Latest Case Studies & White Papers

Introduction

Hydropower is a renewable energy source that has been harnessed for thousands of years. Today, it is one of the most important sources of electricity in the world, and its use is only expected to grow in the future. One of the key components of the hydropower industry is the use of epoxy coatings, which are used to protect the machinery and infrastructure used in hydropower operations. In this blog post, we will explore the role that epoxy coatings play in the hydropower industry and the benefits they provide.

Figure 1 Grand Coulee Dam in the United States

The Benefits of Epoxy Coatings in Hydropower Operations

Epoxy coatings are a popular choice for use in the hydropower industry because of the many benefits they provide. One of the primary benefits of epoxy coatings is their ability to protect machinery and infrastructure from corrosion. Corrosion is a major problem in hydropower operations because the equipment used is often exposed to water and other corrosive substances. Epoxy coatings provide a protective barrier that prevents corrosion from occurring, which helps to extend the life of the equipment and reduce maintenance costs.

Another benefit of epoxy coatings in hydropower operations is their ability to provide a smooth surface for water to flow over. This is particularly important in turbines, where a smooth surface is essential for optimal operation. The use of epoxy coatings can help to reduce friction and improve the efficiency of the turbine, which can lead to increased power generation and lower operating costs.

Finally, epoxy coatings are also resistant to high temperatures and can withstand exposure to UV radiation. This makes them an ideal choice for use in the harsh environments found in hydropower operations, where machinery and infrastructure are often exposed to extreme temperatures and intense sunlight.

Hydropower Industry Case Study

Belzona had the opportunity to improve the condition of a 60-year-old Kaplan hydropower unit that was showing signs of wear and was due for a full mechanical overhaul.

Operators at the Hydropower Plant grit blasted and cleansed the unit with solvent. Belzona 1111 (Super Metal) was used to smooth over the wear and cavitation in a full skim coat. Once cured, the Belzona 1111 (Super Metal) was sanded down to the required profile, and frost blasted. Two full coats of Belzona 1341 (Super Metal Glide) were applied. The coating can provide increased efficiency on new and refurbished equipment while also providing full corrosion and erosion protection while immersed.

Surviving 60 years with minimal wear is impressive. However, by using Belzona 1341 (Super Metal Glide), the unit can continue to operate for many more years, providing reliable service and cost savings over the long term. The use of this product can improve the unit's resistance to wear and tear and can also provide an additional layer of protection against environmental factors such as moisture and chemicals.

Figure 2 Hydropower unit during surface preparation for Belzona 1111 (Super Metal) application

The Future of Epoxy Coatings in the Hydropower Industry

As the demand for renewable energy sources continues to grow, so too does the necessity for hydropower. This is expected to drive an increase in the use of epoxy coatings in the hydropower industry, as more and more equipment is needed to meet the growing demand for electricity. In addition, advances in epoxy coating technology are likely to make them even more effective at protecting machinery and infrastructure from corrosion and other forms of damage.

One area of particular interest is the development of epoxy coatings that are more environmentally friendly. As the world becomes increasingly concerned about the impact of industrial processes on the environment, there is a growing demand for coatings that are engineered with plant-derived ingredients. The Belzona Research and Development Team are currently in the process of formulating products made from bio-based materials that are produced from sustainable plant-based feedstocks, rather than the traditional fossil-fuel based ingredients.

Conclusion

Epoxy coatings play a critical role in the hydropower industry, providing protection against corrosion, improving efficiency, and withstanding the harsh environments found in hydropower operations. As the demand for renewable energy continues to grow, the use of epoxy coatings in the hydropower industry is expected to increase, and advances in technology are likely to make them even more effective. By working together, the hydropower industry and coating manufacturers can help to develop coatings that are both effective and environmentally conscious, ensuring a sustainable future for the industry and for the planet.

Welcome to the beginning of the new age of oil and gas. Faced with uncertain demand and volatile prices, downstream stakeholders are now rethinking their investment strategies. If you want to keep up, understanding the landscape is essential.

Reuters Events is happy to announce the launch of our new whitepaper, ‘Downstream Industry Trends Reports: 2022 & Beyond’. Download your complimentary copy to understand (and capitalize on) downstream OPEX & CAPEX investment trends and alongside expert insight from the likes of Dow, LyondellBasell, BASF, Shell and more. Whether you identify with capital projects, shutdowns and turnarounds or reliability and maintenance, focusing your ambitions for 2023 is the first step in commanding success. 

Download the whitepaper here to kick start your 2023

This complimentary whitepaper will provide: 

• The most complete overview of downstream markets, including where companies stand post COVID, the impact of global politics and legislative shifts, and future facing insights.
• Exclusive case study from Shell on using machine learning to improve construction safety.
• Updates from BASF on their operational excellence platform paving the way for maintenance success.
• Chevron Phillips Chemical discuss the optimum strategy to achieve turnaround cost control optimization.

