BARTEC INSIGHT

BARTEC
INSIGHT
No.1 / 2014
BARTEC PIXAVI:
Mobile and
ex-proof
communication
solutions
TOP STORY: OIL AND GAS
Switching
The man
cabinets for
making
safe drilling
Scotland safe
Compact control
for drilling
platforms
BARTEC PROTECTS.
High-tech solutions from BARTEC are used around
the world. As the world market leader in
explosion protection, BARTEC continuously invests
in new technologies and new markets.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
EDITORIAL
3
EDITORIAL · CONTENTS
Dear Reader,
Today, we are digging in to the world’s most
important source of energy. This issue of
BARTEC INSIGHT focuses on the oil and
gas sector. Find out how the mobile communication devices of our new subsidiary
BARTEC PIXAVI are helping to solve problems on oil platforms in real time. Read also
about how deep-sea pipelines can be intelligently heated and how BARTEC is helping to increase safety on drilling rigs around
the world. Also in this edition: user reports
that show how BARTEC is supplying the
international oil and gas sector with cutting-edge technology.
Once you have finished reading this magazine, you can find plenty more interesting
and entertaining stories from the world of
explosion protection and communicate
with us directly on our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/bartec.de. Come and
give us a “like”, we look forward to hearing
from you!
Yours sincerely,
Daniela Deubel
Director of Global Corporate Communications
[email protected]
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Cover: © istockphoto / nightman1965 / mrPliskin / Photo Editorial: Heike Rost / BARTEC
CONTENTS
03EDITORIAL
12INTERNATIONAL
04 QUESTION TIME
Christian Rokseth:
Efficiency in real time
06INTELLIGENT
High-tech in the deep sea
08User reports
Page 08
USER REPORTS
Switching cabinets
for safe drilling
/// Safely tapping oil wells
/// Valuable centimetres
Tutto bene in
natural gas transport
14INSIDE
Robert Lee: Scottish,
honest, successful
16 A HELPING HAND
Supporting young Einsteins
18 And finally
Panic at the pump
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BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
4
QUESTION TIME
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Efficiency
in real time
If you want to be market leader, you have to
offer more than the competition, even in a niche
market like ex-certified mobile devices.
Christian Rokseth, CEO of Norwegian company
PIXAVI, which was recently acquired by BARTEC,
explains the secret of his success.
Interview: Markus Lipp /// Photos: Karl Pedersen
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
Mr Rokseth, BARTEC PIXAVI is the
world’s leading provider of mobile communication devices for explosive areas. How
have you achieved this?
We produce the mobile devices from
scratch ourselves, using our own technology. Other competitors rely on outsourcing, for example in the development of circuit boards and software. By contrast, we
do everything ourselves with a carefully
selected team.
You had to rely on yourself at the start. In
1999, you developed a wireless audio,
video and data communication system
based on your master’s thesis. What was
your motivation?
I realised that although there was already
high-speed internet in the refineries, there
were no wireless solutions for communication on oil drilling platforms. I wanted
to change that. In 1998, I had to apply for
special permission to import the first WiFi access point into Norway. The next job
was to slim down the hardware*.
How did you consider things from an economic standpoint?
After I had analysed the situation where repairs are required on a drilling platform, I
asked myself: why does the operation always need to be stopped until the experts
arrive? I wanted to reduce the need for travel whilst ensuring that the necessary expert
knowledge was always available, so that
problems could be solved efficiently in real
time.
What exactly can “go wrong” on a drilling
platform and how does your technology
help?
A typical example is when a compressor fails.
Previously, the drilling platform would
have to shut down for a good two days before the experts were on site. Now the customer can solve this kind of problem via
video with the help of BARTEC PIXAVI.
The downtime is virtually eliminated, so
the customer effectively gains two days.
5
QUESTION TIME
In what kind of extreme conditions can
your products be used? What about explosion protection?
