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Learn shrink wrap skills from the experts. If you can’t find the answer you need, feel free to get in touch.
Shrink Wrap Building Screen
CATEGORY Building Screens ABOUT THIS PROJECT Shrink Wrap Building Screen – St Barts Hospital, London The Royal London Hospital, established in 1740 and employing 4,800 staff is the principal trauma centre for London and the largest renal unit in Europe. St Bartholomews, the oldest hospital in Europe (established in 1123) and employing 2200 staff, is a cardiac & cancer centre of excellence. In 2006, Barts and The London NHS Trust commissioned Skanska to manage a £1 billion ‘PPI’ project and redevelop St Bartholomew’s Hospital and The Royal London Hospital as part of the largest ever public private partnership in Europe. The project is due to last 10 years and involves the design, demolition, construction and refurbishment of two hospital sites to make way for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ hospital complex covering an area of 270,000m2 in Central London. Part of the scheme comprised the construction of a new reinforced concrete framed building with a large podium area and three towers ranging from 10 to 18 floors. Skanska, approached Rhino Shrink Wrap to find a way of providing weather protection to the building before the concrete frame and external cladding was finished, to enable internal building work to start ahead of schedule. Weather Protection The normal practice for temporary sheeting is to erect a scaffolding and attach the Rhino Shrink Wrap sheeting to that. However, for this project Rhino fixed a temporary wooden batten ‘window frame’ around each opening in the RC frame. Next we battened our 300µm thick, Verisafe® flame retardant shrink wrap sheeting around each opening. The final stage in the process was to heat shrink the plastic ‘drum tight’. It is the drum tight fit that gives shrink wrap sheeting it’s increased durability and resistance to damage from high winds when compared with traditional sheeting solutions. This was the first time that shrink wrap sheeting had been used to encapsulate a building ‘floor by floor’ in this way and the result was to create a weather tight envelope. Reports from Skanska indicated that the shrink wrap sheeting solution allowed the internal works to move 6 months ahead of schedule which created cost savings but also reduced the risks of down time and project overrun fees. Once the buildings’ permanent external cladding is fixed, the Rhino Shrink Wrap sheeting will be removed in sections and recycled. Project benefits from shrink wrap Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ – very resistant to damage from high winds. Versatile – can be cut and resealed for access or protrusions and remain weather tight. Smart & professional appearance for high profile projects. Easy to remove after use & 100% recyclable. Project challenges The client’s schedule sometimes meant that our teams were working on floors simultaneously. On a site of this size, frequent moves could take a lot of time. It was important to be well organised. Our teams found drilling the holes in the RC frame required to fix the temporary batten ‘window frame’ very challenging. Some research led us to specifically designed ‘Hilti’ tools and fixings which we have used with great success on later projects. Whilst the shrink wrap sheeting provided robust weather protection, it was found that at some points on the concrete slab floor, water could ‘pool’ and seep underneath the batten and shrink wrap. The solution was to use a flexible sealant under the batten. For recent projects we have used a self adhesive backed foam underneath the batten which fills any small gaps in the concrete slab and prevents water ingress. Lessons Learnt By creating a durable temporary shrink wrap skin around the reinforced concrete frame, interior fit out works could proceed ahead of schedule before the permanent building cladding was applied. This was the first time we had used our product in this way and despite some challenges, the results were better than expected. On the basis of the success of this project, Rhino have supplied shrink wrap ‘building screens’ to a variety of other high rise projects and have been asked by Skanska to supply and install our Verisafe® sheeting again on the next phase of the project starting Spring 2015 For further information; http://www.skanska.co.uk/Global/Sevices/Building-Central-Regions/Barts-and-The-London-Project-Sheet.pdf http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/st-bartholomew%E2%80%99s-hospital/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bartholomew's_Hospital
Industrial Covers For Line Pipe
