JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015 - 25

industry

New GRP enclosure for extreme environments

Intertec's Diabox range of instrumentation
protection solutions welcomes a new addition in the form of a two-part box, specifically
adaptable for extreme environments.
The Diabox 277 allows for a spacious work
environment, and possesses impressive properties thanks to the use of glass-reinforced
polyester (GRP) as the main component.

l

nitially developed at the
request of a Russian oil
refinery, this enclosure aims
to facilitate field-based process
instrumentation activities.
Declined with a wide range
of options that make it easily
usable in many different environments, Intertec's box opens
diagonally and provides easy
access for the staff using it.
Both the petrochemical and
chemical industries need this
type of structure, and the applications are varied: housing
differential pressure flowmeters and process transmitters
in refineries for example.

The appropriate
material choice
Most of the time, free-standing
cabinets are used to protect
instruments during on-field
operations. These structures,
however, can be impractical

because of the amount of
ground space they require.
Since the goal is to use
these enclosures in extreme
environments, the choice of
the material was crucial. In
this case, glass-reinforced
plastics (and more specifically
glass-reinforced polyesters)
were used because of their
particularly appropriate
properties: a tough, resilient
and durable polyester resin,
and glass fibres of remarkable
strength. The decision to work
with a polyester resin is easily
understandable: it represents
the best compromise between
performance and structural
capabilities.
The GRP material that Intertec
uses for its Diabox enclosures
is a high-performance one: it
has multiple advantages for
plant designers seeking to
protect field instrumentation
against environmental effects,
especially for long lifecycle
applications and where severe

climatic conditions might be
encountered. GRP is inherently inert and immune to
damage from most common
chemicals and petrochemicals. It has a similar strength
to steel, but is much lighter:
almost four times less. What's
more, it has a high resistance
to salt corrosion, making it a
very enlightened choice for
offshore environments and oil
& gas applications. The polyester resin also allows GRP to be
fire retardant, which is crucial,
safety-wise.
A version for every
type of environment
The box in itself is remarkably
large for such a structure: 600
x 750 x 600 mm (HxWxD),
giving it an internal volume of
about 277 litres with a weight
of around 18 kg, which makes
the enclosure very light. The
18-mm thickness allows for
varying degrees of insulation

depending on the environment.
Intertec also offers a special "arctic" version, which
provides protection against
particularly cold conditions.
This version is usable for
temperatures going as low
as minus 60°C. This enclosure is manufactured from a
composite sandwich material,
with GRP inner and outer
walls enclosing a closed-cell
polyurethane (PU) foam core.
This provides a smooth, easily
maintainable finish while also
helping to protect the foam
against any exterior aggressions and damages, which
might happen during the installation or routine activities
(maintenance or cleaning).
This way, the structure remains
in good shape and its performance does not suffer. n
More information:
www.intertec.info

Exterior use of the Diabox 277

No95 March 2015

/ jec composites magazine 25
http://www.intertec.info
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015

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