Our products are more robust than any
comparable competitor. A device must
pass strict test runs before it is even
launched on the market. We drop it from
a metre high onto a concrete floor, for example. Next we smash a 1 kg steel ball onto
the display from 20 centimetres. We then
vary the ambient temperature between -20
and +45 °C.
In conversation with Christian Rokseth, CEO,
BARTEC PIXAVI, Norway
Have you ever been in a dangerous situation yourself? Maybe you experimented
with explosive substances as a boy?
(Laughs) Don’t forget, in our business we
aim to prevent explosions, not cause them.
But I must admit, when I was younger I was
often in my father’s workshop and had
plenty of dangerous projects on the go, but
the less said about those the better. Let’s just
say I’m happy that I survived.
Putting these dangerous antics aside, what
helps you personally to win over a customer?
Well, I’m Norwegian for a start! Seriously,
that actually helps. In contrast to the USA,
where drilling mostly happens on shore, oil
and gas in Norway are extracted way out at
Impressive. How much training does it re- sea. This forces us to think innovatively.
quire to operate?
Aside from that, I also bring my specialist
Can you use a smartphone? If so, then you knowledge as an electrical and mechanical
can operate our products.
engineer.
That is how you presented yourself to the
oil companies. How did they react?
Right from the start, my ideas were accepted with great enthusiasm by the oil and gas
industry. There was, however, a dispute
with the unions. But they soon came to the
conclusion that no jobs would be put at risk.
So the project got off the ground and the oil
and gas industry is still a key part of our
activities.
What is your detailed approach today for
solving customer problems?
As a basis, we require either colleagues with
a mobile phone or a local Wi-Fi network.
Nowadays that’s no problem – 90% of drilling platforms have Wi-Fi. Once that is established, we can connect the BARTEC
PIXAVI devices, such as our ex-certified
wireless video conferencing system Xcaster
EX5000 The service personnel on the drilling platform receive support from on-shore
experts via real-time video and audio link.
This helps to quickly find and implement
the best and safest solution strategy for the
case at hand.
You always put particular emphasis on HD.
Is HD really required for every application?
To be honest, HD has become the standard
now. So offering it is not a luxury, but a
necessity.
Let’s finish by looking forward. What exciting “necessities” have you got planned
for the future?
Our focus is currently on launching our
new smartphone and video communication
technology, which will be released this year.
These products will revolutionise communication in certain sectors. ///
* Camera work light
One of the first BARTEC PIXAVI products in 2001 was a
jacket which enabled the wearer to have the CPU on their
back, the camera over their shoulder and the touch display in front of them. The whole thing weighed around
seven kilos. Today, a BARTEC PIXAVI camera weighs approximately 200 grams.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
6
INTELLIGENT
High-tech
in the deep sea
Pipe-in-pipe technology
Ambient temperature: 4 °C
Heating circuit length: up to 20 km
Oil well temperature: > 100 °C
The temperature on the sea
bed is constant at 4 °C. This
temperature, combined with
the often long transport distances, poses serious challenges to crude oil extraction.
As soon as the temperature in
the pipeline falls below 80 °C,
the flow of oil begins to slow.
To counter this risk, the pipelines are fitted with an insulating lining, but are now also
being protected with integrated
trace heating.
Fatal
compression
Pipe-in-pipe
with heating
At temperatures below 80 °C, crude oil
changes in a way that can lead to problems.
The paraffin in the oil compresses to form
wax. In addition, the long-chained hydrate
molecules, compounds containing water,
turn into knotted, fluff-like structures. The
situation becomes especially critical when
the wax and hydrates meet and become a
sticky mass. The flow of oil gets bogged
down, resulting in expensive downtimes for
the extracting company.
The oil bubbling up from a freshly tapped
well will initially be between 100 °C and
130 °C. But even in well-insulated pipelines,
the temperature will fall significantly sooner or later.
