Customized loading arms

Safe loading of fuel liquids with customized loading arms

At NEOT’s Oulu terminal, there was a need to replace the old and high-maintenance loading arms of the tank trucks, which had been in use for 25 years, with new and modern ones. The old loading arms had served for a long time, that is, their joint components were already badly worn. The old loading arms were also stiff and heavy to handle, which partly indicated that they were at the end of their useful life. Instead, they wanted customized but similar loading arms as before, which would also make it easy to install them in the existing pipeline.

The new loading arms were purchased specifically to improve the usability and ergonomics of the arms, but also to smooth out the loading and unloading processes. In addition, the new loading arms enhance the safe handling of fuels.

At first, Enmac carried out a laser scanning of the loading area, based on which the new loading arms could be dimensioned to be installed in the current pipeline. The design of the loading arms took into account the customer’s special requirements for accessories, such as limit switches and traffic lights: with these, the tanker driver can be informed when it is safe to arrive at the loading location and, accordingly, when it is safe for the vehicle to start moving. As agreed, Enmac delivered a customized solution, which included new loading arms, limit switches and traffic lights.

St1’s technical manager Jesse Aalto is satisfied with the project and especially with Enmac’s ability to customize the solution exactly as desired: “Enmac was willing to customize the equipment of the loading arms exactly according to NEOT’s needs. It was particularly important for us to have functional home station sensing, which prevents the truck from starting when the loading arm is still attached to the vehicle. In addition, we wanted traffic lights at the loading site to facilitate the loading and unloading processes and of course to ensure safe working.”

Enmac’s project manager Aleksi Korkee reviews the project: “The loading arms were installed in a space that was a bit cramped, which brought its own challenges to the design. However, this was tackled well by laser scanning the area. The great thing about the project was that the client was very involved and interested in how the project was progressing, so also the questions that arose were answered quickly. It contributed to the smooth implementation of the project without additional stops that could have affected the delivery time,” Korkee specifies.

St1’s Jesse Aalto describes how the cooperation in the project went really well: “We received information from Enmac every month about the progress of the project, which means we were kept well informed of the situation. We found this to be very useful, which strengthened our confidence in the project’s management even more. In addition, the documentation of the loading arms was of really good quality, which was a positive surprise for us!” “The delivery of the loading arms from Enmac was of high quality and within the agreed schedule – Enmac’s loading arms are easy to use and the movement trajectories work as planned. There has also been really positive feedback from tanker truck drivers,” says Aalto. Jyri Halkola from the Kotka office works as the contact person for loading and unloading site projects at Enmac. He has years of experience in modernizing loading and unloading areas and in system deliveries. Jyri says that loading and unloading arms are used in terminals and plants for loading and unloading various liquids, for example chemicals and fuels, from the plant’s process to a tank truck or train.

Loading and unloading arms are available as both upper and lower arms, which enable loading or unloading the tanker without hoses. We have experience in the modernization of more than a hundred loading and unloading areas over a period of ten years. Today we can name ourselves as Finland’s largest equipment supplier of customized loading and unloading arms! With the loading and unloading arms, the loading or unloading process can be carried out safely and ergonomically, because the arms avoid the handling of heavy hoses and the risk of leakage and tripping caused by the hoses. The arms can also be implemented with pneumatic balancing aid, which makes handling really effortless.

Enmac’s loading and unloading arms are CE-marked products suitable for use in ATEX areas. They meet the requirements for chemical pipelines according to the Finnish Government Decree (856/2012). The dimensioning and functions of the loading and unloading arms are carried out so that the arms are suitable for use with the safety structures of the loading area and so that they are suitable for the customer’s loading process. We always customize the materials and equipment of the arms according to the need and requirements.

For more information about our loading arms see our references.

Feel free to contact us and ask more:

Jyri Halkola
Director, Plant and process design, unloading and loading stations
jyri.halkola@enmac.fi
Tel. +358 40 724 5596