Since its launch at Foodex 2012, Fulton’s modular hot water boiler – the FHE-250 – has proved extremely popular for applications in the food processing sector for companies including Heinz, Isleport Foods, Jardox and Kerry Ingredients. 

 

Fulton’s highly efficient FHE-250 (250kW) low-temperature hot water boiler features a fully condensing, stainless steel heat exchanger and its modular approach to design also means that additional boilers can be combined to suit any application and hot water requirement. With the complexity of control being a criticism of many hot water boilers available on the market, the new FHE-250 uses a single control panel –– which is capable of controlling a single unit, or multiple units in a modular installation. 

 

Commenting for Fulton, sales and marketing manager Carl Knight says: “The FHE-250 complements the company’s existing range of boilers and its introduction in 2012 enabled Fulton to fulfil the many requests it received for hot water solutions.”

 

He goes on to say that, with steam and hot water being the key to many processes in the food and drink sector – from the pasteurisation of milk, dairy and juice products to jet cooking and the cleaning of brewery kegs – the list of potential food processing applications for a Fulton boiler is almost endless. 

 

Fulton will also be using the show to promote its range of electric boilers, including the Electropack, Europack, and Dragon. The company’s renowned J Series vertical steam boiler will also feature having, in recent years, been redesigned with fully modulating burners to improve both steam output and control to make the boilers more efficient.

 

For further information on the FHE-250, call Fulton on 0117 972 3322, email uk.sales.office@fulton.com or visit Fulton’s new-look website at www.fulton.co.uk.

Bath Ales, a regional brewer based between Bristol & Bath and right on the doorstep of Fulton, has had a long relationship with the heat transfer specialist having used its vertical steam boilers since it opened its first brewery in 1995.

 

Both companies are renowned in their field. Bath Ales produces beers of distinction and quality in cask, keg and bottle and has been at the vanguard of the micro brewing revolution taking place in the UK, throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The Fulton name has been synonymous with steam since the company introduced the vertical tubeless steam boiler in 1949 and was established in Bristol in 1966. It remains one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steam, hot water and thermal fluid heat transfer systems.

 

Best known for its flagship Gem beer, Bath Ales has used Fulton’s 60J vertical steam boilers as its main energy source since brewing began in 1995; and steam has always been used for each stage of the brewing process.

 

Commenting on the relationship between the two companies, Bath Ales managing director Roger Jones says: “In the brewery’s 18 years, we have expanded and grown and Fulton has remained the preferred choice thanks to its reliability, quality and service.” 

 

As 2014 progresses, and with a need to increase capacity to cope with demand, Bath Ales is embarking on its fourth brewery move and expansion. “With increased demand comes a requirement to upgrade existing services and, naturally, we’re upgrading our 60J Fulton boiler to one of its much larger RB horizontal boilers.” says Roger. 

 

With outputs ranging from 957 to 4787 kg/h and a maximum working pressure of 10.34 bar, Fulton’s horizontal RB steam boiler has been designed to provide superior performance, long life and low maintenance. It is highly efficient, safe and reliable and contains many unique design features that make it one of the most efficient and durable boilers available. It was originally developed in response to customer demand for capacities higher than the 2348 kg/h maximum for the company’s vertical range and can be specified with matched multi-stage oil, modulating gas or dual-fuel burners as standard, or with alternative burners on request. All RBs meet current and anticipated legislation, have been engineered to provide a substantial performance margin and are constructed to EN12953 standard. 

 

For further information on the RB and other steam, hot water and thermal fluid heat transfer systems in the Fulton range, visit www.fulton.co.uk, email uk.sales.office@fulton.com or call +44 (0)117 972 3322

 

 

Heat transfer specialist Fulton Limited is moving to a new 43,000 sq. ft. Bristol-based headquarters on Monday, 3 June 2013.

 

The Fulton name has been synonymous with steam since 1949 when the company introduced the vertical tubeless steam boiler in the USA. The UK company, which was founded in Bristol in 1966, is now established as a leading manufacturer of thermal heat transfer systems for applications such as water heating, steam sterilisation and processing. 

