Kelso PCH Earns AAR Certification

The Kelso Technologies, Inc. pressure relief valve (PCH) for rail pressure cars has received final certification from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Kelso on Nov. 2 reported that earning certification is a milestone, as the PCH is “now fully qualified to be distributed to the pressure car market as ordered by railcar customers,” allowing the Bonham, Tex.-based company to “pursue sizable untapped revenue opportunities.”

Pressure tank cars, designated by Department of Transport (DOT)-105 and DOT-112 specifications, are used to haul flammable, non-flammable or toxic liquefied compressed gases that must be shipped under pressure. Out of the more than 438,000 tank cars in the North American fleet, approximately 85,000 are pressure cars, Kelso said.   

Certification follows several years of “rigorous field service trials” and AAR’s “successful teardown and testing of a sample of field service-trialed PCH valves,” according to Kelso.

The PCH’s development was driven by “customers’ concerns, input and demand for a better-performing PCH product due to the unreliable performance and expensive repair costs of current products,” Kelso reported.

Among PCH’s advantages: The patented design features “proprietary constant force spring technology,” a low profile for external mounting to prevent contact with the commodity, and “no porosity as the PCH utilizes fabricated parts with no suspect casted components.”

“The successful completion of the AAR-certified PCH is another key example of the benefits of our commitment to the development of unique products targeting previously unavailable revenue opportunities,” Kelso Technologies CEO James R. Bond said. “The PCH is the centerpiece of Kelso’s new Pressure Car Kit program, which will include a new 2-inch angle valve (currently in field-service trial), an excess flow check valve, a thermometer well, a needle sampling valve and a magnetic gauge device. The availability of the Pressure Car Kit will simplify procurement processes for pressure car customers with Kelso available as a single supplier. Management’s dedication to its strategic initiatives based on specific stakeholders’ design needs and engineering have proven to be very effective and efficient.”