TEMPORARY ROOF FOR LISTED BUILDING IN STAFFORDSHIRE This case study will give you some insights into how the team at Rhino Shrink Wrap specify and install large industrial covers, including a step by step description of the method by which we installed a 1224 square metre (13,175 square feet) shrink wrap cover to encapsulate and protect a large stack of line pipe in December 2015. The Problem In November 2015, we were contacted by South Stream Transport BV who were looking to find the best way of covering stacks of subsea line pipe, that were being stored ashore awaiting installation. South Stream Transport are an offshore pipeline company based in The Netherlands. Working with Gazprom, South Stream are building ‘TurkStream’, a pipeline under the Black Sea that will connect gas reserves in Russia to the Turkish gas distribution network and so provide energy supplies for Turkey and South-East Europe. Although, line pipe is designed to be a rugged product once installed on the sea bed, engineers from South Stream were concerned that pipe coating could be damaged by long term exposure to UV light during storage ashore. Some kind of covering was required but what type? The customer had of course considered using tarpaulins and had even carried out some trials of large tarps but these had not been 100% successful. Tarpaulins of course can be very useful but for this application they were proving bulky and heavy to lift which made them hard to install and some had been blown off by the wind. A traditional tarpaulin type cover with weights We proposed an industrial covering for the line pipes based around our shrink wrap sheeting rather than tarpaulin for this project based on the following advantages: Shrink wrap sheeting ‘versus’ tarpaulins Robust – A shrink wrap cover will be shrunk ‘as tight as a drum skin’ around the line pipe stacks. This means it is much more robust than traditional tarpaulins which can be difficult to fit tightly. This means it will not flap and ‘self destruct’, even in high winds. Heat sealed joints – A shrink wrap covering is easily joined by heat welding two sections of cover together. This process creates a bonded and weather proof joint as strong as the original shrink wrap material and means that there is no limit to the size of area that can be completely encapsulated. Easy to repair – Because of the heat welding / sealing process, a shrink wrap cover is very easy to repair. Simply take a new section of shrink wrap and heat weld over the damaged area. Versatile – Because a shrink wrap cover is cut and heat welded by the installation team at the location it is required, there is no need to order specific sizes of cover in advance for different sized stacks and there is no need to ensure that a specific cover is used on a specific pipe stack. If the line pipe stack layout changes, this can be taken care of easily within the standard product. 100% Recyclable – Traditional tarpaulins can be difficult to recycle because of their composition, which makes the separation of materials problematic. However, a shrink wrap cover is very easy to remove and is completely recyclable. Because the shrink wrap is manufactured from 100% virgin resins, it is valued by re-processing companies. Typical applications for recycled industrial grade shrink wrap film are HDPE piping and agricultural films such as silage or bale wrap. Our Approach We began by asking engineers for drawings and photographs of some typical line pipe stacks. Then, back at our office in the UK we began to consider the project and our proposal for the product and installation process. We considered the following; How will the industrial covers be secured? When we look at a new application for a shrink wrap covering we need to consider how the sheeting will be held down or secured to whatever it is covering. When the cover is properly locked down into position, the heat shrink process will create a taught and ‘drum tight’ covering. For scaffolding encapsulation, the shrink wrap sheeting is simply overlapped around a horizontal tube or ‘ledger’ and heat welded back on to itself. For large industrial covers, such as these huge modules we wrapped for Interserve it may be possible to bring the shrink wrap completely underneath the object so that it is completely encapsulated. The first line pipe stack to cover was 48m (157′) long x 15m (49′) wide x 4m (13′) high – a total area of around 1224 square metres or 13,175 square feet. This was too large to lift and sheeting could not be slid underneath because the pipes were sitting on long wooden ‘bearers’. We considered running a band of strapping down each 48m side of the line pipe stack which we could overlap the shrink wrap around and heat weld back on to itself but at this length it would have been difficult to tension the strapping sufficiently to stop the cover ‘riding up’ around the pipe when the cover was heat shrunk. The solution was to encapsulate the lowest pipe running along the bottom edge of each stack with band of shrink wrap. This would mean that the top cover could be unfolded along the roof and down the side of each stack and could be then simply be heat welded to the lowest shrink wrapped pipe to lock it into position. The additional benefit of this solution is that it is completely ‘self contained’, i.e. it just needs shrink wrap sheeting and no additional tie downs or weights are required which had typically been used to hold down the more traditional tarpaulins during testing. However, the ends of each stack of pipes presented more of a challenge. The customer wanted to leave the ends of the stacks open which meant that we had to find some way of terminating the shrink wrap cover across the 15m (49′) width of the stack at a height of 4m (13′). To achieve this we installed and tensioned woven strapping. When