DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR MODELING THE HEAT EFFECTS ON A RAILROAD TANK CAR

A mathematical model has been programmed in FORTRAN IV that represents the response to a fire environment of a railroad tank car laden with a volatile, flammable fluid. Inputs to the program include total mass of lading per foot of tank length, tank length, number and flow area of relief valves, their opening and closing pressure, thickness and thermal conductivity of exterior insulation, and array of the thermodynamic properites of the lading, its initial condition, and heat transfer coefficient and fire temperature at various points on the tank. Output includes tank pressure, temperatures of the liquid and vapor, temperatures of the interior surface of the shell, mass of liquid remaining, and location of the liquid level. These are printed for the end of every computing interval, thus indicating the history of each.

• Record URL:
  • https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/development-computer-program-modeling-heat-effects-railroad-tank-car
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, D.C.
• Corporate Authors:

  Calspan Corporation

  4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14225

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Graves, K W
• Publication Date: 1973-1

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 101 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer programs; Fire prevention; Fires; Hazardous materials; Heat flux; Heat insulating materials; Heat transfer; Liquefied petroleum gas; Mathematical models; Pressure relief valves; Pressurization; Railroad cars; Railroad safety; Safety; Stresses; Tank cars; Thermal properties
• Identifier Terms: FORTRAN (Computer program language)
• Old TRIS Terms: Tank car safety
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00091319
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA-OR&D 75-33 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-AR-20036
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 26 1976 12:00AM