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Forbes have seen the successful installation and commissioning of a scrubber system supplied to a technology development company in Spain this month.
The system, which was designed in full by our process & engineering team, consists of a spray tower and packed bed scrubber in series, which is designed to remove acidic gases and volatile liquids from a process gas stream. The spray tower acts as both a primary scrubber and to remove compounds which produce salts and glue-like products when cooled, and the packed scrubber then removes the majority of the remaining acidic gases. This system was provided as a complete skid mounted unit with recirculation pumps, pipework, valves and instrumentation.
After successful installation and commissioning by our customer, the project manager has passed on their feedback to Forbes, writing to say: “We would like to thank you all for your support and good work; kindly send our congratulations to everyone at the Forbes office and workshop. We’re already in the design phase of the second phase of the project, and we’re hoping that everything goes as smoothly as it has so far.”
Following completion of this project we have also been awarded a second very similar project for the same customer, due for completion by the end of the year.
One of our sitework teams recently completed the install of a new bunded Acid Tank and SB2 Fume Scrubber to replace the previous system, which we originally supplied 22 years ago. It was a smooth transition from old to new, and to quote the site manager overseeing the installation; “[I would] just like to say that the install guys did a cracking job over the last 3 days and nothing was too much trouble.”
We operate two proficient site teams who are out on sites up and down the country all day every day, completing installs, inspections and modifications to existing tanks. It’s a pleasure to be recognised for their hard work and dedication.
We offer a full range of ‘standard’ bunded tanks suitable for almost any chemical application, from 1500 litres up to in excess of 30,000 litres, known as our Minibulk and Minibulk Plus range.
Forbes are very proud to have supplied tanks for Colloide Engineering Systems latest development, a ‘plug & play’, skid mounted package, which gives a solution for septicity dosing at pumping stations or sites with restricted space.
The tanks supplied are based on Forbes ‘Innatank’ range, which gives an integrally bunded system while maintaining a small footprint.
Innatank®’s genuinely innovative design, consists of a helically wound HDPE tank with an integral close fitting bund, which is manufactured with the tank as one piece to enable ease of installation. Being a tank in an integral bund with over the top discharge if required, Innatank offers an intrinsically safe method of storing and processing hazardous liquids.
Environment and personnel are fully protected against leakage or spills. Limited connections or breaches below liquid level through the tank or bund wall and continuous leak monitoring, which can give local or remote alarms, give complete peace of mind.
For more information on our Innatank range please give us a call +44 (0)1366 389600.
Ahead of a hot weekend and peak demand, emergency repair work carried out by Forbes at a UK Water Treatment Works ensured service was resumed quickly and downtime was minimal.
Project Manager overseeing the work at the WTW expressed thanks to Forbes stating, “it has helped make a big challenge achievable”. Forbes’ prompt response to this urgent repair was well received.
Commended on our “approachable, informative, helpful and hardworking” operatives, Forbes philosophy to go above and beyond to assist our customers did not go unnoticed.
This month Forbes Technologies will be marking a very significant milestone. Our production facility in Kelso, Roxburghshire will be celebrating its golden anniversary.
It is nearly fifty years to the day since production was moved from Norfolk to The Scottish Borders after we outgrew our original facility.
Much has changed in the intervening years.
Over its five decade history the Kelso site has grown from 500m2 to 20,000m2. From the original one production unit, there are now five purpose-built factories.
The latest facility, an automated production plant for large capacity spiral wound thermoplastics tanks, was commissioned in 2013 and extended by a further 50% in 2017.
New Developments for 2020
To coincide with the golden anniversary, a significant £500,000 investment has been made in the shape of a new architect-designed office building.
This will replace the previous block which dated back to the 1980s and will ensure that the offices are as state-of-the-art as the production facilities.
The new building will be officially opened in early April 2020.
Long Service Awards
However despite the site’s growth in terms of size and technology, some things have stayed the same, the most notable being the loyalty and commitment of the Kelso staff.
In a case of shared golden anniversaries, one employee John Wight who started on 20 April 1970 will be retiring this year after nearly 50 years of service. The next longest serving employee, Frank Livingstone, joined in 1973.
Forbes Plastic Tanks Used to Expand Capabilities of Lincolnshire Carbon Reactivation Plant
Over the past 10 months Forbes have worked with CPL Activated Carbons, as part of a major investment into the company’s Lincolnshire carbon reactivation facilities.