the shrink wrap sheeting was installed, it was wrapped around this strapping and heat welded to itself to provide an anchoring point. What size and grade of shrink wrap sheeting will work best for industrial covers? We stock rolls of shrink wrap sheeting in a variety of widths from 6m to 16m wide and from 190 microns to 500 microns thickness. However, it is not just a matter of choosing the largest roll size possible. For this project we decided to use a 6m (20′) wide x 25m (82′) long roll of our 300 micron (12 mil) shrink wrap sheeting. This roll weighs 43Kg (95lbs), but whilst it is not exactly ‘lightweight’ is is more manageable than a 16m (52′) x 50m (164′) roll which weighs 163Kg (359lbs). A narrower shrink wrap roll width will often tend to have a much better ‘shrink ratio’ and that was important to us on this project because we wanted the covers to shrink down as tightly as possible around the line pipe stack. A tight covering of any kind will be much less likely to move, rub and flap and consequently will be much less likely to come off in strong winds. The 300 micron (12 mil) grade is probably thicker than many might select for industrial covers but because the covers could be in use for up to 2 years we felt that this would provide better protection than say a 190 micron (8 mil) shrink wrap which is often used for shrink wrapping boats and smaller industrial products during transport and storage. Because the customer wished to leave the ends of the line pipe stacks open, we felt there was a risk, during high winds, of the shrink wrap covering being damaged by being pushed up from the inside. As a ‘belt and braces’ approach we decided to fix straps over the shrink wrap covering which could be ratcheted tight and absorb the additional wind loads resulting from having each end of the cover open to the elements. What will be the installation process? A detailed installation process is outlined in ‘The Shrink Wrap Installation Process’ below. However, with every installation project that we are involved in, it is vital that we can develop and document a safe system of work. With the exception of harnesses, we exclusively use safety equipment manufactured by Spanset in the United Kingdom. For this project in particular we used the Spanset Lightweight Fall Arrestor and the Spanset Recovery Block. The Recovery Block with a 15m line was secured to an overhead crane and used for the installation of the strapping. Once these straps were installed, our installers switched to the Lightweight fall arrestor which has a 3m line under constant tension. The Rhino Shrink Wrap Installation Team carry all necessary certification for the safe installation of industrial grade shrink wrap covers including; Site Supervisor Certification (SSSTS) International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) Pre-fabricated Access Suppliers & Manufacturers Association (PASMA), ‘GOTCHA’ rescue training (Spanset) Competent Persons Inspection (Spanset) Working At Height (Spanset) Emergency First Aid at Work Fire Marshall Certification Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Shrink Wrap Industrial Covers for Line Pipe – The Installation Process Shrink Wrap Process – DAY1 The time scale for this project was tight. We needed to get the first stack covered before the Christmas break. As shrink wrapping is always weather dependant on relatively calm winds and dry conditions we were hoping that the weather would be kind to us! We had shipped a pallet / skid of materials in advance which meant that our 2 man team could fly out as soon as the materials landed and the customer gave us the go ahead. For this project, Kris Martin and Tom Mount from Rhino were selected to carry out the work. Both Kris and Tom have many years experience shrink wrapping scaffolds and general industrial products. After their four hour flight, they picked up their rental car and headed directly to the customer’s site to complete the induction, security checks and get site passes issued in order to get a rapid start to work the following morning. First, the customer wanted to verify that the coating of the line pipe would not be damaged by the heat shrink process so we were requested to undertake a test on a scrap piece of pipe before the full scale covering. The customer first placed temperature indicating strips around the pipe, in locations where the shrink wrap cover would be shrunk and also in locations where the shrink wrap sheeting would be welded together. Once the sheeting was installed, the covering was cut open to reveal that virtually no heat had been transferred through to the coating of the pipe during the shrink wrap process and we were given the all clear to continue with the work. Installing shrink wrap sheeting around bottom pipe Shrink Wrap Process – DAY2 Encapsulate bottom pipe to act as anchor point for cover To begin, the bottom line pipe is encapsulated using a 3m wide strip of Rhino 300 micron shrink wrap film, along the entire 48m length of the bottom pipe on each side of the stack of line pipes. Install woven strapping at pipe ends to act as anchor point for cover Next, woven strapping (3.5 ton break strength) is installed to provide a termination point / ‘perimeter band’ for the top cover at each ‘open