Dry Disconnect Couplings Help a Manufacturer Manage the Toxic Substance Phenol Safely

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Railcar Safety Issues

“Our preference is to get the phenol by pipeline, which we do when we can because it takes all of the human touch out of it,” Wright says. Unfortunately, this mode of transfer is not always possible.

“When we can’t, rail is our next preference,” Wright continues. “Truck unloading is the least-preferred method because it’s a smaller volume, plus the safety mechanisms are not as redundant.”

For railcar deliveries, phenol is typically unloaded from the top of the railcar. In terms of safety, Wright prefers top unloading, which utilizes the pressure created by a transfer pump and eductor tube to force the phenol from the railcar. “If phenol was unloaded from the bottom of the railcar, it would require the technician to get under he car to make connections,” he says. “That would make them more vulnerable if there was a leak. With top unloading it’s easier for the technician to get out of harm’s way.”

Another danger with bottom unloading is that if a transfer line fails, phenol will flow out under gravity until the railcar’s valves can be closed. By comparison, if there is a line failure in a top-unloading operation, the flow of phenol can be interrupted by simply turning off power to the pump.

Many of the top-unloading phenol railcars that arrive at SI Group Manufacturing use pressurized nitrogen to maximize the flow rate. Once unloading is complete, the pressure is bled off via a closed vapor containment system, but even so, the railcar may remain at slightly above atmospheric pressure. This residual pressure creates a risk of liquid blowback when the fittings are released.

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