The solution is the pipe-in-pipe process
with electrical trace heating, also known as
ETH-PIP. In this system, the pipeline carrying the oil is covered in heating strips that
are supplied with electricity via feed-in
points. This keeps the oil in the pipeline at
a sufficiently high temperature, preventing
it from clogging. From an economic standpoint, the system helps keep the process
flowing. Additional protection against lower temperatures is provided by two layers
of insulation around the heating strips
made from highly insulating polymers.
This forms a second pipe surrounding the
pipeline that actually transports the oil –
this is where the name “pipe-in-pipe” comes
from.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
7
INTELLIGENT
Outer pipeline
Insulation
Oil-carrying
pipeline
BARTEC
Deep Sea Star
heating cable
Energy source
for heating circuit
Pipeline
Electrical trace heating
Cross section of
a pipeline
Stress on the
cables
Semiconductors
are the key
Going deeper
underground
The pipelines are first wrapped before being This considerable increase in efficiency in Whilst stocks just below sea level have been
laid. A single spool can measure up to 80 the pipe-in-pipe procedure is made possible almost fully exploited, there are massive remetres across and have up to eight kilo- by new technology. A special semiconduc- serves hidden below 800 metres. Heated pipemetres of pipeline. The tensile force and the tor layer surrounding the copper wire pro- in-pipe systems are needed to retrieve these.
curvature puts great stress upon the heating tects against the corona effect. This allows There is also price pressure on the extractors.
tapes, meaning that the heating cables have a voltage of up to 5,000 volts to be applied. The fracking process, in which oil is won from
to be robustly designed. A maximum of With just a single feed-in point, it is possible the rock using pressure and chemicals, is befour heating tapes arranged in a spiral to create heating circuits up to 20 kilo- coming increasingly common in the USA and
around the inner pipe also help to reduce metres in length. It becomes clear how allows new oil reserves to be accessed more
the high tensile and bending forces.
much money the extracting company can economically. Manufacturing costs need to
save when you think about the costs for a be kept to a minimum in order to stay comsingle feed-in point.
petitive on the global market. The newly de“Deep Sea Star”, the product developed by veloped and highly efficient pipe-in-pipe proBARTEC in cooperation with big-name cedure could help make crude oil extraction
partners, has been available since 2013.
more cost-effective.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
8
USER REPORTS
Safely tapping
oil wells
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Photos: BARTEC
Oil belongs in the pipeline, not in the sea. The
­control systems that ensure this are highly
­complex. BARTEC has now supplied flexible and
customer-specific switching cabinets for just
­this purpose.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
9
USER REPORTS
The blowout prevention system is
controlled by countless switching
modules.
L
eaks are damaging, not only to the
marine ecosystem, but also to the
image of the pumping company.
Keeping crude oil safely in the pipeline at
all times is therefore an absolute must.
This is known in the industry as “blowout
prevention”.
The technology that guarantees this is
highly complex and costly. After all, it has
to operate under extreme conditions. As
soon as a hole is drilled in a deep-sea oil
well, the oil comes shooting out at high
pressure. In addition, currents on the sea
bed are often rough.
Blowout prevention under these kinds of
conditions requires more than just solid
seals. To counter the oil pressure, heavy
units around the drill head press against
the sea bed. The electronics of this apparatus are controlled by special switching cabinets. BARTEC recently delivered seven of
these cabinets for an oil platform run by
National Oilwell Varco (NOV), one of the
world’s leading suppliers of equipment to
the oil and gas sector.
“Every application case is different,” explains
Wolfgang Stadie, Vice President Western
Europe at BARTEC. “A well in the North
Sea will present completely different challenges to one in the South Pacific.” The drilling platform in question is found in the middle of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland,
where it is battered every day by raw winds
and powerful waves. The front plate of the
cabinet had to be painstakingly engraved so
as to ensure that it can still be read well into
the future. This special requirement and
many others were made easier thanks to
the close cooperation between NOV and
BARTEC technical consultant Markus Etzel.
The systems were produced at BARTEC’s
facility in Bad Mergentheim. The empty
switching cabinets were delivered by NOV
and then filled according to the customer’s
precise specifications.
