introduction and automatic filling scales with ejection of cylinders. Carousel Type 12 scales 24 scales Diameter 4350mm 5500mm Capacity-Per Hour 720 Cylinders 1200 Cylinders

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Automatic Inlet Device: It controls the transfer of LPG cylinders from the inlet portion of the conveyor system into the carousel. It is an integral part of an automated cylinder filling operation. Chain Conveyor: The main purpose of the double chain conveyor is to carry the LPG cylinders to and from the filling carousel. Good conveyor layout saves time, space and labor. Conveyor Drive Unit: It consists of an explosion-proof electric motor, a gear reducer and a chain-sprocket drive mechanism. Carousel Drive Unit: It consists of an explosion-proof electric motor, a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor to drive the rubber wheel that rotates the carousel frame around the central column. Ejection Unit: It is designed to take the filled cylinder from the carousel. It typically receives a signal from the corresponding filling head. If filling head up indicating that the cylinder is filled and may be taken off the carousel. If the filling is not completed, "filling head down" tells it not to activate and the cylinder completes one more cycle on the carousel while being filled. Pressure Control Valve (Or DP Valve): The LPG liquid line from the pump house is provided with a by-pass arrangement with DP (Differential Pressure) Valve near the carousel. The DP valve is a spring loaded valve, which automatically allows the flow of LPG through a by-pass line, whenever LPG pressure in the pipeline exceeds the set limit. The filling pressure shall not exceed maximum working pressure of the cylinder i.e. 16.9 kgf/cm2 at 65oC. Filling Operation in Carousel The empty cylinders are introduced continuously to the rotating filling machines of carousel by the means of automatic inlet device. The tare weight of the cylinder is set on the filling machine and bottling commences with automatic/ manual lowering down filling head and gets clamped. The filling continues during the rotation of the carousel and cut off once the overall weight of cylinder reaches the gross weight. The filling head gets detached automatically from the
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cylinder valve and ejected out if the carousel to the conveyor by means of ejection unit.

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d) Post-Filling facilities are the facilities provided after the filling of cylinders such as Check scale, CVT, AVTS, etc. Check Scale: Check-weighing is installed online on the conveyor section to check the correctness of the weight of the filled cylinders on a continuous basis after the ejection from filling machines. The least count of scale should not be more than 50gms. This is an electronic type with direct reading scale. This check is very important from safety point of view. Integrated Correction Unit: Over-filled or under-filled cylinders rejected from the check scale are manually corrected at this unit. This unit consists of weighing scale and one filling head (common for filling and evacuation) with a stopper, lifting mechanism, and tilting mechanism for evacuating over-filled cylinders. Automatic Valve Testing System (AVTS): It is an online automatic valve leak and damaged O ring testing equipment. The cylinder detected is rejected automatically to the rejection loop conveyor. The cylinder enters into the unit on the conveyor and is automatically positioned under the testing head. The testing head lowers over the cylinder valve and gets engaged fully. In case, there is no leakage the head lifts off after preset time and cylinder is released for further operation. In case, there is leakage either from the valve or damaged O ring the head lifts up. While, pusher of the unit ejects the cylinder to the rejection conveyor loop for further identification. Compact Valve Tester (CVT): It is used for checking the O ring condition and the valve leak. It is designed to detect the leakage of 0.5gm per hour and above. It consists of a detecting head with a central air capillary connected to the top chamber filled with kerosene. When the head is connected to the cylinder, it clamps the valve and probe air is supplied around valve O ring.
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In-Line Water Bath: The filled cylinders are passed through the in-line water bath, dipped up to the bung level to determine the leakage from the bung and the body. The facility consists of a water bath made of steel metal having chain conveyor for the movement of cylinders of cylinders inside the bath. Leakage through bung or cylinder body may be noticed in the form of bubbles emerging out from the leaky spot. These cylinders are marked for segregation with appropriate marker to identify the type of leakage. Manual Safety Cap Fixing Unit: PVC head is being used for fixing safety caps by taping it over the top of the safety cap placed on the valve. Seal Crimping Unit (Or Hot Air Sealing Unit): The cylinder sealing is done by means of sealing tape using hot air. The sealing tape is placed on the safety caps over which hot air or stream jet is forced on. The sealing tape gets shrinked and effectively covers the safety cap as a seal. Evacuation Unit: The purpose of this machine is to evacuate the LPG from the cylinders whenever it is required to change the valves. It consists of a cylinder evacuation rack i.e. online type. It is capable of evacuating a batch of upto 6 cylinders at a time. These evacuated cylinders can now be taken for hot or cold repairs respectively.

The cradle where the cylinders are located during the evacuating process is capable of tilting through 180 by means of a rack and pinion arrangement. The entire operation is controlled by pneumatic arrangements. Final Inspection: Cylinder is checked visually for:
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Apparent sound condition Presence of cap, and neck label in case of cylinders with 'cap' as valve protection. Delivery of Filled Cylinders in Sound Condition: If stake-truck available, the fit cylinders can be directly sent to the stake trucks for loading. If no stake-truck is available, the cylinders can be sent for stacking in the area earmarked for this purpose.

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Filling Shed Layout

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Double Chain Conveyor Filling Carousel Carousel Driving Unit Filling Machine Stands Automatic Inlet Device Conveyor Driving Unit Check Scale In-Line Water Bath

9. Pneumatic Emptying Pump 10.Fixed Emptying Rack (8 Stands) 11.Conveyor For Loading/Unloading 12.Washing Unit 13.Dry Unit 14.CVT 15.Double Conveyor 16.Automatic Valve Testing System

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Safety Systems and Fire-Fighting Equipments


(I)

Automatic Sprinkler System:


Detectors air line of DVs is normally kept charged at 3kg/cm2 with compressed air supply from security air compressors located at Fire Pump House. In case of fire, operates automatically when quartziod bulb detector senses heat of fire and fuses at 79OC releasing the compressed air. This results in drop of pressure in pipe work, which operates the automatic deluge valve to start the sprinkler system. It can also be operated manually by breaking the quartzoid bulbs glass, or by pulling down the lever of deluge valve.