Upcoming challenges & key solutions across reliability & maintenance, shutdown & turnarounds, and capital projects as we dive into 2023 and beyond, including new tech and strategy applications which mitigate asset risk and reduce windows of inoperability.

Download the whitepaper here to kick start your 2023

According to the VP of Energy Transition at Shell “over 80% of the technologies that are required already exist, but what isn’t there is the scaling up of the technologies. It requires urgent action. I often say that the energy transition story is a data story”. 

Focusing on this, Reuters Events just released the Operator Survey – Upstream Data Outlook 2023 TODAY. Access exclusive insights and leading data strategies of upstream majors like Chevron and Shell to find out how to embrace data digitalization to overcome progress bottlenecks and drastically lower downtime and OPEX.

Download the report for free here

What to expect from the report:

• Unlock hidden value: Explore solutions to break down data silos and leverage incomplete and hard to interpret legacy data to maximize efficiency and ROI
• Streamline Data Management: Access a case study from an operator who saved $800k in one year and optimized operations by reducing information retrieval times by up to 50%
• Create A Culture of Change: Learn how data digitization is being implemented across different organizational structures and the key strategies for businesses to become increasingly efficient and future-focused
• Technology Execution in Action: Gain vital insight into the successes and challenges of industry pioneers such as the VP of Energy Transition USA at Shell, Chief Data Officer at Chevron, EVP of Digital Solutions at Baker Hughes and more

According to the World Economic Forum digitization is a $1 trillion opportunity for the oil and gas supply chain. While contemporary discourse around digitization largely focuses on technological innovation, the issue of cultural change management is often neglected.

Reuters Events’ latest whitepaper, The Need for Cultural Change in a Legacy Industry, addresses the growing demand for new digital talent and the importance of upskilling your existing workforce to unlock innovation and propel your digitally integrated oilfield into the future.

Download the whitepaper for free by clicking the link below

https://bit.ly/3GG6Ber

What to expect from the whitepaper:

Staying Competitive: Discover how converting from legacy technology to the latest innovative solutions will attract young talent into your team and investors to your business
Fostering Trust in Digital: Understand the importance of orienting and driving employees to develop new knowledge, mindset, and behaviors

Future-focused Workflows: Learn how workplace changes post-Covid-19 have impacted the oil and gas community and the cultural and financial benefits of adapting to a new way of working through scalable digital enhancements.

Digitalization can enable $2 to $12 in savings per barrel in upstream oil and gas production according to Offshore Technology. To take businesses to the next level of the digital transformation, data must be prioritized and leveraged effectively to scale digitization across upstream operations.

Reuters Events’ latest whitepaper, Data Management – the Key to Digital Transformation in Oil and Gas proposes vital solutions to key data management challenges in Oil and Gas to help you reach your full digital potential.

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What to expect from the whitepaper:

• Unlocking Value: Break down siloes and discover new pathways to increased efficiency
• Getting Ahead: Understand the critical need to commit to a data-oriented business strategy to scale up your digital oilfield
• Case Study: Read about a real-life example from an operator who saved $800k in one year and streamlined operations by reducing information retrieval times by up to 50%

Industry-Agnostic Solutions: Read about adaptable data strategies that have transformed the finance industry and what the oil and gas sector can learn from them

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Hoist & Winch Ltd has recently completed a challenging project for one of the UK’s biggest construction companies involved in large-scale new home development projects. Faced with a demanding and highly technical brief, Hoist & Winch rose to the task, providing a turnkey lifting system solution to ensure complete success for its client.

The requirement was to install a concrete ceiling mounted 7.5t swl (safe working load) lifting beam and manual chain hoist into the basement energy room of a large new tower block. This development is part of a large-scale prestigious regeneration project providing 5500 sustainable new homes in North London. 

At the design stage, following formal tender and contract award, Hoist & Winch set about identifying the optimal solution. Due to restricted access into the basement area, the company decided to utilise a two-piece lifting beam design with an overall length of 7m. To join the two lifting beam sections, Hoist & Winch designed a central splice joint of bolted construction with a reinforced bottom beam flange.

In order to spread the lifting loads over a greater area of the concrete ceiling slab it was decided to mount the lifting beam via four intermediate cross members, each having a four-bolt/anchor fix into the concrete ceiling at both ends. Featuring a robust bolted construction design it was possible to deliver the lifting beam to site in fully dismantled form for ease of transportation and access.

M24 resin anchors with an embedment of 255 mm into the 400 mm deep reinforced concrete slab fixed the intermediate cross members directly to the ceiling for maximum security. 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Continued ……

For approval by engineers at the main contractor, Hoist & Winch submitted design drawings and calculations for the structural design of the lifting beam and loading of the resin-type ceiling anchors. 

