Northernmost City In The World?
Hammerfest and Honningsvag are both located well above the Artic Circle in Norway and vying for this coveted title.
We knew little of either of these cities until we had an enquiry from Linde Engineering of Germany who were busy constructing a Gas Installation Plant in Hammerfest. They were struggling to find a suitable GRP company to manufacture tank lids to a very stringent specification. A number of European companies had been approached without success.
Sui Generis rose to the challenge after receiving the complex working drawings and specifications. This would be an interesting project not least because of the sheer size of the tank covers but also because they would need to be conductive.
GRP is essentially a non-conductive material so we had to source an additive for the manufacturing process that would give an element of conductivity equivalent to Ex-protection Zone 1 II BT3 surface resistance according to EN 50014< 1 G ohm.
This safety feature was to ensure that if lightning struck it could be conducted through in-built earthing straps and not ignite the highly flammable contents of the tanks.
Conductivity is normally achieved by carbon powder additive but this turns the resin black and the specification called for a white exterior finish. After some rapid R & D work we were able to achieve both requirements by modifying our manufacturing process.
Other elements of the design included the need to withstand temperatures of minus 21°C, snow loadings, seismic factors and wind speeds. For ease of transportation by truck to Hull and then by sea the tank covers were made as self-assembly units for fitting on site. Even sourcing rubber gaskets posed a problem due to the freezing temperatures they would need to withstand.
Stage inspections by Linde Engineering representatives were rigorous, as the highest quality is expected from outsourced work. Over the four months that the production took place we developed an excellent working relationship with the prestigious German company and met all of the standards they set for us.
If you would like to admire our work why not book a trip to Hammerfest, although you might want to note the travel writer Bill Bryson’s description of the place - “an agreeable enough town in a thank-you-God-for-not- making-me-live-here sort of way". He also commented “I was unable to determine just what there was to do in Hammerfest to pass the time, other than set telephone books alight, insult the waiter and weep,”
Obviously Bill visited before our tank covers had been fitted!!