Lansdowne Chemicals improves safety and productivity of HH process

London - Lansdowne Chemicals has recently completed a £1.5-million project to improve safety at its Carterton, Oxfordshire plant and meet new industry regulations following the recent Sevesso II Directive, which is aimed at the prevention of major accidents involving dangerous substances and limiting their impact on people and the environment.

Among other activities (see below), Lansdowne specialises in diluting hydrazine hydrate, which is widely used in the power sector to remove dissolved oxygen from boiler water, preventing corrosion damage and as an antioxidant that protects pipes from rust and increases the life expectancy of plant equipment.

The improvemnt project, which was carried out by engaged Haden Freeman Ltd (HFL) involved the development of loading and offloading facilities to enable bulk handling of hydrazine hydrate and provide containment in the event of a spillage. The completely closed transfer system is designed to ensure there is no human exposure throughout the whole operation, from Lansdowne production staff through to the power station personnel using the product, said HFL. The work, it added, also provided the ability to monitor product inventory and process conditions.

Construction work on the 11-month project took place on adjacent land - previously used as a haulage yard - included the installation of segregated underground drainage, bunded areas for bulk storage tanks, new process pipework and a compressor upgrade. HFL oversaw the construction process from design to implementation and also provided guidance and support with COMAH and IPPC compliance.

Commenting on the project, Doug Chaplin, managing director of Lansdowne Chemicals, said: “Potential risks were identified early and measures were put in place to ensure the project was implemented without delay. We have been able to continue day-to-day activity throughout the construction period which was absolutely key, and the improvements now give us a significant competitive advantage in the market place.”

Lansdowne claims to be the only manufacturer in Europe to manufacture hydroxylamine nitrate solutions, hydrazine mono nitrate solutions and gadolinium nitrate solutions - with production is based on its own in-house technology. The company describes its Carterton plant as "fully automated" and houses three reactors with a combined capacity of over 2,000 tonnes per annum.