Filling the Tankers
Introduction Transport Fleets The Tankers Classifications Filling the Tankers Unloading Ye Olde Tankers Going by Rail Going Overseas Tank Farms Radioactive Logistics Planning Monitoring the Load	It is the responsibility of the Company which transports the chemicals to ensure that they are carried in a safe manner, as laid down by the Health and Safety At Work Act of 1974. The method of filling the tank depends on the category of the chemical product. Hazardous to Humans For products in this category, a sealed environment must be used whilst filling the tankers. This requires two pipes, a fill pipe and a vapour return pipe, which carries vapours back to the chemical plant. Personnel must wear protective suits and sets of breathing apparatus. Chemicals which react with Oxygen. These must be loaded and carried in an inert atmosphere, to prevent contact with oxygen in the air. An inert atmosphere could be any gas which does not react with the chemical. Of course, the inert atmosphere should, itself, be harmless and inexpensive - usually nitrogen or argon. Any unused capacity within the tank must be filled with the inert gas. Gases. These are compressed to liquids and carried in the tanker under very high pressure. Gas tanks are stronger but need no insulation. They are never cross-used for liquid or powder chemicals. Low-hazard to Humans For land-based transport of low hazard products e.g. engine oil, spring water, polystyrene granules, there are no loading precautions. The tanker can be filled from an open pipe, with the delivery driver watching it fill. Temperature-critical Products. Sometimes a chemical must be delivered ready for immediate use, and its temperature may be crucial. One example is methyl di-isocyanate (MDI), which is used in the manufacture of car bumpers and plastic door trims. If this chemical is too hot when it is delivered to the car factory for manufacturing bumpers, the foam at the back of the car bumper will bubble too much. This weakens the bumper, and it will not withstand impact tests. If it is too cold when delivered, it does not bubble enough, and there will not be enough "give" in the bumpers, making them brittle and liable to crack too easily. Most tankers are well insulated, and the large bulk contained within them only cools down slowly. The product is generally loaded at a slightly higher temperature than required, and so, for short journeys, it is at the correct temperature on arrival. For longer journeys, and particularly for transport overseas, the product can be reheated in one of two ways, depending on the design of the tanker electrically, by electric elements in contact with the barrel of the tank, under the insulating layer, steam-heated by pipes between the barrel and insulation Up to Menu?
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