TLoad MAX Client Success Story

Background

Our client currently operates multiple petroleum rail terminals. They ship massive quantities of hazardous liquid commodities to North American refineries every year.

In doing this, their operations team executes many repetitive, manual and digital tank car loading functions. Our client saw the need to increase terminal throughput, while also decreasing their operational work place health and safety risks but could not find a solution currently in market to meet their needs.

Challenge

Accurately measuring gross volume and heel while maintaining closed tank filling process, as mandated by corporate health and safety policies is difficult. To maintain safety compliance, our client currently only accepts rail tank cars that have an installed mechanical gauge, which is followed by a time-consuming multiple step, check loading process.

Maximizing rail terminal throughput while ensuring workplace health and safety is the highest priority. Rail cars without a mechanical gauge are significantly underfilled to avoid overfilling, which reduces throughput.

Solution

Since implementation, hundreds of rail tank cars have been successfully loaded with TRIG TLoad sensors.

The TLoad MAX is a durable radar sensor with an advanced control system that provides our client with an automated solution for maximizing loading throughput into closed rail tank cars.

Accurate, reliable, continuous measurement of gross volume and heel
Signals critical high-level volume
Never touches hazardous commodities
Automatically adjusts for rail tank car sizes
Advanced control system
Integration with current terminal automation
Maintains closed rail tank car loading

The sensor collects real time level measurement of the commodity inside the tank car. The control system then combines the commodity level and tank car strapping table data, with the temperature, density and flow data from the terminal meter to automatically determine gross volume and heel measurements.

Results

5%

Increased throughput

The fill safety margin on railcars without gauge rods is currently set at 6000 L. Utilizing the TRIG sensor, the fill safety margin on these railcars can be reduced to 1000 L to match all other loaded railcars, enabling our client to load the same amount of crude oil in over 5% fewer cars per month.