Stainless Steel Vessels of all Shapes and Sizes, a Copper Still and a Permanent Steel Platform
Stainless Steel Vessels of all Shapes and Sizes, a Copper Still and a Permanent Steel Platform
2019 – A year where our project management and design skills flourished!
As 2019 is ending we have taken some time to reflect on the year gone by, looking at everything we have achieved. Manufacturing stainless steel vessels, tanks and related products & services for a wide range of industries these past 40 years has allowed us to become an industry leader with unrivalled industry knowledge. Our customer-first philosophy, our ability to meet deadlines and work within agreed frameworks are some of the reasons why we are the number one choice for many companies.
We have had great success this year with many new relationships formed, bigger projects completed and the implementation of our advanced technology to help our customers achieve their business objectives. Such successes would not have been possible without the dedication, knowledge and skills of our teams here at Spectac.
The following are some of the standout successes throughout the year:
- Veterinary Pharmaceutical Company – Design Capacity: 150L
This project required a highly detailed mobile surge vessel with an oil jacket fully contained and heated using an internal heating element. You can see more of the key requirements for this project here. Before the surge vessel could be fabricated by our engineering team, pressure calculations had to be completed to ensure the correct material thicknesses were used throughout. As this was a high-pressure vessel it needed to be welded to the highest standard possible and tested by several means to ensure peace of mind for all involved. Before delivering the new vessel, we invited the Norbrook team to our manufacturing plant to complete a factory acceptance test. This allowed them to see the finished product and decide if any changes needed to be made before it left the factory. The overall process involved the initial consultation, design drawings, a detailed BoM in addition to regularly liaising with the customer in successfully delivering the vessel on time.
- Manufacturer of Chocolate Products – Design Capacity: 25000Kg
Spectac manufactured six 25 tonne chocolate storage tanks with exposed dimple jackets for this customer. During the production process, the vessels are heated to melt the chocolate and have large gate agitators inside the tank to keep the chocolate moving. To manage the process effectively Spectac keeps a strong focus on energy efficiency. A temperature sensor is incorporated within each vessel to ensure the agitator won’t start unless the chocolate is above a certain temp and hence a liquid. This prevents bending the agitator if it is stuck in solid chocolate.
Upon arrival at the client’s production facility, the tanks had to be fitted within a restricted area. Key requirements included the implementation of a bespoke access hatch protection grid, stainless steel support legs complete with bolt down footplates, as well as laser-welded pillow plate technology for the heating or cooling of any product within the vessel. More about this project here.
- Biopharmaceutical Company – Permanent Steel Platform, Area 114m2
During the summer months, we manufactured permanent steel platform structures to ISO EN1090 Certification in partnership with Collen Construction. This project differed from our usual manufacturing of stainless-steel vessels. Instead, we focused on the manufacture of permanent steel platforms.
The EN1090 certification is a European standard for the fabrication and assembly of steel and aluminum structures. It ensures that the proper controls are in place at every stage of the manufacturing process. It covers all processes from the procurement of raw materials through to final inspection and testing, meaning we had to provide detailed documentation on sourcing traceability of all steel members. We also had to implement procedures to control and verify compliance with the design brief, checking that calculations were in place and verified. Each member of the team involved had to be competent and held fully responsible for their job. All measuring, testing, welding, grinding and lifting equipment must be calibrated, regularly maintained and inspected. We liaised with the client every step of the way, seeking approval of all the structural elements, proving the calculations to the handrails and determining the installation on site.
Other success stories of 2019 include the following projects:
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturer – Design Capacity: 60L, 150L and 360L
Fabricated with quick turnaround times and customised to our client’s specific needs, these process vessels consisted of “D” lids with a centrally located bridge section, vertical shells and vertical legs with castors, modified to a splayed position.
- Alcoholic Beverage Company – Design Capacity: 30000L, 5000L, 15000L and 45000L
Spectac International provided connecting vessels via a removal platform, access ladders and guard rails. Given the required structures for this project, our team worked to BS 4211, a British Standard which specifies requirements for ladders with single bar rungs intended to be fixed permanently to structures. Requirements for associated platforms and safety hoops are also given within this specification. BS 4211 also covers permanently fixed companionway ladders.
- Organic Solutions Company – Design Capacity: 2500L
Further to several design sessions with our client, we fabricated a bespoke insulated vessel that met their requirements and obligations. The vessel included a centrally mounted agitator with internal baffles and CIP, oval manway and detachable sparging ring. Prior to commencing the fabrication process, our project management team provided drawings for the client to approve. Regular updates and photos were supplied during several stages.
- Water Treatment Company – Design Capacity: 1700L
For this project, we worked with the client in providing an approval drawing in addition to the accommodation of minor adaptations during the build process. The outcome was several insulated vessels containing 20″ Ø vertically mounted manway, inspectional top-mounted access flange with 3″ Ø NPT female fittings to the bottom dish.
- Distilling Company – Design Capacity: 1000L, 2000L, 3000L, 4000L, 5000L, 9000L, 10,000L
Working with Copper and Stainless Steel proved to be a valuable asset. For this project, we had to work to a detailed design forming the internal distillation trays within the Pot Still and the Pot Spirit Still. Copper dams and 316 stainless steel drop pipes made up the assembly in both columns.
- Biofuel Company – Design Capacity: 2000L
Based on the client’s provided specification drawing, the task was to replicate a received fabrication drawing with a vertically mounted manway and compensation ring. Fabrication is planned within the coming weeks.
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