The Parkway Pipeline Project

The Parkway Pipeline is a 16” diameter underground petroleum pipeline that was finalized in September 2013 as part of joint venture between Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) and Valero Energy. This massive, 141-mile-long pipeline was designed to transport refined liquid petroleum products such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and turbine fuel with an initial capacity of 110,000 barrels per day.

A major factor in the success of the project is controlling the head pressure on the line and the flow rate of the product, as it travels from Norco, Louisiana to Collins, Mississippi.  Teaming up with a major electrical equipment manufacturer of medium voltage variable frequency drives (VFD’s), Trachte designed, manufactured and integrated the solution which included copious amounts of cooling capacity in the challenging environment of a Class I, Div II site.

Application Notes

• Prewired/Integrated NFPA 496 Class 1 Division 2 Rated
• Building Dimensions: 13’x56’x10’6”
• Foundation: Steel floor on Concrete Piers
• Equipment: 5KV VFD Motor Controller

Solution

• Trachte and the OEM provided an integrated solution that met NFPA 496 conditions for purging and pressurization, plus complied with Class I Division II hazardous location rating.
• The team ensured the overall system was of a robust design for the heavy transformer VFD sections and the harsh environment.
• We installed 5KV motor control/VFD technology to control the speed of the motor/pump for proper regulation of the head pressure on 141 miles of pipeline.
• We installed purge and pressurization equipment that included 100% cooling redundant capacity and space for future VFD expansion as more pipelines are brought online.
• The pressurization equipment complied with API standard 521 for petrochemical vapor mitigation