Feb 26, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Hazardous Liquids by Rail to be Made Safer by Using Advanced Sensor Technology

Calgary-based TRIG is proud to announce that it has entered into a consortium with multiple energy and rail industry companies and the Government of Canada to test and commercialize technology that will increase the safety of transporting hazardous liquids by rail. The Government of Canada is providing $1.85 million to TRIG through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). SDTC works with Canadian companies to bring clean technologies to market.

TRIG’s “XLOAD” is the first digital sensor technology to be certified to mount on moving rail tank cars, enabling measurement of the commodity inside the tank car. Once installed, the XLOAD facilitates the measuring, monitoring and tracking of hazardous commodities that are loaded, shipped and unloaded by rail. The XLOAD’s patented technology and wireless data communications helps produce a ‘Safer and Smarter Tank Car’ by automating the imprecise, inefficient, and risky measurement methods that require rail terminal operators to open the tank car to manually inspect the levels and volumes of the toxic commodities inside of the tank car.

Poor visibility of commodity levels inside of tank cars causes the industry to chronically under-fill cars to avoid the risks associated with overfilling. Shippers can now safely increase those fill levels by leveraging the accuracy of the XLOAD sensor’s measurements inside of a closed tank car while it is being loaded or unloaded, which means improved throughput of commodities shipped by rail. The XLOAD also reduces the risk of operator exposure to hazardous gases, and it reduces the risk that toxic fugitive emissions will be released into the atmosphere.

TRIG has commenced pilot trials with multiple rail and energy companies in Alberta. “Two of our primary testing objectives are to determine, consistently and with accuracy, the additional volume of commodities that can be loaded into our customers’ tank cars, and to prove that smart tank cars are the safest and most efficient in the industry.” said Rob Tasker, CEO of TRIG. “The increased volume that we can safely load into our customer’s cars will reduce the transportation cost of every barrel of commodity transported to their North American customers”.

About Sustainable Development Technology Canada

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is a foundation created by the Government of Canada to advance clean technology innovation in Canada by funding and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and demonstrating clean technology solutions. Follow Sustainable Development Technology Canada on Twitter: @SDTC

About TransRail Innovation Group (TRIG)

TRIG designs and produces the TLOAD technology for rail terminal operations and the XLOAD technology for rail shippers. The company is committed to solving health, safety, environment, and economic issues affecting North America’s hazardous liquids rail transportation industry.