Mechanical Technology

Mechanical Technology — September 2016

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Power, energy and energy management

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New Series 10 2-inch tank-blanketing

safety valve

A leading supplier of high-end and specialised equipment to the oil and

gas industries in southern Africa – Energas Technologies – has introduced

Protectoseal’s new Series 10 2-inch tank blanketing valve to the South

African market.

ank blanketing is an important

and effective way to prevent fires

in flammable liquid storage tanks

by controlling the formation of ex-

plosive vapours or air mixtures. Blanketing

minimises evaporation of the stored product,

in so doing, reducing emission levels and

product loss and protecting the tank’s con-

tents from external contamination.

Laetitia Botha, Energas Technologies

product engineer, explains: “Tank blanket-

ing has always been a staple in our range

of safety products. It works on the basic

principal of creating a blanket of inert gas

in the tank’s vapour space to prevent atmo-

spheric air from entering the tank, and so

maintaining a non-flammable atmosphere.”

She adds, “We’ve stocked Protectoseal

products for 10 years and bringing in the

new Series 10 2-inch tank blanketing valve

was a great way for us to offer what the

1-inch valve could not provide for larger

flow applications.”

A blanketing valve regulates the pressure

of the inert gas layer on top of the stored

liquid in a tank. The valve senses the pres-

sure of the tank blanket and opens to allow

in more inert gas when the pressure drops

below the set pressure. In response to the

pressure returning to the set pressure, the

valve closes and stops the flow.

The Protectoseal Series 10 tank blanket-

ing valve comprises two separate valves

working in tandem. “The pilot valve is

controlled by the sensed tank pressure, and

in turn, controls the opening and closing of

the main valve, which provides flow into

the tank from the inert gas supply,” explains

Botha. “The main components

of the pilot valve

are a pressure

sensing cham-

ber and a pop-

pet, which can

move up and

down. The

main valve,

Protectoseal

Series 10 2-inch

tank blanketing valve

creates a blanket of

inert gas in a gas tank’s

vapour space to main-

tain a non-flammable

atmosphere.

ennergi was selected as the

preferred bidder for two wind

projects under the second

window of the South African

government’s Renewable Energy Inde-

pendent Power Producer Procurement

Programme (REIPPPP).

“The commissioning of the

Tsitsikamma wind farm fulfils

Exxaro’s vision of extending

its position in the en-

ergy value chain beyond

coal. In addition, it is

a tangible commit-

ment to our environ-

mental stewardship

to reduce the impacts

of carbon emissions

in the medium-to-long

term, while addressing

the country’s short-term

electricity needs,” said Exxaro

CEO Mxolisi Mgojo on commer-

cialisation of the TCWF.

Cennergi, a 50:50 joint venture between mining conglomerate Exxaro

Resources and India’s Tata Power, recently achieved commercial operations

for two wind farm projects: the 134 MW Amakhala Emoyeni Wind Farm

Project was handed over in late July, followed by the 95 MW Tsitsikamma

Community Wind Farm (TCWF) on 18 August, 2016.

Above:

The Amakhala Emoyeni project

involved the installation of 56 Nordex

2.4 MW N117 wind turbines specially

developed for low-wind sites.

Left:

Cennergi’s Amakhala Emoyeni Wind

Farm near Bedford in the Eastern Cape has

134 MW of installed capacity.

Commercial operation for Eastern Cape