June 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
56
fuel & oil
ROTOTHERM, REPRESENTED LOCALLY
by Instrotech, uses the
proven Canongate technology. Tank-i has been developed for level
measurement on the vehicle fuel tank and is a solution that allows
fleet operators to monitor, manage and ultimately protect their fuel.
Principle of operation
A small, non-invasive ultrasonic sensor is bonded to the
external base of the fuel tank. The system calculates the
height of the liquid in the tank from the time taken for
the signal to be transmitted and then received from the
liquid surface. Signals from the transducer are fed into
“OIL AND GAS HAS THREE
segments – up-
stream, midstream and downstream. Rand-
Air is already actively supplying a number of
its Atlas Copco products to the midstream
and downstream markets. We have recently
seen a growing awareness of applications
whereby we supply oil-free compressors, to-
gether with nitrogen kits, to customers in the
expanding downstreammarket,”says Byrone
Thorne, marketing manager for Rand-Air.
“We believe that this is a result of the
awareness drive by Rand-Air, in both South
Africa and Africa, regarding the benefits of
using our products. We successfully sup-
plied this product combination for a mining
application in Madagascar, and our team
identified and pursued an opportunity in
South Africa. By being open to the needs of
customers, we are able to customise solutions
that increase their productivity and decrease
their downtime,” adds Kim Coetzee, sales
manager at Rand-Air.
The latest proactive initiative by Rand-Air
is the gearing up to supply product to the
upstream offshore market. “Rand-Air is in
the process of opening Atlas Copco Rental
in Angola. One of our key employees – Ceu
Moreira – has been tasked with setting up
the facility and identifying the right people to
work in this operation,”says Coetzee.
It is critical to supply only rig-safe, Zone 2
machines to the offshore market. “As one
moves closer to the drilling area, stringent
safety measures are required. We have been
very involved in our research of this very
specialised and exactingmarket to ensurewe
provide the right products where and when
they are needed,” Thorne continues.
Rand-Air is a pivotal part of the Atlas
Copco organisation, whereby specialisation
is the order of the day. “Atlas Copco Rental,
operating under the auspices of Rand-Air, will
provide a valuable complementary service to
Atlas Copco Rental in the United Kingdom
(UK).The UK rental division has specialised in
the oil and gas industry for many years and
we will be able to leverage their knowledge
and experience in the field,”says Coetzee.
The benefit of providing a product base
and service backup from southern Africa,
is that Atlas Copco Rental in Angola will be
able to alleviate any logistical problems and
delivery lead times associated with sourcing
the product from the UK, as was previously
the case.
Coetzee says that safety adherence and
the provision of knowledgeable people are
critical prerequisites for supplying product
to the oil and gas industry. “Our employees
are all undertaking compulsory offshore
training to enable them to work on the rigs.
In addition, the team is also currently under-
going an extensive training and upskilling
familiarisation process with regard to the
specific functions and applications of each
specialised product.”
A number of high-end products have
been identified for their suitability in the
oil and gas industry. These include the
Atlas Copco steam boiler, the nitrogen
generator, Atlas Copco Zone 2 machines,
rig-safemachines and the dedicated offshore
TwinAir compressor.
“We will be able to provide appropriately
selected equipment, with an excellent track
record, for the specialised oil and gas applica-
tions. Advantages that we bring to the party
are our customer-centric service approach,
our consistent adherence to sustainability,
and Atlas Copco’s new technology, which
is characterised by reliability and superior
backup service. This is very much in line with
what our parent company, Atlas Copco is
doing on a global scale,”Thorne concludes.
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Kim Coetzee, sales manager at Rand-Air.
Customer-centricity for growing
oil and gas industry
Customer-centric service and high-quality equipment underpin Rand-
Air’s approach to sustainable business. In line with demand from
customers in the oil and gas sector, the company is gearing up to
extend its existing service offering to this burgeoning industry.
Monitor, manage and protect fuel
With the ever-escalating cost of fuel these days, the
siphoning-off of fuel from vehicles for illicit sale in
commercial fleets and industry in general is, not
surprisingly and most alarmingly, on the increase.
the processor and then output to a separate system. The package is
supplied as a sensor/processor pair.The systemcan be configured to
work in a low power mode which can be controlled from the telem-
etry system where required. When combined with a GRS telemetry
tracking system, the fleet manager can get an accurate and up-to-
date indication of the vehicles’ fuel consumption and be warned of
any excess consumption, due possibly to fuel theft.
Tank-i is ATEX (safety) approved for hazardous areas where
required and easy to install – with no down-time and no penetration
of the tank vessel. It can be retrofitted to existing tanks/fleets and is
unaffected by temperature fluctuations.With nomoving parts there
is no maintenance on the unit.
Currently,Tank-i has found application in refrigerant receivers; low
pressure gas (LPG) tanks; distilled spirits vats; beer tanks and tank-
ers; pure water tanks; liquid chlorine tanks; acid and solvents tanks.
Tank-i is used by leading beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical
companies around the world for accurate, reliable, simple and safe
tank contents gauging.
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