Document omeKODd7aB9gaOyD7OdVR7YED

3CM BT OxyChem Corporate Oftica Dallas To: G. Marsh: MEMO Fax Memo From: LT. Braw Date: July 19,1994 Subject: CMA Vinyl Chloride Panel VCM Tank Car Mainplate Standardization Request I am in receipt of the CMA memo regarding the request for Vista Chem and Oxy Chem to approach the CMA Rail Equipment ad hoc Work Group towards the standardization of the VCM tank car main plate, valves and configuration to accept the emergency response safety kit. I am not sure if the RETG is the appropriate body to .surface this request and your group may want to direct your request in detail directly to Mr. Paul Kinnecom of tne AAR, who is the AAR Manager of Freight and Tank Car Design, also, I am informed that Mr. Polwort of Vista Chem is not available at this meeting. I will however, bring up the issue to the RETG to determine the proper avenue to address this request. I would like to point out that the AAR Tank Car Committee would, I believe, be the governing body for this proposal, Their current meeting is scheduled for July 18th & 19th and they only address agenda items that have been docketed for discussion or have been on the active agenda. Therefore, this request would not be formally addressed until the next AAR/TCC meeting, if appropriate, until the January, 1995 meeting should the AAR/TCC accept this as a docketed agenda item. Here again, it would be better for your group to approach Mr. Kinnecom directly and you would be able to follow up on your request through direct involvement with Mr. Kinnecom and the AAR/TCC, 1 am aware of a standardization of the VCM pressure vessel main plat configuration that is published in the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) pamphlet P10. This gjfcnphlet is whet Oxy used when we constructed our last order of 300 VCM cars v'the 20" design criteria which does fit the emergency kit application, in talkintfwith Mr. Gerald Portis of Midland Manufacturing, the 16" configuration as used by some manufacturers and shippers does not lend itself easily to the kit application. The CGA pamphlet standardizes the valve configuration and gives a manufacturer or car owner a choice between an 18" or 20" application, but does not standardize the valves being used. I am not an expert on VCM cars and valve application but, the industry currently uses Jamesbury split and solid' body ball valves as well as Midland A720 valves which wa incorporated on our 300 OCPX cars. Leased cars, however, are configured with mixed equipment. Occidental Chemical Corporation CMA 024090 Page Two G. Marshall July 19,1994 The problem here is that the emergency kit does not apply readily to the Jamesbury valves without removing the handle first or the spacing on the 18" rnenway design. This would also be a problem on new construction cars unless the nozzle and main plate is enlarged to provide more room and spacing along with standardizing all valves and fittings to provide for kit application. In further conversation with Mr. Portia, this proposal was presented to the AAR/TCC around 5 years ago by Midland and was sent out to shipper groups for comments and adoption, but no interest was generated and eventually the request was closed. Based on this comment, I feel that your VCM panel receive the support of all sfiiooers and producers of VCM and directly approach the AAR/TCC with a detailed request. This would then draw in the expertise of the tank car manufacturers and become a standards design criteria and be published in the AAA's Manual of Standards and would standardize this design for the industry for jjil new construction. 1 am enclosing a copy of the CGA pamphlet P-10 and will be approaching th CMA/RETG on Wednesday. The content of this memo should be addressed by the VCM panel and if appropriate you may wish to contact Mr. Portis of Midland (708-677-0333) to obtain his input and comments and address the previous request to the AAR/TCC. I will let you Know what is decided at the CMA Rail Equipment ad hoc Work Group meeting Thanks. LTB/cy 94-6-154 cc: JA. Guth 'Sfc Poiwort - Vista Chem G. Portis - Midland MSR/VCM File CM*