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Liquid Methanol Receiving & Storage (Unloading, Tanks, Transfer, Safety) — Pre-feasibility

Pre-feasibility sizing and costing for a liquid methanol receiving and storage system delivering stable flow to a downstream unit, including tank count/volume, pumping energy, 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 transfer/unloading flow rate delivered from storage to the downstream unit (or from unloading to tanks, if similar).

t/h

min 1 · max 500 · step 1 · t/h

Net annual quantity that must be sent from storage to the downstream unit (before losses are applied in the model).

t/year

min 1000 · max 5000000 · step 1000 · t/year

Total on-site methanol storage capacity. Used for tank count/size, autonomy and cost scaling.

Select for density basis only (minor impact).

Used to select a simplified loss fraction representative of vapor control performance.

Currently informational only; included for future refinements. CAPEX split remains constant in this pre-feasibility version.

Used for transfer pumping electricity cost.

EUR/MWh

min 0 · max 400 · step 1 · EUR/MWh

Used in the capital recovery factor (CRF) for annualizing equipment purchase CAPEX.

ratio

min 0.01 · max 0.25 · step 0.005 · ratio

Amortization period used with the discount rate in the CRF.

years

min 5 · max 40 · step 1 · years

Results

Total storage capacity

Nominal stored methanol mass capacity (selected)

…t

Total geometric tank volume required

Includes working fill fraction assumption

…m3

Number of storage tanks

Rounded up to respect maximum single-tank size

…count

Capacity per tank

Total storage capacity divided across tanks

…t/tank

Storage autonomy

Days of average supply at the specified annual throughput

…days

Inventory cycles per year

Annual throughput divided by storage capacity

…1/year

Annual methanol losses

Handling + storage losses (simplified fraction of throughput)

…t/year

Transfer pumping electricity consumption

Estimated from hydraulic head and pump efficiency

…MWh/year

Equipment purchase CAPEX (total)

Tanks + transfer/metering + safety + unloading interface (excludes installation/indirects)

…EUR

CAPEX bucket: tanks

Share of total equipment CAPEX

…EUR

CAPEX bucket: transfer & metering

Pumps, piping, valves, metering skids (purchase only)

…EUR

CAPEX bucket: safety & flammable handling

Fire & gas, bunding, vapor control/blanketing allowances (purchase only)

…EUR

CAPEX bucket: unloading/loading interface

Connection and interface allowance (purchase only)

…EUR

Annualized CAPEX

Equipment CAPEX annualized via CRF

…EUR/year

Total annual cost

Annualized CAPEX + O&M + replacement + electricity

…EUR/year

Levelized handling cost

Per net tonne of methanol delivered (after losses)

…EUR/t

Levelized handling cost (energy basis)

Per MWh of methanol LHV delivered

…EUR/MWh-fuel

Implied green H2 requirement (context)

Stoichiometric H2 corresponding to net methanol delivered

…t/year

Implied CO2 feed requirement (context)

Stoichiometric CO2 corresponding to net methanol delivered

…t/year

About

Calculator context

Introduction

This calculator estimates the pre-feasibility sizing and equipment purchase cost (CAPEX) plus key OPEX for a liquid methanol receiving and storage asset: unloading interface, storage tanks, transfer pumps/metering, and safety/flammable handling systems. It is scoped for global screening studies and uses standard process engineering methods with literature-aligned defaults (IEA/IRENA e-fuels context, API-style tank sizing practice, and common techno-economic costing approaches).

Methodology

The model converts user-provided methanol logistics requirements into storage and transfer equipment sizes, then applies power-law cost scaling and annualization to compute annual and levelized costs.

Key calculations:

