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This first of its kind complex includes an ethanol plant, shuttle train, grain receiving/storage/load out operation, fertilizer operation and bulk fuel terminal all on the same loop track.
VAA was referred by one of our industry friends to design a facility, which would provide 1,800,000 BU of grain storage capacity with high speed truck and rail receiving and load out capabilities. We prepared bid documents, which addressed the customers’ needs by planning a Greenfield facility. The selected site was a farm field with no improvements, located next to the main rail line and a few miles outside of Yuma, Colorado.
Our civil team was involved early in the project, after the Owner purchased the site, to develop a master site plan and design the rail component for the loop track. In the initial study it was evident the Owner would need more land to successfully complete the project. Identifying this right away, according to the client, “saved them.” Additional land was then purchased, preliminary engineering was done, and we prepared contract bid documents for the site development, railroad track, and then for the grain handling facility to accommodate the receipt of the shuttle trains or the load out of them.
VAA assisted with bid solicitation for various elements of the construction and also provided construction administration throughout the project, which involved helping the Owner set up construction contracts with their various builders, monitoring job progress, and approving contractor pay requests. Our role was to provide construction administration, watch over the construction from the Owner’s perspective, and approve the EGADC construction documents and general conditions. VAA’s services also included civil, general arrangement drawings and structural engineering.
Civil engineering services included master site planning and rail work with multiple design-build-bid packages. The primary challenge was there were two clients co-locating on the same loop track. M&M Cooperative and Yuma Ethanol were each on different ends of the loop. An additional challenge was having many different materials on the same track including fuel, fertilizer, grain, ethanol, and dry and liquid fertilizer.
To overcome these challenges our team took a comprehensive look at the site and complex. Saw the initial need to purchase additional land, oversaw the design and construction of the track and was very involved throughout the project. The civil team additionally coordinated the fuel depot, truck traffic and truck flows for the whole site. They coordinated closely with the ethanol facility designer during the project. The team also worked closely with a very “hands-on” client enabling them to be involved in the site planning process. We assisted the Owner in receiving the most cost effective design for the railroad.
The following are highlights of the grain receiving/storage/load out portion of the project:
- 30,000 BPH rail receiving system, augmented by a hydraulically operated car gate opener
- Two truck receiving hoppers each rated at 30,000 BPH
- Twin 30,000 BPH bucket elevators and a dual inlet distributor
- Six steel bins, each with 300,000 BU capacity and a 30,000 BPH D conveyor bin fill system
- Belt conveyor reclaim system rated at 30,000 BPH
- Truck load-out system (twin 6,700 BU capacity bins)
- Rail and truck scale load out system (60,000 BPH bulk weigher)
The complex is designed for flexibility. The cooperative can receive grain by rail and truck simultaneously while at the same time loading out grain to either truck or rail car. The Owner remains very satisfied with the proactive approach the team took to the project and the excellent results.
Since the projects completions M&M Cooperative has merged with CHS.
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