Railroad tank car
AssigneeUnion Tank Car Company
InventorsJames SHIRVINSKI, Jeremy DELACERDA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Railroad tank cars are provided that include an inner tank, an outer tank, and tank to tank clearance between the inner tank and the outer tank. Insulation and spacers can be located within the tank to tank clearance. The inner tank can shift within the outer tank, and spacers can crush, under significant force loading, such as impact forces generated during a collision or derailment. The inner tank, insulation, spacers, and outer tank thus form an energy absorbing system that reduces the likelihood that the inner tank will be breached, and that a hazardous material contained therein will be released, under such conditions.
Claims20
A tank car comprising:
- a. an outer tank;
- b. an inner tank enclosed within the outer tank, the inner tank being supported by a bottom support structure, where there is a tank to tank clearance defined between the inner tank and the outer tank;
- and
- c. said bottom support structure including;
- i) an inner tank support that is secured to the inner tank;
- ii) a tank cradle secured to the outer tank, said tank cradle shaped to receive the inner tank support so that the inner tank support rests on the tank cradle and the inner tank support can slide along or lift off of the tank cradle.
A tank car comprising:
- a. an outer tank;
- b. an inner tank enclosed within the outer tank where there is a tank to tank clearance defined between the inner tank and the outer tank, said inner tank including an opening;
- and
- c. a dome including:
- i) a nozzle having a central opening, said nozzle attached to the inner tank so that the nozzle central opening is in communication with the opening of the inner tank;
- ii) a cover plate secured to the nozzle and removably covering the nozzle central opening;
- iii) a protective sidewall secured to the inner tank and the outer tank and surrounding and extending above the nozzle and the cover plate.
A tank car comprising:
- a. an outer tank;
- b. an inner tank enclosed within the outer tank where there is a tank to tank clearance defined between the inner tank and the outer tank;
- c. a plurality of spacers and insulation within the tank to tank clearance defined between the inner tank and the outer tank whereby when the inner tank shifts within the outer tank under impact loading conditions, the insulation and spacers absorb energy of the impact loading conditions;
- and
- d. each of said plurality of spacers including a first end and a second end attached to the inner tank and a curved portion formed there between, said curved portion having an apex abutting the outer tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.