 

Announcing the move, managing director Paul Richards says: “The move to the new facility, also in Bristol, will help us manage current demand, and plan for the future. The increased space will also allow us to introduce the latest, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and the technologies that will enable Fulton to create the energy saving systems of the future.”

 

He goes onto say that, as a result of the move, the manufacture of larger boiler pressure vessels for UK and Export markets will return to Bristol from Fulton’s facilities in China.

 

The new UK headquarters, which creates a centre of excellence for the company’s heat transfer products, will provide comprehensive customer support, from applications advice and sales processing, through to delivery. Experienced teams are available to help with enquiries for the company’s range of thermal fluid, fuel-fired and electric steam boilers, hot water boilers and ancillary products. 

 

The site will also accommodate a new training and seminar facility created to enable qualified staff to keep customers up-to-date with the latest products and applications; and host the company’s recently announced City & Guild certified training courses, which offer a mix of theoretical and practical operational assignments.

 

The new Fulton facility is located at 5 Fernhurst Road, Bristol, BS5 7FG. Telephone/fax numbers and email addresses are not affected by the move.

 

For further information call Fulton on +44 (0)117 972 3322, email uk.sales.office@fulton.com or visit www.fulton.co.uk.  

 

 

Bristol-based heat transfer specialist Fulton has supplied Prysmian Group’s Bishopstoke facility a skid-mounted electric boiler and ancillaries, steam from which is being used to cure the insulation applied to the company’s electric cables.

 

Commenting on the process, Prysmian’s Nicolas Chevaux explains that curing is used to strengthen and increase the heat resistance of the insulation. “Without the process, the insulation would have a lower temperature resistance and hence the cable would have a lower current rating.” 

 

Following manufacture, batches of up to 16 drums are placed into a container where steam from Fulton’s EP100 Electropack boiler system is injected to start a curing process that can take up to twelve hours at 80°C.

 

The cable that uses this particular curing process is Prysmian’s 6491b low fire-hazard wiring cable – a BS7211 BASEC approved single-core conduit cable for wiring applications in buildings such as stadia, hospitals, cinemas/theatres, etc. Unlike PVC-based thermoplastic insulation found on standard 6491x cable, Prysmian’s 6491b cable uses a thermosetting low-smoke material that doesn’t generate dense acidic fumes when burnt. 

 

Commenting on the reasons for specifying Fulton, Nicolas says that experience was the main consideration as the technology has proved itself in a Prysmian Group site in South Wales, which is using the same unit for a similar curing process. 

 

He goes onto say that an electrically-heated boiler was specified as it can be applied as a point-of-use steam source without the need for a separate plant room typical associated with gas- or oil-fired systems. This option also makes the electric boiler system much quicker, easier and cheaper to install. 

 

Fulton’s electric range combines traditional engineering in a number of versatile modern packages and the Electropack is the company’s seven-model range designed for steam loads between 29 and 160kg/h. It is fully packaged in an attractive modern case and all services are connected at the rear for easy installation. 

 

The Electropack offers unrivalled flexibility and mobility in a compact unit that occupies minimal floor space. It is easily moved to provide point-of-use steam wherever required and the heating elements are individually switched to allow the boiler to respond quickly and efficiently to variable steam demands.

 

For further information on Fulton’s range of electric boilers, including the Electropack, call Fulton on 0117 972 3322, email uk.sales.office@fulton.com or visit www.fulton.co.uk

 

 

Launched in 2012, the JUN-AIR iQdryer from the Gast Group – a member of the IDEX Corporation’s health and science division – is the company’s latest high-purity, heatless desiccant air dryer designed to lower the energy consumption of compressors by reducing pressure drop. 

 

The iQdryer, which is now available as an option across the entire JUN-AIR range of compressors and vacuum pumps, features a revolutionary design that applies modern materials and a number of patented features to increase reliability and simplify maintenance procedures, while ensuring continuous delivery of high-quality compressed air. 

