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TERMINAL BLENDING AS AN ULTIMATE

SOLUTION FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

ANTI-THEFT SECURITY

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Pipeline companies are faced with the growing need to protect their assets from

different kinds of malicious activities, while most of them are related to fuel theft and

pipeline vandalism. For example, PEMEX, Mexican oil state company, recently reported

about lost of 17 billion pesos ($1.14 billion) due to fuel theft, which is more than double

than it lost in 2013. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria

(PENGASSAN) says the country loses six billion dollars annually due to the petroleum prod-

ucts theft.

There are few traditional solutions

for pipeline security which are based on

acoustic, pressure, flowrate and other sta-

tistic methods of protection. However,

these methods efficient only for short peri-

od until integrated methods are studied

and successfully bypassed by 3rd party un-

authorized persons. For example, acoustic

or flow based systems allows real time pas-

sive detection and surface localization of

3rd party unauthorized interruption,

providing effective alarm to the security

forces or maintenance crews. Although de-

tection enables real time and high accuracy

location anywhere along the pipes as well

in the perimeter surrounding the pipes

most of such alarms, during the first time after system integration, are done intentionally by

fuel theft in order to create and define false data bank which later on will not respond to the

real theft event.

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New concept which is currently implemented in countries that suffer from fuel theft is

“Terminal Blending Concept” which allows to perform final blending on terminals itself and by

this prevent unreasonable theft from the pipeline. Due to the fact that terminals are limited

with their abilities to perform complete blending of the final products, pre-final products are

delivered by pipeline to the terminals and perform final product blending at real time (by add-

ing additives).

Pre-final product blending is directly related to the in-line blending, which is performed

at each refinery. Pre-final product of

blended gasoline contains a broad varie-

ty of different process streams, such as

raw naphtha from the CDU, Naphtha

from the FCC, Reformate, Isomerate, Al-

kylate, LPG, etc. Process streams of vari-

ous composition are blended with a ratio

that directly mixes these in gasoline

bearing the required physical properties.

Octane boosters and additives such as

MTBE, TAME, MMA, etc. are not includ-

ed in the pre-blended product and shall

be added directly at fuel terminals prior

to their dispatch to the consumer mar-

kets.

TERMINAL

Final blending

Marking

FUEL STATION

Distribution

Marking testing

Pre

-fin

al

pro

du

ct

Distribution

REFINERY

Pre-final blending

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REFINERY

Blending/Preparation of pre-final product (low octane). Sam-

ples contain blending components like naphtha from the CDU,

Butane gas, Naphtha from the FCC, Reformate and Isomerate

FUEL TERMINAL

Blending of pre-final product with octane/cetane busters and additives

Marking of the final product

FUEL STATION

Distribution and final product test

Sample verified by markers

Data and information is pro-

vided to Authorities for fur-

ther investigation

Unauthorized sample

Authorized sample

Blending technology applied at the

fuel terminals is identical to that at the

refineries except the fact it contain much

less streams for blend and requires no on

-line optimization software. It consists of

static blender with dosing control unit to

be operated for 2-3 streams: pre-final

product, octane booster and additives if

required. The heart of fuel terminal

blending system is analytical unit which

usually includes process NIR analyzer

used for online analysis and control of

final products quality, which is necessary

for octane booster and additives dosing

control.

Pre-final product which is transferred by pipeline to the fuel terminal becomes theft pre-

vented, due to the fact that these are not of the required quality therefor, has no economic val-

ue to the thief. In order to prevent phenomenon of pre-final products theft for later on self-

blending on illegal small refineries, final products blended on terminals are locally marked. Prod-

uct market allows authorities to control and prevent illegal distribution of unauthorized quality

and source product. Legal fuels are marked with a dedicated marker that cannot be imitated or

washed out and can only be detected with a dedicated analyzer to enable legal prosecution by

law enforcement agencies.

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info@modcon-systems.com

www.modcon-systems.com

SYSTEMS LTD Registered in England and Wales with company number 07794530

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www.modcon-systems.com

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