Technical
PPL QUALITY
An independent, privately owned business.
PPL is soundly managed by a tightly knit team with strong technical and financial bases, We are dedicated to supplying our customers with high-quality products at competitive prices without jeopardizing the well-being of our staff, the public at large, or the environment, From our earliest days, we have been involved in the chemical, water, oil, and gas industries and have operated extensive quality control procedures. For many years every PPL product has had an individual, fully QC record and ISO Certified.
We always place a strong emphasis on customer care, and PPL after-sales service is second to none. This standard covers both the design and manufacture of products, which is particularly appropriate to our business where all products are custom built to customer’s specific applications. We all strive towards continual company improvement and aspire to provide standards of excellence, efficiency, and service that make PPL a comfortable organization to deal with.
PPL QUALITY
An independent, privately owned business.
PPL is soundly managed by a tightly knit team with strong technical and financial bases, We are dedicated to supplying our customers with high-quality products at competitive prices without jeopardizing the well-being of our staff, the public at large, or the environment, From our earliest days, we have been involved in the chemical, water, oil, and gas industries and have operated extensive quality control procedures. For many years every PPL product has had an individual, fully QC record and ISO Certified.
We always place a strong emphasis on customer care, and PPL after-sales service is second to none. This standard covers both the design and manufacture of products, which is particularly appropriate to our business where all products are custom built to customer’s specific applications. We all strive towards continual company improvement and aspire to provide standards of excellence, efficiency, and service that make Forbes a comfortable organization to deal with.
PPL DESIGN
Our extensive “in house” capabilities include mechanical engineering design along with chemical process design
We have a highly qualified and experienced design team
Tank Design & Engineering
Our team of design engineers and draughtsmen will work with customers to achieve a solution no matter how testing it may be. Our engineers work to ensure every tank fabricated meets the particular requirements of the relevant design. Where required, we are also able to provide detailed design calculations on every aspect of the tank design.
We will complete detailed designs for every tank fabricated using Autodesk Inventor Product Design collection of software and can provide drawings in a range of formats to suit the customer. 3D Design offers clear advantages over traditional type 2D drawings Storage tank and environmental technology fabrications are becoming increasingly complex, and when fitting units into already complex sites, a combination of intricate pipework and space limitations can make for challenging conditions. This is where 3D planning comes into its own.
Chemical & Process Design
Our process design and chemical engineering personnel will work alongside customers from receiving the initial brief outlining the problem, through to ensuring the delivered solution is correctly working on site, With environmental technologies, there isn’t a standard one product fits all and we understand the importance of proposing a bespoke solution for every application to ensure exact requirements are met. Typical design and manufacturing process for bespoke scrubbers and environmental technologies;
- The initial problem discussed with Polytech Projects LLP we’ll visit the site if necessary to look at the problems first hand.
- Our process engineer department will work through and put forward a design proposal, along with a quotation.
- Once an order is received, full P&ID, general arrangement drawings, and process calculations will be completed for the customer’s approval before commencing with the manufacture of the system.
- After delivery of the system on-site, a site visit may be conducted if necessary to assist with setting up of the delivered item and ensure it is running as expected.
- PPL advice will always remain on hand to give operating advice and rectify any problems that may arise with the equipment during operation.
PPL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
PPL has construction methods and machines in use, to maximize production efficiency, reduce costs, and offer tanks of the highest quality and suitability to each application.
Butt Fusion Flat Welding/90deg. Welding – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt welding machine, the two surfaces to be welded together are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The two surfaces are then pushed together using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous welded joint is produced.
- Such joints give over 95% (often 100%) original sheet strength. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be joined in this way.
Butt Fusion Bending – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt-bending machine, the surfaces to be bent are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The surfaces are then pushed using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous bended joint is produced.
- Such bend gives over 95% (often 100%) original sheet 180 deg. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be bent in this way.
Butt Fusion Rolling – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt-rolling machine, the surfaces to be rolled are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The two surfaces are then pushed using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous rolled joint is produced.
- Such roll gives over 95% (often 100%) original sheet 180 deg. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be rolled in this way.
Hand Lamination – GRP
Hand-laminated glass fibre laminates consist mainly of chopped strand mat glass fibre applied in sheets with resin onto a mould or the external surface of an inner thermoplastic corrosion barrier, The resin is rolled into the glass fibre which is made up of chopped strands which are bonded together to form the sheet. The binder on the glass fibre is dissolved by the resin which then forms a very strong homogenous composite layer.
- Continuous layers are applied until the required amount of glass fibre reinforcement is achieved.
- Occasionally glass fibre woven roving is applied in place of a chopped strand mat which reduces the overall thickness.
Manual & Extrusion Welding - Thermoplastic
Manual welding is the long-established method of welding using a hand-held hot gas welding gun where a 3 or 4mm diameter welding rod is fed into the joint.
- This method requires much training and is only carried out by skilled personnel. Welders are fully trained, tested, and certified to ensure high-quality welds are applied at all times.
- Regular testing takes place for all material handled.
- Automated and hand-weld extrusion welding processes produce a strong fillet weld in Polypropylene, HDPE, and PVDF.
PPL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
PPL has construction methods and machines in use, to maximize production efficiency, reduce costs, and offer tanks of the highest quality and suitability to each application.
Butt Fusion Flat Welding/90deg. Welding – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt welding machine, the two surfaces to be welded together are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The two surfaces are then pushed together using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous welded joint is produced.
- Such joints give over 95% (often 100%) original sheet strength. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be joined in this way.
Butt Fusion Bending – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt-bending machine, the surfaces to be bent are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The surfaces are then pushed using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous bended joint is produced.
- Such bend gives over 95% (often 100%) original sheet 180 deg. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be bent in this way.