pipe end’ of the stack. Install first 6m x 25m shrink wrap sheet across stack The first 6m x 25m cover is unrolled to completely cover a 6m wide strip across the 48m long stack. (This first sheet will cover both the roof and the sides of the line pipe stack.) Heat weld first 6m wide strip The first 6m wide sheet is overlapped to the bottom shrink wrapped line pipe by 30-40cm and the two sections of shrink wrap cover heat welded together at ground level. The first 6m wide sheet is also welded around the tensioned strapping / ‘perimeter band’ installed at the open end of the stack. Install first ratchet straps Strapping is installed at 4m intervals up & over the first 7m wide strip and ratcheted tight. The benefit of this approach is that the work can progress in controlled stages. Even if it became windy before all the strips of shrink wrap sheeting had been installed and heat shrunk, the strapping keeps everything under control. The strapping is terminated / secured at either end by passing around a line pipe. (To secure strapping around line pipe it is necessary to make a small hole in the cover – this hole can then be taped or a patch of shrink wrap cover heat welded over the top). Unfolding and installing the first 6m x 25m roll of shrink wrap sheeting 3 x 6m wide strips of shrink wrap sheeting Shrink Wrap Process – DAY3 Install remaining ratchet straps The next 10 runs of strapping are fixed into position. Kris and Tom switch from the 15m long fall arrest blocks to a 3m long lanyard which will attach to the 3.5 ton tensioned straps. Because the strapping is installed at 4m intervals, this means that it is not possible for an operative working on the top surface of the line pipe stack to reach the edge. Work to fix the cover in areas which are within 2m of the edge of the line pipe stack takes place from within a scissor lift. Install next 6m wide sheets of shrink wrap The 2nd and 3rd shrink wrap rolls rolls are unfolded by the two man team across the top of the line pipe stack and pass under the tensioned strapping previously installed. Join 6m wide strips of shrink wrap by heat welding together The 2nd strip of shrink wrap film is overlapped onto the 1st 6m wide strip by 30-40cm and heat welded to bond the sheets together. It is also welded the shrink wrapped bottom pipe. The 3rd strip of shrink wrap is overlapped onto the 2nd strip by 30-40cm and heat welded to bond the sheets together. It is also welded the shrink wrapped bottom pipe.. Heat shrink cover ‘drum tight’ The 1st 6m wide sheet is now heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ both up the sides and over the roof of the stack. The process is repeated in 6m wide strips until the entire stack has been covered and heat shrunk tight. Shrinking the cover ‘drum tight’ Heat welding overlapping sheets together Heat shrink cover ‘drum tight’ The 1st 6m wide sheet is now heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ both up the sides and over the roof of the stack. The process is repeated in 6m wide strips until the entire stack has been covered and heat shrunk tight. The 1st 6m wide sheet is now heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ both up the sides and over the roof of the stack. The process is repeated in 6m wide strips until the entire stack has been covered and heat shrunk tight. Shrink Wrap Process – DAY4 Install self adhesive weather proof vents The final stage of the process was to install some self adhesive weather proof air vents. These vents allow a cross flow of air beneath the covering and also allow wind that enters the open ends of the stacks to be vented without damaging the cover. For this project we installed one air vent every 25 square metres, both over the top and along the sides of the line pipe stacks. The finished cover Shrink wrap cover after snow Industrial Covers – Challenges Weather – On these large shrink wrap projects that require the work to be carried outside, the weather can be problematic. Light winds are require to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’ and where sheets of shrink wrap needed to be heat welded together, this can be difficult if sheets are wet. On this project, it snowed shortly after completion and this put extra pressure on the shrink wrap sheeting where it passed around the top corners of the line pipe stack, causing some splits to appear. It was subsequently decided that we would install a reinforcing patch on the shrink wrap cover in these vulnerable areas and that we would also improve the method of attaching the strapping / perimeter band at the open ends of the stacks. We manufactured a small but robust clamp which we fixed to the bottom row of open line pipe ends (and down each 4m high edge of the stack) at 2 metre intervals. When we passed the strapping through these clamp points it proved to be a much improved method for anchoring the shrink wrap sheeting at the ‘tricky’ pipe ends. Clamps used to hold strapping at open pipe ends of stack At Rhino we don’t automatically assume that a shrink wrap cover is right for everybody or every application. However, if you have found this case study useful and you would like to find out more please call or email us today and one of our friendly and knowledgable team will be happy to help.
