Category Archives: Projects

Process Vessel Platform

SPEC provided 3D scanning technologies, detailed engineering design services, fabrication, installation, and construction oversight of a vessel access platform structure for a pharmaceutical client. The vessel, which was located within a process clean room, required a stairway and platform for access to the top of the vessel. The design included a permanent sleeve to anchor a mobile confined space hoist system, allowing personnel to safely enter the vessel for inspections and other vessel maintenance. SPEC utilized an in-house 3D laser scanner to accurately model the existing area of the proposed structure. SPEC’s structural and civil engineering team utilized the 3D model to design the platform within the space limitations of existing process equipment and piping. Calculations and construction drawings were prepared for the structural steel considering OSHA and IBC regulations for platform design loading and fall protection. SPEC secured and awarded the fabrication and installation of the platform and stair system to a local contractor and provided oversight for the field construction services associated with the installation. SPEC coordinated the project installation schedule directly with the Client and the contractor to coincide with an already scheduled brief shut down period for the process area. The structure was prefabricated off-site in sections sized for transport within the process buildings. On-site work was limited to the erection and connection of the prefabricated segments to reduce the installation time within the shutdown period. SPEC personnel completed site specific safety orientation to gain badge access to restricted clean rooms to complete the work scope. Final walk-downs with the client of the installed platform davit systems were conducted to obtain acceptance of the finished product prior to releasing the construction contractor from service. SPEC maintained and provided record drawings for the work.

Services Provided: Process Management and Design, Civil/Structural Engineering, Design and Drafting, Scanning & 3D Modeling, Safety, Construction Management

Client: Pharmaceutical Company

Project Location: Northeast, USA

Tags: Laser Scanning, OSHA, Platform, Safety

Terminal Modernization

SPEC provided project development, engineering, permitting, drafting, and procurement support for the modernization of an older terminal. SPEC was brought in at the beginning of the project to develop initial scoping, perform feasibility studies, and develop cost estimates and schedules.

SPEC was involved in permitting; conversion of a public road into a private road; rehabilitation of the dock, including new marine dock arms and piping interconnections to the ship and barge facilities; new marine vapor destruction units and safety skids; design of multiple new manifolds to all sources and destinations; dedicated suction and fill lines for each tank to integrated manifolds; conversion of multiple existing tanks to different products; gas and blending; pump design and installation; connection to a pipeline; power distribution; dike containment; and installation of a new rail system. SPEC introduced laser scanning to the client to provide 3D modeling of the site, improving the site drawings and aiding in understanding of the design.

Services Provided: Project Development, Engineering, Design, Procurement and Permitting

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: Northeast, USA

Tags: Dock, Instrumentation & Control, Laser Scanning, Manifold, Permitting, PLC/Automation System Design, Power System Design, Refinery, Storage Tank, Terminal

Direct Truck to Tank Butane Blending

SPEC engineered the installation of a direct truck to tank butane blending system at a client’s terminal. The upgrades included a custody transfer quality butane truck offloading area, installation of butane blending nozzles in four storage tanks, a new ANSI recirculation pump, installation of a fast loop butane/gas blending system, and the associated control instrumentation.

Services Provided: Project Development, Permitting, Engineering, Design, Procurement, Safety, Health, and Environmental.

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: South, USA

Marketing Terminal 50% Upgrade in Throughput

SPEC provided project support for the upgrade of a Petroleum Marketing Terminal. The upgrades included a new 84,000 BBL storage tank, (6) new ANSI rack supply pumps, a vapor recovery unit (VRU) upgrade including vacuum assisted loading, nearly a mile of new piping and valves, a new outdoor MCC, upgraded ethanol offload area, re-designed terminal traffic pattern, new automated exit gate, relocated additive tank farm and associated equipment, new load rack lane, canopy and three new skid mounted, (4) arm ULSD and ethanol blended Regular, Midgrade and Premium gasoline truck loading equipment.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Process Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation and Controls, Mechanical Engineering, Design and Drafting, Scanning and 3D Modeling, Permitting, Safety, Procurement Support.

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: Midwest, USA

Professional Engineering Services for LNG Facility – Liquefaction

SPEC provided Professional Engineering Services for civil / structural design of the liquefaction (LTS) elements of an LNG Export facility located in the Southeast, USA. SPEC served as the Engineer of Record for the structural design of 18 Gas Process Mega Module units (Approx. 175 ft. by 75 ft. by 75 ft.) which support the equipment, piping and air coolers for the LNG facility in a three level structural system, 18 compressors and their supporting structures and walkways, 9 VFD cooler structures, 18 cable racks, and permanent lifting device review for bridge cranes, Jib cranes, and monorail systems . The equipment was supplied by our client, an Oil & Gas Equipment Supplier and Services company as well as international third-party suppliers. We assisted our client by interfacing directly with third-party suppliers to communicate USA regulations and equipment requirements. We interfaced with the project EPC and local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) regarding their requirements for structural PE-sealed packages for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and local municipality. SPEC performed a detailed review of the equipment structural support requirements and in conjunction with the client prepared engineering drawings, basis of design documentation, technical specifications and calculation packages as required by FERC and the local AHJ. The scope included the structural steel and steel connection design, pipe and equipment supports, stairways, ladders, handrail and platform OSHA conformance reviews, connections / reactions to structural steel columns and foundations designed by the EPC. SPEC performed and confirmed design calculations using 3D structural software for the structural frame calculations. SPEC provided consulting services for temporary maintenance devices and their requirements for design, installation, testing and inspection per USA requirements.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Civil/Structural Engineering, Design and Drafting

