Total chimneys
27 Mar 2007
Delta International has carried out a major inspection and maintenance contract for four chimneys at Total's Raffinerie de Provence mineral oil and gas refinery in France.
The contract involved analysis of the chimneys, including non-destructive testing and concrete core sampling, backed up with digital photography. Delta was also subsequently awarded a related diagnostic and repair contract at the facility.
The UK firm had to adapt to the 35-hour working week under French law for the project, which was to be carried out over just a six-week shutdown period. Delta's solution was to increase productivity per operative hour, such as by fitting a 240V motorised bosun's cradle to all four chimneys to speed up internal and external inspections.
Special abseiling equipment was fitted by means of modular steeplejack scaffolding to give the team access to the entire external surface of all four chimneys for the repair work. This enabled repairs to be carried out even when the chimneys were back on-line.
The chimney repairs included replacement of the acid resistant brick lining with new high temperature and acid resistant bricks embedded with furane cement and the reinstatement of the lightning conductor system. Delta installed new stainless steel caps and carried out in-situ welding of a new steel capping ring. It also replaced steel liners and sulphur flue linings, among other improvements.
Delta's role included advising Total on the required safety precautions and co-ordinating the project under strict health and safety guidelines. The whole project was completed on time, on budget and without incident, the company said.
According to Delta, Total was also particularly impressed with the modular steeplejack scaffold used to erect a safe working platform, giving access to any position on the chimney exterior without the need for a full scaffold from ground level.
Low-powered telemetry technology is being used by Capita Symonds to support its work in the analysis and assessment of hydrological, meteorological and hydraulic systems for the Environment Agency (EA).
The UK engineering consultancy is on a partnering framework with the EA to deliver flood zone mapping, catchment flood management plans, flood risk assessment and flood risk management.
"We have been assisting the Environment Agency to expand and upgrade their hydrometric network of strategically located rainfall, water level and flow measurement instrumentation," explains George Baker, a project engineer at Capita Symonds. "These often complex and remotely situated installations require frequent data collection and diagnostic monitoring."
As part of the project, the company selected Jekyll Electronic Technology's Telemodem2 telemetry system on account of its low power consumption and compact size, which makes it suitable for adding telemetry to existing equipment. Jekyll's line-powered modem technology means that it is only necessary to connect the Telemodem2 to the equipment's serial data port and a telephone line to provide remote access.
"Our equipment must often be solar powered," said Baker. "The low power consumption of the Telemodem2 makes it ideal to sit alongside these instruments. Other systems have been too large and too power hungry."
Air Liquide has developed new technology to capture methane emission from organic waste buried in landfills and recycle the gas into pipeline quality energy. The patented Biogaz system was developed by Medal -- the membrane division of Air Liquide Advanced Technologies US.
According to Air Liquide, each Biogaz system can remove and reprocess 40,000-160,000 m3 of landfill gases per day, with the recycled methane delivered directly into the pipeline grid.
Biogaz has already been trialled at a new landfill methane recovery project near Johnstown, Pennsylvania in mid-2006. Operator Keystone Renewable Energy was "so pleased with the performance of the Biogaz system that we have already ordered two more units," said its chairman Harry Crouse.
"Medal's Biogaz technology has given us a way to capture and recycle energy in an economical and environmentally friendly way that would have otherwise gone to waste or been burned in the landfill's flare," explained Crouse.
The contract involved analysis of the chimneys, including non-destructive testing and concrete core sampling, backed up with digital photography. Delta was also subsequently awarded a related diagnostic and repair contract at the facility.
The UK firm had to adapt to the 35-hour working week under French law for the project, which was to be carried out over just a six-week shutdown period. Delta's solution was to increase productivity per operative hour, such as by fitting a 240V motorised bosun's cradle to all four chimneys to speed up internal and external inspections.
Special abseiling equipment was fitted by means of modular steeplejack scaffolding to give the team access to the entire external surface of all four chimneys for the repair work. This enabled repairs to be carried out even when the chimneys were back on-line.
The chimney repairs included replacement of the acid resistant brick lining with new high temperature and acid resistant bricks embedded with furane cement and the reinstatement of the lightning conductor system. Delta installed new stainless steel caps and carried out in-situ welding of a new steel capping ring. It also replaced steel liners and sulphur flue linings, among other improvements.
Delta's role included advising Total on the required safety precautions and co-ordinating the project under strict health and safety guidelines. The whole project was completed on time, on budget and without incident, the company said.
According to Delta, Total was also particularly impressed with the modular steeplejack scaffold used to erect a safe working platform, giving access to any position on the chimney exterior without the need for a full scaffold from ground level.
Low-powered telemetry technology is being used by Capita Symonds to support its work in the analysis and assessment of hydrological, meteorological and hydraulic systems for the Environment Agency (EA).
The UK engineering consultancy is on a partnering framework with the EA to deliver flood zone mapping, catchment flood management plans, flood risk assessment and flood risk management.
"We have been assisting the Environment Agency to expand and upgrade their hydrometric network of strategically located rainfall, water level and flow measurement instrumentation," explains George Baker, a project engineer at Capita Symonds. "These often complex and remotely situated installations require frequent data collection and diagnostic monitoring."
As part of the project, the company selected Jekyll Electronic Technology's Telemodem2 telemetry system on account of its low power consumption and compact size, which makes it suitable for adding telemetry to existing equipment. Jekyll's line-powered modem technology means that it is only necessary to connect the Telemodem2 to the equipment's serial data port and a telephone line to provide remote access.
"Our equipment must often be solar powered," said Baker. "The low power consumption of the Telemodem2 makes it ideal to sit alongside these instruments. Other systems have been too large and too power hungry."
Air Liquide has developed new technology to capture methane emission from organic waste buried in landfills and recycle the gas into pipeline quality energy. The patented Biogaz system was developed by Medal -- the membrane division of Air Liquide Advanced Technologies US.
According to Air Liquide, each Biogaz system can remove and reprocess 40,000-160,000 m3 of landfill gases per day, with the recycled methane delivered directly into the pipeline grid.
Biogaz has already been trialled at a new landfill methane recovery project near Johnstown, Pennsylvania in mid-2006. Operator Keystone Renewable Energy was "so pleased with the performance of the Biogaz system that we have already ordered two more units," said its chairman Harry Crouse.
"Medal's Biogaz technology has given us a way to capture and recycle energy in an economical and environmentally friendly way that would have otherwise gone to waste or been burned in the landfill's flare," explained Crouse.
