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Equipment sizingCostingE-fuels

Ethanol Storage (Unloading, Tanks, Transfer, Metering)

Pre-feasibility sizing and costing for a liquid ethanol receiving, storage and transfer asset delivering stable flow to a downstream unit, including tanks, pumping/metering, safety systems, plot space, losses and levelized handling cost.

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alexi

I do low-carbon energy stuff for 10 years & build things I wish existed.

Inputs

Design (nameplate) continuous flow the receiving/storage system must reliably supply to the downstream unit.

min 0.1 · max 500 · step 0.1 · t/h

Total ethanol expected to be delivered from the asset to the downstream unit per year. Used to infer annual operating hours.

min 0 · max 5000000 · step 1000 · t/y

Used to select typical density values; does not change chemistry because this calculator models logistics (not synthesis).

Select a typical buffering autonomy to cover delivery interruptions and operational smoothing. Maps to 3/7/14 days by default.

Results

Number of storage tanks

Ceiling vs maximum practical single-tank size

…

Installed geometric storage capacity

Total tank geometric volume sized from autonomy and working fill fraction

…m3

Effective storage autonomy

Autonomy achieved with rounded tank count and fill fraction

…days

Full storage cycles per year

Annual delivered volume divided by total working volume

…cycles/y

Estimated plot space

Tank footprints + transfer area with integration margin

…m2

Transfer pumping power (motor)

Screening hydraulic head model

…MW

Annual electricity consumption

Pumping electricity based on annual operating hours

…MWh/y

Annual ethanol losses

Breathing/handling losses as fraction of throughput

…t/y

Total installed CAPEX

Installed capex used for annualization (includes installation factor within the model boundary)

…EUR

Equipment purchase cost (total)

Tanks + transfer + metering/QC + safety (excludes installation and owner costs)

…EUR
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Levelized Cost Indicators

Average electricity price used to monetize pumping electricity consumption.

EUR/MWh

Project discount rate used in the CRF for annualizing CAPEX (e.g., 0.08 = 8%).

ratio

Levelized handling cost (energy basis, LHV)

Total annual cost per MWh-LHV of ethanol delivered

…EUR/MWh

Levelized ethanol handling cost

Total annual cost per tonne of ethanol delivered

…EUR/t

Used only to value throughput-based losses (breathing/handling). Set to 0 if you do not want to monetize losses.

EUR/t

Amortization period used in the CRF.

years

About

Calculator context

Introduction

This calculator screens the sizing, plot space, energy use, and cost of a liquid ethanol receiving and storage facility that delivers a stable ethanol flow to a downstream unit. It is intended for early-stage (pre-feasibility) optioneering under a global cost context (currency set by the user; default EUR) and reflects the operating scope provided: unloading, storage tanks, pumping, metering, safety systems, and basic quality control.

Methodologically, it uses mass/volume balances for tank sizing, simplified hydraulic pumping power, and power-law scaling for CAPEX with fixed O&M fractions and periodic replacement annualization. Safety and tank design context aligns with commonly used industry practices (e.g., API 650-type atmospheric tanks and flammable liquid handling practices such as NFPA-style requirements), while the costing approach aligns with public techno-economic methodologies (IRENA/IEA-style screening estimates).

Methodology

Key computed steps (variables in calculator inputs unless stated):

  • Operating intensity

    • Operating hours (h/y) = annual_ethanol_delivered_t_y / max(nominal_ethanol_flow_t_h, eps)
    • Utilisation (%) = 100 * annual_ethanol_delivered_t_y / max(nominal_ethanol_flow_t_h * hours_per_year, eps)

  • Storage sizing

    • Required mass (kg) = nominal_ethanol_flow_t_h * hours_per_day * storage_autonomy_days * t_to_kg
    • Working volume (m3) = required_mass_kg / ethanol_density_kg_m3
    • Installed geometric storage capacity (m3) = working_volume_m3 / tank_working_fill_fraction
    • Number of tanks = ceil(capacity / max(max_tank_geometric_volume_m3, eps))

  • Pumping power and electricity (screening hydraulics)

    • Hydraulic power (W) = rho * g * head * volumetric_flow
    • Motor power (MW) = hydraulic_power_W / (pump_efficiency * motor_efficiency * W_per_MW)
    • Electricity (MWh/y) = motor_power_MW * operating_hours_h_y

  • Costing and levelization

    • Equipment purchase CAPEX uses power-law scaling (typical in IEA/IRENA/NREL TEA practice): Cost = Cost_ref * (Size/Size_ref)^exponent
    • Installed CAPEX = purchase_CAPEX * installation_factor
    • CRF = (r*(1+r)^n)/((1+r)^n-1)
    • Total annual cost = annualized_capex + fixed_O&M + electricity + replacement + product_loss_value
    • Levelized handling cost = total_annual_cost / annual_ethanol_delivered

Notes on e-fuels scaffold: this asset is logistics, not synthesis; therefore H2/CO2 stoichiometric consumption is set to zero (constants) and not costed.

