News

Dirty fuel causes the world’s largest pump station to fail in test

April 28^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

As New Orleans prepared itself for hurricane season in 2014, a readiness test was carried out on the West Bank Pumping Station. Initially all went well and the pumps were working as expected. But after just a few hours a primary generator failed and 5 of the 11 pumps stopped. The cause? Dirty Fuel. The West Bank Pump Station was opened in 2012 to block storm surge rushing up the Harvey and Algiers canals with the aim of protecting thousands of buildings and structures. The $1 billion West Closure Complex was built with a pumping capacity of up to 19,140 cubic feet of water per second, enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than five seconds. Despite opening just 2 years…

What is ATEX certification?

April 23^rd, 2015 in Engine Starting, News

The phrase ‘ATEX certification’ is often used in engine starting, but what exactly does it mean? If you operate an offshore platform or underground mine – or if you supply products to companies that do – ATEX certification means safety. The name ‘ATEX’ is short for “Atmospheres Explosibles” and is a strict set of regulations that applies to products intended for used in any hazardous working environments. This includes areas that contain flammable gases, vapours or combustible dust. If a product is capable of creating an explosion through its own source of ignition (excluding cookers, heaters, etc. which are meant to provide ignition) then it must be ATEX approved.…

IPU TO EXHIBIT AT OGA 2015, MALAYSIA – 2-4 JUNE

April 17^th, 2015 in Engine Starting, News

There are just 6 weeks until the opening of OGA 2015 and IPU will be there to showcase our unique range of ATEX approved hydraulic and air start motors. These ultra-safe products are critical for hazardous environments such as offshore platforms and underground mines. Our pre-engaged hydraulic and air starters are unique. They use a cast iron construction to eliminate aluminium content. ATEX recommends against using aluminium as it is the primary fuel for a thermite reaction. They also fully engage with an engine’s ring-gear before rotating and cranking the engine, eliminating the risk of sparks caused by traditional inertia starting. During the 3 day exhibition in Kuala Lumpur…

A single source for Fuel Testing, Cleaning, Polishing and Stabilisation

April 2^nd, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

A quick search on the web will reveal lots of companies who can test your stored fuel, or clean it or sell you a polishing unit. But not many of these will provide you with a complete service. Plus, dealing with multiple suppliers can quickly become complicated and time consuming. You just want somebody to handle fuel conditioning so your time is free for your real job. That somebody is IPU. IPU offers all four stages of a fuel conditioning programme from a single source. This provides you with a single point of contact and allows us to treat any issues more effectively by giving us a complete view of your fuel. As part of this we’ve undergone a fuel conditioning rebranding exercise…

Solar eclipse could trigger power outages

March 18^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

On Friday (20th March) the UK will witness its biggest solar eclipse since 1999 with experts warning of potential blackouts. If a power shortage does occur the continuity of your critical systems could be under threat if your stored diesel is contaminated. Are you confident in the reliability of your fuel? Forecasters estimate that the eclipse will last for around two hours and could have a major impact on Europe’s ability to provide power due to: An uncommon surge in the demand for energy due to all building lights and street lights being switched on during the day. The capacity of energy produced from solar power will be dramatically reduced during the two hour period. In London…

New hydraulic system provides reliable starting for Cummins CFP9E-F30

February 23^rd, 2015 in Engine Starting, News

IPU’s Engine Starting Division have recently dispatched two new hydraulic starting systems to supply guaranteed starting to the fire pumps on a new offshore oil platform. The fire pumps are powered by Cummins CFP9E-F30 9-litre engines. The hydraulic starting systems provide a high level of efficiency enabling the Cummins cfp9e-F30 engines to start instantly, regardless of the conditions. These independent, secondary systems act as a reliable starting mechanism in case the primary electrical systems fail. Client specifications Number of starts 3 Length of starts 5 seconds cranking duration Recharge system Electric Reliability The client required a starting system which was…

New Technical Sales Engineer Joins IPU Fuel Conditioning

February 12^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

To further improve our Fuel Conditioning division we have recently appointed a new Technical Sales Engineer. Peter Crowden has joined IPU at an exciting time as the business develops its ambitious expansion plans. He will play an integral role assisting IPU in the development of domestic sales within the fuel division. Peter comes with a vast amount of experience within the fuel industry. His background includes: Forecourt management Crisis management Fuel polishing projects Re-pump projects Fuel sampling Man-entry tank cleaning Tank cleaning and lining projects Groundworks Peter has worked on a variety of major fuel conditioning projects including the management of Applegreen, one of…

IPU Fuel Division Qualifications

February 5^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

The IPU Fuel Division have over 25 years experience in fuel conditioning. This is backed by a number of industry qualifications to ensure our team is using the latest techniques and safe working practices. At IPU we are committed to continuous improvement through strengthening our knowledge base of operational procedures and delivering a high quality service. Our fuel engineers hold the following qualifications: Safety Pass Alliance (SPA) The SPA license is a necessary qualification for engineers when working on fuel forecourts. It is recognised by the United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA). The petroleum industry handles potentially hazardous products; a top priority is…

New brochure heralds new approach to Fuel Conditioning

January 26^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

We’ve just launched our 2015 Fuel Conditioning brochure. And while it’s true that we’ve expended blood, sweat and tears producing it even we have to recognise that new brochures are not usually newsworthy. This time it’s a bit different. The new brochure reflects a significant change in buying trends that we saw develop during 2014. The hospitals, datacentres and banks we speak to are are becoming less satisfied with buying different parts of their fuel solutions from different vendors. They prefer one supplier to test, clean, polish and stabilise their stored fuel. Now that the need for fuel conditioning is clearly understood the market has moved on. The prime…

Fuel contamination - diesel cleaning jars

How to spot fuel contamination in your storage tanks

January 15^th, 2015 in Fuel Conditioning, News

The good news is you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to spot if your fuel is contaminated, the bad news is if you can actually see the signs of contamination the problem is already serious. On sites where power is critical (such as datacentres, hospitals and military bases) backup generators will be employed to cover any failures in the mains supply. Under normal conditions these units will run for just minutes each month as part of a maintenance programme. But this leads to the storage of large amounts of fuel over a long period of time. This practice carries a stark warning from engine manufacturers and even diesel suppliers that advise if storing fuel any longer than 6-12…