Document QkKYxKOV3yQ0GVKEvznvJrGXo

ABD00242913 v\ VCM UNLOADING OPERATING MANUAL ABERDEEN CHEMICAL PLANT ABERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI M V 1 t (^ 83 NOVEMBER 4;'' 1902 Approved By Yard Supervisor Vinyl Operation Supt. ABD00242914 VCM UNLOADING OPERATING MANUAL ABERDEEN PVC PLANT TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION Page No. A. Operator Responsibilities ....................................................................................... 1 B. General Process Description............................................................................................ 3 H. OPERATING PROCEDURES A. Railcar Hookup.......................................................................................................................10 B. Unloading Railcars......................................................... 17 C. Recovering Vapor From Railcars.......................................... 22 D. Unhooking Railcars.............................................................................. 24 E. Troubleshooting and MiscellaneousOperating Procedures 1. Liquid in the Compressor Suction...............................................................29 2. High Pressure on the Sphere or Bullets (or Evacuation) . . . 29 3. Evacuating a Compressor forMaintenance......................................................30 4. Lack of Liquid Flow in Sight Glass..........................................................33 5. Tank Car Excess Flow ValveClosing................................................................34 6. Evacuating the VCM Vapor Line Knockout Pot and Recycle Pump for Maintenance.............................................................................................. 35 III. EQUIPMENT INDEX........................................................................................................................ 37 IV. SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS.................................. .......................................... .. . . 40 V. EQUIPMENT ENTRY PROCEDURES ........................................................................................... 44 VI. APPENDIX A. Valve Setup Checklist \ B. C. Q , Checklist for Testing Auto Valves n\PTV ouL-fS&wQ l/C/H rftA)hi CfttL tji/SPBCTtW /LBP04.T Plant Emergency Plan 2$. P & I Diagram X JJ. Photographs /. Sample Railcar Placard ABD00242915 VCM UNLOADING OPERATION MANUAL ABERDEEN PVC PLANT INTRODUCTION A. Operator Responsibilities The purpose o:`the VCM Tank Farm is to safely unload and store Vinyl Chloride-Monomer (VCM). VCM is brought into the plant in tankcars. It is the main raw material used in making the plant**s major product, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), .VCM is a colorless sweet-smelling gas at atmospheric pressure that is stored and transferred as a liquid at moderate pressure (30-70 psig). The yard department is responsible for the offloading of VCM tankcars and the related transfer equipment. The yard operator helps fulfill the tankfarm's purpose by making sure that the VCM is safely unloaded without endangering his fellow workers or equipment. The operator is able to attain his goals in safety, job performance and efficient operation through a training period, on-;the-job experience, and passing written and field examinations. The operator fulfills his responsi bilities by: 1. Demonstrating understanding of how his equipment functions. 2. Being able to explain what role each piece of equipment plays in the process. 3. Keeping a close and regular check on equipment. 4. Being able to demonstrate troubleshooting and corrective measures. 5. Keeping his area of responsibility safe and clean. 6. Keeping complete and accurate records. 7. Reporting equipment problems promptly and writing maintenance work orders as needed. r. oCc *<t ABD00242916 VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 2 1. INTRODUCTION (Cont.) A. Operator Responsibilites (Cont.) This operating manual will cover the normal responsibilities and duties of the yard operator when unloading VCM railcars. Each phase of the unloading procedure will be covered. In addition to normal operating procedures it will also discuss operations under abnormal conditions. The operator must be prepared to meet these situations with temporary measures until the abnormal condition is corrected or ceases to exist. Safety takes second place to no plant activity. The safety of the plant personnel and equipment is to be carefully considered before any job is started. The Conoco safety slogan is "Our work is never so urgent or important that we cannot take time to do it safely". Safety on the job must be our first and most important consideration. When we do a good job of planning our work with safety in mind, we are less likely to