Tagged to cut accidents
June 1st 2005

An RFID system at Redcar Coke Ovens is helping to cut accidents and improve production reliability.

Supplied by DataScan Systems, it locates locomotives that collect coke from ovens and prevents collisions when visibility is limited.

An oven is emptied every 15min and although rail tracks both sides of the ovens are continuous, the operation is notionally split into two, with a quenching tower at each end. It was when one of the towers was out of use that collisions used to occur.

Each cooling operation produces 2t of steam such that drivers often can’t see each other. RFID tags have been positioned on a wall by the locomotive track at 1.2m intervals. Each locomotive has a sealed RFID antenna that is directional.

This locates it to within 30cm.

Safety controls are automated. The control system measures the distance between the locomotives. At 90m apart, each driver gets an audible warning. At 80m apart, they are restricted automatically to creep mode.