Butt Fusion Rolling – Thermoplastics
Using a precision computer-controlled butt-rolling machine, the surfaces to be rolled are heated by a hot blade to a specific temperature, where the polymer becomes molten.
- The two surfaces are then pushed using a prescribed and uniform amount of force which is pre-determined by the computer.
- Once cooled and the material has recrystallized an incredibly strong and homogenous rolled joint is produced.
- Such roll gives over 95% (often 100%) original sheet 180 deg. Sheets up to 50mm thick can be rolled in this way.
Hand Lamination – GRP
Hand-laminated glass fibre laminates consist mainly of chopped strand mat glass fibre applied in sheets with resin onto a mould or the external surface of an inner thermoplastic corrosion barrier, The resin is rolled into the glass fibre which is made up of chopped strands which are bonded together to form the sheet. The binder on the glass fibre is dissolved by the resin which then forms a very strong homogenous composite layer.
- Continuous layers are applied until the required amount of glass fibre reinforcement is achieved.
- Occasionally glass fibre woven roving is applied in place of a chopped strand mat which reduces the overall thickness.
Manual & Extrusion Welding - Thermoplastic
Manual welding is the long-established method of welding using a hand-held hot gas welding gun where a 3 or 4mm diameter welding rod is fed into the joint.
- This method requires much training and is only carried out by skilled personnel. Welders are fully trained, tested, and certified to ensure high-quality welds are applied at all times.
- Regular testing takes place for all material handled.
- Automated and hand-weld extrusion welding processes produce a strong fillet weld in Polypropylene, HDPE, and PVDF.
MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION
PP - Polypropylene
The most versatile tank construction material is polypropylene (PP). This material is widely acceptable within the chemical, water treatment, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronic industries. Copolymer polypropylene is the most versatile giving good impact resistance even at low temperatures. Polypropylene offers:
Natural PP is generally only used indoors; its semi-translucency permits limited visual checking of content levels. If used outdoors it will start to degrade from exposure to ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) in the longer term.
SIMONA PP is UV-stabilized and quite suitable for long-term outdoor installations.
Key Points
- Superb chemical resistance
- Strength, resilience & impact resistance
- Material is light in weight
- Non-toxic, non-taint & odor free
- Highly cost-effective
- Ability to operate at higher temperatures than HDPE
HDPE - High Density Polyethylene
A versatile tank construction material high-density polyethylene (HDPE) comes in various grades, For chemical tanks & other chemical applications, Polytech Projects LLP uses PE 100 as the preferred material. There are lower grades of HDPE that offer less chemical resistance & in particular are susceptible to environmental stress cracking. HDPE is not so heat-resistant to high temperatures when compared to polypropylene. PE 100 material is widely acceptable within the chemical, water treatment, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronic industries.
HDPE – PE 100 is pigmented black to give full UV stabilization for long-term outdoor installations with a design life of 25 years.
Key Points
- Superb chemical resistance
- Strength, Resilience & Impact resistance
- Material is light in weight
- Non toxic, non taint & odour free
- Highly cost-effective
- Ability to operate down to -40c
GRP - Glass Reinforced Plastic
GRP tank technology is now accepted as a standard in virtually every industry from chemicals to food and water, microelectronics, and offshore oil and gas.
- Polytech Projects LLP manufactures GRP tanks using both hand lay-up and machine-based techniques.
- Standard filament winding manufacturing techniques do not produce the ideal glass/resin ratio for process plant applications therefore; PPL invested in a massive installation for the production of cylindrical GRP shells by the chop-hoop winding process.
- Automated controls constantly monitor the rate of deposition of both glass fiber and resin and provide detailed quality records. The laminate is particularly strong and economical and combines all the advantages of winding and spraying techniques, notably considerable multi-directional strength and enhanced inter-laminar shear when compared to standard filament winding techniques.
- Where necessary for process reasons, tanks will be post-cured by the resin manufacturers’ specifications to ensure optimum physical and chemical properties to achieve maximum performance from the laminates.
Resin Selection
Resin selection is important because there is a wide range of resin types. PPL specifies a resin suitable for an application that gives the material long-term resistance.
The exterior weather-resistant resin surface can be pigmented in any color required. A design life of 20 years is standard although the proven life of existing tanks in service may exceed 40+ years.
The range of resins specified by PPL includes:
- Highly chemical-resistant isophthalic
- NPG - isophthalic
- Bisphenols
- Vinyl Esters
GRP - Glass Reinforced Plastic
GRP tank technology is now accepted as a standard in virtually every industry from chemicals to food and water, microelectronics, and offshore oil and gas.
- Polytech Projects LLP manufactures GRP tanks using both hand lay-up and machine-based techniques.
- Standard filament winding manufacturing techniques do not produce the ideal glass/resin ratio for process plant applications therefore; PPL invested in a massive installation for the production of cylindrical GRP shells by the chop-hoop winding process.
- Automated controls constantly monitor the rate of deposition of both glass fiber and resin and provide detailed quality records. The laminate is particularly strong and economical and combines all the advantages of winding and spraying techniques, notably considerable multi-directional strength and enhanced inter-laminar shear when compared to standard filament winding techniques.
- Where necessary for process reasons, tanks will be post-cured by the resin manufacturers’ specifications to ensure optimum physical and chemical properties to achieve maximum performance from the laminates.
Resin Selection
Resin selection is important because there is a wide range of resin types. PPL specifies a resin suitable for an application that gives the material long-term resistance.
The exterior weather-resistant resin surface can be pigmented in any color required. A design life of 20 years is standard although the proven life of existing tanks in service may exceed 40+ years.
The range of resins specified by PPL includes:
- Highly chemical-resistant isophthalic
- NPG - isophthalic
- Bisphenols
- Vinyl Esters