Tank Car Cleaning System

National provider of railcar service and repair came to Pick Heaters, Inc. to design a tank car cleaning system. This system was to provide 130 GPM of 150°F water at 150 PSIG to two high pressure Gamajets® for cleaning and neutralization of tank cars. A method for blending caustic and/or detergent with the hot water supply was necessary dependant on the type of cleaning required.

Pick offered a complete skid mounted package with heater, temperature controller, divert valves, chemical feed pumps and high pressure pump. A remote located PLC was included for programming cycle times. All electrical components were NEMA 7 classification. Plant boiler capacity limitations also needed to be considered.

 

The Solution:

A Pick Model 6X50-3 Direct Steam Injection Packaged Heating System. Due to low plant boiler capacity, heating is done in two stages. During cold start-up, water is heated and recirculated back to a customer supplied tank until the temperature reaches 80°F. At this point, the system transitions to forward flow to the cleaning stations with water temperature raised to 150°F. A PLC located on a separate platform allows the operator to program up to a 20 minute cleaning cycle. Two chemical feed pumps can be programmed into the cycle as required. Level switches located in the tank are interlocked with the PLC to prevent depletion of the tank.

Features and Benefits:

• Fully Automatic Operation
• Single Source Supply of Complete System
• Ability to Respond to Customer’s Unique Requirements
• Technical Support and Expertise