Elkhart Ammonium Nitrate Storage
The 20,000 US ton (18 kt) ammonium nitrate storage alongside the tracks where railcar-loads of nitrate are lifted via conveyor into the dome.
The Elkhart Ammonium Nitrate Storage is a Monolithic Dome storage built at the El Dorado Agricultural Products retail facility in Elkhart, Texas. It stores 20,000 tons (18 kt) of granular ammonium nitrate in a 115-foot (35 m) diameter hemisphere on a 36-foot (11 m) integrated stem wall. The overall height is 92.5-feet (28 m), making it the tallest building in Elkhart.
The dome is part of an expansion of the retail facility to increase capacity and improve safety. It replaces an older, wood structure razed for the new storage. It sits alongside a rail siding and is filled directly from rail cars through a top-fill conveyor system. Unloading the dome is via front-end loaders at the tunnel opening on the opposite side of the conveyor loading elevator.
El Dorado Agricultural Products is a subsidiary of LSB Industries, Inc.. The retail facility offers soil sampling services, custom fertilizer blending, fertilizer application services, agricultural chemicals, and seeds.
Construction preparation began in December 2018 with the Airform membrane inflated on January 6, 2020. The facility opened in April 2020.
A 3D x-ray illustration shows the 20,000 ton (18 kt) ammonium nitrate pile inside the silo-like Monolithic Dome. Rail cars deliver the fertilizer via the elevator and conveyor (right). The structure is climate controlled via a small AC unit on top of the tunnel.