Research and Production Corporation United Railcar Company (RPC UWC or the Holding Company) (MOEX: UWGN) under the awarded contract for the supply of 30 tank cars for concentrated nitric acid delivers the first batch of railcars to United Chemical Company Uralchem, one of the largest producers of mineral fertilisers in the Russian Federation, CIS and Eastern Europe. The contract will be finalised by the end of February 2018.
The 15-6901 tank cars with 54.78 m3 boiler feature a running gear designated for the enhanced axle load of 25 tf, which ensures an efficient use of lifting capacity (75 tonnes), thus allowing railcar loading to be increased by one third vs. the tank cars with a conventional bogie which are currently operated.
When developing a tank car with totally new characteristics, quality and production technologies, RPC UWC acted as the integrator of scientific and technical interaction among several companies from different backgrounds. This resulted in launching into the domestic market an unparalleled model of new-generation tank cars for the transportation of concentrated nitric acid.
The new product of the Holding Company was developed with participation of All-Union R&D Centre for Transport Technologies as developer and TikhvinKhimMash production facility as rolling stock producer, both members of RPC UWC. Russia's largest producer of high-tech semi-finished aluminium products, Arconic SMZ, supplied corrosion-resistant aluminium plates, and the leading producer of special-purpose machinery, Sespel Cheboksary Company, ensured welding operations for boiler production purposes. Alfa-Leasing, a leading leasing company, funded the railcar purchase transaction.
Due to high corrosiveness and toxic level of concentrated nitric acid, the boiler structure is made from aluminium as it is insensitive to the cargo transported. The plates tailor made by Arconic SMZ's experts for this particular project offer a number of mechanical and corrosive characteristics in excess of the requirements set out in the GOST standards. The carrying capacity and liquid cargo loading and unloading system are sealed, the cargo is completely isolated from the environment and operating staff. The non-contact radar level transmitters being employed ensure precise measurements of cargo volume within a broad temperature and pressure range even at high pollution levels and in a chemically active medium.
The service life of tank cars is 40 years vs. 20 years in the currently operated tank cars; the time between overhaul is 800,000 km (or 8 years) vs. 210,000 km (or 2 years) in railcars with a standard bogie.
Russia's current fleet of tank cars for the transportation of concentrated nitric acid includes about 200 items, their average age being 32 years. Up to 80% of the fleet will be written off by 2022.
Maxim Smirnov, the President of Arconic Russia, said: 'We are proud that RPC UWC chose Arconic SMZ in search of a specialist solution for new tank cars. This is our second joint project after a grain hopper with improved characteristics, which was certified last year. For this new order, we upgraded our equipment and tailored our aluminium plate production technology to the customer's technical requirements. The outlook for aluminium employment in the rail transport sector looks promising, and we are willing to offer improved products ordered by railroad car building companies in order to build a fleet of innovative railcars'.
Director of Sespel Cheboksary Company Vladimir Bakshayev said: 'Our company employed the best welding technology for aluminium and aluminium alloys when producing the tank car boiler, I mean friction stir welding. This, coupled with other engineering solutions, allowed high operating characteristics of metal to be achieved and high-quality tank car boilers to be produced within a very short time'.
Kirill Kyakk, CEO of All-Union R&D Centre for Transport Technologies, added: 'Tank car carries concentrated nitric acid within the production facility's process cycle; accordingly, the decommissioning of outdated tank cars can cause the suspension of chemical businesses. Railcars are few in number and occupy a specific market niche yet serve as backbone for transportation. A tank car with aluminium boiler was last designed back in 1963 and produced in the late 1980s. Transport security and industrial safety requirements and technologies have changed a lot since then. It was a challenging project. While doing the design, we worked not only on the operating characteristics and the level of hazardous cargo protection in transit, but also on the tank car's high cost efficiency. In addition to design, we conducted a comprehensive study of the new material for the boiler and welded joints. This has resulted in the development, certification and a launch of mass production of a tank car with totally improved technical and economic indicators'.
Director of URALCHEM-TRANS Vsevolod Kovshov said: 'Our company works continuously to renew our in-house railcar fleet in an effort to increase performance and the reliability of product deliveries to buyers. Priority is given to Russia's breakthrough developments, i.e. innovative railcars with improved technical and economic characteristics. RPC UWC is among our key partners in rolling stock purchases. The new innovative model of tank car for the transportation of concentrated nitric acid is tailored to the needs of our engineering functions and meets the highest safety requirements. Launching a fleet of special-purpose tank cars will allow guaranteed stability of deliveries of this product type'.