With the growth of offshore platforms operating in extreme environments, the need for under deck insulation systems that can cope with a combination of condensation, ice build-up, extreme heat and high humidity above the cellar deck is becoming paramount.

 

Approved systems are designed to provide a number of operational and safety functions including thermal insulation (with typical U value ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 Wm²K); passive hydrocarbon pool and jet-fire protection per IMO classifications (e.g. H60 and J120); blast resistance systems to withstand blast overpressures of 0.2 to 1.2 bar; noise reduction to a typical range of Rw 30 to 51dB; impact resistance to withstand wave slam and ice build-up; and corrosion under insulation (CUI) longevity to maintain long term integrity and minimise the risk of CUI.

 

To achieve these requirements a traditional combination of as many as four different systems was required, typically resulting in significant weight implications.

To address these handling problems, Advanced Insulation – a leading provider of technical coatings including its unique syntactic phenolic resin-based foam insulation and fire protection systems – has applied its ContraFlame® technology to develop a lightweight under deck system that provides weight savings of up to 60% compared with traditional systems. 

 

The ContraFlame Under Deck Lightweight solutions also provide integrated thermal insulation, passive fire protection, blast resistance and noise reduction in a single certified system. This also takes full advantage of the proven CUI performance of Advanced Insulation’s ContraFlame and ContraTherm® products, both in topside and subsea applications. 

 

Commenting for Advanced Insulation, marketing manager Asaf Hisherik says: “The greatly reduced time and cost saving benefits of the revolutionary ContraFlame lightweight under deck systems have already been acknowledged, with systems having been installed by major oil companies including Exxon, Chevron, Total, BP and Talisman. 

Advanced Insulation offers three unique ContraFlame systems for under deck protection. 

 

ContraFlame JF120 offers fully bonded integral thermal insulation and passive fire protection to J120; H60 blast overpressure to 4.2 bar; and thermal conductivity of 0.054 Wm-¹K-¹. It also offers typical U values 0.57 W/m²K; a system thickness of 90mm; and weight of 31 kg/m². 

 

The ContraFlame MS400 bonded pre-formed panel offers integral thermal insulation and hydrocarbon fire protection to H120 and thermal conductivity of 0.032 Wm-¹K-¹. U values for ContraFlame MS400 are typically 0.229 W/m²K, with a system thickness of 107mm and weight of just 14.3 kg/m². 

 

Finally, its ContraFlame JF120 acoustic bonded pre-formed panels offer integral thermal insulation and jet fire protection to J120 and H60; acoustic noise reduction to Rw 51dB; and thermal conductivity of 0.054 Wm-¹K-¹. It also offers typical U values of 0.16 W/m²K; a system thickness of 226mm; and weight of 52.4 kg/m².

 

For further information on Advanced Insulations ContraFlame Under Deck Lightweight solutions, call +44 (0)1452 880880 or visit www.aisplc.com. A Product Comparison Chart can be downloaded here. Finally, a video outlining Advanced Insulation's range of technical coatings for the protection of oil and gas facilities can be viewed here. 

ContraFlame® and ContraTherm® are registered trademarks of Advanced Insulation plc.

 

Curtiss-Wright Controls Industrial – a member of Curtiss-Wright Corporation and leaders in control devices and systems for industrial and medical vehicles and equipment – has been supplying its Penny + Giles joystick controllers to GRAMMER EiA Electronics (formerly EiA Electronics) for many years, so when a more ruggedised joystick with improved feedback was required for the latest Massey Ferguson MF7600 series of tractors, GRAMMER EiA Electronics had no hesitation in turning to Penny + Giles for the solution.

 

Explaining the requirements for the new joystick, GRAMMER EiA Electronics’ programme manager Marko Boving says that Massey Ferguson wanted a joystick controller with differentiated outputs on all the axes and an overpress function that would provide the positive feedback that is so important to Massey Ferguson’s customers. 

 

As a leading system integrator GRAMMER EiA Electronics is working with customers around the world to create ergonomic operator working environments for tractors, excavators, wheeled-loaders and fork-lift trucks. The company’s multimedia operator interfaces, similar to BMW’s i-Drive on road cars, are typically operated from its standard arm-rest range using custom joystick and handle solutions.

 

And this, as Marko Boving explains, is why GRAMMER EiA Electronics works closely with Penny + Giles.

 

“Penny + Giles already has an excellent range of joysticks, handles and interfaces so we don’t need to develop our own such products. Consequently, we rely on their expertise from initial development right through to production. For this project we were asked to supply an alternative to a current Massey Ferguson joystick, with a specific requirement that it should provide the same feel and functionality. We passed a very detailed product and systems brief to Penny + Giles and they developed a joystick to our specification.” He says.

