News 2009
november 2009: abriox wins national business awards
At the British Chambers of Commerce Awards, held at London’s National Maritime Museum on 26 November 2009, Abriox won the national “Most Promising New Business” and the “Achievement in International Business” awards. Abriox represented the Wales region in both categories.
The Chamber Awards were launched by the BCC in 2004 to recognise and celebrate business excellence through the successes and achievements of its Accredited Chambers of Commerce and their members.
Paul Hales and Neil Summers received the New Business category award from Bob Bissell of sponsors BT and (here) the International Award from Nigel Mills of sponsors RBS Invoice Finance.
See http://www.chamberawards.co.uk/2009/index.asp
OCTOBER 2009: FIRST MERLIN INSTALLED IN SPAIN
Abriox has installed the first MERLIN remote CP monitoring system in Spain, in association with a major pipeline operator.
The system includes monitoring at both test post and transformer rectifier, the latter including remote synchronised interruption capability. CP data is transmitted across Spain to the CPSM system in Madrid.
AUGUST 2009: ABRIOX GAINS ISO ACCREDITATION
Abriox has been certified to ISO9001:2008 for “the design, management of manufacture and servicing of a range of electronic monitoring equipment”.
ISO 9000 is a range of quality standards maintained by the International Standards Organisation and administered by independent 3rd parties – in Abriox’s case, audits were carried out, and the accreditation confirmed, by SGS.
ISO9001:2008 certifies that formal business processes are applied within an organisation. Customers can be assured that
- procedures are in place for the main processes in Abriox;
- regular monitoring takes place to ensure that they are effective;
- adequate records are kept;
- output is checked, with corrective action in place to remedy any defects;
- regular reviews of the quality system are carried out;
- Abriox is committed to continuous improvement.
JULY 2009: NATIONAL GRID AGREEMENT SIGNED
National Grid Gas Plc has awarded Abriox a Framework Agreement for the supply of Cathodic Protection (CP) monitoring equipment for the UK’s National Transmission System (NTS).
The NTS is the high pressure part of National Grid’s Network and consists of over 7,600km of high quality welded carbon steel pipeline operating at pressures of up to 85 bar (85 times normal atmospheric pressure, over 1250 psi). From over 140 off-take points, the NTS supplies gas to 40 power stations, a small number of large industrial consumers and the twelve Local Distribution Zones (LDZs) that contain pipes operating at lower pressure which eventually supply the consumer.
A significant number of the NTS facilities are in remote locations, which can be difficult and time-consuming to reach in order to take CP readings. The installation of remote CP monitoring will replace the requirement for monthly or 3-monthly visits by personnel. This will also contribute to lowering carbon emissions and improve safety by reducing the risk of road accidents from survey vehicles.
JUNE 2009: COLONIAL SUCCESS
Colonial Pipeline Co. has selected the Abriox MERLIN system to monitor pipelines in Georgia and North & South Carolina.
Colonial’s total pipeline network extends over 5,500 miles. It transports an average of 100 million gallons of petroleum products each day from refineries in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to 267 marketing terminals serving communities across the South and Eastern United States.
Colonial has selected Abriox’s technology to monitor and switch the output of its cathodic protection rectifiers. Many of the pipelines are located in areas that are prone to lightning strikes, so environmental robustness and resilience to power surges were key characteristics when selecting a system. A further important parameter was the ease of installation of the MERLIN monitor, with up to 10 units being installed by one technician in a single day!
Colonial has provided useful suggestions for new features (hardware and software), many of which have already been incorporated into the MERLIN system as we continue to enhance the benefits offered to users.
MAY 2009: UAE DISTRIBUTOR APPOINTED
Abriox is pleased to announce the signing of an Agency Agreement for the United Arab Emirates with Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Co.
Al Masaood OISS is one of the leading oilfield supplies and services company in UAE and provides advanced quality products and solutions. The head office is in Abu-Dhabi with its main workshop and supply base in Musaffah. Al Masaood OISS also has branches, show rooms and warehouses in Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, and Jabel Ali as well as offices in several other Middle Eastern countries.
Al Masaood OISS has a multidivisional organization structure and the Abriox product range is located in the Corrosion Engineering Services Division, which offers products and services in the field of corrosion, mainly aimed at the oil and gas sector.
For further information on Al Masaood OISS: www.almasaoodoiss.com
APRIL 2009: FIRST FRENCH SYSTEM INSTALLED
In cooperation with COREXCO, Abriox has installed its first MERLIN CP monitoring system near Paris for a major pipeline operator.
In addition to transformer rectifier and test post monitoring, the system includes a MERLIN Interrupter, making it possible to remotely switch the TR output.
MARCH 2009: MORE NACE SUCCESS
Abriox Inc. exhibited at the NACE Corrosion 2009 Exhibition in Atlanta, GA.
This was the third time Abriox had exhibited at the event, attended by over 4,500 corrosion industry professionals during the week of March 22-26. This year, several visitors to the booth were existing users of our MERLIN system who were able to discuss with us their experiences over the past year and provide input to new developments. We were also pleased to make some important new contacts, both from US and international pipeline companies.
MARCH 2009: PIG AWARD
Abriox is the 2009 winner of the Pipeline Industries Guild’s Land-Based Pipeline Technology Award.
This is awarded to a company which, in the opinion of the judges, has provided the onshore pipeline industry with an important new technique which constitutes an identifiable step forward in cost reduction, improved safety or environment performance.
The award was presented to Abriox at the prestigious PIG Annual Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. From left to right: Steve Loggie (National Chairman, Pipeline Industries Guild), Neil Summers (Managing Director, Abriox), Paul Hales (Operations Director, Abriox) and Sir Peter Mason (President, Pipeline Industries Guild)
FEBRUARY 2009: CP MONITORING CONFERENCE
The first CP Monitoring Conference, organised by Abriox, was held in Leicester on 10 February 2009.
The event was intended to act as a focus for discussion of Cathodic Protection monitoring techniques and practices. Despite the unfavourable weather leading up to the conference, over 70 CP engineers attended from the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The morning session was an opportunity for delegates to receive information on Abriox’s MERLIN system. As well as general presentations on the features of the system, there were practical demonstrations of the new Interrupter and software, including the iCPSM web-based package. Kevin Young of United Utilities presented a case study of how a large CP monitoring project has been successfully implemented in a gas distribution utility.
In the afternoon three of the UK’s leading CP consultants presented topical issues. John Dyson (Corrosion Consultancy Services) addressed the importance of ensuring potential measurements are taken correctly, highlighting the differences between ON and OFF potentials. Mike Allen (IACS) reported the experiences of Esso Petroleum, with specific reference to monitoring rail bonds and investigating seasonal fluctuations in results. Finally, David Eyre (Penspen) explained the causes and effects of AC interference on pipelines, illustrated by data from work carried out on Ineos’ Teesside Ethylene Pipeline.
Anyone requiring copies of presentations made to the Conference is requested to contact the authors directly.