suffer injury or cause an accident. This allows us to meet our plant goal of employees going home unhurt. OXTXjJL a- OC'M. 6 oAM>~ h 7e^O,, ^ cuziAiuajJ VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 3 ABD00242917 I. INTRODUCTION (Cont.) B. General Process Description VCM tankcars are brought into the plant from various VCM plants through out the United States. Most of the VCM that comes into this plant comes from Conoco*s VCM Plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. VCM also occa- ' sionally comes from PPG in Lake Charles, B. F. Goodrich in Calvert City, ' c* T /y Kentucky or from Uniroyal in Geismar, Louisiana^ . A VCM Tankcar typically holds 175,000 pounds of VCM (about 23,000 gallons of liquid). /If for some reason an inbound VCM car's gross weight is less than 255,000 / pounds, the car must be reweighed and spotted on the west track until. . V VTtca- J&iJuliM a* "7^ TUa AA-AVA. A, A.V, -f *- ,, Ma.Jaa.____J billing weights are verified.' The cars are shipped to Aberdeen and stored on the Monroe lead until they are brought into the plant. Only the Monroe leadlor new VCM spur can be used to store VCM railcars. This is a safety precaution so that all the VCM cars are kept in one general area. The railroad crew is responsible for bringing the VCM cars into the plant and "spotting" them at the VCM transfer stations that are on the platform at the^CM tank farm. This is usually done once per day except on weekends or holidays. A maximum of ten tankcars can presently be brought into the tank farm. The tank farm has eight transfer (unloading) SPtrfS stations-. The platform is located between two sets of railroad tracks such that there are four transfer-et-at-i-ons- on each side. These are referred to by name as Spot No. 1, Spot No. 2, Spot No. 3, and *'Oer#(4S7 S/0)t/?/i/O S&0T A/O.6,SS0f fi/0.1JS-P07 .g Spot No. 4, from .north- to -south-, respectively. - A-max-imuBr'of-two-- OA/a sPF7 yt/0. f, F&0M setATH r# a/oPTH CtvEsT S/D\ SPOT /UO.SCSGST >tankcarB^canbe;hodked-upata1:-tt!each=spoti? ' stag of fiiATFa/tM) tf/jo sPor /i/O. At? (a/ssr s/o of /?# -TWO n?PS/?07T//SG'\r#/l/A'CA5\6UT ->"0nce the railcars have been spotted \_it-.is-the^vard-department s 0 me ajO ia.hl.omwc, ehciuties. ht these two sh^ts? responsibility to unload the VCM into T-601 which is commonly called the TA)A5 VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 4 ABD00242918 I. INTRODUCTION (Cont.) B. General Process Description (Cont.) "sphere". This is done using the five Corken compressors at the tank farm. They are commonly referred to as Compressor No. 1, Compressor No. 2, Compressor No;3, Compressor No. 4, and Compressor No. 5, from north to south, respectively. Compressors No. 3 and No. 5 combined have about the same capacity as either Compressor No. 1, No. 2, or No. 4. The tankcars are connected to the compressor piping and the sphere piping with flexible hoses. The compressors pull vapor from the top of the sphere and compress it into the tankcars, forcing liquid out of the cars through a stand pipe, into the bottom of the sphere. Each tankcar has three valved connections in the dome of the car (two liquid lines and one vapor line). The liquid lines are 2" lines and point toward each end of the tankcar. The vapor line is a lh" line and points toward the side of the car. Refer to the photograph in the Appendix. Only one liquid line is usually hooked up on a car because the car does not unload significantly faster with two lines and it takes longer to hook up the car. Both liquid lines have to be hooked up on some type of cars (ACFX and PPGX cars) because the excess flow valves are set to close at lower rates than our normal unloading rate of 65-95 gpm. The operator can tell when all the liquid has been unloaded from a car by watching the sight glass in the liquid transfer line. When the tankcar has been emptied, the 4-way valves on the compressor are reversed such that the compressor evacuates vapor from the car and discharges it into the top of the sphere. When the specified amount of vapor is removed from the tankcar, the compressors are shut down and the transfer lines VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 5 ABD00242919 I. INTRODUCTION (Cont.) B. General Process Description (Cont.) are evacuated. This must be done because of EPA (Environmental Protec tion Agency) regulations concerning the release of VCM vapor to the atmosphere. Then the transfer line can be unhooked and the cars are sent back to the respective VCM plant for reloading. All outbound VCM cars are to be weighed. Cars containing a heel greater than 600 pounds should be set aside for additional unloading. The plant can lose considerable amounts of VCM on heavy outbound cars, which can drastically impact on our plant's cost effectiveness. There is a big