THE CUSTOMER
Activated carbons are used in a wide range of gas and liquid phase filtration applications, such as air treatment, water purification, food and beverage decolourisation and numerous other environmental protection applications. When carbons are ‘spent’ and no longer achieving the required level of filtration, they need to be replaced or reactivated.
Spent carbons from industrial applications are referred to as ‘amber list’ materials, while carbons that have been used in drinking water or food grade applications are referred to as ‘green list’ materials.
Expanding the capability of the Lincolnshire facility enables CPL to process ‘green list’ materials for the first time.
THE SYSTEM
Forbes supplied and installed seven storage and mixing tanks, with capacities ranging between 10m3 and 100m3, as well as a fume scrubber. The tanks supplied included five wound GRP tanks, comprising two water reception tanks, two water break tanks and a final mixing tank.
Safe chemical storage was also an integral part of the project and Forbes supplied and installed two integrally bunded chemical tanks. Each tank was designed and configured specifically for its intended contents; a Caustic Soda tank included a weather shroud, immersion heater and thermal insulation to prevent the caustic solution from freezing. A Hydrochloric Acid tank was supplied with a suitable fume scrubber with recirculation facility, from Forbes standard SB Scrubber range.
In addition to the above, Forbes also supplied the required access steelwork which included access ladders, connecting access platforms, top hand-railing arrangements, raised steel support platforms and mixer support bridge, all manufactured ‘in-house’ in Forbes’ purpose built steelworks factory.
“I have been more than pleased with the services and products received, across all departments, I have nothing to fault.”
Patrick Riley (Projects Manager, CPL)
SCOPE OF SUPPLY
- 2 x 45m3 Wound GRP Water Reception Tanks, fabricated with a 3m deep conical base, raised on a steel support. platform. Supplied with access ladder and interconnecting platform.
- 1 x 75m3 Wound GRP Towns Water Break Tank, fabricated with a sloped base to give maximum drainage.
- 2x Minibulk Plus polypropylene lined GRP Bunded Tanks – MB300
- 1x Standard Bulk Tank Scrubber – SB Range.
- 1 x 10m3 Wound GRP Mixing Tank, fabricated with a 570mm deep conical base.
- 1 x 100m3 Wound GRP Water Break Tank.
Following the completion of the installation, CPL’s first batch of ‘green list’ spent carbon was successfully reactivated from a drinking water facility in the south of the UK.
“After more than five years of reactivation operations for industrial customers, we are delighted to make this first step into drinking water carbon regeneration, following the investment made by the company in our facilities and also the winning of our first reactivation tender.”
Steve Bell (Divisional Director, CPL)
Forbes are delighted to have been chosen to assist in the fabrication of a unique patented hydropower technology; the Venturi-Enhanced Turbine Technology (VETT), developed by VerdErg Renewable Energy.
The first VETT unit commissioned has been installed on the site of a former mill, built in 1847, now converted into a public house and restaurant. The VETT utilises a pipe section (fabricated by Forbes) through which water passes, this pipe section incorporates a venturi which amplifies the flow to drive a high speed turbine and generator.
The new low-head hydro technology– Venturi-Enhanced Turbine Technology (VETT)
- VETT is a technology developed and patented by VerdErg.
- It utilises Bernoulli’s 18th century principles to amplify a pressure across a turbine.
- 80% of the water passes through a venturi (constriction) with no moving parts, which causes the pressure in the venturi to drop.
- A second flow path, which contains a conventional axial propeller turbine, connects this low pressure area with the higher upstream pressure.
- The pressure across the turbine is now significantly higher.
- The turbine in a VETT therefore operates under a higher head but at a fifth of the flow, allowing costs to be reduced and sites like this to be reinstated.
- Fish can pass through the venturi unharmed. The turbine intake is screened.
Key Data
- Head: 1.40 m
- Design Flow: 4.0 m3/s
- Installed capacity: 30 kW
- Estimated energy output: 100 MWh
- Energy equivalent: Avg. consumption of 40 households
- CO2 savings: 61 t
Illustration of VETT installed at The River Mill, Eaton Socon.
The whole VETT assembly is lowered into the river, with decking above to minimise visual impact, also providing extra outdoor seating for the pub.
The pipe section at approximately 2.4m diameter and 18m in length, is of dual laminate construction with an internal surface of Polypropylene material reinforced externally with GRP laminate.
Why choose Polypropylene/GRP construction over alternatives?