Client: Oil & Gas Equipment Supplier and Services Company

Project Location: Southeast, USA

Tags: ASME Pressure Vessel, Code Compliance, Foundations, LNG, OSHA, Platform, Risk Assessment, Safety

Emissions Control Upgrade

SPEC provided the engineering and procurement support for the installation of a new Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) with vapor vacuum assisted loading at a client’s terminal. The upgrades included a new VRU with continuous inlet and outlet monitoring instrumentation, a new control building, new instrument air system including a new air compressor, desiccant dryer, accumulator vessel and associated instrumentation and controls. A new vapor vacuum control system with new vapor blower, header pressure control, individual truck lane load rack pressure controls, and associated control instrumentation was installed. A temporary vapor control device allowed the terminal to continue to operate during demolition of the existing vapor control equipment and installation of the new system.

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: Northeast, USA

Recycled Polystyrene

SPEC provided project development, engineering, drafting, procurement, and construction support for the installation of polystyrene recycling equipment. The project installed new pneumatic conveying equipment and support structure to unload trucks carrying recycled polystyrene solids into storage silos. The project also included pneumatic conveying equipment, including hundreds of feet of piping, filter receivers, diverter valve, rotary valve, and automated knife gate valves, to convey and measure recycled polystyrene solids to dissolver tanks. SPEC designed a new structure to contain pumps, filter/strainers and an extruder / devolatilizer to provide clean liquid styrene monomer stream to be fed into new production feed stream and to filter out and handle any waste plastic.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Process Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation and Controls, Mechanical Engineering, Design and Drafting, Safety, Procurement Support, Construction Management

Client: Major Chemical Company

Project Location: Northeast, USA

Load Rack Expansion & New Ethanol Tank

SPEC provided project development, engineering, permitting, drafting, and procurement support for the gasoline throughput increase and addition of a new ethanol blending system and storage tank at a distribution terminal. SPEC’s role included assisting in the definition of the overall project scope, permitting, design and layout of a new vacuum assist system, design of new storage and a new load rack supply pump, and the installation of a new loading system for ethanol blending into gasoline at the loading rack. SPEC’s design allowed for ethanol blending capabilities at the distribution terminal.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Process Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation and Controls, Mechanical Engineering, Design and Drafting, Permitting, Fire Protection, Procurement Support, Construction Management

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: Midwest, USA

Tags: Electrical Building, Ethanol, Ethanol Blending, Fire Protection, Flow Control, Foundations, Gasoline, Hydraulic Calculations, Instrumentation & Control, Load Rack, Motor Control Center (MCC), Permitting, Pipe Supports, Power System Design, Relief Devices, Secondary Containment, Storage Tank, Terminal, Vacuum Assist

Rail Offload Facility Design & Main Terminal Expansion

SPEC provided support for a major terminal expansion project to build a new offsite ethanol and butane rail offload facility at a greenfield location and the associated infrastructure improvements at the main terminal. The scope of work included design of the rail site stormwater retention pond system (including facilitating flora mitigation and fauna relocation), tank containments, and all major equipment foundations. SPEC performed the mechanical, civil, and electrical design of the new rail off load facility and for the piping system design and modification at the main terminal. This included tank demolition/construction to accommodate increased product throughput and butane blending capability. SPEC was responsible for hydraulic analyses, component specification and bid analysis for all major equipment (piping, valves, tanks, pumps, flow meters, instrumentation, and electrical components) and for generating the design drawing packages (IFR, IFB, IFC) and record P&ID’s.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Process Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Design and Drafting, Scanning and 3D Modeling, Permitting, Fire Protection, Procurement Support, Construction Management.

Client: Major Oil Company

Project Location: Southeast, USA

Leach/Etch Process

SPEC’s client started up a new caustic leaching autoclave and required assistance to refine the leach/etch finishing process. SPEC was brought on to operationalize the leach system, which expanded into troubleshooting the leach process to improve the removal of the ceramic core from the product through experimental iteration, while training operators, creating SOPs, and developing the record-keeping system. SPEC aided the lab-scale acid etch process with troubleshooting to attain consistent results, then designed and provided procurement support for the pilot-scale etch process. The leach and etch processes were designed to be housed in an annex building; SPEC reviewed a third-party engineering design for the annex, including ventilation for exposure control from caustic and acid fumes, as well as designed a water scrubber to treat fumes and vapors.

Services Provided: Project Management and Design, Process Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Safety, Procurement Support.

Client: Industrial Manufacturing Company

Location: Northeast, USA

Tags: Safety, Scrubber