difference in winter and summer operation of the,tank.,- - farm. The primary reason is probably because the vessels fe^uninsulated "--' ' -T and the transfer lines are lengthy and are exposed to ambient tempera tures along their entire run. The vapor pressure drops in the vessels and the tankcars as the temperature drops, making it harder to unload in cold weather because there is less VCM pressure to move the liquid through the pipes. Thus, unloading conditions can also vary from day to night and when rapid changes in weather occur. r During the summer, eight tankcars can be hooked up at one time and unloaded with four or five compressors. Also, the tankcars will usually start unloading as soon as the valves on the liquid lines are opened. During winter conditions (ambient temperature approximately 40F or less), it is harder to start the VCM liquid unloading and only four tankcars can be unloaded at a time, with four or five compressors. If the weather gets extremely cold, it may take four compressors to unload only two or even one car, but this has not happened since the tg Operating Manual ABD00242920 :T10N (Cont.) :ral Process Description (Cont.). Complete and accurate records must be kept on VCM unloading. These are necessary for accounting purposes and for communication between shifts. A VCM Unloading Card must be filled out and turned in to the accounting group for each car unloaded. Records are also kept in the yard scale-house on which cars were unloaded, when they started, when they were-put on vapor, and when they were unhooked. A valve setup checklist also must be filled out by the yard opera tor when hooking up cars and starting unloading. Copies are to be kept on file by the yard supervisor. A copy of the checklist is included in the ADDendix. &L&0 IAJCUJA.OEO /C ^ tOPp Op "TtiP The automatic valves under the sphere are tested every Wednesday morning. The checklist used to record the results of this testing is shown in the Appendix. Copies of this checklist are to be kept on file by the yard supervisor. This testing must be coordinated with the vinyl panel operators so that the valves are not closed VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 10 ABD00242921 XI. OPERATING PROCEDURES A. Railcar Hookup After VCM cars are brought into the plant, the yard operator "hooks up" each car by connecting transfer hoses to it. Vapor can then be trans ported into the car and the liquid VCM can be sent into the sphere. In the summer, two cars can be hooked up at each transfer station for. unloading. During winter operation or when a rapid change in the weather is anticipated during unloading, only one car can be unloaded from each transfer station Fresh air masks must be worn under closing the railcar dome, or while connecting and disconnecting the transfer hoses. Gloves must be worn while handling the nipples and the transfer hoses. VCM cars are not to be hooked up during an electrical storm. Equipment Required 1. Fresh Air Mask 2. 1 1/2" Teflon Tape 3. 0-rings for *caiii'loGkMco.upl4Rgssatid> Weco fittings (if needed) 4. Gloves Procedure 1. Get a fresh air mask and a roll of 1 1/2" Teflon tape, from the yard scale house. Also get "0" rings that are needed'to replace the ones at the tank farm. Nnfce--that--th'ere'are-two--^types~of-0--r-ings.--.The larger ones _ar,e.for-the-Weco-f IttingST-whi-le'-the^smal'Ter-'nnefl^are used with-the-camlockcouo'Mnes*..Y Tnsner.t fhp M0" r-fn-individ- VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 11 - ABD00242922 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) 2. Raise the blue metal flag located on the railroad track south of the roadway. This flag states "Stop! Tankcar Connected." This procedure is necessary to isolate the eight unloading stations and notify railroad personnel that VCM unloading is taking place. 3. Engage the derailer located near the blue flag. This will prevent railcars from entering the tank farm area when unloading is taking place. Q JS. Check the railcar chocks and handbrake and ground the railcar. Make sure that the chocks are in good condition and are against the railcar wheels. Manually check the handbrake to make sure it is tight. Inspect the grounding cables to ensure that they are intact and in good working condition. Bond each car to the ground rod by attach ing the grounding clamp Croup sjQE^of THE norttiVvertical siderail of the ladder. the This prevents static accumulation during unloading^and eliminates dangerous sparking which could ignite any VCM leaks. It also prevents loss of the ground clamp if it is left connected during switching. Should one of the grounding clamps or cables be damaged, use the backup cable located on the south liquid boom arms at each spot Bxcepr sfiors, /vot amdmoA `except^Spot-No. "i which-has- no backup cables. ^S**. Drain the water from the breathing air filter if necessary. (The filter is located between the rail tracks). Visually check the valves under the sphere to make sure they are set up for unloading. The 4" valve on the vapor, line and the 6" valve 4 ,,,% -*r.