Caterpillar chosen to provide 24 ATEX Zone 2 explosion proof packages

Caterpillar Oil & Gas is pleased to announce it has been awarded a contract to provide 24x custom Cat^® C15 air compressor packages to Airpac Bukom Oilfield Services, a division of Vp plc. Each C15 package is rated at 536 bhp (400 bkW) @ 1800 rpm and the finished package will provide 1600 cfm at 150 psi, while meeting the stringent DNV 2.7-2 certification requirements. Cat dealer Ring Power led the efforts in conjunction with Caterpillar Oil & Gas and Pyroban, a Caterpillar company, to design and develop the compressor packages. The packaging of the units is being completed at Ring Power’s Central Florida location. One of the C15 Air Compressor Packages manufactured for the project was on display at the Caterpillar booth at OTC Houston last week.

Explosion proof equals operational flexibility

“For our customers, our capability to provide ATEX Zone 2 explosion proof packages enables operational flexibility,” Isaac Fox, Caterpillar Oil & Gas Application Engineer noted. “We understand our customers’ needs for integrated safety solutions and are glad we can support their efforts to increase the safety of their operations.”

The C15 custom air compressor units were designed to be compliant with global standards for worldwide usage in a rental fleet. The units feature an air inlet shutoff as a method of stopping the engine in the presence of a flammable atmosphere and an intake flame arrestor to prevent flames within the intake manifold from spreading to the outside atmosphere. The packages are equipped with water-cooled flexible exhaust pipes with a rugged vibration-resistant design, developed specifically for offshore applications. The exhaust gas heat exchanger in the custom units reduces the temperature of exhaust gas to meet area requirements and has been explosion tested and certified for use in Zone 2 areas.

Complete power solutions and generator sets

Cat hazardous location solutions are fully customizable and designed to integrate with complex equipment with offerings ranging from components to complete power solutions and generator sets for a broad spectrum of applications. The hazardous location engine is rated at 536 bhp between 1800- 2000 rpm, with an ambient capability of 50 °C for the mechanical systems and 60 °C on the electrical system.

A variety of hazardous-location certified attachments are available, including an alternator, ATEX Messenger and ATEX throttle control and inlet air flame trap. This engine also features Non-Sparking (nA) and Intrinsically Safe (ic) ECM wiring harnesses and sensors, as well as harness cable jackets that meet flame propagation requirements of IEC 60332-1-2. Having a completely designed, tested and certified package from Caterpillar allows the customer to reduce project complexity and decrease certification-related risks.

Adapted from press release by Cecilia Rehn

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/product-news/13052014/caterpillar_chosen_to_provide_24_atex_zone_2_explosion_proof_packages/