 

The Gast Group – a leading designer and manufacturer of compressors and vacuum pumps and a member of IDEX Corporation’s health and sciences division – will be using its stand at the Analytica show in Munich to launch its latest GAST 86/87R Series oil-less rocking piston compressors and vacuum pumps to the laboratory, medical and analytical sectors.

 

Acknowledged as the ‘laboratory compressed air people’ with the most extensive range of integrated or separate air source solutions, Gast Group offers extensive knowledge of compressed air applications in the laboratory, medical and analytical markets thanks to its many successful relationships with OEMs and partnerships with equipment distributors. Expertise covers multiple applications in sample management, in-vitro diagnostics and numerous analytical instruments, from material and surface science to spectrometry, chromatography, microscopy and other general lab air requirements. 

 

Gast Group has a worldwide presence, enabling it to offer a global support for its compressors, including its latest, completely re-engineered, 86/87R Series, which the company claims to be quieter, more durable and suitable for virtually any laboratory application. In addition, the new compressor can even be combined to create JUN-AIR complete compressor systems with 4 litre or 25 litre receiver tanks. 

 

The 86/87R extends the company’s already impressive range of rocking pistons and features a patented crossover chamber design, which causes air to decelerate as it enters the crossover and accelerate as it exits. This dampens the sound and optimises performance, while delivering a wide range of pressure level options. The result is a rocking piston that reduces noise output by over 5 decibels compared to previous models and delivers higher pressures and a longer life. In addition, thanks to its all-world motor, the 86/87R provides greater application flexibility. 

 

 

Despite its compact size, the 86/87R can reach a maximum pressure of 8.6 bar (125 PSIG) as standard, with the single-cylinder version providing up to 65 lpm (2.3 SCFM) maximum airflow and the twin-cylinder providing 150 lpm (5.3 SCFM). Vacuum pump versions are designed for operation down to -930 mbar and bespoke compressor models are available on request.

 

Commenting for Gast Group, European sales director Andre Goodson says the new models enhance the company’s already extensive rocking piston range and help create new opportunities for applications such as oxygen concentration, body fluid analysis, sterilisers, etc.

 

Other Gast Group products on show at Analytica include its JUN-AIR oil-less and oil-lubricated range of clean and quiet compressed air solutions for zero-air and nitrogen generation, and multiple laboratory applications including automation. 

 

For further information call Gast Group on +44 (0)1527 504040, email gastgroup.uk@idexcorp.com or visit www.gastgroup.com.     

Launched in 2012, the JUN-AIR iQdryer from the Gast Group – a member of the IDEX Corporation’s health and science division – is the company’s latest high-purity, heatless desiccant air dryer designed to lower the energy consumption of compressors by reducing pressure drop. 

 

The iQdryer, which is now available as an option across the entire JUN-AIR range of compressors and vacuum pumps, features a revolutionary design that applies modern materials and a number of patented features to increase reliability and simplify maintenance procedures, while ensuring continuous delivery of high-quality compressed air. 

 

To ensure reliability and eliminate the risk associated with float drain malfunction, condensate is collected in a ‘quiet-zone’ that is vented with every cycle using timed solenoids. Purge adjustment screws are also located after fine dust filtration to eliminate contamination and the loss of performance.

 

Maintenance has been simplified by combining the filter and desiccant in an easily exchanged, externally-fitted cartridge, which has increased maintenance intervals from 2000 hours to 4000 hours and means that the handling of loose desiccant and contaminants is avoided. In addition, JUN-AIR has introduced an all-in-one service kit that contains everything required to service the iQdryer, including new cartridges. These kits, which are available from Gast Group’s UK headquarters or via its local, regional and national distributors, contain easy-to-follow instructions and are sealed in air-tight foil bags to prolong shelf life.

 

The iQdryer’s unique, patented design combines the filter and desiccant dryer in a single cartridge and, by eliminating external filters and drains, JUN-AIR claims that the iQdryer reduces the energy consumed by the compressor.