(II)

Hydrant Point: Remove the cap. Fix male


coupling and fire hose with hydrant point. Uncoil the hose by placing coil of hose on ground and rolling it towards fire. Fix the nozzle. Hold the nozzle and direct towards the base of fire. Open hydrant valve gradually. (III)

Water Monitor: Open the lower and


upper swivel joint lock. Direct the monitor nozzle towards the fire point.
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Open the monitor valve gradually. If flames are coming towards water monitor, the upper and lower swivel joints should be locked so that water is directed towards base of fire. (IV)

Hydrant System: Operates automatically when hydrant points or


water monitors are operated, when the line pressure drops below 7kg/cm2. Fire Engines start in the following sequence: 1st & 5th Pump starts at 6.5 kg/cm2 2nd & 6th Pump starts at 6.0 kg/ cm2 and so on..

(V)

75 kg DCP Fire Extinguisher: Shift it to the fire location. Open the


nozzle of the rubber hose. Uncoil the rubber hose. Open the valve of CO2 Gas cylinder. Direct the jet to the base of flames in sweeping

motion. (VI)

10 kg DCP Fire Extinguisher: Remove from the clamp. Carry to fire


site by grasping handle at top. Keep it up right position and in line with wind direction. Remove safety clip. Hold nozzle by right hand and strike knob by left hand. Direct the jet to the base of fire in a sweeping motion.

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(VII) 4.5 kg CO2 Fire Extinguisher: Remove it from the clamp. Hold discharge horn with left hand and direct it towards base of fire. Remove the safety pin. Open the valve with right hand in anti-clockwise direction. Direct the jet to the base of fire in a sweeping motion. (VIII) Gas Monitoring System: The GMS is a microprocessor based safety monitoring system which monitors the gas concentration at various sensor location points and indicates at central common panel. (IX)

Inter Lock Shutdown System: The


plant has latest PLC based Interlock Shutdown System. The system consists of seven MCP (Manual Call Points). The system receives fire signals from manual call point station & displays the alarms graphically on the PC. In event of any fire alarm, LPG pumps & compressor drives shall be tripped & audio siren shall be actuated.

(X)

Earthing System: All metallic structure, pipe fittings and enclosures of


electrical equipments shall be connected to earth. All Earthing pits shall be connected through grids.

(XI)

Pressure Switch Setting: System pressure for Hydrant system &


automatic medium velocity water Spray System 8.5 kg/cm2 Jockey Pump (1) Start 8.5 kg/cm2 Stop 9.0 kg/cm2
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Jockey Pump (2) Start 8.0 kg/cm2 Stop 9.0 kg/ cm2 Jockey Pump (3) Start 7.5 kg/cm2 Stop 9.0 kg/cm2

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Valves and Accesories


(I) A Valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. They may be operated manually, either by a handle, lever or pedal. They may also be automatic, driven by changes in pressure, temperature, or flow. Excess Flow Check Valve Remote Operated Valve (ROV) Solenoid Operated Valve Thermal Relief Valve Or POP-Action Valve Non-Return Valve (NRV) Safety Relief Valve (SRV) By-Pass Valve A Gauge or Gage, is used to make measurements. A wide variety of tools exist which serve such functions, ranging from simple pieces of material against which sizes can be measured to complex pieces of machinery. Servo Level Gauge Temperature Gauge Roto (Rochester) Gauge Fixed Liquid Level Gauge Pressure Gauge A High Level Alarm is provided to allow pre-determined minimum vapor space. It transmits an audio signal at the desired place when predetermined level of the liquid LPG is reached. Positive displacement type Flow Meters are used for LPG service. A suitable strainer (to eliminate solid contaminants), vapor eliminator (ensures measurement and registration of only liquid), and differential valves (ensures adequate product pressure maintained across meter and
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(II)

(III)

(IV)

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chance of vaporization is eliminated) are provided as integral parts of the measuring system.

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Communication Systems
An Intercommunication System with EPABX and 15 handsets extensions are provided for internal communication between various offices such as administrative office, security gates, canteen, PMCC/DG House, Fire Pump House, etc. One P & T line connected through the Intercom Exchange with O dialing facility to selected extensions is provided for outside communication through the Intercom System.

A VHF Communication System is provided in the plant for wireless communication between various workstations. It consists of 9 handsets for different locations and a base station located at S&D Control Room. This is communication system enables all plant personnel to instantaneously contact Plant Manager and Vice-versa. In case of emergencies, Plant Manager may issue, specific instructions over this system.

A Public Address System is provided for conveying messages to tank truck crew in the truck parking area, which is operated from the Security Control Room in the main gate.

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CONCLUSION
There were many things that I had experienced and learned during the two weeks of my Industrial Training - I at Indian Oil Bottling Plant. The whole training period was very interesting, instructive and challenging. Through this training I was able to gain new insights and more comprehensive understanding about the real industry working condition and practice. It had also provided me the opportunities to develop and improve my soft and functional skills. All of this valuable experience and knowledge that I have gained were not only acquired through the direct involvement in task given but also through other aspect of the training such as work observation, interaction with colleagues, superior, and others third party related to the company. From what I have undergone, I am hundred percent agree that the industrial training program have achieve its entire primary objective. Its also the best ways to prepare student in facing the real working life. As a result of the program now I am more confident to enter the employment world and build my future career.

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