Outdoor Instrumentation Winterization in Cold Climates

In regions with extreme winter conditions, ensuring the functionality and safety of outdoor instrumentation becomes a critical challenge.

A frequent requirement for LMK Thermosafe has been for solutions to the problems posed by hazardous area instrumentation certifications with a low temperature limit of minus 20°C when outdoor ambient can fall to minus 40°C in winter. Not only does this create a safety certification issue, it also often means that liquid crystal displays on the devices cease to operate.

In the past, a partial solution may have been to fit semi-rigid certified trace heating cable around the items, adding separate insulation blankets. However, the cable could not be applied across the lcd’s, and a specialist installation engineer was essential to ensure correct configuration. Should any subsequent maintenance be required on the item, the heating cable would need to be removed and replaced, adding greatly to the expense of any service work undertaken.

LMK Thermosafe offer de-mountable heating jackets made to measure, combining effective insulation and heating to ATEX, IECEx, C1D2, C1Z1 and other hazardous area standards. Removable flaps for local inspection of information displays, waterproof covers, adjustable pull-cords, Velcro & D-Ring style fixings can all be accommodated. A Universal Instrument Heating Jacket System is available for standard sizes of equipment to speed up the design & procurement cycle and reduce capital costs.

Systems have been supplied for several Gas Analyser systems with HMI displays at the Shell Scotford site in Ft. Saskatchewan, operating over winter to maintain 20°C ±2°C with -40°C ambient and 40mph wind speeds. Shell’s Project Manager stated “The LMK Thermosafe product performed so well that I had no hesitation in purchasing additional units for upcoming winter programs”. Larger custom solutions have been provided to other petrochemical plants in Canada for protection of pipeline pumps and motors.

LMK Thermosafe Ltd, a global leader in the supply of drum and container heating equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres. All heaters are manufactured and designed to the strictest of quality and world-wide safety standards in our state-of-the-art ISO 9001: 2015 certified automated facilities near Cambridge, England.