 

An important element of the brief was the need for overpress functionality in every axis with improved feel on the shorter stroke, in order to achieve more direct and positive feedback.  Penny + Giles latest ‘ruggedised’ JC8000 joystick controller already had the independent axis functionality built into its design and features a spring on each axis, which helped to achieve the desired forward and right directional operation as well as the operator feel that the customer wanted. The joystick always returns to centre but when it is pushed forward or right it provides a ‘click’ to let the operator know that his instruction has been achieved. The vehicle electronics system from GRAMMER EiA Electronics recognises the overpress decision and translates it into a machine action e.g. return-to-dig or return-to-load.

 

 

Within the standard JC8000 design the outputs are configurable to meet the customer’s requirements, making it a very flexible unit that can be programmed beyond the standard ‘square’ outputs. The overpress facility is programmable to allow the JC8000 to deliver more travel in each direction, which in the GRAMMER EiA Electronics version is both right and forward. The joystick provides an analogue output that feeds into a CAN node on the vehicle’s control arm.

 

The JC8000 is offered exclusively on MF7600 Series vehicles fitted with a front bucket. Standard operation employs switches but most buyers taking the bucket also choose the optional joystick, which is proving so popular with machine operators that it is almost a standard-fit item.

 

The heavy-duty JC8000 is a relative newcomer to the Penny + Giles joystick controller range, which has been specially engineered with a number of high-strength features. This makes it ideal for applications in physically-demanding working conditions such as skid steer loader controls or where operators traditionally use hydraulic joysticks. The increased strength of the JC8000 has been achieved by increasing the body material around the area supporting the operating lever; increasing the operating lever’s diameter; and changing its pivot geometry. These fundamental changes have enabled the joystick to handle increased torque and improved the lever’s bending and applied loads.

 

Designed for the most challenging applications, the JC8000 can withstand a 380Nm overload on the X and Y axes and 2000Nm on the vertical. It has also been tested to more than 60 million operations (15 million cycles) under laboratory conditions.

 

Summing up, Marko Boving says: “Penny + Giles created a very effective solution, developed and delivered a very reliable product, and we were absolutely satisfied with the service they provided throughout.” 

 

Further information is available from the Curtiss-Wright Controls Industrial (www.cwc-ind.com) or Penny + Giles (www.pennyandgiles.com) websites or by calling +44 (0)1425 271444.

Curtiss-Wright Industrial – a member of Curtiss-Wright Corporation and leaders in control devices and systems for industrial and medical vehicles and equipment – will be using its stand at the 2014 Autosport Engineering show in January to promote products from Penny + Giles Controls and introduce its partner brands Arens Controls, PG Drives Technology and Williams Controls.

 

New for this year’s show is the NRH275DR from Penny + Giles, which was originally designed for use on specialist vehicles destined for extreme and hostile environments, but is also proving of interest for motorsport applications. This latest rotary position sensor features a slim, low-profile sensor housing and separate permanent magnet assembly and is ideal for throttle position sensing and feedback applications. With no contacting mechanical parts that can wear, the lightweight and low-profile design of the sensor means it can be mounted where installation space is limited, e.g. the pivot point of the throttle pedal.

 

Also on show will be a selection of products from Williams Controls including its electronic throttle pedals which, in partnership with Polaris Industries – a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative, high quality off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles – has been selected for use on the company’s recently-launched RZR XP 1000, which has been credited as providing the fastest acceleration, highest top speed and flattest torque curve in the industry.

 

Curtiss-Wright Industrial will also be using Autosport Engineering to showcase AC Induction and DC Motor Controllers from PG Drives Technology and its latest acquisition, Arens Controls.

 

Further information is available from the Curtiss-Wright Industrial (www.cwc-ind.com) website or by calling +44 (0)1425 271444. 

Gloucester-based Advanced Insulation, a leading manufacturer of technical coatings including specialised fire protection and insulation materials for the upstream oil and gas industry, has added to recent industry successes by winning the National EEF/Westfield Health Business Growth Award at the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.

 

The award, which is sponsored by Westfield Health, acknowledges Advanced Insulation’s passionate and actively managed approach to business and focus on staff development. Its innovative approach to R&D also positioned Advanced Insulation well for forward sales and the judges felt this was ‘a great UK story gone global’.

 

Commenting for Advanced Insulation, marketing manager Asaf Hisherik says: “We are delighted to be recognised for the strong growth and global reach our company has achieved.”

The Award was announced at a ceremony held at the EEF National Gala Dinner at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on Thursday 30th January. 

 

Congratulating Advanced Insulation plc as the national Business Growth Award winner, Jill Davies, Chief Executive of Westfield Health, says: “Not only have they managed to defy today’s difficult economic climate, they have also delivered impressive growth.”

 

Phil Brownsord, south west region director for the manufacturers’ organisation says: “The EEF Future Manufacturing Awards showcase the best of British innovation and excellence and mark our industry’s importance, competitiveness and ability to adapt and thrive, and we believe Advanced Insulation is a worthy recipient of this award.”

 

The EEF Future Manufacturing Awards recognise excellence in enterprise, innovation, environmental performance, exporting, skills development, health and safety, and outstanding apprentices among UK manufacturers. 

 

For further information from Advanced Insulation, call +44 (0)1452 880880 or visit www.aisplc.com.