The main design considerations for the design of ducts were for a hydraulically smooth internal surface finish, resistance to corrosion, cost effectiveness and to have the strength required to resist both internal and external pressures.
Traditionally, VerdErg has manufactured smaller ducts in stainless steel, but with the scale of these units being so much greater than previous designs cost and manufacturability became an issue.
The Polypropylene/GRP construction offered two immediate advantages over steel. The Polypropylene offered a hydraulically smooth internal surface finish and the GRP offered resistance to corrosion. Designing in GRP offered flexibility with regards to the strength, manufacturability and ultimately the cost of the ducts. The final design of the GRP ducts was significantly lighter than the equivalent design in steel, aiding the final installation on site.
In the long-term, the GRP ducts will require fewer inspections and less maintenance than had they been designed in steel, reducing the projects ongoing O&M costs.
In hindsight, investing time in moving away from a stainless steel to a Polypropylene/GRP construction was the correct choice for the project.
Why Forbes?
VerdErg kindly advised –
“The design and manufacture of these ducts in GRP is a world’s first. An extensive search was undertaken to find companies in the UK that were capable of manufacturing on the scale and quality required. From first contact, Forbes showed that they were willing, able and had the facilities to take on this unique project. They were able to offer design improvements to help reduce costs and improve the manufacturability of the ducts. Despite the tight timescales Forbes were able to deliver the ducts to site on time and continue to show interest in how the remaining project is progressing.”
Four years ago Forbes Technologies Ltd invested £1.5 million in a brand new facility for the manufacture of large helically wound thermoplastic tanks with capacities in excess of 100 cubic metres. With demand increasing for tanks in High Density Polyethylene PE 100, Forbes have commissioned a major expansion of their production facilities at their Kelso factory, located in the Scottish Borders.
The expansion represents 40% increase in production capacity, which Forbes has work in hand for the export markets which have been helped by the devaluation of the UK Pound against the US Dollar & Euro.
The automated extruding / winding process of thermoplastic material on to large mandrels ranging from 750mm diameter to 4000mm diameter produces a homogenous solid wall with thicknesses from a few millimetres to in excess of 120mm thickness in polyethylene or polypropylene. The bases & tops of the tanks are automatically welded to the cylinder giving exceptional weld strengths. The thermoplastic tanks are designed, built, tested & inspected to BS EN 12573.
Demand for the Forbes unique “Innatank” is increasing also. Innatanks consist of helically wound tank with a separate close fitting bund which is assembled with the tank as one piece at the manufacturer’s site to enable ease of installation. This configuration reduces the overall foot print. Fitted with automated bund alarm & “over the top” discharge system, the Innatank is one of the safest storage solutions for hazardous chemicals.
Forbes are proud to announce their recently awarded accreditation from Alcumus
SafeContractor for achieving excellence in health and safety in the workplace.
Alcumus SafeContractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises
extremely rigorous standards in health and safety management amongst contractors. It is
used by thousands of organisations in the UK including SMEs and FTSE 100 companies.
The company’s application for SafeContractor accreditation was driven by the need for a
uniform standard across the business. SafeContractor accreditation will enhance the
Forbes’ability to win new contracts, and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively
by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.
Gemma Archibald, Director of Alcumus SafeContractor said: “Major organisations simply
cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they
have sound health and safety policies in place.”
“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in
the way that Forbes has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will
be followed by other companies within the sector. SafeContractor plays a vital role in
supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their
contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”
Forbes have recently signed up to Operation Clean Sweep and have committed to ensuring that there are zero plastic pellets, flakes and powders lost from their facility to the environment.
“We have always taken our responsibility for the Environment very seriously. Operation Clean Sweep has helped to focus our attention on engaging all our staff in pellet containment and also in reviewing current practice. We are proud to show the industries commitment to this programme”.
Operation Clean Sweep is an international programme and is run in the UK by the British Plastics Federation (BPF). The programme is designed to provide best practice through its manual on how to contain plastic pellets, flakes and powders. The manual provides information on conducting site audits, setting up training programmes, worksite setup and procedures to contain and clean up pellets.
Helen Jordan, the Sustainability Issues Executive at the BPF says “The plastic industry is committed to reducing plastic pellet losses to the Environment and Operation Clean Sweep provides the practical tools companies need to do this. Many of the industry already have Environmental Management Systems in place but Operation Clean Sweep provides an additional emphasis for the company on plastic pellet containment”.
We encourage other companies to pledge their support for Operation Clean Sweep at www.operationcleansweep.co.uk