With the design approved, Hoist & Winch could progress to manufacturing, followed by delivery to site. Using building column positions as datum points, the installation line of the lifting beam was marked out while working from scissor lifts and an aluminium scaffold tower located on the upper mezzanine floor. A surveyor’s laser line initially identified the correct lifting beam position, prior to overlaying with red chalk to ensure accuracy for the duration of the installation work.

Raising the two lifting beam sections into position required the installation of eight 1t swl hand chain blocks, with each one suspended from M16 swivel eye bolts supported from flush-mounted anchored resin inserts drilled into the concrete ceiling slab. 

Following sample pull load testing, Hoist & Winch raised each lifting beam section into position using four 1t swl hand chain blocks. To raise the lifting beams to the full height and clamp them hard against the concrete ceiling slab ready for drilling, the company used two special lifting rigs per beam section.

The first lifting beam section manoeuvred into position also included the 7.5t swl hand chain block, which was rolled on to the lifting beam at low level using a 1t swl hand chain block temporarily suspended from local steelwork. Once both lifting beams were in position, Hoist & Winch joined the two lifting beam sections using the aforementioned bolted splice plate.

Next, the company undertook ceiling slab drilling operations and resin anchor installation for all 32 ceiling anchorpoints after very carefully cleaning each hole with a special heavy-duty internal brush and suction pump. Following the specified resin curing time, Hoist & Winch could tighten each anchor bolt to the required torque levels.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Continued ……

The final installation and test operation was LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) inspection of the lifting beam and manual chain hoist unit. This activity included dynamic load testing of the entire runway beam length with a 7.5t skid-mounted test load followed by 125% static proof load test in accordance with BS 2853 2011. 

“Working as a subcontractor for the company supplying and installing the plant and services in the basement energy room, we delivered an entire turnkey lifting system solution,” states Andy Allen, Director of Hoist & Winch Ltd. “At completion we provided the client with an overall project records and documentation package, before clearing all site equipment and undertaking customer handover. This project is just one of many exemplifying the meticulous, competent and professional approach that Hoist & Winch customers can expect from our highly knowledgeable team.”

Visit www.hoistandwinch.co.uk for further information and to view recent case studies.

Supplying, installing, load testing and LOLER certifying a wide range of manual and powered hoist units, Hoist & Winch Ltd has extensive experience and expertise in all kinds of industrial lifting operations. However, certain projects require special know-how, such as the installation of large-capacity, electric-powered wire-rope hoists in challenging and restricted access applications. And yet even in these situations, Hoist & Winch has a proven methodology to ensure a high-performance, efficient, safety-certified outcome for customers.

Every hoist installation is different, and most generally present some level of challenge to overcome, typically relating to the dimensional clearances of the hoist unit or the logistics of general access conditions.

When the hoist unit’s dimensional clearances are particularly critical, Hoist & Winch Ltd carries out a detailed survey prior to manufacture, ensuring that the complete installation can perform the required tasks with sufficient operating clearance.

On some occasions, a pre-installation survey is required to check site/work area access conditions. Hoist & Winch Ltd will subsequently submit its Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) for approval by the customer prior to starting work. These documents detail the installation procedure, the equipment intended for use, and the hazards and risks associated with the various tasks. In addition, the documents will set out how it is possible to minimise or negate these risks.

A recent cement plant project involving challenging installation access conditions highlights how the capability and knowledge of Hoist & Winch Ltd proves extremely useful in delivering a successful outcome for customers.

                                                                                                                                                            Continued ……

This complex project involved replacing an obsolete, 10-tonne SWL (safe working load), electric-powered wire-rope hoist unit with 60m lifting height. The task was required ahead of the cement production facility carrying out extensive modification work to its pre-heater tower. The pre-heater tower is 100m high and the existing hoist unit was located at the 60m level on a monorail beam that cantilevers out of the building for approximately 8m. Both the obsolete hoist unit and monorail beam had been dormant for many years, which meant that Hoist & Winch Ltd’s scope of supply included the load testing and thorough examination of not just the new wire-rope hoist unit, but also the monorail beam.

Among the first tasks was to remove the existing wire-rope hoist unit, which weighed 3 tonnes. Hoist & Winch Ltd decided to cut this down in sections using gas-burning equipment as many of the hoist parts were badly seized and not easy to dismantle in the conventional way. Initially, the company removed these sections to a specially constructed scaffold work platform located below the hoist installation area. Each piece of the obsolete hoist was then lowered further to the nearest adjacent floor level 16m below using manual chain blocks for movement to the goods lift access located at that level.

