Terminal functions

Receive. Store. Transfer.

The functions documented at Patoka are pipeline receipt, tank storage, pipeline-to-pipeline transfer, and truck unloading with testing and measurement.

Close-up of large white flanged pipeline valves and bolted connections

Terminal operations

Receive. Store. Transfer.

The work at Patoka is the controlled movement of crude oil between pipelines, tanks and carriers.

Close-up of large white flanged pipeline valves and bolted connections at a crude oil terminal
Valves and flanged connectionsDetail
Aerial view of a pipeline manifold: white pipes, valves with red actuator sections and grey steel stairways on a gravel pad
Pipeline manifold, aerialTransfer infrastructure

Pipeline receipt

Long-distance pipelines deliver crude into the hub, including the Dakota Access Pipeline from North Dakota.

Energy Transfer Form 10-K, FY2025

Tank storage

Above-ground tanks hold crude between receipt and delivery. Several companies operate tank farms at Patoka.

Energy Transfer, March 2020 · Form 10-K, FY2025

Pipeline-to-pipeline transfer

Crude can move from Dakota Access into ETCO for the Gulf Coast, or into other pipelines for Midwest refining markets.

Energy Transfer Form 10-K, FY2025

Truck unloading and measurement

A crude oil truck unloading terminal receives tanker trucks from surrounding oil fields, tests and measures the oil, stores it and transfers it to an interstate pipeline about half a mile away.

Farnsworth Group project record · Patoka Terminal Company, LLC

Energy movement

From one pipeline to the next, without leaving the system.

A crude oil terminal is a junction. Barrels arrive by pipeline, are measured, held in tanks and pumped into the line that carries them to a refinery. The sequence below shows how a typical terminal works, and where Patoka fits in.

Schematic of a typical crude oil terminal process: inbound pipeline, meter skid, storage tank, booster pump, valve manifold and two outbound pipelines. Illustrative.

  1. Receipt

    Crude enters the terminal from long-distance pipelines and, at some facilities, from trucks.

    At PatokaDakota Access, the Southern Access Extension and the Wood River–Patoka system deliver into the hub.

  2. Measurement

    Meters and sampling record the volume and quality of every barrel as it changes hands between systems.

    At PatokaA truck unloading terminal at Patoka tests and measures crude from surrounding oil fields before transfer.

  3. Storage

    Tanks hold crude until outbound capacity is scheduled, keeping flows steady when supply and demand move at different speeds.

    At PatokaMore than 19 million barrels in nearly 80 tanks across the hub (Energy Transfer, 2020).

  4. Transfer

    Pumps and valve manifolds route crude from tanks into the chosen outbound line.

    At PatokaDakota Access crude can be delivered into ETCO or into other pipelines at the hub (Form 10-K).

  5. Delivery

    Outbound pipelines carry crude to refineries and export terminals.

    At PatokaETCO to Nederland, Texas; Capline to St. James, Louisiana; other lines to Midwest refiners.

Above-ground pipeline manifold with white pipework, grey steel access platforms and valves, with large storage tanks behind
Pipeline manifold and storage tanksTransfer infrastructure

Products

Products handled at Patoka: crude oil

Patoka is a crude oil hub. The published record describes crude from three supply regions arriving at the terminal. No refined products such as gasoline or diesel are documented there.

Crude stream Origin Route to Patoka Source
Light, sweet crude Bakken / Three Forks, North Dakota Dakota Access Pipeline Energy Transfer Form 10-K, FY2025
Western Canadian crude Western Canada Enbridge Mainline and Southern Access Extension Enbridge open season notice, April 2026
Local field crude Oil fields around Patoka Tanker truck to a Patoka unloading terminal Farnsworth Group project record

Patoka Oil Terminal

Between the wellhead and the refinery, there is Patoka.

For enquiries about the terminal, its connections and commercial opportunities, contact the Patoka team.

Contact the terminal Commercial opportunities

Inbound · North Dakota · Western Canada · Wood River

Hub · Patoka, Marion County, Illinois

Outbound · Gulf Coast · Midwest refining