On time
despite changes
Particularly challenging were the requests
for changes, which often came while test
runs were still ongoing. “That is to be expected during the course of a project,” explains power engineer Etzel, speaking from
experience. “The most important thing is
to be able to react flexibly, so that everything
still works.”
This flexibility allowed the customised offshore application to be delivered in half the
scheduled time. “The team at BARTEC
made a decisive contribution to the project
being completed so quickly and the panels
being delivered five weeks ahead of schedule,” says John Warden, Electrical Projects
UK Field Engineering at NOV Rig Solutions.
Each of the switching cabinets will soon
control ten units, doing their bit to keep
Scotland’s waters clean. ///
PROJECT
PROFILE
CUSTOMER
National
Oilwell Varco
Project
name
Transocean
Scope
7 switching
cabinets
To control
70 units
Cable
2,000 metres
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
10
USER REPORTS
Valuable
centimetres
BARTEC delivers
space-saving remote
I/O solution.
D
eep drilling needs to be precise
and focused. In the control cabins
of drilling platforms, every centimetre counts. The enclosures for conventional controls are large and therefore not
ideal. By contrast, the explosion-protected
remote I/O ANTARES from BARTEC can
be fitted into much smaller spaces.
nor investment. The customer wants to see
that the system works. You can’t sell this
kind of system just on paper,” explains
Schirmel. The Bavarian company therefore
constructed their newest model above a
1,000 metre borehole for demonstration
purposes. “This allows us to simulate the
installation,” explains Franz X. Both, Project Manager at Bauer Deep Drilling.
The high degree of automation gives the
High automation,
company more security and allows human
high safety
resources to be better deployed. Having
The company Bauer Deep Drilling special- fewer people in dangerous areas also reises in highly automated, high-tech rigs. sults in a lower risk of injury. This is an
“We began as a specialist for deep drilling important point, as in the event of an inat 100 metres. The drilling is the same, it’s jury, the facility has to be stopped comjust done a little bit deeper,” smiles Lothar pletely. A day’s production is quickly lost.
Schirmel, Head of Design and Develop- This costs a good 25,000 euros.
ment Electronics Deep Drilling. “The extracting companies also need to dig deep- Compact, direct, flexible
er into their pockets. A standard drilling
tool costs between 2,000 and 3,000 euros, Until recently, Bauer Deep Drilling bought
the deep drilling platform around 20 mil- the finished control cabins for the systems
lion euros. “Suffice to say, this is not a mi- from competitors. “We then decided that
we wanted to build them ourselves in the
future. We could have done it exactly the
same way,” says Schirmel. In the previous
models, a standard control unit was installed in a f lameproof enclosure. This
meant that explosion protection was no
longer ensured when the cover had to be
opened in the event of a malfunction. The
certified ANTARES, by contrast, can be
installed directly in the Ex area.
Thanks to its large reserve capacities, the
system offers efficient and compact I/O
configurations. A single rail control unit
(RCU) can supply up to 32 multi-channel
modules, resulting in a very high number
of input/output channels.
Furthermore, ANTARES provides the
benefit of a flexible system certification.
Previously, remote I/O systems had to be
clearly planned in advance and installed
in certified Ex e enclosures with rigid approval. Now, every electrical planning operation can plan, alter and expand its system freely. ///
Photos: BARTEC
Thanks to ANTARES, the
operator of this drilling
platform has plenty of room,
even in a compact cabin.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
11
USER REPORTS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“ANTARES provides
a big advantage
in flexible system
certification.”
Lothar Schirmel, Bauer Deep Drilling
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12
INTERNATIONAL
Tutto bene in
natural gas transport
Helping convey energy to where it is needed,
this is the task for BARTEC Italy. The global
market leader has been represented in the
country by a sales company for over 20 years.
In a current project, BARTEC is ensuring
the quality of Italy’s most important energy
resource whilst it is being transported.
A
perfect blue sky, the waves glistening in the sun’s rays. A couple
cling to the back of a motor scooter as it curves its way along a coastal road.
