Chemical reaction: In these times of heightened security, safely transporting chemicals is of paramount importance to railcar designers and railroads
The business of moving large amounts of dangerous chemicals throughout the country does not come across as the most appealing job description, yet it is one of the railroads’ largest pieces of business. According to the American Chemistry Council, chemical companies are the second largest rail shippers, paying nearly $5 billion annually in transportation costs.
The possibility of an accident leading to a spill has always been present. However, these are different days. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., fear of additional strikes, especially of a biological or chemical nature, has gripped the nation from coast-to-coast. What were once thought of as routine chemical shipments are now viewed as potential targets.
“With our changed world, security has taken on added importance in the railroad industry, “said Association of American Railroads President Edward R. Hamberger on Nov. 19 as he announced the appointment of hazmat transportation expert Dennis Delk to the new position of executive director-railroad security. Following that, the American Chemistry Council published a new manual, “Transportation Security Guidelines for the U.S. Chemical Industry,” which outlines elements of security programs and provides examples of preventative measures. Whatever new measures, if any, the railroads take, those measures must remain secret to be effective.
Railcar builders are determined to improve their safety standards when constructing cars, and some specialty suppliers are working hard to minimize the damage a spill may cause. Though the times may have changed, the idea stays the same–safety first. “We’re always working on safety improvements,” says Tom Dalrymple, executive director-tank car engineering at Trinity Rail Group. “It’s more of a situation involving steady progress than it is of radical breakthroughs. Our industry tends to evolve, so our progress is continuous.”
That progress is keeping chemical transport on railroads safe, and therefore, efficient. According to the AAR, rail is “by far and away the safest way to transport hazardous materials,” with 99.99% of hazmats traveling by rail arriving at their destination without incident. Over the past 20 years, only three fatalities have been attributable to railroad transport of hazmats. And the Research and Special Programs Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the number of hazmat incidents per thousand carloads has declined 38% since 1990.
Trinity, a major manufacturer of tank cars for the rail industry, continues to implement various safety measures in its products to support such statistics.
Dalrymple says that Trinity tank cars are equipped with such standard safety equipment as double-shelf couplers, which reduce the likelihood of cars coming uncoupled. They also prevent couplers passing when cars are being coupled, and puncturing the end of the tank. “Double-shelf couplers have reduced coupler punctures by a large magnitude over the years, and are vital to keeping spills from occurring,” says Dalrymple.
Tank cars are also fitted with head shields, which makes them even less susceptible to puncture. “This is something that has been in existence for sometime and has proven successful,” adds Dalrymple.
Bottom outlet valve protection is a key safety feature on Trinity cars. “In case of a derailment in which a tank car comes off its trucks and has a valve on the bottom, that valve is protected with a surrounding structure to keep it from being sheered off and lading being lost,” says Dalrymple. Some cars have top-fittings protection as well, protecting valves in the event of a rollover. In constructing tank cars, Trinity also utilizes what Dalrymple calls “improved steel,” which is more tolerant of cold-weather impacts. “The name of the game is to keep the lading in the tank, and we’ve done a lot of things over the years to do just that,” he says.
Trinity is also trying to reduce the number of “non-accident” releases that can occur during chemical transport by improving gaskets to minimize splash in transit and working on human factors that contribute to spills. “A lot of the work we’re doing is training personnel, because many things that have caused problems were simple human error,” says Dalrymple.
Railroads that employ such well-designed tank cars field all of the responsibility in maintaining safer conditions on the rails. Union Pacific, for example, sponsors five-day, 40-hour courses that help train emergency response workers in assessing tank car damage, making repairs, and transferring hazmats from damaged equipment using protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus. The final exam includes a simulated hazmat accident, where students not only learn how to deal with dangerous chemicals, but also how to safely work around railcars and railroad property. UP has been running programs of this type since 1986.
But accidents will happen, and spills will occur, no matter how carefully a railcar is designed or how well trained the response team. And that is where companies like Trans Environmental Systems, Inc., and Portec come into play. TESI, for example, designs tools for minimizing damage that can occur with non-accident type chemical spills or leaks.
Says TESI President Merrill E. Bishop, “Our products keep the natural area around a spill safe from harmful contaminants that can seep into the ground, and we help railroads save money that can be drained by costly cleanups of such areas. And they help railroads save face with the communities through which they’re operating.”
Among TESI’s spill-containment products are the Haz-Hammock, [TM] a lightweight, 500-pound-capacity polypropylene pouch that can be suspended underneath a leaking tank car and used while the car is in motion. The company’s Spill Containment System is a 500-gallon-capacity steel pan designed to be placed on the tracks below a leak. According to Bishop, TESI’s products are now in wide use among North American railroads, including CSXT, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, and Canadian Pacific. Norfolk Southern protects more than 60 locations along its track routes with TESI equipment.
Portec offers the Catch-All Track Mat, a containment mar that collects large spills in and around loading and unloading sites. It’s designed by Ultra Tech.
Further down the line of emergency management is a company called SAFER Systems, which uses advanced technology to help clients determine what effect a chemical release will have, in very specific terms. According to President Matt Collier, SAFER Systems’ SAFER STAR program has been implemented by BNSF. Several other Class I’s are now interested after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Essentially, the SAFER STAR allows BNSF to develop a reaction plan to a chemical spill based on factors including the specific type of chemical, and the weather conditions, population, topography, and soil type in the affected area. Using Global Positioning Satellite readings and weather reports, SAFER STAR can estimate how far and in what direction wind may blow fumes from a spill, while soil information topographical maps help determine the flow speed and direction of ground contamination. The information pre-programmed into SAFER STAR also incorporates BNSF track plans and highway/rail grade crossings, thereby enabling rapid emergency response time in case of a spill.
With all facets of the system functioning with safety in mind, transporting chemicals via rail will continue to be a safe and efficient business, no matter what the day may bring.
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