Stolthaven boiler

Stolthaven Dagenham Ltd

Babcock Wanson has designed a new thermal fluid system to accommodate its high efficiency Thermal Fluid Heaters at Stolthaven Dagenham Ltd bulk liquid terminal situated on the river Thames in Dagenham, Essex.

liquid terminal thermal fluid system

Installing High Efficiency Thermal Fluid Heaters

The site has been operating for many years, handling chemicals, petroleum, pharmaceutical and agricultural products, but more recently has added a bitumen facility to its portfolio. Originally operating at 134,000 M³, Stolthaven Dagenham has now expanded its capacity to 160,000 M³ and is home to 120 tanks ranging from 66 to 11,000 M³.

Babcock Wanson worked closely with Stolthaven Dagenham’s consultants to provide the final design of the boiler house and then install and fit it out with its EPC ES and TPC B Thermal Fluid Heaters. A large proportion of the thermal design was also carried out by Babcock Wanson with the supply of all the system valves and ancillary equipment to provide a complete system with single point of responsibility. The system also incorporates a secondary circuit to provide lower temperature thermal fluid for the bitumen pump casing heating. The project was a fast moving one with tight deadlines, all of which Babcock Wanson met.

The Solution

The Babcock Wanson EPC1000ES and TPC1000B Thermal Fluid Heaters are being used at the site to heat the bitumen to a constant 165°C to maintain its fluid state. If the bitumen falls below this temperature it becomes difficult – and eventually impossible - to pump it where it needs to go. An accurate and reliable heat source is therefore essential. The heaters are fitted with dual fuel burners to guarantee fuel supplies with gasoil as backup if natural gas is not available. These are ideal for interruptible site gas supplies as they reduce operational costs whilst ensuring operational availability of the heating equipment.

The Babcock Wanson EPC ES and TPC B are fully automatic coil type, multi-pass Thermal Fluid Heaters and were chosen for this application as they offer a high efficiency solution to a very energy intensive process. They provide optimal distribution of the heat, high fluid velocity in the exchange tubes and continuous flow monitoring to ensure long fluid life and the highest level of safety. The EPC Heaters also precisely match fuel input to plant energy requirements and include their own in-built exhaust gas to combustion air economiser for highest practicable operating efficiency. With lower energy input demand also comes lower total exhaust emissions, so there are also environmental benefits.

liquid terminal thermal fluid system

Customer Testimonials

Loucas Antoniou, Engineering Manager at Bakkavor Meals London

“The Thermal Oxidiser is the most efficient way of removing any smells and it’s also very straightforward to use.  We have been a customer of Babcock Wanson for many years and have always enjoyed a good service.”

Carbon Trust Annual Report 2009/10

“A major carbon footprint reduction will be achieved when the scheme currently in progress to change the main boiler fuel from heating oil to gas is completed in summer 2010. This £900k project will reduce our carbon emissions via energy usage by around 15% by removing the need to use heavy fuel oil, as the new boiler plant will use natural gas as its main fuel source.”

Webster & Horsfall

“What we hadn’t expected initially though is the level of control the new system provides us with; it’s amazing. It alerts us to any potential issues, is easy to maintain (no annual statutory inspection is required) and is quick to respond. All that and it doesn’t take up much room.”

Peter Connolly, Production Engineer at Vacu-Lug

“The ESM 2000 installation, together with an ongoing programme of process plant lagging and steam trap maintenance, has enabled us to significantly reduce our gas usage and cushion the company against rising gas prices.”

Dave Scrivens, Facilities Manager at Plastic Omnium

“Babcock Wanson’s expertise and ability to provide a whole package made them the leading contender for this project. On further investigation, their proposal was also commercially viable, which sealed the deal.”

Denis Kelly, Engineering & Construction Manager at Stolthaven Dagenham

“The Thermal Fluid Heaters themselves were ideal for this project as they are based on mature technology and are well proven in the field. They are robust and also require very little maintenance.”

Ian McQuarrie, Engineering Manager at Puredrive

“During my three years here, the Steam Generators and Thermal Fluid Heaters have worked flawlessly. Babcock Wanson carries a good name in the business for both quality and equipment longevity. Their knowledge, company wide, is exceptional and the whole package from installation through to service is managed professionally.”

Jason Hall, J&A Young Engineering Manager

“We had estimated our steam requirements, but Babcock Wanson had the experience to understand that we had underestimated this. In fact, the erratic nature of the steam loads would have been impossible to meet under our existing spec. Babcock Wanson was able to identify this as well as provide a very energy efficient solution with a number of enhanced features”.

Lee Bullen, Corrugated Services Manager at Board24

“It’s running very well, both easy to use and efficient. The service from Babcock Wanson has also been very good.”

Peter Shrimpton, Engineering Projects Manager at Bridgnorth Aluminium Ltd

"We were unfamiliar with Babcock Wanson, but we’ve had no problems with it whatsoever; you simply switch it on and it works – simple as that! The service we have received from Babcock Wanson has also been great.”

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Bakkavor Foods

What the Client Thought

Denis Kelly, Engineering & Construction Manager at Stolthaven Dagenham, comments on the decision to use Babcock Wanson for this latest project: “we looked at the market and what was available to suit our needs. We were familiar with Babcock Wanson and I have seen their equipment previously when working at other similar sites. It’s a good, well known brand with competitively priced products and with a UK base which was important for ongoing support.

“The Thermal Fluid Heaters themselves were ideal for this project as they are based on mature technology and are well proven in the field. They are robust and also require very little maintenance.”

Stolthaven Dagenham is one of many bulk liquid storage and logistics companies that Babcock Wanson has worked with over recent years. The company has gained an excellent reputation in the industry for its reliable, cost-effective heaters and excellent service.