The Italian dolce vita summed up in a single image. But it is not just the scooter that
needs powering. At 64.4 per cent of the
energy mix, natural gas is the country’s
most important source of energy for electricity generation, increasingly taking over
from oil. This makes Italy one of Europe’s
biggest consumers of natural gas. All the
more vital then that the gas gets to where
it is needed in perfect condition.
Photos: © iStockphoto.com / ImageGap / damjanS5 / BARTEC
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
13
INTERNATIONAL
HYGROPHIL HCDT measures
two dew points simultaneously,
ensuring the natural gas arrives
in consistently high quality.
This has been the task for Snam Rete Gas, The product, called HYGROPHIL HCDT,
Italy’s largest gas transporter, for over 70 is suitable for use in explosive areas and has
years. The pipeline network stretches for become standard equipment for natural gas
32,000 kilometres up and down the Italian suppliers.
“boot”. The gas, from Russia, northern Eu- The two measurements are covered by one
rope and northern Africa, is conveyed by device, which both lowers costs and inSnam Rete Gas to local distribution net- creases efficiency. Together with a sample
works, industrial bulk buyers and power preparation and optical sensors, the
stations. Snam Rete Gas’ distribution centre HYGROPHIL HCDT not only minimises
in Milan works around the clock to ensure the recalibration workload due to the virthat the gas is available everywhere at all tually drift-free measurement, but also retimes in the required quantity and quality. moves the need for intensive cleaning work,
The team focuses particularly on quality as the contaminations carried in the gas do
factors such as the dew point.
not affect the measurement. The hydrocarThis is the temperature at which dew forms. bon dew point sensor’s very low detection
To explain: water vapour preciplimit allows it to detect the builditates as mist or dew droplets
up
of condensation early.
Two
when the ambient temperature is
The instruments therefore make
essential an active contribution to quality
equal to or below the dew point.
The lower the water dew point, measureassurance. After all, only when
the smaller the quantity of water
the measurements are consistments
vapour in the gas. The lower the
ently precise can the status in the
with one gas grid be correctly checked and
hydrocarbon dew point, the
smaller the quantity of heavy hyrecorded and the quality of the
device
drocarbons. Both must be availgas proven and maintained at a
able in order to achieve high gas quality. In high level.
addition, high dew point values are a po- As a gas transporter, Snam Rete Gas must
tential risk factor for every natural gas fa- ensure three things every day: gas quality,
cility. This is why they require constant facility protection and cost reduction.
monitoring by Snam Rete Gas. This is BARTEC helps to achieve these goals as efwhere BARTEC comes in.
ficiently as possible, meaning Italian gas
Snam Rete Gas uses a combined dew point consumers can rest easy as they sip their esmeasuring device for water and hydrocar- presso, brewed using electricity from cleanbons from BARTEC BENKE.
ly transported natural gas. Tutto bene. ///
The technology behind
HYGROPHIL HCDT
The sensor contains a miniature chilled
mirror. The special surface is systematically heated and cooled. The reflectivity,
which changes as the result of the buildup of condensation, is measured subject
to the temperature. This results in a high
level of precision of +/- 0.5 °C, making it
a highly reliable indicator for natural gas
quality.
Innovative solutions
from BARTEC
For less critical applications for example,
the new HYGROPHIL F Basic presents a
compact, robust and cost-effective solution for measuring the water dew point.
It can be installed directly at the point of
use, removing the need for long cables
between the sensor and the electronics.
The future plans for Italy’s
natural gas grid
The focus will be on customer-specific
solutions, particularly in the HCDT technology of HYGROPHIL. The product will
continue to be developed further so that
it can be used for a range of different gas
compositions. BARTEC’s aim here is to
provide products tailored for the Italian
gas market.
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
14
INSIDE
Scottish,
honest,
successful
How can you use whisky to build good relationships?
What has BARTEC got planned for the north of
Great Britain? And where does a Scot go when he
wants to fill up? Robert Lee, Area Sales Manager for
Scotland at BARTEC UK, tells all.