Applications

  • Business developer comparing alternative storage autonomies (e.g., 3/7/14 days) to decide between lower CAPEX vs higher operational resilience.
  • Project development engineer screening plot space and tank count early to assess site feasibility and integration constraints.
  • Commercial/strategy estimating a levelized ethanol handling cost (EUR/t and EUR/MWh-LHV) to benchmark logistics cost contribution to downstream fuel economics.

Model

123 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.

123 variables shown of 123
VariableValueUnitDepends on
50t/h—
300000t/y—
2——
2——
80EUR/MWh—
700EUR/t—
0.08ratio—
20years—
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
if(((<=0)+(<0)+(>(*))+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<0)+(<0)+(<0)+(>=1)+(<=0))>0,1,0)bool
if(==1,,)kg/m3
if(==1,,if(==2,,))days
*t/y
(/max(,))*%
/max(,)h/y
(*)/max(,)kg/s
/max(,)m3/s
***kg
/max(,)m3
/max(,)m3
((*)/max((*),))^m
*m
*((*+)^)m2
+*m2
(*)/max(,)m3/y
*m3
***W
/max((*),)W
*EUR/y
*EUR/y
(*)*kg/y
(*)*kg/y
*(/max(,))^EUR
*(/max(,))^EUR
*(/max(,))^EUR
*(/max(,))^EUR
+++EUR
*EUR
/max(,)EUR/m3
clamp(,,)EUR/m3
/max(,)—
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*(/max(,))^1/y
clamp(,,)1/y
*EUR/y
*/max(,)EUR/y
(*(1+)^)/max(((1+)^-1),)—
((*)*)/max(,)MWh/y
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
/max(,)m3
max(ceil(/max(,)),1)—
(*+)*m2
((**)/max((**),))days
/max(,)cycles/y
*t/y
/max(,)MW
*MWh/y
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR/y
++++EUR/y
/max(,)EUR/t
/max(,)EUR/MWh

Assumptions

59 assumptions used in the calculations

  • Division guard to prevent NaN/infinite results in scaling and unit conversions.

    Market range Not applicable

    0.000001
    Modeling constant

  • Used to cap annual throughput and compute utilisation.

    Market range 8760 (non-leap year)

    8760h/y
    Calendar convention

  • Converts days of autonomy to hours.

    Market range 24

    24h/day
    Time conversion

  • Mass flow conversion to kg/s for pumping power.

    Market range 3600

    3600s/h
    Time conversion

  • Mass unit conversion for volumetric flow and energy conversion.

    Market range 1000

    1000kg/t
    Unit conversion

  • Converts MJ (from LHV) to MWh for energy-basis levelized cost.

    Market range 3600

    3600MJ/MWh
    Energy conversion

  • Converts utilisation fraction to percent for reporting.

    Market range 100

    100
    Unit conversion

  • Tank geometry and footprint approximation.

    Market range 3.14159

    3.141593
    Mathematical constant

  • Used in cylinder diameter back-calculation.

    Market range 4

    4
    Mathematical helper

  • Used for squared terms.

    Market range 2

    2
    Mathematical helper

  • Converts diameter to radius.

    Market range 0.5

    0.5
    Mathematical helper

  • Cubic-root exponent for tank diameter approximation from volume.

    Market range 0.3333

    0.333333
    Mathematical helper

  • Accounts for ullage/freeboard and operational constraints; working volume < geometric volume.

    0.9ratio
    Engineering heuristic

  • Caps single-tank size to force multi-tank solutions at large capacities (construction/logistics and risk management).

    10000m3
    Screening constraint

  • Assumed height-to-diameter ratio for atmospheric storage tanks to estimate footprint.

    0.6ratio
    Screening geometry

  • Represents bund/dike width, access road, and spacing around each tank for operations and safety.

    5m
    Screening layout heuristic

  • Represents unloading bays, pump skid area, metering, and basic QC area baseline.

    800m2
    Screening layout heuristic

  • Adds plot space for larger pumps/piping/unloading infrastructure as flow increases.

    15m2/(t/h)
    Screening layout heuristic

  • Adds allowance for pipe-racks, maintenance clearances, drainage, and future tie-ins.