* vv VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 12 ABD00242923 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) under the sphere on the liquid line to the sphere must be open (both valves are actuated valves). Si. Record the sphere level on the checklist (see checklist in Appen dix). Turn the handle on the gauge to move the tape, then take the reading. If the tape does not bounce, notify the yard supervisor. The maximum allowable sphere level is 38 feet. To unload 4 tankcars the level must be below 32 feet - 3 inches (27 feet - 0 inches for 8 tankcars). 8. Climb the stairs to the unloading platform. If the stairs are wet or icy, be especially careful. Always be sure to use the handrail. 9. Go to the station you want to unload from, loosen the locks on the walkramp, and use your foot to push the ramp onto the car dome. The ramp will not operate if it is not in the middle of the platform opening. Adjust the height and length of the ramp and lock the ramp into place. Watch for pinch points when positioning the ramp and do not put any unnecessary strain on your back. 10. Unlatch the vapor and liquid line(s) and swing each line over the railcar dome area. Be careful not to let the lines swing back and catch your arm or hands. (The vapor line is the iy line). 11. Remove the nipples from the holders and peel off the old Teflon tape. Inspect the threads and retape them with new tape up to 2" from the end of the threads. If the threads are worn, write a work order to replace the old nipples with new ones. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 13 ABD00242924 A XI. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) /.r 12^-/.Remove the pipewrench from the holder and fasten it on one nipple. Then carry the pipewrench and nipples to the dome area of the car. Be careful not to drop the nipple and damage the threads. 13. Put on the fresh air mask and tighten it. Test the face seal by blocking the hose.with one hand while trying to breathe in. If it leaks, adjust the straps or facepiece. Make sure you have a good face seal. 14. Purge the air line of any water that may be in the line. Connect the fresh air mask to the fresh air hose that is on the transfer line booms. 15. Break the domelid seal with the pipewrench and slide the latching bar so that the lid can be raised. Open the domelid and push it all the way back so that it cannot close. Be careful to use proper lifting procedures when raising the lid. 16. Visually check inside the dome area for leaks. Leaks will be indicated by condensation or icing around the valves and fittings. ^ r cbiciL Plus,* fiuo caps aaP a7T4C,HD *& auss/vc^ wOT? ^cjcus-t 17. Test the valves to make sure they are closed by pushing the valve' * handles against the closed stop. SeLEnr fUCz CoGfiEcJ-- 18. Adjuofr tl''*t"~T7~ " lt^to fit the railcar valve plugs and remove the plugs. Be aiert to the fact that the wrench could slip and trap your hand or fingers against the dome. Also do not stand in the direction of the valve opening in case a valve is leaking and VCM spews out. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 14 ABD00242925 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) . A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) 19. Push the port hole covers aside and screw the nipples into the valve opening until they are hand tight. Then tighten the nipples with the pipewrench. Be careful not to let the wrench slip. The nipples must be very tight or they will leak. Double check them after installing. 20. Close the-bieed*TJff'valves on the end of the transfer line booms. Make sure they are fully closed so that VCM will not leak to the atmosphere. 21. Unhook the flexlines-and'eamloek-caupAings--or* Weco fittings from the holders on the booms. Be careful to minimize bending and twisting the flexlines during hookup. Excessive bending of the flexlines causes early failure of the lines. Visually inspect the flexlines for small holes or extremely worn areas of the armored weave. If a flexline is punctured, badly twisted or damaged, or in your judgment has a likely potential for failure during operation, contact maintenance and have the hose replaced. t\tlPPl 22. Inspect the "0" rings individually and install them in the -eoupi&ng* slots . 