how long does it take to fill a tank car?
Most likely, time to fill would mostly be a product of the capacity ( determined by loaded weight minus the tare weight. Such weights are specific to each car being used) of the tank car being filled,
Then,factor in the diameters of the piping and or the pipes to the filling point; That information along with the amount of pump capacity in the system to move the product.to the filling point.
Another important part of the equation would be the specific gravity ( weight of the product) being moved to the tank cars. Lighter product would move through the system quicker than a very heavy gravity product which would require a heavier/different system to move it to filling point.
The owner of the filling operation would want complete weight integrity of the loading process. Since amount of product is governed primarily by weight, and/or gallons of product. The filler would want each car to be at its maximum capacity for transit ( Charges would be by Contract with the carrier for transportation.) { Generally, Rail Tankers are unbaffeled, so poorly loaded cars lead to a whole different set of dynamics in train handling.( Sloshing, and hammering–pushing during braking, etc, can be the result of poor loading practices.)]
Weight would also be criti
You have GOT to be German, Sam! This is a prime example of why my kids learned early in life to never ask their German father a question requiring more than a “Yes” or “No” answer. It’s also a great demonstration of the old adage that you should never ask a German the time of day because he will answer with complete instructions for building a clock. [|)]
So, would this process require more than 10 minutes? If so, would it require more than 20 minutes? If so, would it require more than 30 minutes? If so, would it require more than … [(-D]
Here is a quote from Paul North from earlier this year:
The Buckeye (Pipeline Co.) Albany Terminal at the Port of Albany (near Glenmont, just south of the city) unloads 96-car unit trains of ethanol (and maybe some other products) on 4 tracks daily by connecting each car to a “manifold” pipe that’s about 12-inch diameter - takes 4 or 5 guys a couple-3 hours or so at the beginning and end of each 10 - 12 hour shift. So once the cars are “spotted”, they don’t have to be disconnected or moved until they are all empty.
- Paul North.
This is one answer for a large operation. You can find any number of pictures of oil being loaded directly from a single tank truck. In that situation the limitation would be the capability of the pump on the truck. I have spent close to ½ an hour looking for an earlier post that answers you question better, but I cannot find it.
Having said that, I don’t think there is any one answer to your question. It is a function of how much the shipper wants to invest.
Bruce
The example of the Port of Albany sounds like gravity unloading to a sump, which would be quite different than loading thru a pump(s). Some locations load directly from trucks to rail, but many others unload the trucks to storage tanks for eventual bulk loading to unit trains. I still have not found loading times for either method.
Bruce; That is quite true. One has to wonder if the RRs & / or the tank car owners are providing finanical incentatives in the way of increased car charges for down time to cause not only shippers but receivers to speed loading and unloading ? That could be a function of type of tank car with DOT 111 cars not pushed as fast ?
The financial incentive called demurrage has always been around. It is the charge incurred at either end of the trip, if a car is kept at a loading/unloading facility for longer than the period agreed to in the shipping contract.
The big change from the days of railroading alluded to in my most recent post over in the Lounge, is the rise of non-RR owned cars. I am not sure of the percentage, but someone in the know will likely jump in soon with that number. I would not be surprised if that number is now over 50%. The big incentive there is the RR customer no longer has to pay the RR for car-hire for RR owned cars. That cost is significant enough to induce customers to purchase/lease their own cars. Which is now becoming big business for tank car builders, what with two year delivery wait times.
Bruce
Private owner tank cars are usually leased out to oil producers on leases that vary from short term(6 month) to long term(up to 5 years). There is no ‘demurrage’ - The fast cycling of the leased car is the oil producer’s responsibility. The owner of the tank car gets his money if the car cycles fast or sits still.
Jim
What about mileage charges. ??
Sam mentioned specific gravity as being one of the factors which determines the rate at which a liquid can be transmitted. This, however, is not always a true measure: consider that benzene, which is heavier than ethyl alcohol, flows faster than ethyl alcohol. The viscosity of a liquid will determine the rate at which it will flow. Consider molasses, which has a high viscosity and flows very slowly. As to the various components of petroleum, the more carbon atoms there are in a compound, the higher its viscosity will be, and the more slowly it will move. We are familiar with some of the petroleums that have to be diluted before they can be moved through a pipeline because they are highly viscous.
To quote from my college physical chemistry textbook: “Viscosity is an important factor which must be considered in the design of chemical-engineering equipment, because the cost of pumping is often considerable, and the costs depend greatly on the viscosity of the liquids or gases.”
See GATX’s webpage for its “TankTrain”:
" . . . loaded or unloaded at a rate of 3,000 gallons per minute. A five-car string loads in just 90 minutes, while a 90-car train takes less than five hours."
Bruce, thanks for digging up and quoting my earlier post. 96 cars in 12 hours is 8 cars per hour, on average, or about 7.5 minutes per car. But I believe any one car all by itself would be around 20 - 30 minutes - they’re just ‘parallel processing’ many cars simultaneously.
- Paul North.