2009-07-15
Go to: News ListAKO supplies and installs the Electrical Trace Heating System for the second largest Solar Thermal Power Station in Europe
Extresol I and II join several other projects awarded to AKO in the last few months, such as Andasol 1 and 2.
AKO, one of the leading companies in the Area of Temperature Control and Monitoring using Electrical Trace Heating Solutions in the Industrial, Construction and Refrigeration sectors, has begun a new large-scale project for the supply and installation of Electrical Trace Heating for the Extresol 1 and 2 Solar Thermal Power Plants located in the town of Torre de Miguel Sesmero (Badajoz, Spain).
AKO's Extresol 1 project plan, which began in April 2009, finished in August 2009.
In the case of Extresol 2, the electrical trace heating work is due to start in November 2009 and to last five months, until April 2010. Having carried out the electrical trace heating for Andasol 1 and 2 in Granada (the most recent projects in this area along with the solar thermal power station at Puertollano for Iberdrola) was an important consideration in the adjudication of the project, thanks to the good results obtained from AKO's participation and commitment.
Over the past few years, the company has successfully won contracts for the supply and installation of electrical trace heating for several new facilities. In addition to those mentioned above, large projects include the Aceca Combined-Cycle Power Station, built for Unión Fenosa Generación, Abener Energía's Bioethanol Plants for Biocarburantes de Castilla y León in Salamanca and AB Bioenery France in Lacq (France).
The Electrical Trace Heating to be installed by AKO at Extresol 1 and 2 is made up of basically two product ranges. On the one hand, the heating cable from the Mineral Insulation range, and on the other the new DUOTRACE, a new generation of controllers for the management, monitoring and control of the Electrical Trace Heating itself. AKO's solution offers several advantages, such as, for example, high energy savings compared with other traditional Trace Heating Systems, and remote control of the installation.
Above all, it fulfils the main purpose of this type of device: to guarantee temperature maintenance of the piping and process equipment, avoiding obstructions and breakages, which would cause malfunctions and production shutdowns.
Electrical trace heating systems are one of the large devices currently on the market in terms of industrial heating and temperature maintenance for large facilities in the construction, refrigeration and industrial sectors. It is a suitable solution for large and small plants, with low maintenance costs (just one service per year) and providing robustness and resistance to unforeseen climatic adversities and mechanical loads, since it is tested in accordance with current regulations. It is also highly flexible as it is easily extendible (modular and scaleable) and offers high energy savings compared with other traditional Trace Heating Systems, adapting the installed power to the required temperature. In terms of security, the heating cable is suitable for almost all ATEX Classified Zones.
For zones 1, 2, 21 and 22 each type of cable can be used for a specific maximum working temperature. Furthermore, the appropriate heating cable is chosen during the design of the facility, leading to a long period of usage which enables installers to offer a 10 years guarantee and minimal training for installation - only that which is necessary to understand the materials and carry out the necessary handling.