's-For--stat-ions-w-ith--fche-Wect> --~^-.fittingsJ,_the--LlOli--r-ings--a-siof'orTThe nippl'e-. The "0" ring must be evenly seated to prevent leaks. "0" rings with cuts or nicks should be discarded. ABD00242926 VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 15 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) alignment of the M0M ring against the flange and the coupJLing-,'to make sure there'i's**a*Bgood^seal. "OlUririgs^t.hat""are pinched or crook ed will cause leaksr When the^Pga.ring is seated properly, evenly tighten the bj i, ^ress the Weco union attached to the flex hose against the nipple inserted in the railcar. Check the alignment of the "0" ring to make sure there is a good seal. -6otp- "o" didGS fhQT flWCttgD ofL CkOOKSD will cause EE/9/CS Cohpletely tighten the Weco hammerlock to prevent leakage. 24. Check to make sure that the valve on the transfer line closest to the railcar dome is closed (it should be closed from the previous unhook- UP ing). Slowly pull the handle of each railcar valve .down-to open it. Opening the valves too fast can cause an undesirable surge of pressure. Check for leaks around each coupling or-b-l-oed. off-valve as the railcar valves are opened. ,, 25. Slowly open the liquid valve(s) on the end of the booms'^ Then open the vapor valve at the end of the boom. Make sure that the valves are fully opened or flow will be restricted. 26. Recheck the valves on each transfer line to make sure they are open. The railcar dome valve and both tranfer line valves must be open. Vacuum The^irleed"valve must be closed. Initial the checklist to show that the valves are open. 27. Inspect the flex hose for leaks. Contact maintenance to replace any leaking flex hoses. (Note: The line must be disconnected using VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 16 ABD00242927 * II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) A. Railcar Hookup (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) proper procedures prior to replacing. The procedure is on page 24 - "Unhooking Railcars"). 28. Disconnect the fresh air mask and check the pressure gauges at the platform on the vapor and liquid lines and make sure that they are showing pressure. . Lack of pressure may indicate a leak, a plug or a closed valve. 29. Hookup additional railcars using steps 9-27. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 17 ABD00242928 4 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) B. Unloading Railcars After the VCM cars at the tank farm are hooked up, the cars are unload ed using the Corken compressors. The compressors take vapor from the top of the sphere and compress it into the tank cars, forcing the liquid in the cars to flow into the bottom of the sphere. It usually takes 4-6 hours to unload the liquid VCM from a tankcar. It is very important for the valves on the compressors to be set up correctly or the compressor will dead-head. Running the compressors in a dead-headed condition will raise the compressors* relief valves and force VCM into the emission recovery knockout pot T-201. A pressure switch on T--22Qpl'^l"w^wj ill shut down all compressors if the pressure in the /io) pot reaches -HXTpsig. Equipment Required 1. Fresh Air Mask. Procedure 1. After hooking up the cars, carefully come down the stairs from the unloading platform, using the handrails. Check the valves that are between the railroad tracks going to each unloading station, which is to be used for unloading cars. All the valves should normally be open. Initial the checklist if the valves are open. If any of the valves are closed, do not startup any compressors going to that unloading station. 2. |go to the compressor shed and^connect the^f-r-esh-air-mask-to-the-- f rash_air_ hose. Put, nn _thp Uee-the-proper--procedure-for--the_ fxesh-air--ma sk-as^descr-ibed.ear-lier,. . gagcd fn/i Tfins^a-iSCK mtr M aw '^ fiUD 10*JA/CT IT TO TtilZ ^BSH 0//L , s^Lj VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 19 ABD00242929 H. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) B. Unloading Railcars (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) Initial the checklist after checking the vapor valve for each com pressor. 8. Check the level of the VCM in the vapor line knockout pot by observing the sight glass located on the east side of the pot. The level should be below the pot * s.*i33Wr level switch before unloading is started. The level in the pot is automatically controlled by high and low level switches. Should the instruments malfunction and the level be above HI&H the *Xow. level switch, notify the yard supervisor and proceed to drain the pot manually. Do this by placing the VCM recycle pump switch in the "hand" position. This switch is located on a panel on the south side of the knockout pot. The recycle pump will pump the contents of the pot to the sphere. When the level in the pot has lowered to the low level switch, place the pump switch back in the "auto" position. 