Page 32 - Industrial Technology - July 2020 issue
P. 32
DESIGN ENGINEERING
PROTECTION IN THE HARSHEST
ENCLOSURES, CABINETS AND FANS
GLASSFIBRE-REINFORCED POLYESTER SHELTERS ARE PROVIDING
ADVANCED PROTECTION FOR OFFSHORE PROCESS ANALYSERS.
THEIR LIGHTNESS AND CORROSION RESISTANCE SIMPLIFIED
APPLICATION IN THE HARSH NORTH SEA ENVIRONMENT
helters fabricated from glassfibre-reinforced The location – in the middle of a crowded working
polyester are protecting gas metering platform – also presented access difficulties. So, natural
instrumentation from the harsh North Sea ventilation according to IEC EN DIN 61285 was specified.
Senvironment on an offshore platform upgrade This eliminates routine maintenance visits that would be
project engineered by Oil & Gas Systems ltd. Two outdoor required with other shelter ventilation approaches such as
shelters supplied by Intertec Instrumentation provide fans or an HVAC system.
lightweight and corrosion-resistant protection for gas
chromatograph analyzers and process transmitters Efficient convection cycle
mounted above new natural gas export pipelines To support natural ventilation for safe operation in the
connecting the platform to an onshore UK terminal. The hazardous environment, Intertec supplied explosion-proof
instrumentation provides critical monitoring data on gas heaters and installed louvre panels at the top and bottom
quality as part of the custody transfer metering system. of shelter walls. This maintains the interior environment a
This particular platform upgrade project presented a few degrees above ambient temperature, and ensures an
number of challenges, including the harsh operating efficient convection cycle to meet the air change
environment of the North Sea, and the space and weight requirements of OGS. All of the shelter fittings, apart from
restrictions of adding the new facilities onto a working the finned aluminium bodies of the heaters, are fabricated
platform. Metering systems for fiscal, allocation and from 316 stainless steel for corrosion resistance -
custody transfer applications are a significant part of the including the panic bar door opening mechanism.
systems integration work of Oil & Gas Systems (OGS) - “It can be a significant challenge to add new facilities
which has a reputation for being able to rapidly design and into existing processing plants, and especially so when
build efficient solutions for complex project requirements. they are located offshore,” says Anthony Dingle, OGS’s
Glassfibre-reinforced polyester (GRP) materials were sales manager. “Intertec’s ability to design and build
specified to protect the instrumentation. This allowed custom enclosure solutions was a big help to us in
“ weight to be reduced significantly compared with metal meeting the design constraints of this complex and fast-
shelters. GRP construction also provided excellent
track offshore instrumentation project.”
IT CAN BE A SIGNIFICANT
In total, two walk-in shelters and two large cabinets
protection against both the harsh weather in the offshore
CHALLENGE TO ADD NEW location, and the local environmental conditions. Intertec were built by Intertec to meet the custom shape, size and
Instrumentation was selected to build the custom GRP weight constraints. Each shelter houses an identical
FACILITIES INTO EXISTING PRO- shelters because of previous good experience of working instrumentation system including pressure reduction
CESSING PLANTS, AND with the company on projects, including shelters and sample conditioning equipment, a Danalyzer gas
ESPECIALLY SO WHEN THEY enclosures already installed in the same gas field. chromatograph, Rosemount pressure transmitters,
The lightness of GRP compared to steel helped to calibration facilities and various safety devices and
ARE LOCATED OFFSHORE reduce the size and weight of the metalwork structure that accessories. The two cabinets house cylinders to supply
mounts the shelters directly above the export pipelines. the required gas for calibration purposes, along with
Sealing up to IP68.
ABS, polycarbonate and die-cast aluminium enclosures.
Selected products UL Listed
In-house mod services:
• Machining • Printing
• Drilling • Custom colours
01256 812812 • sales@hammond-electronics.co.uk • hammondmfg.com