 

 

An integrated PLC control and display system provides full operational and monitoring data. It also indicates when the iQdryer requires servicing and, to prevent wet air travelling downstream, ensures the dryer resumes its cycle from where it was interrupted. 

 

The iQdryer has a maximum working pressure of 12 barg (optimum range between 4 and 10 barg) and is available for all JUN-AIR’s oil-free compressors, including its stand-alone and cabinet-based solutions. It meets the highest standards of purity, delivering air in accordance with ISO 8573:1 2001, Class 2 dust (1 micron) and Class 2 water (-40°C pressure dew point). In addition, its high-tensile, extruded aluminium columns contain twin dryer chambers that are anodized for corrosion protection. A pressure maintaining device ensures that desiccant bed velocities are controlled to maintain dew-point performance; and the patented filter/desiccant cartridges (one per column) contain desiccant and inlet/outlet filtration.

 

For further information on the iQdryer Series, call +44 (0)1527 504040, email sales.gast@idexcorp.com or visit www.jun-air.com

 

 

 

 

Weld overlay cladding specialist Arc Energy Resources has successfully completed a contract to apply a corrosion resistant surface to the internal bores of two forged wye pieces destined for BP’s Clair Ridge development west of Shetland in the North Sea.

 

Vulcan SFM, a subsidiary of Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd, is a design and manufacturing specialist with particular expertise in high integrity steel castings and forgings for offshore oil and gas production environments. The company has established itself as the world leader in the design and supply of heavy castings and forgings to the global offshore industry and has a long history of supply to BP projects including all of the major platform developments in the North Sea. The latest Clair Ridge project is the second phase of the development of the Clair Field, which lies 75km west of Shetland in water depths up to 150m and has been estimated to yield 250 million barrels of recoverable reserves.

 

The development proposal for Clair Ridge consist of two bridge-linked platforms to be located North-East of the core area of the field. The platforms’ drilling radius can cover up to 5km and their function will not only be to produce the reserves from the ridge area of the field, but to also act as a hub for future subsea developments. 

 

Clair Ridge has been engineered to produce 640 MBOE and peak production should near 120,000 barrels per day.

 

Vulcan SFM has supplied all of the structural and heavy lift castings for the Clair Ridge jacket and topside modules. This latest opportunity for components for the Clair Ridge project involves the supply of two 22 inch wye pieces, which are required for the convergence of two incoming pipe lines into one outgoing pipe line. Vulcan SFM has supplied wye pieces for many projects as both castings and forgings. In this case the wye pieces were specified as forgings with specific requirements for strength, toughness and weldability. Vulcan SFM carried out the engineering design verification, optimising the shape and using a new proprietary material grade capable of providing the required strength and toughness and giving good weldability. This was especially important given the requirement to weld pup pieces to each opening and because the internal surfaces were to be weld overlay clad with Inconel 625. 

 

This special requirement for the cladding led to Vulcan SFM contacting Arc Energy Resources, a leading UK welding specialist with 20 years’ experience in weld overlay cladding and fabrication in the oil and gas industry. Arc Energy Resources’ manufacturing infrastructure is qualified to BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and BS EN ISO 3834-2, whilst it also holds ASME U & National Board R stamp certificates of authorisation and is qualified to clad a wide range of base metal/cladding combinations to ASME IX, API 6A and NACE amongst others. The company also provides in-house test weld, heat treatment, PMI, FARO Arm inspection and NDT facilities.

 

Ian Nicholls, managing director of Vulcan SFM says “We already had two projects on-going with Arc Energy Resources for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico so we had no hesitation in using them again on this project for Clair Ridge.” 

 

For the wye piece internal contour, the pre-clad sizing and clad thickness were all carefully considered in the design to allow for the final Inconel layer thickness and adequate sweep on the transition radius to fulfil the pigging requirements.

 

The development of the design to optimise the pigging requirements introduced new challenges for Arc Energy Resources’ cladding equipment and required the company to build an extended pit to accommodate the wye piece at its final size. 

