Fibreglass containment system protects SA’s railway lines
Procon Environmental Technologies’ Star Track Railcar Containment System is saving South African rail transport companies thousands of Rands through the containment, recovery and prevention of hydrocarbon pollution.
Procon Environmental Technologies Bioremediation Engineer William Miller explains that the containment system is unique to South Africa, as it is made entirely of fiberglass, which can withstand hydrocarbons, weather conditions and most chemicals, including sulphuric acid. The actual containment pans assist in the prevention of pollution of the railway ballast stones which, if become contaminated, could lead to hydrocarbons leaching into the soil below.
Miller says that 1-litre of used oil can contaminate up to 1-million litres of water; as a result of this potential widespread contamination, industry is required to meet certain sewer discharge standards which are prescribed by the Department of Water Affairs. “Penalties and fines are given out to those companies/industries that are discharging contaminated water that falls above the prescribed limitations,” says Miller. “In addition, if an ecosystem is compromised as a direct result of a company/industries water discharge, remediation responsibility and cost will fall on them”. He stresses that industry needs to take the stance that prevention is better than cure.
The installation of the Star Track system ensures that if any spillage of diesel or other contaminants does occur, they will spill into the containment pans, and will run off into the pan’s drainage grid. The grid is connected to a 6-inch pipe, which is fed into an inter-connected 8-inch pipe that is linked to the effluent plant. The hydrocarbon pollution collects in a separating pit, from which the water and hydrocarbons are separated and removed for safe disposal. Miller explains that Procon is positioned to offer clients a full turn-key package - from the containment system and its associated piping, to the effluent plant and associated oily water separators.
In December 2009, Procon Environmental Technologies installed the Star Track Railcar Containment System at the Gautrain Midrand Depot. The client – Bombardier Transportation – was contracted by the Gauteng Provincial Government to design the electrical and mechanical systems for the new rail system between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
“Up to 5-metres (1, 2m x 1, 4m x 1, 2m) of containment pans and 17-metres of piping was installed at the Midrand depot to combat any diesel spillages during the refueling of the rail cars. The containment system was linked into the existing effluent plant,” adds Miller
He says that the only other system of its kind in South Africa is that of steel containment pans. “Various railway lines across the country are utilising steel containment systems; however, they have expressed that they hope to move away from this technology owing to certain advantages that Procon’s fiberglass system presents over steel,” notes Miller.
He explains that steel containment systems serve as a fixed solution, in that they cannot be moved once they have been installed. Star Track is easily inter-changeable, and can be moved between various tracks of the same size. “If a customer decides that the fueling depot needs to change location, Procon can easily move the system from one railway line to another,” says Miller.
In addition, small gaps between the steel containment pans occasionally allows for the release of hydrocarbon pollution into the environment. The Star Track system ensures that this does not happen by being bolted down to the actual rail sleeper, creating a ‘sealed environment’ which contains all spillage that occurs. Miller says that another advantage of bolting the pans to the actual railway sleeper is that if the rail happens to sink into the ground slightly, the system will sink with it.
Miller cites an event that took place in Mafikeng in the North West a few years ago, whereby a railway line sunk into the ground by a few centimeters owing to a long-standing groundwater problem. The steel containment system that was fitted to the railway stayed in its original position, while the railway sank. The result was severe damage to a train that had passed over the uneven railway. If Star Track had been fitted to the railway, this never would have taken place, as the system would have moved with the railway line, says Miller.
What’s more, the installation of Star Track also provides customers with a time-saving advantage. “If Procon was to install a 70-metre long containment system, it would take us no longer than three to four weeks. The same installation, but with a steel containment system, would take anything between 14-16 weeks,” notes Miller.
A recent installation for a premier South African rail transport company witnessed Procon completing a comprehensive turnkey Star Track containment system project at its Welgedacht depot in Gauteng. “Most contamination takes place in the fueling or overnight parking bays and it was in is these areas that Procon installed a complete package of contamination pans, piping and an oily water separation system at the existing effluent plant,” says Miller.
Procon’s oily water separator systems includes its Mycelx filtration system, which guarantees 99, 9% removal of hydrocarbons or all of 1 micron oil droplets and above, and its Ultra-spin oily water separator, which is able to remove 95% of >15 micron oil droplets and above from contaminated water. Both systems are manufactured to go to work on oil types including diesel, engine oil and lubrication oil, and perform easily within the prescribed storm water discharge limits.
Procon Environmental Technologies hopes to expand its market share in the prevention of hydrocarbon contamination throughout Southern Africa’s railway systems. The company offers a full scope of environmental products and technologies, specialising in systems that minimise the impact of contamination on the environment and surrounding areas. Since its establishment in 1993, Procon Environmental Technologies has secured exclusive partnerships with international companies that are world leaders in their field of expertise.
Notes to the Editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Procon Environmental Technologies link. The photographs are listed underneath the heading ‘Containment system protects SA’s railway lines’.
About Procon Environmental Technologies
Today more than ever before it is the responsibility of companies and their employees to be aware of pollution and its environmental consequences. While the first principle of environmental management is that prevention is better than cure – it is preferable to avoid creating pollution or nuisance at source than to seek to counteract the effects later on – accidents and spills do happen.
It is for this reason that Procon Environmental Technologies was established in 1993. We offer a full scope of Environmental Products & Technologies, specializing in systems that minimize the impact of contamination on the environment and surrounding areas. The company has secured exclusive partnerships with international companies that are world leaders in their field of expertise.
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