Stopping the slosh: an airbag to secure liquid loads Friday, 01 December 2017

A researcher from the University of Twente has designed an airbag-based system that can secure liquid loads, allowing for much more stable transport of bulk liquids.

The inflatable components of the system developed by Dr Erik Eenkhoorn prevent tanker trucks from tipping over, and by stabilising the liquid load, also reduce fuel consumption.

According to Dr Eenkhoorn, while there are currently strict rules in place for securing a solid load, there are none for the transport of liquids in tanker trucks.

“If you are carrying a load of tins of oil, you have to pack the tins in boxes and tie the load down with tarpaulin and ratchet straps. This prevents the load from shifting during transport,” he said.

“However, there is currently no way to secure a load of, for example, 20,000 litres of oil in a 40,000-litre tank. The result is that the liquid load sloshes around, which causes hazardous situations.”

Tanker trucks that carry dangerous liquids such as oil are usually fitted with perforated baffles, which retard the forward movement of the liquid when braking. However, this is an inadequate safety solution, because the baffles fail to provide any lateral stability.

“There is still a high likelihood of the truck tipping over when cornering or in an emergency,” he pointed out.

Additionally, trucks that carry liquids deemed not dangerous, such as liquid manure or milk, may not be fitted with the baffles, demonstrating a legislative- and industry-based under-estimation of the hazards associated with the dynamic behaviour of liquid (regardless of their nature) in tanker trucks.

Dr Eenkhoorn, who owns a research and development company, spent ten years trying to find an alternative for the baffles. He came up with an inflatable system, dubbed the ‘Cairbag’. This is a type of airbag made of rubber or TPU that is placed inside the tank. The shape-retaining bag fills the empty space in the tank and absorbs the pressure of the bulk liquid, so that the load can no longer slosh around during transport.

Because the load no longer moves during transport, trucks can save between five and six per cent on fuel, reducing the environmental and cost impact of transporting liquids.