ESSMANN | Waagen & Automation specializes in the development and manufacture of static and dynamic rail scales.
ESSMANN | Waagen & Automation has developed and successfully commissioned a static HE-GW rail scale for loading gas for a major international corporation in the chemical industry.
Customer
The client is a group with operations in over 150 countries worldwide and over 30,000 employees.
Its core business is the production of paints and coatings.
One division serves the consumer market with decorative paints, another division serves the market for industrial paints, coatings and coating systems.
Chlorine transportation in Germany
In total, around 4.2 million tons of chlorine are produced in Germany every year, mainly at the consumer’s location, and made available via pipelines.
Nevertheless, it has not yet been possible to establish local production for all major consumers.
There are also numerous users with very small purchase quantities, such as swimming pools.
In addition, chlorine transportation is necessary both in the event of chlorine production stoppages and short-term peaks in demand.
Around 6 % of chlorine production is transported by rail; this amounts to around 250,000 tons per year.
In addition, small containers (steel drums with a capacity of up to 1,000 kg and steel cylinders up to 100 kg) are transported, which are mainly delivered by truck to end users such as swimming pools or waterworks.
These transports account for a further approx. 5% of annual chlorine production.
The remaining quantities of chlorine produced are processed in the immediate vicinity of the production facilities or delivered to customers by pipeline.
The chlorine is transported in liquefied form under high pressure, for which special chlorine tank cars are used, which must meet special safety requirements.
VTG AG has developed special tank wagons for this purpose.
Among other things, these tank wagons have special buffers with deformation elements, over-buffering protection, roll-over-proof dome covers and a reinforced underframe so that, as a rule, no chlorine can escape even in the event of an accident.
In addition, all openings are located above the maximum liquid level.
An average chlorine transport by rail consists of 6 – 12 tank wagons, each with a capacity of 60 tons.
Requirements for loading gas with a rail scale
Our customer required a new rail vehicle scale for the safe loading of chlorine gas into tank wagons at its site with existing rail infrastructure.
In order to avoid accidents with chlor ine gas, the requirements and rules to be observed when loading harmful chlorine gas are correspondingly high.
ESSMANN | Waagen & Automation was therefore involved in the project right from the start of the planning and approval phase.
Technical solution
ESSMANN | Waagen & Automation used its extensive knowledge from many projects with rail scales to provide the customer with intensive advice and together they developed and elaborated a technical solution consisting of the static HE-GW 15 rail scale with a length of 15 m.
In this case, the weighbridge foundation is not produced as a precast concrete element, as a special safety enclosure for the loading of chlorine gas is being built around the weighbridge.
For this reason, an in-situ concrete foundation is being developed, which will serve as a foundation for both the weighbridge and the loading hall.
The track scale has the following key figures:
- Type: HE-GW 15 (7.5+7.5)
- Type approval: D11-09-012
- Bridge size: 7.50 + 7.50 x 3.00 m
- Load capacity: according to LM 71
- Maximum load: 120.00 t
- Measuring range: 0 – 120.00 t
- Verifiable weighing range: 1.00 – 120.00 t
- Digit increment: 0.05 t
- Accuracy: calibratable, class III, < 0.05 % v.E.
- Lightning/surge protection: integrated
- Track gauge: 1435 mm
- Rail type: S 49
The HE-GW rail vehicle scales program is a system for weighing
rail vehicles and complies with the applicable DIN standards, the regulations
of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB ) and the OIML recommendations.
Production of the rail scales
Foundation work
The pit for the track scales and the loading hall is first excavated and prepared according to specifications.
Shuttering elements and reinforcement are installed in this pit exactly according to the drawing.
Once this work has been completed, the foundation is poured with in-situ concrete.
Production of the reinforcement for the foundation of the track scales
Detailed view of the formwork and reinforcement for the track scale foundation
Manufactured formwork and reinforcement for the track scale foundation
Finished foundation of the track scales
Delivery and assembly of the weighbridge components as precast concrete parts
The two weighbridge elements are installed using a crane.
The weighbridge elements are pre-assembled with scissors, which reduces the working time on site.
Craning in the track weighbridge, manufactured as a precast concrete part.
Detailed view of the craning of the Geiswaagen bridge.
Craning in the second weighbridge of the rail scales
Assembly and wiring of the scales base of the track scales
The so-called scale base, consisting of self-aligning bearings and load cells, is then installed.
For this purpose, the scale bridge is lifted with hydraulic jacks with millimeter precision and the scale base is installed by our service technicians.
Commissioning of the rail scales and loading
ESSMANN | Weighing & Automation offers various options for loading control.
For example, it is possible for the weigher to control the loading at his weighing workstation using our EWP-GW rail scale software, the rail scale can be integrated into a fully automatic system control or the train driver can control the loading directly at the scale using the weighing electronics.
Test weighing on the new rail scale
Finished rail scales
Detailed view of the track scales for loading gas
Detailed view of track scales loading gas
