Around 500 AUMA explosion-proof electric valve actuators linked by a Profibus network have improved the speed, flexibility and safety of flammable liquids transfer at a dedicated terminal at the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The Koole Tankstorage Minerals terminal plays a key role in storing and handling liquid cargo at the Port of Rotterdam. The company operates loading and unloading jetties linked by pipelines to 101 storage tanks that provide a total of 1,100,000 cubic meters of storage. Blending equipment is also connected. Products handled at the terminal include a wide range of biodiesel and petroleum products, including fuel additives.

In 2014 Koole acquired an existing fuel oil terminal next to the giant Shell Pernis oil refinery. The company decided to extend and upgrade the piping manifold that links the storage tanks, blending equipment and transfer pipelines. Since December 2014, AUMA Benelux has been delivering the new actuators in batches as the project progresses.

Of around 500 actuators delivered so far, around 400 include gearboxes (a mix of GK and GST multi-turn gearboxes), says Pascal van der Neut of AUMA Benelux. AUMA has also supplied 55 actuators, some with custom conversion kits, for valves that were previously operated manually.

All the actuators are latest SAEx explosion-proof versions, with ACExC integrated controls linked to a Profibus control network. A separate input for emergency shutdown was also an important requirement for the actuators.