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Bunge Corporation

Extraction Plant

Decatur, AL

ICT provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and explosion vent relief design and construction administration services for a new extractor process tower and 76’ x 76’ x 65’ tall extractor building located adjacent to a similar extraction process building. The extraction process uses hexane to extract oil from soybeans. Working with the Owner’s Loss Prevention Representative (Global Risk Consultants), ICT developed a design criteria document which was used to prepare designs for a deluge sprinkler system in the extraction tower and for the adjacent hexane storage tanks. ICT provided detailed preliminary hydraulic calculations of the existing site fire protection piping infrastructure by modeling the plant’s existing underground piping system from the tie-in at the street, through the diesel and electric pump system, through the underground pipe loop, all the way to the project site. The preliminary calculations indicated that additional storage capacity would be required (a nominal 685,000-gallon water storage tank) to feed new fire pumps (two each, 2,500 gallon per minute (GPM) pumps, for a total supply of 5,000 GPM). ICT coordinated a geotechnical study to verify the foundation design criteria for the storage tank. The fire pumps were provided in a prefabricated skid-mounted enclosure.

The wet distribution piping was routed underground to a new riser room and deluge valve and then routed dry aboveground to the Extraction Tower. Deluge sprinkler heads were placed inside the building at the roof level adjacent to equipment, underneath obstructions such as catwalks and equipment platforms, and underneath the extractor vessel. Deluge sprinkler heads were also placed at a new exterior hexane storage tank (located adjacent to two existing hexane storage tanks). The deluge system was set up for dual activation with 1/2” piloted sprinkler heads and manual pushbuttons at the exit doors on each floor level. Fire alarm systems for the new design were tied into the plant’s existing Fire Alarm system.

Size

Owner

Bunge Corporation

Client

Bunge North America, Inc.

Awards

Completion

2018

Category

Process