9. Turn the handle of each 4-way valve so that the handle is in the vertical position. This sets up the compressor to pull from the sphere and discharge into the tank cars. (NOTE: The handles can be installed in the opposite direction. If maintenance works on a 4-way valve, check the arrows on the valve and make sure the flow is from the sphere to the tankcars when the valve handle is vertical. This must be checked before signing off the work order.) 10. Check the suction pressure of each compressor. It should read the same as the sphere pressure. If the pressure is 0 psig, the liquid trap may be full of liquid which closes the high level shutoff valve in the trap and will not allow any flow to the compressor. The trap can be drained VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 20 ABD00242930 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) B. Unloading Railcars (Con.t) Procedure (Cont.) by opening the Jamesbury valve that goes to the emission recovery knockout pot by the compressor shed. When the liquid is drained off, the pressure will rise on the suction (as the shutoff valve opens). OccuHSjCLOSB Vf)L\/ 11. When the suction of each compressor is set up correctly, Visually trace the vapor discharge lines for each compressor. When all of the compressors are to be run. Compressors No. 3 and No. 5 should dis charge to the No. 3 transfer station. Compressor No. 2 should dis charge to No. 2 transfer station. Compressor No. 4 should discharge to the No. 4 transfer station, and Compressor No. 1 should discharge to the No. 1 transfer station. When one or more compressors are not to be run, or if fewer than four railcars are to be unloaded, it is best to setup the compressors on common discharge by opening the four valves on the No. 5 compressor header. This allows all the compres sors to be set up on one common header. Check the valves on the line from the No. 5 compressor to made sure they are set up correctly and be sure to check the jumper lines that connect the lines going to the four spots. Finally, check the four vapor valves near the ground going to the four transfer stations. The valve to each transfer station that is to be unloaded from must be open. Initial the checklist after making sure the appropriate valves are open. 12. When all the lines have been traced for each compressor, push the start buttons for the compressors to be run. 13. Check the oil pressure on each compressor. It must read between 10-20 psig. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page ABD00242931 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) C. Recovering Vapor From Railcars (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) on the same transfer station and that the sight glass for that transfer station shows vapor flow), A. Go to the dome of railcar A and close the liquid valve(s). This allows you to check the sight glass and see if the liquid has blown out of railcar B. B, Go to the sight glass and check for liquid blowing through the line. If liquid flow shows in the sight glass, railcar B has not blown out. Finish unloading it by closing the vapor valve on railcar A . and-set&in&^up the-campreseors-on-a^oromon-headar--as -mpnHnnp^^i.n^ tehis--pSee5wq jyj f pyf) C. When the sight glass shows that railcar B has blown out, go back to d/V VAPQ&. the platform and open the liquid/valve(s) on railcar A. D. Next, close the liquid valve(s) on railcar B to make sure that rail- car A has blown out. E. Check the sight glass as in step B (Above). If liquid flow shows in the sight glass, railcar A was not blown out and must be unloaded. Close the vapor valve on railcar^B, conmon-header--t-o-ainload railcar--A-r ('Jfl A.' /S F. When the sight glass shows that railcar A has blown out, re-open the liqufUWalve(s) on railcar B. G. After all the cars have blown out, reopen any valve that you closed to check or unload the railcars. .2 Put on the fresh air mask, check for face seal, and connect it to the / fresh air hose. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 24 ABD00242932 XI. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) C. Recovering Vapor from Railcars (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) 3. Open the four valves on the No. 5 compressor header so that all the compressors are on one comon header. 4. y. Reverse all the 4-way valves so that the handles are in the horizon- CLoinitumO UM MLUcS^OT -THB Q&OUMO LJ located Check the compressor discharge pressures to make sure the compres- SS^S^ sors are not dead headed (pressure should be 70-100 psig). 