Railcar Cleaning System Improves Environmental Performance; Reduces Cycle Times
Channelview, Texas, January 31, 2012 (James Street Media Services)--The Rescar Companies, which provide complete repair, maintenance, cleaning, and interior/exterior coating services to owners, lessors and users of rail tank/freight cars throughout North America, announces the opening of a new state-of-the-art railcar cleaning system in Channelview, Texas.
The new cleaning system is designed to process eight railcars simultaneously, speeding their return to railcar owners and to leasing customers so they can ship their products, as well as reducing lost-income days for railcar lessors. Built new from the ground up, the facility includes dedicated tanks; more powerful pumps with product-specific piping; and a sophisticated vapor abatement system, capable of treating up to 900 specific compounds before and during the cleaning process. All vapors are treated and monitored to reduce or eliminate release to the atmosphere. The cleaning facility will return many “residual” products to the industrial production cycle.
“To properly serve our market we must have a long-range, strategic approach. Cleaning railcars is only one part of what our customers need,” says Joseph F. Schieszler, Jr., President and CEO, The Rescar Companies. “The facility we’ve just opened in Channelview is the embodiment of that philosophy.”
The expanded facility includes cleaning, blast, product storage and abatement under one roof with 10,000 feet of new rail for more efficient movement and processing of cars. “We’ve designed this facility to match the requirements of our customers,” says Kevin Wilck, VP, Rescar. “Our capacity has increased from five cars per day to as many as 16.
“The system was designed with the current and future needs of Fortune 500 and major chemical shippers in mind,” Wilck says. “They need Rescar to properly handle a wide range of potentially harmful products, as well as to support their sustainability initiatives. For example, some of the compounds we remove can be recycled for processing in numerous industries. Channelview’s sophisticated cleaning system can return more of what was once considered waste to productive use.”
The new cleaning system’s extensive capabilities and technology include:
Cleaning Capabilities
Product removal
Interior vapor removal and treatment
Wash and rinse water process separation
Flammable vapors to flare with assist gas
Closed-circuit water movement between wash tanks for water management
Steam cleaning with steam scrub capabilities
General purpose non-hazardous cleaning
Toxic or controlled water cleaning
Hot and cold wash water
Diesel wash cleaning
Hot caustic wash cleaning
Acid railcar cleaning
Railcar residual product for fuels program collection
Railcar interior blasting to enhance cleaning when needed
Vacuum railcar vapor space to remove moist air for shipping
Nitrogen or dry air pads on request
Abatement Control Devices
Flare
Steam Vapor Scrubber
Caustic Rain Tower Scrubber
Wet/Dry Carbon Filter
Closed Loop Wash System (start to finish)
Blast Room Dust Collector Filter with an exchange rate of 5 to 1
Railcar Interior Blast Dust Collector/Spent Material Removal with Filtration
The Rescar Channelview Shop Complex
The Channelview cleaning system is an integral part of Rescar’s 42-acre full-service railcar shop complex. This full-service facility has five miles of track that can accommodate 330 cars and has approximately 200,000 square feet under roof with room for up to 90 cars. Located in the heart of the petroleum, petrochemical and chemical refining industry of the Gulf Coast near Houston, Texas, Channelview provides a comprehensive menu of services including railcar repair, interior and exterior coating applications, cleaning, testing, inspection, and non-destructive testing services.
About The Rescar Companies
The Rescar Companies (www.rescar.com) provide complete repair, maintenance, cleaning, and consulting services (via its subsidiary, AllTranstek) to owners, lessors and users of rail freight cars throughout North America. A privately-held company based in Downers Grove, Illinois, Rescar has been dedicated to serving the rail industry since 1969. It provides Maximum Velocity to support today’s efficient global supply chain management systems, leading the industry by reducing cycle times through its facilities by nearly 50 percent since 2003, while improving quality and safety across the Rescar system. Services are provided by Rescar at five major shops and some 60 mini-shops, as well as at in-plant locations and mobile service operations in the United States and Canada. Rescar also provides around-the-clock troubleshooting at 800-737-2276.