Superyacht Painting Tents
The Brief Shrink wrap sheeting is used in shipyards as a covering for ships and super yachts that are undergoing repair, refit and repainting. A shrink wrap tent allows work to take place in a controlled environment whilst containing dust and overspray from covering vessels located nearby. Paint Shed or Shrink Wrap Painting Tent? In an ideal world, the repainting and refinishing of all ships and superyachts would take place inside a dedicated paint shed. A dedicated building allows for optimum environmental and working conditions. However, it is often not be possible to find a paint shed that is available, or the vessel may may be too large. Even where a dedicated painting facility is available, costs can be high. Over the last decade, scaffolding tents have evolved to overcome some of these limitations with finding dedicated buildings. Once the scaffolding structure has been erected, industrial grade shrink wrap sheeting is used to create a continuously bonded skin around the yacht. The tents are fitted with heaters / air conditioning and powerful extraction systems in order to create the controlled environment required for painting. What are the benefits of shrink wrap yacht tent? Ashore or Afloat – A key benefit of using a shrink wrap tent for yacht painting is that it is possible for the yacht to remain in the water which can save on lifting and slipway / hard standing costs. Robust – A yacht tent may be exposed to high winds. However, because scaffold shrink wrap is shrunk ‘drum tight’ it will not flap or detatch in high winds. Effective containment - Welded joints between individual sheets of shrink wrap scaffold sheeting create highly effective environmental containment and temperature control within the tent. Versatility - Because it is a shrink to fit solution, which is cut and welded ‘in situ’ there is no restriction on the size and shape of the scaffolding structure. The shrink wrap tent may be designed to follow the shape of the yacht. It might look like just any plastic sheeting, but to create a scaffolding enclosure that will perform for the duration of a refit project requires a shrink wrap sheeting that is engineered with specific characteristics. Ask your supplier about; Thickness – Whilst a 200 micron (7 mil) thick film may be good enough for shrink wrapping small boats for transport and storage, for scaffold shrink wrapping you should consider using a shrink wrap film of at least 300 micron (12 mil) thickness. Why? These construction grade films will be stronger and have better resistance to ultra violet light. Flame Retardant - Most shipyards today insist that any temporary sheeting used is flame retardant. Always ensure that the material you are using is marked (printed) as flame retardant including the standard or specification to which it has been tested. Common flame retardant standards used around the world include EN13501 in Europe and NFPA in the USA Ultra Violet Inhibitor - When a shrink wrap sheeting is exposed to sunlight over a long period of time it will begin to break down and become brittle. You should be suspicious of suppliers who claim that a shrink wrap film will have a life span of many years because this suggests that the film is not flame retardant or has minimal flame retardant additives (flame retardant and ultra violet inhibitor additives always compete.) Shrink Ratio - It seems fairly obvious that shrink wrap sheeting should shrink but there can be huge variations in performance between brands. Ask your supplier for a specification sheet and check the shrink ratio. You need a shrink wrap film that has balanced shrinkage. It will not be precisely the same but a shrink ration of around 60/40 is optimum. This will ensure that the sheeting shrinks very tightly around the scaffolding structure. Choosing Your Scaffolding Company Erecting a scaffolding structure around a super yacht is a skilled profession. These are some of the key points to consider when looking for a superyacht scaffold tent. Safety Safety should always come first when erecting and using scaffolding. Whilst basic structures may not require special permits, those that are longer, taller may require that engineering drawings be produced. As a minimum, the scaffolder should complete a detailed risk assessment and method statement prior to work commencing. Training Any scaffolding company should have proper training. Those that are registered with scaffolding bodies in the UK must have this training. Always ensure that you are dealing with a company or individual that has been trained in the proper use of scaffolding. Insurance It is a legal requirement in most countries that any company with employees has employers’ liability insurance. As the person responsible for employing the scaffolding, it is your responsibility to ensure that the company in question has appropriate insurance, Public liability insurance is also a legal requirement, and this ensures that if any damage is done to property or people are injured as a result of the scaffolding company’s work, they are insured to cover the damage. Experience Whilst standard scaffolding construction may be within a companies capability, the completion of marine scaffolding around a ship or superyacht may be considerably more difficult. In these cases, experience counts, and it will be required. Ask for examples of similar jobs undertaken. At Rhino we have worked with many scaffolding companies world-wide who specialise in shipyard work. If you require any assistance call our friendly team today.
