Next step in valve tech for railcar industry

Illinois-based company Midland Manufacturing, a supplier of valves and level-measurement devices for the rail tank car market, has completed development of a new pressure relief valve as part of a long-term solution for crude by rail (CBR) tank cars.

The company is one of the equipment manufacturers on a CBR tank car safety task force convened by the Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSICTC), Association of American Railroads (AAR) Tank Car Committee, and various manufacturers of rail equipment.

One of the collective's key focuses is the safety level of DOT-111 tank cars, 92,000 of which are used in the US to move flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol.

Midland's two-stage, external, stainless steel A-22039 Smart-Flow PRV is designed to be a 'next-generation' solution to help minimise the chances of over-pressurisation or explosion in the event of a tank car emergency, for example a derailment.

The valve is the first of its kind in the railcar industry.