PROJECT INFORMATION PAGE

PROJECT

 

CONSTRUCTED COST

PROJECT TYPE:

PROJECT METHOD

60 MGPY BIODIESEL &

55 MGPY ETHANOL FACILITY, BEATRICE, NE

$ 50 MILLION

ETHANOL PLANT

DESIGN BUILD


CONTRACTOR:

ENGINEER OF RECORD:

PROCESSING

OWNER:

Alberici Constructors, Inc.

C.J. Schneider Engineering Co.

 

C.J. Schneider Engineering Co.

Agri Energy Limited

Project Description:

Keywords: 

Bio-diesel, Industrial, Steel, Concrete, Masonry, Insulated Metal Panels, Masonry, CMU-Concrete Block, Pre-Engineered Buildings, Foundations, Pipe Support

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This facility includes the following areas:

Tank Farm

There are two Tank Farms in this project, 1400 area and 1100 area.

Tank farm in 1400 area located south of the Fame building with a total curbed area of ~ 20,000 sq.ft. with 3-50-ft dia, 1-34-ft dia, 2-30-ft dia and 2-18-ft dia tanks. A narrow 6-ft wide, 40-ft high, 3-level piperacks ran between the tanks of the Tank farm area for pipe support as well as for accessing the tank tops. Pipe rack is designed as being concentrically braced in both direction. Two stairs are located at north and south each to access the finish floor elevation of Tank farm which has a containment height of 5.5 ft.

Tank farm in 1100 area located south of the Fame building with a total curbed (4-ft high) area of ~ 27,000sq.ft.and with 3-50-ft dia, and 4-34-ft dia tanks. A narrow 6-ft wide, 40-ft high, 3-level piperacks ran between the tanks of the Tankfarm area for pipe support as well as for accessing the tank tops. Pipe rack and stair access design is similar to 1400.

All tanks in both area are supported in ring wall foundation to frost depth and have sloped concrete slab at base. The sloped slab end in a Tank nozle notched in the ring wall. Special design in the notch section of the ring wall was necessary to transfer the hoop tensile stress in the wall. Special construction technques was required to construct sloped ring wall with a sloped base slab.

Cooling Tower

Cooling Tower is located north of the Fame Area with ~2,700 sq.ft. of contained area. The foundation of the Cooling tower was a 2-ft thick mat slab foundation with grade beam to ascertain uniform settlement. Typical containment was ~ 6-ft except for the pump area on east which had a containment of ~12-ft. Pumps were supported on a elevated slab. The Cooling Tower structure was designed by others and installed on top of the Foundation walls. Special design was necessary to construct the concrete screen guide walls. All rebars in the cooling tower were epoxy coated rebar and water stop seals were design at wall and slab joints to prevent water leakage.

Fame Building

This is a 5 floor, steel concentrically braced frame building for equipment support and with access platforms. Two stairs are located at each end of the structure. The building frame is supported of a large mat foundation for maintaining uniform settlement. Wind loads controlled the design of the structure. The access platforms are grated with 1-1/2″x3/16″ serrated grated. Adjacent to the fame building on it west are a 3 level 40-ft hight, 20-ft wide pipe racks. This piperack structure is independent and concentrically braced in long direction and moment framed in the strong direction. On the west side of this piperack, 10 individual tank support frames are designed to support large ~600 t. drums/tanks. Each of these frames of individually braced. This drum support area is concrete curbed for any possible spillage of chemicals.

Pipe racks

Total pipe racks in the project runs more than 1000-ft. Except the pipe racks in the fame building area which are moment framed in the short direction, all pipe racks are designed to be concentrically bracing in both direction. Typically pipe racks also accommodated a 3-ft wide access catwalk with 1-1/2″x 3/16″ serrated gratings.. The pipe rack span varied from 6-ft to 20-ft. Most of the pipe racks has 3-levels and total height from base was about 40-ft. Special expansion joint slip joints were designed to accommodated thermal expansion of the piperacks.

Loadout Building

Truck and rail Load-out area was located at western most part of the project area with ~10,000 sq.ft of covered area. The building was a pre-engineered enclosed building with metal siding wall and a roof skin designed by others. The building foundation system was a combination of spread footing and continuous footing to frost depth. For the rail and truck access track foundation a 3-ft thick mat foundation slab was designed. Inside the Load-out building, a mutli-level pipe rack framing and access platform was designed which required careful consideration for pipe interference, adequate height requirement for access platform and stairs as per IBC egress guidelines.

Refinery Building

Refinery building is located west of the Fame Building. It is a ~2,500 sq.ft. 2-floor concentrically braced, steel framed building with insulated metal panel walls and roof and a concrete floor 2nd level. The First floors has various equipment foundation which were supported on spread footing to frost depth. The equipment on the 2nd floor is supported to steel beams. Equipment interference to structure and clearance requirement to for accessing various equipment was critical in this building. The 2nd floor has an additional mezzanine level of steel framing with access platforms and stairs.

Apart from the Refinery building, there are other structures in this project, a ~13,00 sq.ft. Boiler building with a partial 2nd floor and a small DAF building.

Page Author: Ratul D. Sarmah PhD, EI