Industrial Covers for Pipe Line
In November 2015, we were contacted by South Stream Transport BV who were looking to find the best way of covering stacks of subsea line pipe, that were being stored ashore awaiting installation. South Stream Transport are an offshore pipeline company based in The Netherlands. Working with Gazprom, South Stream are building ‘TurkStream’, a pipeline under the Black Sea that will connect gas reserves in Russia to the Turkish gas distribution network and so provide energy supplies for Turkey and South-East Europe. Although, line pipe is designed to be a rugged product once installed on the sea bed, engineers from South Stream were concerned that pipe coating could be damaged by long term exposure to UV light during storage ashore. Some kind of covering was required but what type? The customer had of course considered using tarpaulins and had even carried out some trials of large tarps but these had not been 100% successful. Tarpaulins of course can be very useful but for this application they were proving bulky and heavy to lift which made them hard to install and some had been blown off by the wind. Why use shrink wrap sheeting ‘versus’ tarpaulins Robust – A shrink wrap cover will be shrunk ‘as tight as a drum skin’ around the line pipe stacks. This means it is much more robust than traditional tarpaulins which can be difficult to fit tightly. This means it will not flap and ‘self destruct’, even in high winds. Heat sealed joints – A shrink wrap covering is easily joined by heat welding two sections of cover together. This process creates a bonded and weather proof joint as strong as the original shrink wrap material and means that there is no limit to the size of area that can be completely encapsulated. Easy to repair – Because of the heat welding / sealing process, a shrink wrap cover is very easy to repair. Simply take a new section of shrink wrap and heat weld over the damaged area. Versatile – Because a shrink wrap cover is cut and heat welded by the installation team at the location it is required, there is no need to order specific sizes of cover in advance for different sized stacks and there is no need to ensure that a specific cover is used on a specific pipe stack. If the line pipe stack layout changes, this can be taken care of easily within the standard product. 100% Recyclable – Traditional tarpaulins can be difficult to recycle because of their composition, which makes the separation of materials problematic. However, a shrink wrap cover is very easy to remove and is completely recyclable. Because the shrink wrap is manufactured from 100% virgin resins, it is valued by re-processing companies. Typical applications for recycled industrial grade shrink wrap film are HDPE piping and agricultural films such as silage or bale wrap. Fundamentally, it is the two unique characteristics of the shrink wrap scaffold sheeting (the heat shrinking and the welded joints between sheets) that make it different to traditional types of scaffold sheeting. For example, once it has been fixed to the scaffolding and heat shrunk, it creates a very tightly fitting sheet which will not flap and self destruct like some types of sheeting. This makes it really strong and robust. The second result is that it is possible to create a completely sealed skin around a construction project without any holes or gaps typical of most sheeting systems. This makes it really good for those projects where the containment of dust and debris or whatever is required. How will the industrial covers be secured? When we look at a new application for a shrink wrap covering we need to consider how the sheeting will be held down or secured to whatever it is covering. When the cover is properly locked down into position, the heat shrink process will create a taught and ‘drum tight’ covering. For scaffolding encapsulation, the shrink wrap sheeting is simply overlapped around a horizontal tube or ‘ledger’ and heat welded back on to itself. For large industrial covers, such as these huge modules we wrapped for Interserve it may be possible to bring the shrink wrap completely underneath the object so that it is completely encapsulated. The first line pipe stack to cover was 48m (157′) long x 15m (49′) wide x 4m (13′) high – a total area of around 1224 square metres or 13,175 square feet. This was too large to lift and sheeting could not be slid underneath because the pipes were sitting on long wooden ‘bearers’. We considered running a band of strapping down each 48m side of the line pipe stack which we could overlap the shrink wrap around and heat weld back on to itself but at this length it would have been difficult to tension the strapping sufficiently to stop the cover ‘riding up’ around the pipe when the cover was heat shrunk. The solution was to encapsulate the lowest pipe running along the bottom edge of each stack with band of shrink wrap. This would mean that the top