Enclosures provide a home for gas safety systems

Enclosure manufacturer Fibox is supplying a leading manufacturer of gas pressure proving systems with a selection of premachined ABS enclosures.

Awareness of gas safety issues is growing in schools, laboratories and commercial kitchens.

So much so that manufacturers of gas safety equipment are enjoying a particularly buoyant level of activity in helping gas users meet stringent regulations.

Assisting with these demands is enclosure manufacturer Fibox, which is now supplying Altrincham based Medem (UK), a leading manufacturer of gas pressure proving systems, with a selection of premachined ABS enclosures.

It is a frightening thought that in years gone by, rows of adolescent school children were allowed to turn gas taps on and off at will in school science labs nationwide.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case.

The Republic of Ireland was a pioneer in making gas pressure proving systems mandatory in secondary schools.

It was a move that opened the door for Medem's GPPS-B pressure proving system, which is designed to provide a fail-safe gas start control system that ensures all downstream appliances from the solenoid isolation valve are off before the gas supply is established.

"The teacher turns a key", explains Medem's Managing Director, Nigel Thornley, "and the system checks to make sure the pressure is equal on both sides of the valve".

"If it isn't, the valve will lift slightly and let a little gas in before checking again after a 30 second interval".

"Only when the pressure is equal, meaning there are no taps open, will gas be issued".

The Medem system consists of an innovative electronic pressure measuring system, which is connected to both inlet and outlet ports of the main electrical gas shutoff valve, and a control panel, which is electrically connected to the pressure measuring system.

The control panel has a key operated on/off switch that only allows control to authorised key holders, an emergency shutoff button and connection for additional remote emergency buttons, a power on indicator, a testing and gas on indicator, a test fail indicator, a supply pressure low indicator, and an emergency button energised indicator.

The control panel is housed in enclosures manufactured and supplied by Fibox, such as ABS 21/18-CII and ABS 17/16 CLII Cardmaster II models.

Across all applications Fibox now supplies 18 different types of enclosure to Medem, many of which are premachined to allow for features such as cable glands, LEDs, key switches and emergency stops.

According to Thornley, this service is one of the major benefits of using Fibox.

"We simply supply a drawing and Fibox does the rest", he says.

"The enclosures arrive ready for us to use, which saves us a phenomenal amount of assembly time".

"We see Fibox more as a partner company for our projects than just as a supplier".

He adds that another reason why Medem now uses Fibox enclosures exclusively is because the parent material is plastic.

"When housing electrical components and circuits insulating materials provide obvious benefits, alongside which they don't corrode".

This latter point is particularly salutary now that Medem is also selling its equipment into commercial kitchen applications.

With the accumulation of steam and grease prevalent in most kitchens, ABS enclosures from Fibox provide maximum protection from corrosion, and are impervious to steam penetration thanks to highly effective gasket seals.

The demand from kitchens results from the introduction of BS6173:2001, which states that commercial kitchens must have some means of disconnecting the gas supply in the event of an emergency, preferably located near an exit door.

However, it also states that before the gas may be switched on again after the immediate danger has passed, there must be some means of checking that all of the gas taps are off - enter gas pressure proving from Medem.

The standard also outlines that if a kitchen has mechanical ventilation, it must be interlocked with the gas supply, which means if the gas is on, the extractor fans must be in operation.

This additional functionality is also provided by Medem's gas pressure proving systems, the market for which is growing rapidly and, driven by health and safety assessment requirements, could well go Europe-wide in the near future.

Medem, using Fibox enclosures, is now supplying products to a varied selection of clients, including some as diverse as the Ministry of Defence, Buckingham Palace, Gas Force and several major pub chains.

Many of these end users also require equipment that is housed in a presentable enclosure.

"If our equipment is mounted on a wall in a nice, refurbished school classroom then it needs to have a certain appearance", adds Thornley, "certainly not a grey metal hammer finish".

The modern plastic enclosures supplied by Fibox fit in perfectly".

"They are a neat looking product supplied by a neat company".

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