Fulton Hogan - Tank Heater Upgrade
Fulton Hogan had five 40,000 Litre Storage Vessels which were underpowered. They had considerable trouble during the cooler months trying to keep the tanks warm enough. This had been a problem for several years. Existing heaters for these tanks were approximately 10kW. To resolve the problem, Fulton Hogan invested in five new heaters which would increase the heating capacity to 100kW for each tank.
Electro Systems were asked to quote to install power cables, control panels and associated controls for the five new heaters. Although the main switchboard had been upgraded there were insufficient circuits to run the five new 100kW heaters.
Kevin Lowe from Electro Systems provided a solution to the problem. Order an additional tier to add to the end of the main switchboard. The switchboard was a stainless steel IP65 Form 4B type switchboard so Kevin set to work on the design specification for the additional tier. The specification included additional cells to power three more 250 Amp circuits. The design was submitted to Lend Lease and ordered to be manufactured. While waiting on the order for the switchboard, Electro Systems commenced the installation of the cables.
The two Heater Control Panels were designed to specifications for each 100 kW Heater. There were two controllers in one panel and three controllers in the other panel. The Heater Control Panels were mounted back to back in the Production area. All the heating wiring including thermocouple wiring and safety interlocks were run back to the control panels and hooked up in preparation.
When the additional tier for the main switchboard arrived, Electro Systems organised for the plant to be closed down on a weekend. The unit was mounted and busbars were connected. All heater power wiring was terminated. As the heaters were installed into the tanks, Electro Systems commissioned each heater in turn and tested each for correct operation. All of the above work was carried out with no lost production. Temperature calibration was checked when the system was up and running. Over temperature alarms and controls were set to protect the system in the event of failure.
Fulton Hogan had all five heaters up and running with tanks heating up in a quarter of the time. More precise temperature control over the product led to improved quality of product and improved delivery standards.
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