  • Storage volume and tank count
    • Storage liquid volume (m3) = (storage_capacity_t * 1000) / density_kg_m3
    • Required geometric volume (m3) = storage_liquid_volume_m3 / fill_fraction
    • Number of tanks = ceil(required_geometric_volume_m3 / max_tank_volume_m3)
  • Autonomy and cycling
    • Average daily throughput (t/day) = annual_throughput_t_per_year / 365
    • Autonomy (days) = storage_capacity_t / average_daily_throughput
    • Cycles per year = annual_throughput_t_per_year / storage_capacity_t
  • Pumping power and energy (hydraulic estimate)
    • Q (m3/s) from nominal flow and density
    • Hydraulic power (W) = rho * g * Q * head
    • Shaft power (kW) = hydraulic_power_w / (efficiency * 1000)
    • Annual pumping energy (MWh/y) = shaft_power_kW * pumping_hours_per_year / 1000
  • Losses
    • Annual losses (t/y) = annual_throughput * loss_fraction (tank-type dependent)
  • Costing and annualization (NREL/IRENA-style TEA structure)
    • Specific CAPEX scaled (EUR/t) = clamp(specific_capex_ref * (capacity/capacity_ref)^k, min, max)
    • Equipment CAPEX total (EUR) = specific_capex_scaled * capacity
    • CRF = (r*(1+r)^n)/((1+r)^n-1) (with denominator guard)
    • Annual cost = annualized_capex + fixed O&M + variable O&M + replacement + electricity
    • Levelized handling cost (EUR/t and EUR/MWh-fuel) = total_annual_cost / throughput

E-fuels scaffold alignment: methanol LHV converts throughput to MWh-fuel, and stoichiometric H2/CO2 per methanol is reported as contextual demand signals (IEA/IRENA/Concawe/Fraunhofer).

Applications

  • Project developer (screening): choose storage capacity and tank configuration to meet buffer autonomy targets and compare EUR/t handled across options.
  • Owner’s engineer (concept select): evaluate how unloading mode and safety scope affect CAPEX split and annual cost.
  • Commercial/finance (early TEA): translate handling costs into EUR/MWh-fuel adders for e-methanol value-chain economics.

Model

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

96 variables shown of 96
VariableValueUnitDepends on
50t/h—
300000t/year—
20000t—
1——
1——
1——
80EUR/MWh—
0.08ratio—
25years—
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
if((<=0)+(<=0)+(<=0)+(<0)+(<=0)+(<=0)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)>0,1,0)bool
if(==,,)kg/m3
*kg
/max(,)m3
/max(,)m3/tank
/max(,)t/day
*kg/h
/max(,)m3/h
/max(,)m3/s
***W
/max((*),)kW
/max(,)h/year
*EUR/year
if(==,,)—
max((-),0)t/year
(*)/max(,)MWh-fuel/t
*MWh-fuel/year
*(/max(,))^EUR/t
clamp(,,)EUR/t
*(/max(,))^—
clamp(,,)—
*EUR/year
*EUR/year
(*)/max(,)EUR/year
(*(1+)^)/max(((1+)^-1),)—
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
t
/max(,)m3
max(ceil(/max(,)),)count
/max(,)t/tank
/max(,)days
/max(,)1/year
(*)/max(,)MWh/year
*t/year
*t/year
*t/year
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR/year
++++EUR/year
/max(,)EUR/t
/max(,)EUR/MWh-fuel

Assumptions

43 assumptions used in the calculations

  • Prevents division-by-zero and ensures stable evaluation for boundary conditions.

    Market range Not applicable (numerical parameter).

    0.000001
    Numerical stability constant (tokenizer-safe guard).

  • Mass unit conversion between tonnes and kilograms.

    Market range Exact.

    1000kg/t
    Unit conversion.

  • Time conversion for flow rate transformations.

    Market range Exact.

    3600s/h
    Unit conversion.

  • Sufficient for pre-feasibility annualization of throughput.

    Market range 365 (ignoring leap years).

    365day/year
    Calendar convention for average-year approximation.

  • Used in hydraulic power calculation.

    9.81m/s2
    Standard gravity.

  • Represents combined static + friction head for tank farm transfer at screening stage.

    30m
    Typical transfer head allowance.

  • Represents combined efficiency from electrical input to hydraulic output for medium-size pumps.

    0.7ratio
    Typical pump + motor efficiency (lumped).

  • Converts watts to kilowatts.

    Market range Exact.

    1000W/kW
    Unit conversion.

  • Converts kWh to MWh.

    Market range Exact.

    1000kWh/MWh
    Unit conversion.

  • Used to convert tonnes to cubic meters for sizing.

    792kg/m3
    Typical methanol density at ambient conditions.

  • Density differences by grade are negligible compared with temperature dependence at screening stage.

    792kg/m3
    AI

  • Accounts for ullage, operational flexibility, thermal expansion, and safety margin.

    0.9ratio
    Operational fill limit assumption.

  • Constrains number of tanks and unit sizing without detailed mechanical design.

