Safeguarding lives in the Petrochemical industry
Safeguarding lives in the Petrochemical industry
Bottom: Final checks on a BA25DE mobile breathing air compressor prior to entering an oil storage tank.
The petrochemical industry has many situations where the ambient atmosphere is hazardous to breathe.
One of the most common situations is the cleaning of residue from the bottom of tanks containing substances such as crude oil and styrene. The air in these tanks is highly hazardous to health and anyone working in this type of environment needs to protected with suitable respiratory protection and clothing.
Cleaning of these tanks involves the shovelling of the residual oil sludge from the bottom of the tank. This work is both tiring and time consuming and anyone working in this environment needs an air supply system that is both comfortable to wear and provides a cool odour free source of air. In addition to the atmosphere being toxic these tanks have limited access and the oil residue makes movement inside the tanks both difficult and tiring.
To solve this problem Factair has developed a range of mobile breathing air compressors. Because reliability is paramount, these units use the Compair rotary vane compressor and are powered by diesel engines. As the Compair rotary vane compressor does not require an air receiver the resulting breathing air compressors are both compact and highly mobile. This enables the units to be positioned as close as practical to the point of work reducing the amount of breathing air hose that has to be used.
The units incorporate a sophisticated alarm and high pressure air cylinder reserve system which ensures that in the event of a mechanical failure the users operating in the confined space are ensured a continuous air supply.
These units have become the industry standard within the UK and are also widely distributed throughout Europe.
