Off Shore and Petrochemical Industries

Unfortunately accidents still happen, which can and sadly do escalate into major catastrophic events, sometimes with the inevitable loss of life and devastating effects on our environment. One important aspect in the ongoing drive to bring an accident free working environment is the introduction of two ATEX Regulations or Directives during the mid-90s which ultimately became compulsory in 2003.

In the United Kingdom the requirements of Directive 99/92/EC were put into effect through regulations 7 and 11 of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations 2002 (DSEAR). 

In DSEAR an explosive atmosphere is defined as a mixture of dangerous substances in air under atmospheric conditions in the form of gases vapours mist or dust in which after ignition has occurred combustion spreads to the unburned mixture. The requirements in DSEAR apply to most workplaces where a potentially explosive atmosphere may occur. An integral part of the ongoing oil and gas production is the requirement for ongoing vital maintenance programmes where specific activities require a controlled environment whilst work is being undertaken. 

Polygon, a world leader in controlling atmospheres in a wide variety of industries, was approached by a number of Specialist Protective Coatings Companies, to develop a range of ATEX environmental control equipment as an urgent need to provide an intrinsically safe solution that would meet ATEX Zone 1 and Norsock (Norwegian Standards) requirements. The Polygon ATEX solution provides dry conditioned air to areas that need a high level of environmental control, for example blasting and painting central column trusses found on oil rigs. The units can also be used on shore where petrochemical tanks are being recoated. Having the atex dehumidifier unit means that the unit does not have to sit in a safe zone at a distance from the tank but can be positioned next to the tank safely. One of the many features of Polygon’s fleet of ATEX equipment is “Plug and Play” which makes it faster and easier to start operating.