The Cimarron Carbon VRU utilizes activated carbon to recover hydrocarbon vapors that are produced during transfer operations. The value of the recovered Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) therefore provides a Return on Investment (ROI) on the recovery equipment. This contrasts with a combustion system which has no ROI.
The vacuum pump is the central piece of equipment in the unit and therefore must be reliable. Cimarron uses HORI wing type vacuum pumps, which have been field proven to be the most reliable vacuum pumps in the industry. Additionally, Cimarron can provide dry screw vacuum pumps.
Our in-house team can rebuild vacuum pumps as part of a regular maintenance schedule to minimize unplanned downtime. Additionally, customers can join the pump exchange program to seamlessly swap in a previously rebuilt vacuum pump.
Our engineering team are experts in vapor control and are available to support our customers when they need assistance. Beyond initial sizing of the equipment, we can model new conditions with process simulation software, calculate hydraulics, and perform other studies, to support field operations.
Cimarron utilizes in-house equipment fabrication at several different manufacturing shops. By eliminating the reliance on third party vendors, Cimarron can ensure the quality of the equipment and minimize lead times. Our strategically located manufacturing locations provide flexibility by allowing us to distribute work across multiple shops and ensure proximity to our customers with reduced freight costs.
We have a dedicated in-house service team with extensive vapor recovery commissioning, operating, and troubleshooting experience across the US. Rest assured that Cimarron will be available to support the product throughout its life.
Expand sections below to see more information. If you’d like even more details, be sure to check out full Technical Library below.
The VRU uses a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process with two activated carbon beds. The entire process is automated with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The carbon beds alternate between receiving vapors and regeneration. While one bed is receiving vapors, the other is being regenerated. This alternating operation allows for continuous processing of vapors. During the online cycle, the activated carbon adsorbs the hydrocarbon from the vapor stream. The remainder of the vapor stream is air and is therefore vented to the atmosphere. After a set period, the bed is then regenerated under vacuum using a pump. The stream leaving the vacuum pump is then sent to the absorber tower. In this packed tower, a lean absorbent such as gasoline flows counter currently to the vapor stream. The hydrocarbon vapors condense and are absorbed into the lean liquid absorbent. The rich absorbent is then pumped back to the product storage tank.
The primary information needed to size a carbon VRU is the loading profile. This describes the loading rates of liquid products during different time intervals. This is used to calculate the corresponding vapor generated that will be controlled by the VRU. Other information needed is the liquid absorbent Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) and storage temperature.
This information is combined to size the carbon beds, vacuum pump regeneration system, and the absorber.
Cimarron builds VRUs for terminals as small as a single loading arm, up to large marine systems capable of processing 50,000 BPH of vapor each. Multiple units can be combined as needed to provide any capacity while still being integrated into a single control system if needed.
For more documentation on all Cimarron’s products visit the Technical Library.
