After months of research and development, National Tank Truck Carriers and Battelle Institute launched a new cargo tank corrosion prevention initiative that will include a liquid products database. Current plans are to roll out the new system in mid-2014.
Participants in the project announced during NTTC’s Tank Truck Week October 28-30 in Houston TX that the association will move forward as sponsor of the project. Development of the database is being handled by Battelle.
“Corrosion costs industry approximately $1 billion annually, and all too often we don’t talk about it until after it has happened,” said John Cannon, The Walker Group vice-president of engineering and a participant in the corrosion prevention initiative. “We need to be more proactive, because a pitted tank will never be like new. We need to focus more on prevention and do a better job of vetting what goes into the tank.”
Doug Pape with Battelle said the searchable, web-based product will put corrosion information at the fingertips of tank fleet managers. The web site will be optimized for mobile devices, and apps for Android and iPhone devices probably will be available in a couple of years.
During the first year, the database will be made available for free to all NTTC members. An annual subscription fee would follow. Subscribers would be expected to share data on shipper products to help expand the database going forward.
Pape said 20 carrier participants are needed to help complete the initial development phase of the project. A trial release should be ready to go in four months, and the full release should come six months after that.