 

Ian Nicholls commented that for Vulcan SFM, cladding a wye piece was a new procedure. However, Arc Energy had the knowledge, experience and equipment to complete the work so he was very pleased to build on the established relationship and work with them on this project.

“We had developed a very good relationship during previous projects and importantly,  received really good support from everyone in the company - from managing director Alan Robinson, the project team and the weld engineers. “ 

 

Ian reports that Arc Energy performed very well on that project, running the procedure qualifications extremely thoroughly and completing the work on time and to a very high standard. He adds that for the Clair Ridge contract, Vulcan SFM had to pre-machine the wye pieces to accept the cladding and then the final clad diameter had to be very carefully controlled to allow the pig to pass. The gauging pig used for inspection of the finished bore sizes had a diameter that was 99% of the finished drawing dimension. The successful test proved that very tight dimensional control was achieved by the pre-clad machining and the CRA overlay deposition processes.

 

“That’s where Arc Energy Resources’ expertise was vital – being able to clad such a large piece using one of its special Rotating Head machines.” He says.

Commenting for Arc Energy Resources, managing director Alan Robinson says:  “For our weld engineers the specification of the cladding was fairly straightforward because we are able to handle components up to 15 tonnes, clad bores up to four metres diameter, and clad areas of restricted access within bores as small as 20mm diameter. However,  the geometry of the wye piece itself posed a challenge because once finished, an inspection pig has to be introduced into the bore to ensure that it passes a vital ‘radius of transition’ test.”

 

This is where Arc Energy’s £500,000 investment in two rotating head welding machines proved invaluable. Money well spent says Alan Robinson, as the two rotating head welding machines increase productivity, extend the size and scope of work the company can process, and expand its capacity to handle orders for cladding large and/or complex components. 

 

While normal welding workstations move components around a fixed welding torch, the rotating head machines use automated controls to manipulate the welding torch around a fixed component, accurately positioning it to apply the overlay while working close to the component’s footprint. The machines certainly proved capable of handling the wye pieces, which would normally be considered extremely difficult to weld clad.

 

The wye pieces supplied by Vulcan SFM for the BP Clair Ridge contract were clad by Arc Energy Resources and delivered in May 2013 and, as Ian Nichols sums up, “It is also worth stressing that the machine finishing of the cladding was carried out and that post clad inspection was perfect and there were no issues at all.”

 

Putting its people first has enabled a Gloucestershire-based organisation to gain a prestigious national award. 

 

Arc Energy Resources, a leading provider of weld overlay cladding and fabrication services for the oil & gas, nuclear and marine industries was awarded the Investors in People Bronze award for going above and beyond in the way it develops, supports and motivates its staff.

 

The Bronze award is achieved by just over 5% of Investors in People recognised organisations in the UK, all of which have demonstrated an additional 26 or more pieces of evidence above the Investors in People core Standard.

 

The Investors in People framework, which is suitable for organisations of any size and in any sector, transforms business performance through people, helping companies to achieve their objectives by targeting specific priorities within the organisation. 

 

Rosemary Robinson, Director of Arc Energy Resources, which has some seventy employees, said: “Having received a glowing report from the assessor at our 2010 review we were given a strong recommendation to work towards a Bronze Level Award in readiness for our next review. We are very proud that our company, which is our people, has achieved the Bronze level in a single review.” 

 

Organisations that have achieved the Investors in People Standard generally have lower staff turnover and sickness rates, lower recruitment costs and a reduced likelihood of litigation. In addition, they tend to have increased levels of profitability, employee engagement and productivity.    

 

John Telfer, Managing Director of Inspiring Business Performance Ltd (IBP), the organisation that delivers Investors in People for London and the South, said: Arc Energy Resources should be very proud of its achievement, particularly as the company has gone beyond the core requirements of the Standard. I hope other organisations will look to Arc Energy Resources as an example of what can be done when staff and managers work together.”

 

To find out more about IBP and the benefits of Investors in People, visit www.inspiringbusinessperformance.co.uk, email info@ibp.uk.com or call 0800 612 3098.