Abstract
Benefits of scale of production by installing large modern plants required cheaper and reliable methods of transport from major production centres. The first new plant at Widnes incorporated the latest technology and produced larger volumes of liquid nitrogen. British Rail offered the company a scheduled block train system to exact company requirements of bulk liquid movement from Widnes to distribution centres. A test rig and a rail tanker development programme defined the operational parameters of a high liquid transfer rate coupled to a low turn round time. A safe, high capital, cost rail redistribution centre evolved. Early discussions with British Rail highlighted the principles of basic rail tanker design. An investigation of the worldwide use of cryogenic rail tankers was made to obtain as much practical design and operating data as possible. The rail tanker comprises of an outer carbon steel/56 ft 10 in long/vessel × 8 ft 10 in outside diameter enclosing a stainless steel inner vessel 54 ft 4 1 2 in long × 7 ft 5 1 2 in outside diameter. The interspace filled with insulating powder and evacuated to 50 μm when warm. The tank is mounted on a 60 ft long underframe, twin bogied and air braked, designed to operate at 60 m p h. The transfer point and controls are duplicated each side of the rail tanker at the midpoint. Gross weight 100 tons, capacity — 56 tons, 48 tons nitrogen. In eight months of operation the rail car has met the design specifications and operational parameters. Future considerations are rail car weight saving and cost reduction, reduced turn round times, simplified control and operational procedures.
Published Version
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