Monday, December 16, 2013

Understanding The Crude Oil Transportation Process

By Eugenia Dickerson


Petroleum products are at the backbone of may economies all over the world. Due to recent advances in the exploration and processing of naturally occurring reserves, the demand for petroleum has been satisfied considerably. Since demand and supply are rarely concentrated at the same point, the need for a reliable means of crude oil transportation always arises.

Most global, oilfields are lined with pipelines that deliver the fluid to a common point for collection by trains or tankers. The product is then ferried to the consumer side of the market for collection by retailers and refiners who will add value by further processing. Because of risks associated with handling end petroleum products, it is safer to refine crude nearer the consumption points.

Most crude transporters view pipelines as the safest means of ferrying the product because they are concealed from prospective vandals. From the drilling rigs, the oil is moved to a measuring and storage point ready fro collection by secondary movers. If pipelines are to be employed, booster pumps must be installed at strategic points to pressurize the fluid to its destination. It must be noted that a single pipe can ferry more than one product depending on the operation schedule.

Popular sources of crude such as the Latin Americas and the middle east are heavily dependent on sea transport to market their products around the world. The international trade makes use of Very Large Crude Carriers to move crude across continents. There are big pollution risks associated with tankers whenever an oil spill occurs at sea.

It is commonplace for major shipping companies to install monitoring mechanisms on their carriers to monitor their location and to avoid catastrophic collisions on the open seas. There also exist specialized ships such as replenishment oilers that can supply moving vessels on the oceans. Nevertheless regulations governing marine transportation must be observed to minimize the risks of pollution through spillage.

As ships are quite expensive to purchase and maintain, many oil exporters will contract shipping companies to ferry their cargo to ready markets. If the agreement is voyage based, the exporter uses the vessels from the source to the destination. Where the agreement lasts for an agreed period of time, the seller must ensure that all his cargo has been delivered before the contract expires. The biggest worry for the ship owner is to maintain his fleet in working conditions as stipulated by the country in which he registers his vessels.

Tanker loading usually involves pumping fluids into the reservoirs through the cargo manifold. During this process, the vapors must be vented to the atmosphere to maintain pressure balance in the reservoirs. All ships have cargo pumps with a large capacity for the transfer of crude to offshore reservoirs at the destination. Tank cleaning is done from time to time to facilitate the handling of another product or inspection by the appointed authorities.

After evacuating its cargo, the crude oil transportation reservoirs are cleaned with a suitable solvent in readiness for the next product. Some soluble residues may be cleared with hot water sprayed through nozzles at a high pressure. It is mandatory for tankers to have oil washing systems for this purpose.




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