TCL and LATI collaborate to boost fuel tank security

TCL and LATI have collaborated to create SpinCap, a smart closure system for fuel tanks, designed to ensure that handling operations can only be carried out by authorised personnel.

The project was launched in Italy by TCL Group, and the idea stems from the need to secure hydrocarbon fuel storage tanks, preventing anyone from filling or emptying them without due authorisation.

The cap is unlocked by means of an electronic system, housed inside the SpinCap, which is able to recognise access credentials assigned only to authorised personnel equipped with a mobile and relative app.

The collaboration with LATI concerned the selection and development of structural capable of meeting the various mechanical, thermal and environmental demands.

It was decided to use grades reinforced with large quantities of glass fibre obtained from specially modified PA66 and PBT matrices

The mechanical performances were first verified through FEM calculations, and on this basis LATI, simulating various tampering scenarios in different environmental conditions, confirmed the validity of TCL’s project.

The long-term sealing capacity of the mechanical closure system was also verified through numerical simulations, which confirmed its excellent resistance to creep and yield of the geometry and the materials.