    1.25ratio
    Screening integration margin

  • Used for hydraulic power calculation.

    Market range 9.81

    9.81m/s2
    Physics constant

  • Represents friction, elevation, control valve, and metering losses for transfer to downstream.

    35m
    Screening hydraulic assumption

  • Represents pump hydraulic efficiency at typical operating point.

    0.72ratio
    Equipment typical

  • Represents motor efficiency for medium-to-large electric motors.

    0.95ratio
    Equipment typical

  • Converts W to MW.

    Market range 1000000

    1000000W/MW
    Unit conversion

  • Used to convert delivered ethanol to an energy basis for EUR/MWh-LHV reporting.

    26.8MJ/kg
    Fuel property (typical)

  • Converts mass to volume for tank sizing and hydraulics.

    789kg/m3
    Fuel property (typical at ambient)

  • Assumed equal to fuel-grade ethanol density for screening.

    789kg/m3
    Fuel property (typical at ambient)

  • Represents breathing/handling losses and small spills over a year as a fraction of throughput.

    0.002ratio
    Screening loss factor

  • Reference purchase cost for storage tank package capacity used in power-law scaling.

    2500000EUR
    Reference cost point (screening)

  • Scaling denominator for tank purchase cost curve.

    5000m3
    Reference size

  • Represents economies of scale for tank purchase cost vs capacity.

    0.7
    Scaling law exponent (screening)

  • Reference purchase cost for transfer system (pumps, piping manifold, unloading interface) at reference flow.

    1200000EUR
    Reference cost point (screening)

  • Scaling denominator for transfer system cost curve.

    50t/h
    Reference size

  • Economies of scale for transfer equipment vs flow.

    0.6
    Scaling law exponent (screening)

  • Reference purchase cost for metering and basic quality control (sampling, density/water checks).

    300000EUR
    Reference cost point (screening)

  • Scaling denominator for metering/QC cost curve.

    50t/h
    Reference size

  • Economies of scale for metering/QC package vs flow.

    0.6
    Scaling exponent (screening)

  • Reference purchase cost for safety systems (firewater tie-in allowance, foam, gas detection, ESD logic allowance).

    600000EUR
    Reference cost point (screening)

  • Scaling denominator for safety cost curve (linked to inventory/hazard).

    5000m3
    Reference size

  • Models how safety system scope scales with inventory.

    0.7
    Scaling exponent (screening)

  • Converts equipment purchase cost to installed cost (installation labor, piping, E&I, civil, indirects within boundary).

    1.6ratio
    Cost factor (screening)

  • Prevents unrealistic extrapolation to extremely low specific CAPEX at very large scales.

    300EUR/m3
    Clamp bound (screening)

  • Prevents unrealistic extrapolation to extremely high specific CAPEX at very small scales.

    2500EUR/m3
    Clamp bound (screening)

  • Fixed O&M fraction of installed CAPEX (labor, maintenance contracts, inspections, insurance-like allowances within O&M bucket).

    0.031/y
    Screening O&M fraction

  • Scaling denominator for O&M fraction scaling.

    5000m3
    Reference size

  • Represents weak economies of scale in fixed O&M fraction with larger facilities.

    -0.1
    Scaling exponent (screening)

  • Lower bound for fixed O&M fraction to avoid underestimation.

    0.0151/y
    Clamp bound

  • Upper bound for fixed O&M fraction to avoid overestimation at small scales.

    0.061/y
    Clamp bound

  • Represents periodic replacement/overhaul of pumps, seals, meters, safety instruments as a fraction of purchase cost.

    0.08ratio
    Screening replacement allowance

  • Typical interval for major refurbishment/replacement cycles of certain terminal subsystems.

    12years
    Screening interval

  • Typical minimal buffer autonomy.

    3days
    User-option mapping

  • Typical one-week autonomy buffer.

    7days
    User-option mapping

  • High-resilience buffer option.

    14days
    User-option mapping

  • Minimum valid autonomy option index.

    Market range 1

    1
    Input validation bound

  • Maximum valid autonomy option index.

    Market range 3

    3
    Input validation bound

  • Minimum valid ethanol type index.

    Market range 1

    1
    Input validation bound

  • Maximum valid ethanol type index.

    Market range 2

    2
    Input validation bound

  • This calculator models ethanol logistics only; no synthesis, so no H2 consumption.

    Market range 0 (not applicable)

    0kg/kg
    Scope flag

  • This calculator models ethanol logistics only; no synthesis, so no CO2 consumption.

    Market range 0 (not applicable)

    0kg/kg
    Scope flag