Three way protection for road tanker earthing
March 3rd 2008

Newson Gale’s new Earth-Rite RTR (Road Tanker Recognition) ensures safe levels of static earthing for road tankers.

This new technology, called Tri-Mode technology, performs three independent checks critical for the safe control of static before and during the transfer process:

• Confirms a positive connection between the road tanker and the RTR system
• Confirms a positive connection between the road tanker and earth
• Confirms the clamp and earth connections are maintained throughout the transfer process (Continuous Loop Monitoring)

Transfer cannot begin until all three modes have confirmed the safety of the connections and transfer will be interrupted should the system sense a connection resistance of more than 10 ohms.

Unlike conventional static earthing systems, the Earth-Rite RTR provides true failsafe earthing confirmation using patented intrinsically safe electronics. Importantly, the assurance of a low-resistance connection specifically from truck to ground eliminates the bypassing of the system by an accidental connection to the loading gantry or other metallic structural elements in the loading area.

Hazardous area approvals include: FM, ATEX and IECex for gas, liquid vapour and dust environments. The system has been tested by independent examiners and has a Safety Integrity Level of SIL2 (according to IEC 61508). Additionally, the Earth-Rite RTR conforms to the best practice guidelines (NFPA 77 and CLC/TR 50504) for controlling and managing the risks associated with static electricity in hazardous areas.

For convenience, the RTR system can be mounted at remote loading stations and connected to locally verified static earthing points, making significant savings possible in terms of both installation and maintenance costs.

The Earth-Rite RTR static earthing system for road tankers forms part of Newson Gale’s extensive range of static grounding and bonding solutions.

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