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MOL Plc’s LPG emergency transloading unit

This presentation was given during the 8th International Conference for Fire Brigades in the High Hazard

Industry, in Budapest, 2015.

1. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is Árpád Mórocza. I work as a firefighter for FER

Fire Brigade Százhalombatta branch. In my presentation I am going to introduce you:

The transportable LPG emergency transloading unit, which was developed in close cooperation

with MOL Plc., FER Fire Brigade Ltd. and the National Directorate General for Disaster

Management

And also the first response carried out by deploying the unit.

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2. Before starting my presentation on this topic please let me speak some words about FER Fire

Brigade, which, together with MOL Plc., is the host of this seminar.

The history of FER goes back to 1963, when a governmental fire brigade was established in

Százhalombatta for the fire protection of Danube Refinery and Dunamenti Power Plant.

There was a significant change in the Hungarian legislation in 1994, when it was decided that the big

companies, working in the high hazard industry, had to take care of their own fire protection. This was the

time when several industrial fire brigades were set up in Hungary, among which the two biggest ones; FER

Fire Brigade and TMM Ltd. in Tiszaújváros.

In 2009 FER extended its operation with two new branches; one of them in Komárom and another one in

Algyő site.

In 2013 TMM Ltd. merged into FER, and since 1st January 2014 we operate the fire brigades in Csepel and

Szajol Base Depots as well.

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3. Today FER has three full-time fire brigades (Százhalombatta, Tiszaújváros and Algyő) and three

part-time fire brigades (Komárom, Csepel and Szajol), and takes part also in the operation of the stand-by

duty in Zala Refinery.

All in all currently we are present on seven MOL sites with 43 full-time fire fighters all around the clock.

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4. In 2011 an initiation was issued to MOL Plc. by the National Directorate General for Disaster

Management, and MOL started the development of a unit, suitable for transloading Liquefied Petroleum

Gases in emergency situations. The unit was prepared by 2013, and after several successful tests it was put

in readiness in 2014.

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5. The emergency transloading unit is placed in a container, and transported by a heavy, tree-axle

designed, multilift-equipped truck. In this slide you can see the location of the unit’s main components. In

the front part of the container the diesel engine driven alternator is located. In the left side, behind the

alternator, you can see the control panel. Hoses and further equipment, like tools and gas detectors are in

the middle section. The flare and the pump and compressor units stand in the back of the container.

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6. The main elements of the system are the pump and compressor units. The sliding vane type,

explosion-proof pump has a 30 cubic meter per hour flow rate for liquefied gases. It is equipped with 70

meters of electrical cable, and fixed on a cart. The total mass of the unit is 700 kilograms. The capacity of

the explosion-proof compressor is 58 cubic meters per hour. Similarly to the pump, the compressor is fixed

on a hand-operated cart, and it has 70 meters cable, too. The mass of the compressor unit is 600

kilograms.

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7. The 3 tons per hour capacity flare is a double-purposed one. Firstly, by using it we can burn the

whole amount of the liquefied petroleum gas in a safe and controlled way, when transloading is impossible.

Secondly, following the successful emergency transloading operation, the remains of the gas that could not

be transloaded, can be burned by it. The not-explosion-proof elements of the system, like the diesel engine

driven alternator and the flare, are protected by seven pieces of gas detectors. The detectors give sign at 20

percent of the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL), and make an alarm on the control panel. The signs given at 40

percent of LEL make an alarm, and stop the whole system to avoid a possible explosion.

8. Basically the system can be operated in 3 + 1 different modes. During pump-operation the

liquid phase is transloaded by the pump unit. The gas phases of the loaded and unloaded

tankers are connected with hoses for ensuring closed transloading and pressure compensation.

Closed transloading is ensured during the three other methods, as well. During compressor-

operation the damaged tank’s gas phase is pressurized to press its liquid phase into the empty

tank. During this method, the gas and liquid phases are connected to each other, too. The

third, the fastest and safest method is to use the pump and compressor units at the same time.

The fourth, or as it is called here „+ 1” method is, when the whole load of the damaged tanker

is being burnt on the flare. In this picture you can see the 3rd operation mode.

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9. Deployment of the system is ensured via close, professional and co-ordinated co-operation of three

organizations, which are as follows:

MOL - provides experts’ background for performing safe operation;

Petrolszolg - assembles and operates the system;

FER - transports the unit to the scene, helps assemble the elements of the system, and provides

continuous gas detection during the operation.

