Asset management monitors chemical rail tankers
26 September 2008
Savi’s SmartChain Asset Management software is being utilised by The Dow Chemical Company’s Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) rail tank car fleet to automatically monitor the location and security status of the hazardous materials they transport. The software solution, developed by Savi was announced at the opening of the LogiChem Conference.
The Dow Railcar Shipment Visibility solution incorporates GPS, satellite communication systems and sensors affixed to tank cars, enabling Dow to “ping” on demand or receive automated alerts of possible security breaches, unsafe temperatures and high impacts to tank cars. Geo-fencing capabilities that leverage satellite images enable identification of the nearest first responder in the case of an emergency or security threat.
“Dow places the highest priority on safe production and transportation of hazardous materials, and through this best-practices project with Savi we are working aggressively to reduce risk and improve performance,” said David Kepler, executive vice president, chief sustainability officer and chief information officer of The Dow Chemical Company. “The chemical industry should set the highest standards with advanced technology solutions like this to address concerns and ensure safe passage of chemicals in-transit or at rest.”
“This innovative turn-key solution with Dow makes the transportation of chemicals by rail across our country safer and more efficient,” said David Stephens, chief executive officer of Savi Technology. “This and other automated tracking solutions we have developed with Dow exemplify the value that our software platform and applications can deliver to business, and to help protect the public at large.”
The integrated solution encompasses a number of components. First, a variety of sensors can be affixed to the railcars to detect unauthorised opening of the dome, unsafe temperatures inside the tanks, impacts and chemical odours. Second, GPS devices placed on the tank cars communicate the sensor data and their location to satellite or cellular communication systems. Third, all wireless data is transmitted to the feature-rich Savi SmartChain Asset Management Application, which is software that transforms the data into useful information to better manage the operations and security of the rail tank cars.
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