Pumps for Petrochemical and Fuels: Technical Guide for Distribution Bases and Terminals

1. Seven petrochemical products and fuels and what each demands from the pump

The sector handles products with defined specifications — in Brazil, ANP specifies fuels such as diesel, gasoline and aviation kerosene — but the properties that matter for the pump must come from the batch certificate or the specification in force, at operating temperature.

The table lists the seven products covered in this guide, the property that weighs most in selection and the series to evaluate. Numerical values must come from the specification or certificate, not from generic ranges.

2. Centrifugal pump for petrochemical: where FB Bombas serves (and where it does not)

Being clear about scope avoids wrong specifications in a sector where failures have serious consequences.

FB Bombas reports registration in the Petrobras supplier registry (CRC, formerly CRCC). According to Petrobras, the CRC is issued to suppliers that meet criteria of the family of interest, is valid for tender eligibility for up to one year and is not required to take part in procurement; it is not a product certification. Request the documentation during your enquiry to check the registration families and validity.

What defines scope is the service specification. Refinery process services specified to API 610 — for example, charge services of distillation, hydrotreating and FCC units — follow the buyer specification; the FBCN is not declared API 610 compliant, and these services are assessed case by case, as engineered-to-order projects.

Applications to evaluate with FBCN and FBE include: transfer of diesel, gasoline, kerosene and anhydrous ethanol in distribution bases; loading and unloading of tank trucks and rail cars; tank-to-tank transfer in terminals and TRRs; refinery utilities such as process water, cooling water, demineralized water and lube oil circuits; boiler and furnace feed with heated BPF (FBE); and diesel generator feed. Fire-fighting systems follow their own guides and design standards (NFPA 20 or ABNT NBR 16704, when specified).

3. NPSH in volatile products: calculation example for gasoline

In gasoline, jet fuel and naphtha, the challenge is vapor pressure, not viscosity. The closer the vapor pressure is to the pressure over the liquid in the tank, the lower the NPSH available; overestimating this availability can lead to a selection at risk of cavitation and impeller wear.

The example below shows the method for a tank-to-tank transfer. Vapor pressure and density values are hypothetical, chosen to illustrate the calculation: use those from your product specification or certificate at maximum temperature.

Consider an atmospheric tank with minimum level 2 m above the pump centerline (flooded suction), local atmospheric pressure of 101.3 kPa, vapor pressure of 50 kPa and density of 745 kg/m³. The pressure term is (101,300 − 50,000) / (745 × 9.81) ≈ 7.02 m; adding the 2.00 m static column, subtracting line and fitting losses (0.8 m in the example) and a 0.3 m allowance for a partly dirty strainer gives an NPSHa close to 7.9 m.

This value is compared with the NPSH required from the model curve at the duty point — for the FBCN 80-200 at 1,750 rpm, the reference curve is CC-196.07; confirm NPSHr at the point with engineering — applying the margin of the design criteria (ANSI/HI 9.6.1 covers NPSH margins).

With a buried tank and a 2 m suction lift, the same calculation drops to about 3.9 m: the margin must be reassessed, with alternatives such as changing the pump elevation, reducing suction losses or using a booster pump.

4. Classified areas: Zone 1, Zone 2 and Ex certification in Brazil

Pump islands and volatile fuel handling areas usually include classified areas, defined by the project per ABNT NBR IEC 60079-10-1: Zone 1 (explosive atmosphere likely in normal operation) or Zone 2 (not likely and, if it occurs, of short duration).

Design, selection and erection of electrical installations follow ABNT NBR IEC 60079-14, which relates zone and equipment protection level: EPL Ga or Gb in Zone 1 and Ga, Gb or Gc in Zone 2, plus the gas group and temperature class of the substances in the area. Owner specifications may add their own requirements.

In Brazil, NR-10 (item 10.9.2) requires conformity assessment of equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres, and electrical equipment covered by the regulation requires compulsory certification under Inmetro Ordinance No. 115/2022; a European ATEX marking does not replace that certification.

On the motor-pump assembly, this translates into: a motor with Ex certification for the zone, group and temperature class; a coupling guard in non-sparking material, an option in the FBCN and FBE manuals; equipotential grounding between pump, motor, baseplate and piping, checked according to the site plan; and instrumentation and cable glands suited to the zone. FB Bombas quotes the assembly with a motor certified by the motor manufacturer, according to the stated classification.

5. Sealing: API 682 plans and documented executions

In volatile fuels, sealing is critical because a leak releases flammable vapor. API 682 standardizes seal arrangements and plans, and the choice depends on product, volatility, environmental requirements and the buyer specification.

As a reference for plans cited in specifications: Plan 11 recirculates liquid from discharge to the seal chamber; Plan 13, from the chamber back to suction; Plan 32 injects clean liquid from an external source; Plans 53A and 53B pressurize the barrier fluid of dual seals; and Plan 62 applies an external quench on the atmospheric side. The combination for each product is defined with the seal manufacturer and recorded on the data sheet.

In the FB series, the manuals document the available executions. On the FBCN, the standard seal chamber (ST) uses packing; there are executions with sealing or flushing by external liquid (S1 to S3) and for thermal oil (S4), and mechanical seals according to the application. On the FBE, there are packing, mechanical seal (standard type 21, ceramic × graphite × Viton), lip seal and magnetic coupling for applications that allow no leakage.

For heated BPF, the FBE with heating chamber is the usual option.

6. Diesel S10: the reduced lubricity problem

Diesel S10 has a maximum sulfur content of 10 mg/kg. Desulfurization reduces the natural lubricity of the fuel, which is restored with additives.

In centrifugal pumps such as the FBCN, the effect is small: bearing-housing rolling bearings are oil-lubricated, independent of the pumped fluid (manual MTEC-03/00). The effect appears where the product itself lubricates: at mechanical seal faces, especially at start-up, and at gear pump bushings.

At the seal faces, the material combination must be chosen with the seal manufacturer for low-lubricity products.

FBE uses bushings to support the shafts; rolling bearings belong to the optional external bearing assembly when specified. The 2026 catalog lists bushing options and the external bearing assembly among the accessories. For low-lubricity diesel, identify the product in the enquiry to define materials and arrangement. The speed table indicates 1,750 rpm for 30 to 250 SSU in sizes from 1/8" to 1"D; the application must be confirmed at the duty point.

7. Typical pumping points in a distribution base

The number of pumping points in a base depends on its size and the products handled. The table lists the most common points, the data that define each selection and the series to evaluate.

In general, points with light products are served by FBCN centrifugals, and burner feed with heated BPF is the typical FBE case; the final decision depends on the condition of each point.

8. Material matrix by fuel product

Material selection for fuels depends on the real product composition — ethanol content, water, sulfur and additives — and on temperature.

The FB manuals document the options: on the FBCN, casings in cast iron, A216 WCB carbon steel and A743 CF8M stainless, with pressure × temperature limits per material, and impellers in cast iron, ductile iron, carbon steel or stainless steel; on the FBE, casings in cast iron, ductile iron, WCB and CF8M and shafts and gears in SAE 1045 or 316L.

The table shows what to confirm per product; the final combination is defined from corrosion data and recorded in the proposal.