Since the system can be deployed anywhere across Hungary, professional firefighters we must be also

mentioned; they help us by providing firefighters’ backup during full intervention.

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10. We should never forget about the primary goal of any fire protection-related equipment and

systems. The aim of technical developments is to protect human life; therefore, new equipment earns their

actual meaning if in real situations we can use them what they were designed for.

We didn't have to wait long for the first real deployment of the transloading unit. I am going to present you

this event in the coming slides.

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11. The incident happened on 2nd April 2015, in the railway station of Miskolc, B.A.Z. county. While

organizing trains, one tanker loaded with liquefied hydrocarbon gas, derailed and overturned. Two other

tankers also derailed; one of them hit the side of the tanker full of liquefied hydrocarbons. Miraculously,

there was neither personal injury nor gas leakages. However, the situation was exactly what the

transloading system had been designed for: the damaged tanker could not be moved from the scene.

Moreover, the tanker could be put back to the rails only after being unloaded, because the structure of the

tanker was not strong enough to bear the lifting.

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12. What we had to do were the tasks as follows:

cut the power in the surrounding aerials and stop rail transport;

check if the tank was leak-proof;

put back the two derailed railway tankers to the rails by using hydraulic re-railing system, then

move them away from the overturned wagon;

unload the content of the overturned wagon into an empty, inertized tanker;

lift the empty wagon by using a rail crane, then put it back to the rails;

tow the wagon to Tiszaújváros if it is suitable for rail transport.

The above tasks were carried out by the following organizations (with excellent co-operation):

professional firefighters of B.A.Z. County Disaster Management provided the on-site fire-fighters’

backup, and one of their officers was the Incident Commander during the response;

National Ambulance Service provided the medical background;

experts from MOL Plc. controlled the actual transloading operation;

MÁV professionals managed the railway transport operations, and put the wagon back by a rail

crane

experts from Petrolszolg Ltd. assembled and operated the transloading system;

firefighters from FER Fire Brigade transported the unit from Százhalombatta to Miskolc;

continuously monitored if the tank was leak-proof; and helped assembling and disassembling the

system.

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13. During this recovery operation creativity was required from the responders. The position of

the railway tanker did not allow direct connection for the hoses. First, colleagues of

Petrolszolg had to manufacture two pieces of elbow-profile connectors in Tiszaújváros. Those

profiles can be seen in this picture.

In the figure below a railway tanker can be seen in its normal position, when the liquid phase

can be transloaded through an 80-millimetre diameter coupling. On an over-turned railway

tanker, as we can see in the left side of the figure, it is not possible, just through a smaller, 50-

millimetre diameter coupling.

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14. Concluding my presentation it can be said that the operation of the emergency transloading unit

was excellent. No injuries, no leakages, no fire, no environmental pollution happened. Without it, the

elimination of this situation would have been much more complicated. The co-operation between the

different organizations was exemplary.

Raison d’étre: proven.

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15. In the last slide you can see the joint team of MOL, Petrolszolg and FER. This photo was taken

after the successful response in Miskolc… and it is the end of my presentation. Thank you for your

attention.

References:

1. Mórocza Árpád - Pimper László: Vasúti balesetek – Mobil vészátfejtő cseppfolyósított

szénhidrogén gázokhoz I. Védelem Katasztrófavédelmi Szemle, 2015/5, ISSN: 2064-1559

2. Mórocza Árpád – Pimper László: Vasúti balesetek – Mobil vészátfejtő cseppfolyósított

szénhidrogén gázok II. Védelem Katasztrófavédelmi Szemle, 2015/6, ISSN: 2064-1559

3. Bajok János, Bencsik László, dr. Csiba József, Hordós István, Kovács Tibor, Lamatsch Attila,

Pál Gábor, dr. Tóth Tibor, Vajdáné Imre Mária, Varga Mihály: Veszélyes anyagok és

veszélyes áruk a vasúton, MÁV Rt. Szakjegyzet, Budapest 1998 p155

4. MOL Nyrt. Logisztika szervezet telephelyein vészátfejtés végzése vagonból-vagonba mobil

átfejtő berendezés technológiai leírása és kezelési utasítása. Pennum Tervező és Szolgáltató

Kft., 2013. december 9.

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5. VAX Veszélyes anyagok gyorsinformációs kézikönyve, ERBE Energetika Kft., Mérnökiroda

Kft., Budapest, 2005. ISBN 963 219 128 5