HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1641 (2)Commissioner Johnson: I understand The engineering world is full of opinions: There's an old saying about
engineers that if you ask them for their phone numbers they'llgive you an estimate. Let me ark you something
else. How about a methanol detector.
Joy M. Bailey: There is such a thing as a combustible gas detector that's based upon infrared or ultraviolet
light sensing systems.
Commissioner Johnson: Is that incorporated into the design of this facility.
Jay M. Railey: Typically not.
Cammissiorer Johnson: Why not?
Joy M. Railey: Typically not required.
Commissioner Johnson: Do you think that's an unnecessary expense or do you think that it could add to the
safety of the process?
Joy M. Palley: Typically, Mr. Johnson, the requirements for those types of safety systems are dictated by
the insurance underwriters rather than the local fire marshal requirements.
Commissioner Williams: I would like to ask Lloyd Ramsey, the fire marshal.......... in case of a fire at this
facility which fire department would respond as a first calp
Lloyd Ramsey (Iredell County Fire Marshal): The first alarm wouldgo to Trinity Fire Department.
Commissioner Williams: Do they have a mutual assistance pact.
Lloyd Ramsey: Yes, absolutely. We have automatic aid for this type of fire. You would have Central, Trinity,
probably Harmony and Ebenzer would be the next two.
Camnissiorer WiNiams: How manygollons of water can Trinity provide from its location.
Uoyd Ramsey: Are you saying haul -- how much they can haul to the scene?
Commissioner Williams: Right.
Uoyd Ramsey: I would say Trinity could probably put 6,OOO9allons on the scene. I don't know that exactly,
but I would say probably 6000gallons.
Commissioner Williams: Is that adequate fora fire of what you could expect from a fire of this type to be?
Uoyd Ramsey: Well, that's hard to say, because I don't know the sizes or quantities -- that type of thing.
Probably to completely extinguish this" fire, probably dot. But there's a lot of information about
quantities and size that I don't have yet.
Commissioner Williams: Would that be from a single hydrant there or would it be from multiple hydrants?
Lloyd Ramsey: Oh, it would definitely be a water haul" operation. I think the hydrants in that area --just
kind of a rough figuring -- I talked to the chief up there and he said that area --generally they are looking at
what he felt were like 750 to BOO gallons a minute.
Commissioner Williams: Would a turbo draft on this facility help? If a pond was located on the site?
Uoyd Ramsey: If it was accessible enough. Yes, it could be.
Commissioner Robertson: Is this a batch or continuous process?
Jay M_ Railey: We have a combination. We have a batch process at the front of the facility. That is a
transesterification reaction, without water wash. Minimal wastewater from the facility followed by
continuous methanol recovery and ion exchange cleanup of the biodiesel material It's a semi -continuous
process Batch in the front, continuous in the back.
Canmissiamr Robertson: Okay The methanol isgoing to be mixed with the catalyst prior to mixing with the
oil Corrects When do you put the catalyst in?
Joy M. Roney: Last.
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