    50000m3
    Representative maximum single atmospheric tank size for screening.

  • Ensures at least one tank when capacity is positive.

    Market range 1 (exact).

    1count
    Logical minimum.

  • Captures breathing/working losses and small handling losses in a single screening factor.

    0.0015ratio
    Simplified annual loss fraction vs throughput for fixed-roof tanks with typical vapor control.

  • Represents reduced evaporative losses relative to fixed-roof assumptions.

    0.0008ratio
    Simplified annual loss fraction vs throughput for improved vapor control.

  • Context-only indicator for e-methanol supply chain (not consumed by storage asset).

    Market range Exact stoichiometric ratio (excluding side reactions).

    0.1875kg/kg
    Reaction stoichiometry for CO2-to-methanol.

  • Context-only indicator for e-methanol supply chain (not consumed by storage asset).

    Market range Exact stoichiometric ratio (excluding recycle/purge effects).

    1.375kg/kg
    Reaction stoichiometry for CO2-to-methanol.

  • Used to normalize handling cost to EUR/MWh-fuel for e-fuels TEA comparability.

    19.9MJ/kg
    Typical methanol lower heating value.

  • Converts MJ to MWh (1 kWh = 3.6 MJ).

    Market range Exact.

    3600MJ/MWh
    Energy unit conversion.

  • Represents a mid-scale terminal tank farm capacity used for normalizing the cost curve.

    20000t
    Reference point for scaling curve.

  • Represents tanks + transfer + safety + unloading interface as purchase-only CAPEX at reference scale.

    260EUR/t
    Screening equipment purchase cost intensity for methanol storage & handling.

  • Captures decreasing specific costs with larger storage installations.

    Market range -0.25 to 0 (specific CAPEX decreases or stays flat with scale).

    -0.12
    Economy-of-scale exponent applied to specific CAPEX.

  • Prevents unrealistic low costs from scaling beyond intended range.

    Market range Indicative floor for purchase-only scope in large installations.

    120EUR/t
    Lower clamp for specific CAPEX.

  • Avoids unrealistic high costs for very small installations or atypical scope.

    Market range Indicative ceiling for purchase-only scope with higher safety class.

    600EUR/t
    Upper clamp for specific CAPEX.

  • Tanks often dominate purchase CAPEX for bulk liquid storage.

    0.55ratio
    Typical cost split for tank farm equipment purchase CAPEX.

  • Represents transfer skids, metering, and piping allowances at equipment level.

    0.18ratio
    Typical cost split for pumps/piping/metering in storage facilities.

  • Captures purchase cost of key safety systems at screening level.

    0.17ratio
    Typical safety/fire & gas allowance share for flammable liquids.

  • Represents loading arms/hoses, interface skid, basic controls as purchase-only allowance.

    0.1ratio
    Unloading interface allowance share.

  • Covers routine inspections, maintenance, spares, and basic site services for storage systems.

    0.03ratio
    Fixed O&M fraction of equipment CAPEX.

  • Reflects modest reduction in fixed O&M intensity for larger sites.

    Market range -0.15 to 0.

    -0.05
    Economy-of-scale exponent for fixed O&M fraction.

  • Avoids unrealistically low fixed O&M for large capacity.

    0.015ratio
    Lower clamp for fixed O&M fraction.

  • Avoids unrealistically high fixed O&M for small capacity.

    0.06ratio
    Upper clamp for fixed O&M fraction.

  • Covers consumables, sampling/QC, routine operational overhead proportional to throughput.

    0.35EUR/t
    Variable O&M per tonne handled (screening).

  • Represents pumps, seals, instrumentation, metering elements as replaceable items within the equipment scope.

    0.06ratio
    Share of equipment CAPEX subject to periodic replacement.

  • Used to annualize replacement allowance at screening stage.

    12years
    Representative replacement interval for a subset of rotating/instrument items.

  • Numeric code for DSL technology selector pattern.

    Market range Not applicable.

    1
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for DSL technology selector pattern.

    Market range Not applicable.

    2
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for tank configuration selection.

    Market range Not applicable.

    1
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for tank configuration selection.

    Market range Not applicable.

    2
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for unloading mode selection.

    Market range Not applicable.

    1
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for unloading mode selection.

    Market range Not applicable.

    2
    Selector encoding.

  • Numeric code for unloading mode selection.

    Market range Not applicable.

    3
    Selector encoding.