Interview: Markus Lipp /// Photos: Neil Gordon
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
15
INSIDE
N
o, he doesn’t own a kilt. “I don’t
even drink whisky,” laughs Robert Lee. He is still a proud Scot,
but his pride comes less from appearances
and more from inner values. Modesty, according to Lee, is a very Scottish virtue.
Those wanting to get ahead here need to
be open, honest and down-to-earth.
Lee therefore really doesn’t need any of the
high-percentage “water of life” to maintain
spirited customer relations. His honest
manner in dealing with customers is much
more important. “Honesty is everything,”
says Lee, “You have to keep your customers up to date regularly and give them clear
information.” And he should know, after
over 20 years of experience in sales.
This combination of honesty and experience has provided him with a steady supply of success stories to tell. One example
is the cooperation with drinks giant Diageo, who had the remote I/O system
ANTARES installed at their whiskey distilleries by the team from BARTEC UK.
Previously, Diageo was using a competitor’s system and were won over by the new
technology, greater flexibility and time
saving provided by the BARTEC solution.
Scotland, Robert Lee’s homeland, is a land
of hidden treasures. It may be a small
country, slightly larger than Bavaria at
around 78,000 km², but it is home to some
of the world’s biggest oil companies like
BP and Shell. From his base in Aberdeen,
Lee supplies these customers with switching cabinets and automation technology,
for example. Another area under his man-
PROFILE
Robert Lee
Job: Area Sales Manager for Scotland
Education: Electrician
Place of birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
At BARTEC since: 2011
Tip for tourists to Scotland:
Edinburgh Festival, every August
Favourite holiday destination: Croatia
Favourite singer: Jack Savoretti
agement, between Glasgow and Edinburgh,
is home to a number of petrol pump manufacturers. Then there is the north with its
whisky industry.
Major brands like Johnny Walker or Chivas
are supplied by BARTEC UK with ANTARES
or mobile computers. BARTEC is therefore
doing its bit to ensure the quality of the spirits. “I’ll have you know that a good whisky
must be stored for at least three years before
it can be sent to retail,” explains Lee. “All the
important information is stored in a bar code
on the bottle.” This code is read by an MC 92,
even in the adverse conditions of a whisky
cellar. It’s no surprise then that the mobile
computers are currently highly sought after
by Lee’s major oil and gas customers, in
addition to products from BARTEC
TECHNOR, based in Stavanger in Norway.
But Lee is looking beyond short-term trends.
He summarises his future goal in one sentence, which coming from such an otherwise modest and down-to-earth person like
Lee makes one stand up and take notice: “I
want to make BARTEC the first choice for
explosion protection equipment.” In his personal life, Lee has long made his first choice:
the 48-year-old has celebrated his silver
wedding anniversary and the children are
grown up.
In his spare time, Lee enjoys playing golf. A
sport that has its roots in his homeland.
When he’s teeing off, he focuses on nothing
else – just himself, his concentration on the
ball and the beautiful wide landscape
around him. That’s one Scottish stereotype
Robert Lee does fulfil. ///
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
16
A HELPING HAND
Supporting young
Illustration: ©iStockphoto.com / akindo / Photos: BARTEC
Einsteins
BARTEC INSIGHT 1.2014
17
A HELPING HAND
“The best ideas are the ones
that at first seem absurd.” Albert Einstein.
In 2002, the invention competition
“Creative Minds” was founded to
promote clever ideas. Five of the school
pupils or groups of pupils who made
it to the next round in January are getting
help from BARTEC to make their
ideas reality.