7>'. Take off the fresh air mask, disconnect it and roll up the hose. Record in the logbook the time that the cars were put on vapor. D. Unhooking Railcars When the VCM railcars at the tank farm have been unloaded and evacuated to the specified pressure, the compressors will be automatically shut off by the low pressure switches. Before the cars can be unhooked, the amount of VCM vapor in the transfer hose must be reduced to 0.13 cubic feet of VCM vapor (at 20 C and 29.92 in. Hg) to comply with EPA regula tions. To meet this requirement, the lines must be evacuated to a 10" Hg vacuum. Then the lines can be unhooked and the cars can be sent out of the plant. PirfO Fresh air masks must be worn under the compressor shed while connect ing the transfer hoses. Gloves must be worn while handling the nipples and the transfer hoses. VCM cars are not to be unhooked during an elec trical storm. Equipment Required 1. Fresh Air Mask 2. Gloves VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 25 ABD00242933 s II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) D. Unhooking Railcars (Cont.) Procedure 1. Go to the tank farm and climb the platform stairs. Be especially careful if the stairs are wet or icy and be sure to use the hand rail. 2. Check the pressure on each transfer station according to the gauges on the platform. Make sure that the car(s) at each transfer station have been pulled down to 6-8 psig. NOTE: If one of the transfer stations has reached the proper evacu ation pressure before the others, close the valves at the platform for that transfer station. Since the compressors are on one common header, this will allow the other transfer station(s) to evacuate faster. When all the transfer stations have been properly evacu ated, reopen the valves on the transfer lines which you closed. 5. Close the 4" main vapor valve from the sphere and the 6" main liquid valve to the sphere that are on the west side of the compressor shed. 6. Check the pressure gauge on the line to the emission recovery system. (Gauge is at the southwest corner of compressor shed.) It must read at least 10" Hg vacuum. Open the four manual valves that evacuate the transfer' lines to the emission recovery system. NOTE: If there is not at least 10" Hg vacuum on the line, notify the vinyl control room. It is the vinyl department's responsibility to maintain at least 10" Hg vacuum on the line. ABD00242934 VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 26 4 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) D. Unhooking Railcars (Con.t) Procedure (Cont.) 7. Immediately after opening the four manual evacuation valves, care fully climb the stairs to the unloading platform, "hoek^up-=and- put ^on a , the fresh air mask, check for face seal, ad*^Lose the valves inr the railcar dome on each car that was unloaded (you will have to unhook and reconnect the fresh. #,air mask at each station). 8. Open the actuated valves that evacuate the transfer lines to the emission recovery system by opening the switch at each transfer station. (Write work orders for any valves that do not open or close correctly.) 9. When the pressure gauge at the transfer station reads L0M Hg vacuum or less, put on the fresh air mask and close the valve on the trans fer line that is closest to the railcar dome. The pressure gauges should be maintained in good working condition or be replaced. The stainless steel flex hose is now valved off at 10" Hg vacuum or less, which complies with EPA regulations. S/LEAK*#* 10. Open the h" vacuum valve at the end of the transfer line boom. 11. hoosen--the_b.oltS-Qn-t-he-coupl-ing with the pipe-wrench~~^Trd'~H~lsronngc>t- oiscwwgcrfHz */co c#i+pua/g> , .fche-.coupitTig'. 12. k^et^<-^^Discard it if It has any^nickgyor cracks on it^^Cjo seethe vacuum break^^ Lalye^Mi* ^alye.-and.rhang- hhe^OUzxing-arotffid^?^ 13. Connect thetransfer line to the boom and swing it out of the way. 14. Unscrew the nipples-from the railcar valve opening with the pipe- wrench. Remove them from the dome and cover the portholes. V_/2 tfj&PBQ.T THE "o" &tA/G> OaJ tA tA/c& COUPUaJQ Wf>PLj DtSCAPO ,F /T AAS AAJy A/KJL& CAACtS 6* fT. CLOSE TAB fflCtiUm y/}Ll/r. & VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 27 ABD00242935 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) D. Unhooking Railcars (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) Be careful not to let the pipewrench slip and trap your hands or fingers against the railcar. ff+e- Coz&ecr Stie o-><zeK>cJt to fit the,railcar valve plugs and screw them tightly Into the valve opening. Once again, do not let the wrench slip while tightenirig-the.plugs. M p**-*?*- )***+~ J) 16. Put the nipples ftd^ plpewrenclyftra the transfer station walk ramp and close the railcar clome lid. Be careful not to let the lid trap your hands or fingers. Slide the latching bar shut to hold the lid rC2r , if) AaJO MCOfi.0 ft)Z CIO SEAL A/U/tlSEA. OfJ f>i CHSCJCUST, closed. ^ L- ate**-'*- 17. Unhook the fresh air mask and take the pipewrench nipples, back to the main platform. Place them in the racks provided for them. Be careful not to drop the nipples or damage the threads. 