cover could be unfolded along the roof and down the side of each stack and could be then simply be heat welded to the lowest shrink wrapped pipe to lock it into position. The additional benefit of this solution is that it is completely ‘self contained’, i.e. it just needs shrink wrap sheeting and no additional tie downs or weights are required which had typically been used to hold down the more traditional tarpaulins during testing. However, the ends of each stack of pipes presented more of a challenge. The customer wanted to leave the ends of the stacks open which meant that we had to find some way of terminating the shrink wrap cover across the 15m (49′) width of the stack at a height of 4m (13′). To achieve this we installed and tensioned woven strapping. When the shrink wrap sheeting was installed, it was wrapped around this strapping and heat welded to itself to provide an anchoring point. What size and grade of shrink wrap sheeting will work best for industrial covers? We stock rolls of shrink wrap sheeting in a variety of widths from 4m to 16m wide and from 200 microns to 300 microns thickness. However, it is not just a matter of choosing the largest roll size possible. For this project we decided to use a 6m (20′) wide x 25m (82′) long roll of our 300 micron (12 mil) shrink wrap sheeting. This roll weighs 43Kg (95lbs), but whilst it is not exactly ‘lightweight’ is is more manageable than a 16m (52′) x 50m (164′) roll which weighs 163Kg (359lbs). A narrower shrink wrap roll width will often tend to have a much better ‘shrink ratio’ and that was important to us on this project because we wanted the covers to shrink down as tightly as possible around the line pipe stack. A tight covering of any kind will be much less likely to move, rub and flap and consequently will be much less likely to come off in strong winds. The 300 micron (12 mil) grade is probably thicker than many might select for industrial covers but because the covers could be in use for up to 2 years we felt that this would provide better protection than say a 190 micron (8 mil) shrink wrap which is often used for shrink wrapping boats and smaller industrial products during transport and storage. Because the customer wished to leave the ends of the line pipe stacks open, we felt there was a risk, during high winds, of the shrink wrap covering being damaged by being pushed up from the inside. As a ‘belt and braces’ approach we decided to fix straps over the shrink wrap covering which could be ratcheted tight and absorb the additional wind loads resulting from having each end of the cover open to the elements. What will be the installation process? With every installation project that we are involved in, it is vital that we can develop and document a safe system of work. With the exception of harnesses, we exclusively use safety equipment manufactured by Spanset in the United Kingdom. For this project in particular we used the Spanset Lightweight Fall Arrestor and the Spanset Recovery Block. The Recovery Block with a 15m line was secured to an overhead crane and used for the installation of the strapping. Once these straps were installed, our installers switched to the Lightweight fall arrestor which has a 3m line under constant tension. The Rhino Shrink Wrap Installation Team carry all necessary certification for the safe installation of industrial grade shrink wrap covers including; Site Supervisor Certification (SSSTS) International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) Pre-fabricated Access Suppliers & Manufacturers Association (PASMA), ‘GOTCHA’ rescue training (Spanset) Emergency First Aid at Work Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Shrink Wrap Industrial Covers for Line Pipe – The Installation Process The time scale for this project was tight. We needed to get the first stack covered before the Christmas break. As shrink wrapping is always weather dependant on relatively calm winds and dry conditions we were hoping that the weather would be kind to us! We had shipped a pallet of materials in advance which meant that our 2 man team could fly out as soon as the materials landed and the customer gave us the go ahead. For this project, Kris Martin and Tom Mount from Rhino were selected to carry out the work. Both Kris and Tom had many years experience shrink wrapping scaffolds and general industrial products. After their four hour flight, they picked up their rental car and headed directly to the customer’s site to complete the induction, security checks and get site passes issued in order to get a rapid start to work the following morning. First, the customer wanted to verify that the coating of the line pipe would not be damaged by the heat shrink process so we were requested to undertake a test on a scrap piece of pipe before the full scale covering. The customer first placed temperature indicating strips around the pipe, in locations where the shrink wrap cover