Emco Wheaton Loading Arms

S&S Technical goes beyond the supply of your packaged skid system by incorporating Emco Wheaton loading arms to connect the skid system to your truck or railcar making your operation safer. Hoses can be a concern as the operator has to lift the hose and at times work in awkward positions.

Hoses can be heavy when considering they have valves, couplers, and adapters on the end and sometimes contain product. Lifting hoses can cause back sprains, muscle pulls, wrist and elbow injuries as well as spinal injuries.

A common example of working in awkward positions is where an operator may have to connect a hose and coupler to a bottom rail car connection. The operator has to crawl underneath the rail car, and connect a camlock or dry break adapter to the car valve and then lift the hose with its coupler and connect it to the rail car, all while on the operator’s side or back. This can cause bending and lifting strain on the back, increasing the stress on the lower spine and fatiguing of muscles.

Slips, trips and falls are another concern with hoses. A hose not stored properly and lying on the ground can lead to a slip, trip or fall leading to a back or other injury. In addition, hoses can be damaged, or driven over which can lead to a hose rupture and cause a spill or injury where an operator is splashed with a chemical or hot product. Hoses also have an ongoing cost of ownership as they require a hose inspection program and have to be replaced from time to time even with normal usage.

Loading arms, that are spring balanced, can carry heavy loads on their ends like couplers, break away units, valves and are easily maneuvered into place, allowing an operator to make effortless connects and disconnects to your trucks and rail cars, which eliminates lifting, and back stain injury concerns. As arms are hard pipe, there is no concern of a rupture and the arms can be parked when not in use, eliminating any slip, trip concerns. Loading arms can last 20 plus years and with the latest dual split flange swivel joints, seal replacement, when required, is an easy task.

Loading arms can be configured to fit most any application from aggressive chemicals like HCL, compressed gasses like propane, butane, as well as ethanol, refined products, and bio-diesel. Loading arms can be heated with electric tracing, steam or hot oil where product freezing or movement of viscous products are a concern.

Various accessories such as park position sensors, ACME fittings, valves, and dry break couplers used to minimize product leakage during connects and disconnects can be provided, as well as break away units to help protect the loading arm, skid and plant piping in the event of a drive off with the arm connected. As the loading arm is an extension of the skid piping, the complete system is engineered together with its accessory items along with pressure drop through the skid and loading arm, to ensure you maximize your loading and unloading rates.