Next, Hoist & Winch Ltd had to install the new hoist (weighing 2.2 tonnes) in part dismantled form. The company eased the difficulty of this task by installing a temporary 3-tonne SWL motor trolley mounted, air-powered chain-hoist unit on the monorail beam and raising the new hoist unit the required 60 m from the outdoor ground-floor work area. Hoist & Winch Ltd took great care with the preparation of the chain-hoist unit to ensure reliability during operation as any breakdown during the critical 60m lifting operation would require special access equipment to help resolve any issues. Hoist & Winch Ltd also carried out meticulous checks on the quality, volume and pressure of the air supply.

The next task was to raise the complete new hoist unit to the 60m installation level. From there, Hoist & Winch Ltd used the 3-tonne SWL motor trolley mounted, air-powered chain-hoist unit to transport the new hoist unit into the building and over the temporary scaffold work platform.

                                                                                                                                                            Continued ……

From this position - after first opening up the hoist unit trolley wheels wider than the monorail beam width – the company lifted the wire-rope hoist unit into position. To facilitate this task, Hoist & Winch Ltd deployed four 1-tonne SWL manual chain blocks suspended from each end of two specially fabricated lifting frames clipped into position on the top flange of the monorail beam.

The final tasks included electrical commissioning, assembling the hoist on to the monorail beam and the removal of all temporary lifting equipment. Hoist & Winch Ltd could then perform dynamic load testing of the new wire-rope hoist unit and monorail beam using a skid-mounted, certified 10-tonne test load prior to issue with a LOLER Thorough Examination report. As part of the dynamic load testing procedure, the outdoor cantilever section of the monorail beam was deflection-tested in accordance with BS2853 using a special long-range, outdoor-operation Leica laser mounted to a stable yet precisely adjustable tripod.

“Manufacturing and process plants tend to evolve over time, often compromising general access to existing hoist installations,” explains Andy Allen, Director of Hoist & Winch Ltd. “In other instances, legacy hoists fall into disuse and become obsolete. We’ve seen this on many occasions over the years, but with our in-house design, engineering and manufacturing skills, there is nothing we cannot overcome. If you are in this situation and could benefit from the input of an expert partner, please call for a no-obligation discussion about the potential solutions.”

Visit www.hoistandwinch.co.uk for further information and to view recent case studies.

For Gas Safety Week, online electricals retailer AO announces that it has introduced fully funded gas apprenticeships for the first time to both grow its fleet of qualified engineers and invest in training. 

For the first time, the retailer has launched a fully funded apprenticeship aimed at upskilling both current employees and contracted drivers, which provides an accessible pathway to the Level 3 gas qualification. This runs alongside a new apprenticeship funded by the government levy, which is open to anyone with a full driving license.

Edward Knight first crossed paths with AO in 2018 when he was contracted for driver services alongside an electrical engineer. When this colleague announced he was leaving the business, Ed saw this as an opportunity to progress his own career in the industry. He said: “I moved onto being an electrical engineer for three years and then I was asked if I’d be interested in taking part in the gas apprenticeship.”

Before his career as a driver, Ed had pursued several different paths, including working as a chef in a hotel, working in a bakery and owning his own towbar fitting business. He’d always set his sights on an apprenticeship, however, the financial cost meant that this wasn’t an option until AO launched its funded apprenticeships. He said: “I’m really chuffed that I’ve had the chance to do it. I’ve been interested in training in gas for the last two years so this will open up new avenues for me.”

After a career at Gatwick Airport spanning 20 years, Jamie Taylor spent a year delivering for DPD before he crossed paths with AO. He had been contracted for driver services for around six months when the opportunity came up to do the gas apprenticeship via the retailer.

Jamie said: “I’d never been out with a gas engineer before, so I didn’t know what to expect! It’s been a lot to learn but I’ve really enjoyed the course so far - I particularly enjoy the flexibility of the shift pattern at AO since we get four days off for every four days on shift.”

Since being offered a place in the first cohort of funded apprenticeships, Ed has loved the opportunity to add another skill to his repertoire: “Gas training is a string to my bow at the end of the day and it’s another career for me. I’m 50 years old now and the opportunity has come at the perfect time as I’ve just moved into a new house. My advice for anyone considering an apprenticeship is to just go for it – you’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose.”

During their course, apprentices take on all aspects of gas installation. Ed said: “The gas course is a lot more involved than I thought it would be and there’s a lot to learn – I get such a sense of achievement out of doing a good job.”

Running for up to 16 weeks, the fast-track programme consists of both online and classroom teaching, as well as on-the-road experience to quickly upskill participants. The AO funded scheme runs alongside an apprenticeship funded by the government apprentice levy that offers comprehensive training in driving a 3.5 tonne van, gas qualifications and functional skills across 16 months.

An ATEX certified fan from Woodcock & Wilson Ltd will give you confidence that the fan supplied has been assessed by an approved notification body to be safe, manufactured to the strictest European standards, and designed to meet the specific type of explosive or hazardous environment that it is intended to operate in, whilst also reducing the need and cost of additional testing.