I
t may be warm now, but come the winter it will snow again – and one person
will be well prepared. Moritz Brunner
has come up with a very special type of
snow shovel. The 12-year-old noticed that
when clearing snow, one always had to go
round the yard or driveway twice: once to
shovel the snow and once to spread salt. He
started work designing a snow shovel that
can do both at the same time. BARTEC experts Stefan Beckett and Wilhelm Ruck are
helping him build a prototype. “I never
thought I would get to the final of the competition with my idea,” said Moritz, still astonished, at his first meeting with the specialists from BARTEC. That is exactly what
the competition aims to do – give young
people confidence in their ideas. But also
support the inventive spirit and the urge
of curiosity, discover new talents, inspire
girls for technology and open the doors
to those businesses who need precisely
this innovative spirit and growth catalyst.
ularly and work together on the snow shovel until the members of the jury pick the
winners.
The competition has been met with a good
response. Almost 300 ideas are submitted
in every round, of which around 80 are realised. The competition was started over a
decade ago and has been supported since
2005 by the foundation “Young Creative
Minds”. Over the years, more companies
and regions joined in and gave their support
Moritz Brunner is one of the school pupils to the competition. This has led to a creative
being supported by experts throughout the network connecting industry, schools and
entire realisation process to develop a func- local authorities in the region. Some inventioning model based on their design. Even tions have even had trademark protection
the best ideas are useless unless they have applications submitted to the German Patthe chance to become reality. Using the ent and Trade Mark Office. ///
sketches he made himself, Moritz was able
to present his project to BARTEC, whose
experts then suggested ways to perfect it. “I The excitement continues for the participants,
had a good feeling about it and the experts as they will soon present their ideas and profrom BARTEC took me and my idea seri- totypes to the jury. The best projects will be
ously,” he explains. The group will meet reg- honoured in the following prize ceremony.
How do ideas
become reality?
AND FINALLY
PANIC
AT THE
PUMP
2
Could your
cushion kill you?
Staying
safe
When you’re stood at the pump filling up
your tank, it could be a bad idea to quickly nip back into your car. The friction on
the seat cushions can create an electrostatic charge on your body. If you go to grab
the nozzle again, the sparks can jump over
to the fuel. This can also happen, by the
way, if the tank filler neck is defective or if
you are using poor-quality tyres.
Don’t panic. Modern petrol stations are fitted with a range of equipment to protect
against the risk of explosion. Even their
open construction reduces the risk. In addition, modern filling stations siphon off
the fuel fumes and feed them back into the
system. One explosion protection invention
that has long been a standard feature of filling stations is actually an early BARTEC
product. A microswitch, the size of a matchbox, fitted directly into the pump. As soon
as you take the nozzle from the holder, you
hear the switch click and the filling process
starts. The mechanical switch’s pressurised
enclosure prevents sparks escaping and
causing an explosion. In 1975, the invention
of the pressurised enclosure with a plastic
casing by the company founder was the first
milestone for BARTEC.
The mobile phone –
dynamite in your pocket?
Smoking is bad
for your health
Did you know that petrol on its own is barely flammable? Only when mixed with air
can it be deadly. All it takes is a small
amount of petrol vapour and a spark – such
as that from burning cigarette ashes – and
BOOM! That is why smoking is strictly forbidden at the pump.
Fortunately, getting a call from your mum
while you’re busy filling up is not life threatening. In order for the electromagnetic field
of a mobile phone to be able to cause an
explosion, the antenna must deliver at least
six watts. The current maximum is two. The
phone could only send sparks flying in theory if it fell on the floor and the battery
sprang out.
Illustration: Frank Weidenfelder, Rose Pistola / Inside cover photo: © iStockphoto.com / num_skyman
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Imprint
Publisher
BARTEC Top Holding GmbH
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Phone: + 49 7931 597-0 . Fax: + 49 7931 597-119
[email protected] . www.bartec.de
Editor in Chief (Liable for editorial content)
Daniela Deubel
Director of Global Corporate Communications
BARTEC Top Holding GmbH
Max-Eyth-Str. 16 . D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany
Phone: + 49 7931 597-324 . Fax: + 49 7931 597-445
[email protected] . www.bartec.de
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Phone: + 49 9343 6205-0
Fax: + 49 9343 6205-55
[email protected] . www.stieberdruck.de
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