Consdering a gas installation? Early involvement of FT Gas is a safe bet
Posted on Feb 06, 2025The team at FT Gas Control Systems believes that personnel can add value, highlight potential risks and hazards and possibly highlight cost-savings if they are involved in the early stages of planning an installation where gas – natural gas or hydrogen – is present, be it as a core or back-up power source or for heating.
FT Gas recently hosted a meeting with major players in UK infrastructure. Andy Fraser, Managing Director of FT Gas, commented on the number of occasions when his colleagues had identified opportunities where they could have saved expenditure with regards to the newly created built environment in relation to the gas if they had been consulted sooner.
Andy was referring to FT Gas personnel’s experience of and expertise with IGEM/SR/25 – the standard that relates to the identification of hazardous areas in temporary and permanent natural gas and hydrogen installations and their classification. The process has health and safety and environmental considerations at its heart. Its outcomes can indirectly also have an impact upon cost in respect of distance / length of pipeline to transport the gas and direction, which itself can have a bearing on the landscape and buildings.
Visitors to the FT Gas website will know, of course, that operators of gas installations have legal obligations in terms of hazards and risk reduction. The IGEM/SR/25 assessment includes the classification of hazardous areas in differing environments, e.g. outdoors or confined spaces along with ventilation levels and zone distances.
Andy’s point is that early involvement of FT Gas Control Systems at the very least could lead to conversations surrounding the choice and siting of permanent or temporary electrical equipment and any other ignition sources and potential optimal routing of pipelines, saving cost and time, all while minimising risks and remaining compliant with SR/25 regulations. The team’s insights could also lead to opportunities to enhance overall gas performance and aesthetic efficiencies.
Safety is paramount when interacting with gas and so it is essential that any operation considering a gas installation engages with organisations who are expert in the safe deployment of gas. Recognised as leaders in pressure control, FT Gas Control designs, builds, installs and commissions pressure reduction stations for natural gas, biogas, CNG and hydrogen from Class 2500 to millibar to either a standard or bespoke design.
FT Gas offers a choice of gas pressure regulators – these are suitable for small, industrial, low-pressure systems through to high-flow, high-volume distribution, biogas or CNG / LNG systems. The company has contributed to the success of countless contracts and projects involving gases which support the UK’s ambitions in achieving sustainability, energy security, energy transition and net zero.
Visit https://www.igem.org.uk/technical/buy-technical-standards/safety.html for more information regarding IGEM/SR series. FT GAS Control Systems is a member of the Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers and can regularly be found exhibiting at IGEM events around the UK.