18. Turn off the switch to close the actuated valves that evacuate the transfer lines to the emission recovery system. 19. Latch the transfer line booms to the platform. Be careful not to let them pinch your arms or hands. Do not bend or twist the flexlines excessively. This can cause early failure of the flexlines. 20. Loosen the locks on the walk ramp and pull it away from the tank car. Lock it after raising it into the vertical position. 21. Repeat steps 9-20 to unhook the other railcars. 22. After unhooking all the railcars, climb down the steps from the platform. Do Not leave the fresh air mask on the platform. Take it back to the yard scale house with you and place it in- the proper receptacle for cleaning at the end of your shift. 23. Unhook the ground cable from the unloading station. VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 28 ABD00242936 II. OPERATING PROCEDURES (Cont.) D. Unhooking Railcars (Cont.) Procedure (Cont.) 24. /Turnthe placards on the railcar over so that they read "Empty." f* These placards must be present on both sides and both ends of each car.^A sample of the railcar placards is attached in this manual. 25. Close the manual valves on the 1" lines from the VCM transfer lines to the emission recovery header (under northeast corner of compres- /' sor shed). These must be manually blocked in to. prevent air or VCM leaks into the emission1recovery system and to prevent VCM leakage* through the automatic valves during railcar unloading. 26. Lower the blue flag to show that tank cars are no longer connected. 27. Disengage the derailer located south of the roadway. 28. Go to the sphere and record the level. Record this level and other information about unhooking the car in the logbooks in the yard scalehouse. ALSO CLOSg 0MISS10A/ l/*U/ LQCftTEO OVE&HEftO fir THE SMTHWeST C0&AJ&A. OP T# C0MP&GSS0*' /V ABD00242937 VCM Unloading Operating Manual Page 35 4 II. OPERATING PROCEDURE (Cont.) E. Troubleshooting and Miscellaneous Operating Procedures (Cont.) 5. Tank Car Excess Flow Valve Closing (Cont.) '"`S combination of the following procedures: a. I >.,b. Partially close the liquid valves on the dome of the car. This 'slow down the flow and should reseat the valve, .^ rt+is fcrse** ^L0*/ \ Oflutex. Turn off the compressor and let the car unload itself for a THeO Cfieo /iu_ pAftrC4.y cZLoSeO periodjAtds restart, the compressors. This can usually be done ! only in summer conditions. NOTE: If the excess flow valves shut in a car that has both liquid lines hooked up, this indicates that the valve is probably faulty. The car number should be noted so that it can be shopped after unloading. On ACFX and PPGX cars, the excess flow rates are set at a lower flow rate than on most UTLX, RTMX, and NATX cars. For the ACFX and PPGX cars, the liquid lines should always be hooked up to each car. 6. Evacuating The VCM Vapor Line Knockout Pot and Recycle Pump For Maintenance Before taking the knockout pot and recyclye pump down for main tenance; the pot, pump, and related piping must be isolated and the VCM vapors removed (down to below 0 psig). This will be done by using the emission recovery system. a. Close the 4" inlet and outlet valves to the knockout pot. Tag these valves with "Do Not Operate" tags. b. Close and tag the recycle pumps's 1^" discharge and recir culation valves. V'aLv/g^s t>iap ^osr "j ^___1" ABD00242938 . c.lo&q -Fbg- umoftpfMfr- ry*wL*J! VoJUa- &*- <h X&a- -dXA. fY)/tu^. c3M 0UA^i3^i- UaAax^ . VALVE SETUP CHECKLIST FOR UNLOADING VCM J*M. 4 Jau^C ^ VALVES THAT MUST BE OPENED FOR UNLOADING: 1. Main liquid valve to sphere LOCA7TO UMOe/Z. SPHE&~ .2 Main vapor valve from sphere ) 3. Check sphere levelFeet Inches. 4. Both valves on liquid and. vapor lines hooked to car. 5. Valves inside car dome for vapor and liquid.\ .6 Vapor and liquid going to stations between railroad track. 7. Vapor and liquid valves under sight glasses on each station being unloaded from. .8 Sphere liquid and vapor valve on main headers on west side of compressor shed. 9. 4-way valves on each compressor being used must be in vertical position (handle). 10. Vapor line knockout pot inlet and outlet valves on west side of compressor shed. VALVES THAT MUST BE OPENED FOR RECOVERING VAPOR FROM RAILCAR: 11. Same as above except 4-way valves on compressor being used in horizontal position (handle). WHAT TO CHECK FOR UNLOADING: s' . '% 1. Pressure gauages on compressors: a. Inlet Side - 20 to 50 pounds. 'If 0, compressor is full of liquid. b. Outlet Side - 60 to 110 pounds. If over 120, compressor is dead headed. 2. Sight glasses on liquid lines (flow of liquid). 3. Jamesbury valves on knockout pots closed to evacuation system. 4. No valve mentioned above partially closed. 5. Liquid VCM avove the low level switch in the vapor line knockout pot. CAR NUMBERS BEING UNLOADED: