It’s easy to see how the surge of liquid in a tanker can be significantly problematic. Sudden changes in the motion of the liquid in a tanker – most especially when partially filled – can lead to catastrophic consequences. What many may not realize is how this danger is heightened with partially filled tanks, where the liquid has MORE space to build momentum.
Most of the time, truck drivers employ practices that mitigate the shift in liquid through the natural movements of the trucks. For example, when a tanker is approaching a corner, the proper action is to slow down well in advance.
You cant prevent the liquid in a tanker from moving up the side of that tank during a turn, this is just physics. Even Surge Busters don’t keep the liquid in one place but rather embrace and leverage the movement of the liquid to eliminate surge. To properly implement surge control, it’s important to understand how all of these factors interact with one another.
The problem isn’t the liquid moving, it’s that when there is sudden shift in the momentum of the vehicle, that energy is transmitted and amplified by the liquid. For example, if you are driving straight at 40 MPH and suddenly turn to the right, the liquid is still going straight at 40 MPH and will now run into the left wall of the tanker. This momentum will PUSH the tanker body towards the left.
If the tanker doesn’t tip over from that energy pushing it to the left, the liquid will then slosh back towards the other side of the tanker. If left unchecked, this sloshing back and forth can build momentum and eventually cause the tanker to tip over.
Now on top of this, if a sudden change of momentum direction happens during a turn, the liquid is in a position that has already shifted the tanker’s center of gravity into a dangerous situation. If you’re in the middle of a turn, no matter what you do, the liquid is off-center of the tank. Any sudden shift in that liquid’s momentum or direction can easily cause an accident.
The point is you can’t avoid the regular movement of the liquid in your tanker. But you CAN mitigate the energy build-up of slosh due to sudden shifts, such as swerving, accelerating, and braking. This is where Surge Busters come in, they absorb and reduce the energy of the liquid before it can cause an accident.
We have a rollover analysis of sloshing liquid loads here, which can shed more light on how this impacts you and your tanker. Always remember, you can’t stop the liquid in a tanker from moving, but you CAN reduce the energy of that movement with surge control systems like Surge Busters!
https://www.liquidsurgecontrol.com/files/Tank_Truck_Rollover_Analysis.pdf
If you would like to learn more about how you can implement Surge Busters in your tanker and reduce liquid surge by 96%, click here and schedule a call with our team. We’ll go over your needs and figure out the correct setup based on tanker number, tank size, and liquid type being transported.