Shipping of bitumen and dark petroleum products by rail

Specialized vehicles designed for the transportation of dark petroleum products and bitumen are often referred to as bitumen tank cars. Naturally, dark petroleum products are also transported by rail. Accordingly, there are rail bitumen tank cars, which can come in two versions:

1. Open-top bitumen tank car.
2. Rail tank car for bitumen.

The reason for developing special means for transporting bitumen and dark petroleum products by rail is the physicochemical properties of these substances.

Rail open-top bitumen tank cars

Bitumen is a solid substance under normal conditions. However, in industrial applications and other sectors of the economy, bitumen is usually used in a melted state. To maximize the amount of bitumen that can fit into the vehicle before loading, it is melted. The melting temperature of bitumen ranges from 160 to 200 °C. In the vehicle, if the bitumen is not heated during transport, it returns to a solid state, and heating is required for unloading.

The rail open-top bitumen tank car has four bins for transporting bitumen. A feature of the bin design for bitumen is the double metal cladding. Between the claddings, there is a free space used as a jacket for heating the bitumen. Hot steam is supplied to this jacket at the unloading points. The bitumen in the bin begins to heat up, the outer edge melts, and the melted bitumen is unloaded by tipping the bin. The useful volume of all four bins of the bitumen tank car is 46 cubic meters. The carrying capacity of the bitumen open-top car is 45 tons.

Rail tank car for dark petroleum products

Dark petroleum products usually exist as liquids in summer conditions. However, when cooled, they thicken and even crystallize, transitioning to a solid state. The melting temperature of such petroleum products is significantly lower than that of bitumen, but to speed up unloading and completely empty the rail tank cars, they still need to be heated.

Heating occurs in the same way as with bitumen tank cars, using steam. Therefore, the design of the tank car also includes double metal cladding. The gap between the claddings is used as a jacket for heating the petroleum products. In principle, such tank cars are also suitable for transporting bitumen. The volume of the rail tank car is 68 cubic meters, and the carrying capacity is 63 tons.

How to save on the transportation of dark petroleum products

The cost of rail transportation depends on the volume of cargo being transported, the distance of transportation, cargo insurance, and transit duties if the cargo is transported through the territory of other states.

One-time transportation of bitumen by rail is relatively expensive. If your company regularly transports dark petroleum products, consider renting rail bitumen tank cars; the cost of one-time rail transportation will be significantly reduced.