Increased demands in flexibility of production and rigid environmental regulations warrant the need for high on spec products. The only solution to accommodate both flexibility and high quality is a piggable transfer system designed by FMC Blending & Transfer. The system functions to clean the wall of a pipe after the transfer of a product, reducing contamination to practically zero percent.
High flexibility in production can only be reached by avoiding contamination between the different products. Without costly dedicated piping, most manufacturing plants cannot reach this quality aim. But with the help of a piggable transfer system, the goal can be achieved at in a cost-effective method.
Piggable transfer systems are primarily used to clean the wall of the pipe after the transfer of product. They can also be used to separate two products in a single line while still avoiding contamination. Thus piping from Point A to Point B anywhere in the plant can be reduced to a single pipe if pigging technology is deployed. The design of FMC pigging systems reduces residual oil inside the line to almost zero and enables the operator to run incompatible products in sequence without generating slop oil.
Piggable systems can be open or closed. In an open system the pig is loaded at one end of the line and removed at the other end once the pigging is completed. This process requires manual operation and higher-level safety procedures to ensure the pigs cannot be accidentally pushed out of the line. To enhance operator safety, a closed pigging system can be enabled. A closed system functions in the same method as the open system except that it is fully automated and controls the pigging sequence by monitoring the location of the pig in the line.
Elements instrumental to piggable transfer systems include:
FMC Bidirectional Pigs
Working like a cleaning element by passing through the line in a tight fit, the pig ensures that all residual material is removed. FMC offers pigs made in different materials for use in various applications.
Piggable Valves
FMC Blending & Transfer installs several different piggable valves:
- FMC Head Line Distribution Valve or HLDV, located at both ends of the line, is the launching/receiving ground of the pig. It consists of a piggable body, a ball valve, two magento inductive sensors to detect the pigs through the piggable body, and an air inject used to propel the pigs.
- FMC In-Line Distribution Valve or ILDV uses the same components as the HLDV but is mounted in the line rather than the end of the line.
- FMC Three Way Valve allows the transfer of products between each of three lines.
- FMC Multidirectional Valves enables any one way inlet to be connected to any outlet.
Automatic or Manual Piggable Manifolds Piggable manifolds are a safe alternative to hose manifolds which are prone to spills and often require heavy lifting of hoses to make connections. FMC's multidirectional manifolds ensure multiple piggable connections between incoming and outgoing lines. That means there is no product left in the line at the disconnection and they provide a safer, cleaner working environment for operators. FMC Blending & Transfer can install 3 types of manifolds--the FMC Chiksan Multidirectional Manifold, FMC Compact Multidirectional Manifold, and the FMC Rotary Mutildirectional Manifold. To find out which manifold is best suited for your transferring applications e-mail us at fmcblending@fmcti.com.
BENEFITS OF USING PIGGABLE TRANSFER SYSTEMS:
- There is minimized product loss and the lines are clean and empty after operation
- Product contamination is insignificant, which eliminates the need to recycle product
- Lower investment and reduced space requirements
- Enhanced safety and ease of operation--operator does not have to load and unload the pigs (only applies to closed system)