would be shrunk and also in locations where the shrink wrap sheeting would be welded together. Once the sheeting was installed, the covering was cut open to reveal that virtually no heat had been transferred through to the coating of the pipe during the shrink wrap process and we were given the all clear to continue with the work. DAY 2 - Encapsulate bottom pipe to act as anchor point for cover To begin, the bottom line pipe is encapsulated using a 3m wide strip of Rhino 300 micron shrink wrap film, along the entire 48m length of the bottom pipe on each side of the stack of line pipes. Install woven strapping at pipe ends to act as anchor point for cover Next, woven strapping (3.5 ton break strength) is installed to provide a termination point / ‘perimeter band’ for the top cover at each ‘open pipe end’ of the stack. Install first 6m x 25m shrink wrap sheet across stack Then the first 6m x 25m cover is unrolled to completely cover a 6m wide strip across the 48m long stack. (This first sheet will cover both the roof and the sides of the line pipe stack.) Heat weld first 6m wide strip The first 6m wide sheet is overlapped to the bottom shrink wrapped line pipe by 30-40cm and the two sections of shrink wrap cover heat welded together at ground level. The first 6m wide sheet is also welded around the tensioned strapping / ‘perimeter band’ installed at the open end of the stack. Install first ratchet straps Strapping is installed at 4m intervals up & over the first 7m wide strip and ratcheted tight. The benefit of this approach is that the work can progress in controlled stages. Even if it became windy before all the strips of shrink wrap sheeting had been installed and heat shrunk, the strapping keeps everything under control. The strapping is terminated / secured at either end by passing around a line pipe. (To secure strapping around line pipe it is necessary to make a small hole in the cover – this hole can then be taped or a patch of shrink wrap cover heat welded over the top). DAY 3 - Install remaining straps The next 10 runs of strapping are fixed into position. Kris and Tom switch from the 15m long fall arrest blocks to a 3m long lanyard which will attach to the 3.5 ton tensioned straps. Because the strapping is installed at 4m intervals, this means that it is not possible for an operative working on the top surface of the line pipe stack to reach the edge. Work to fix the cover in areas which are within 2m of the edge of the line pipe stack takes place from within a scissor lift. Install next 6m wide sheets of shrink wrap The 2nd and 3rd shrink wrap rolls rolls are unfolded by the two man team across the top of the line pipe stack and pass under the tensioned strapping previously installed. Join 6m wide strips of shrink wrap by heat welding together The 2nd strip of shrink wrap film is overlapped onto the 1st 6m wide strip by 30-40cm and heat welded to bond the sheets together. It is also welded the shrink wrapped bottom pipe. The 3rd strip of shrink wrap is overlapped onto the 2nd strip by 30-40cm and heat welded to bond the sheets together. It is also welded the shrink wrapped bottom pipe. Heat shrink cover ‘drum tight’ The 1st 6m wide sheet is now heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ both up the sides and over the roof of the stack. The process is repeated in 6m wide strips until the entire stack has been covered and heat shrunk tight. DAY 4 - Install self adhesive weather proof vents The final stage of the process was to install some self adhesive weather proof air vents. These vents allow a cross flow of air beneath the covering and also allow wind that enters the open ends of the stacks to be vented without damaging the cover. For this project we installed one air vent every 25 square metres, both over the top and along the sides of the line pipe stacks. Industrial Covers – Challenges Weather – On these large shrink wrap projects that require the work to be carried outside, the weather can be problematic. Light winds are require to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’ and where sheets of shrink wrap needed to be heat welded together, this can be difficult if sheets are wet. On this project, it snowed shortly after completion and this put extra pressure on the shrink wrap sheeting where it passed around the top corners of the line pipe stack, causing some splits to appear. It was subsequently decided that we would install a reinforcing patch on the shrink wrap cover in these vulnerable areas and that we would also improve the method of attaching the strapping / perimeter band at the open ends of the stacks. We manufactured a small but robust clamp which we fixed to the bottom row of open line pipe ends (and down each 4m high edge of the stack) at 2 metre intervals. When we passed the strapping through these clamp points it proved to be a much improved method for anchoring the shrink wrap sheeting at the ‘tricky’ pipe ends.