Firstly don't panic, no one invaded our mighty industries with advanced ground weaponry.
But it is fair to say that emergency tank showers are becoming more commonplace in oil, gas and chemical plants as a preferred choice for operators and specifiers, keen to simplify and reduce installation costs of emergency showers and eye wash stations.
Tank Showers offer a perfect solution to get ANSI compliant, tepid water showers in to multiple locations across large sites, with total control of water availability and temperature, localized to each unit without the concerns of distributed tempered water networks. Although many Tank Shower solutions do connect to mains water for replenishment, it is the instant availability of potable, temperate water in guaranteed volume and flow rates that are making Tank Showers so popular in the US.
Early Tank Showers were developed over 30 years ago with the earliest examples designed and developed by Hughes Safety Showers. Since then the product has evolved in line with ANSI and International standards compliance to become one of the most sophisticated and technically advanced drench shower solutions for any climate or conditions available.
Research and development over that period has seen changes in specifications and materials and other manufacturers have in recent years added Tank Showers to their product portfolio. The Hughes range is still the world’s leader and is the best-selling Tank solution globally, with Polar Standard products serving sites from Alaska to Siberia and Tanks with Chiller and anti-scald technology, keeping things comfortably cool in desert conditions from Texas to the Middle East and Australia.
Research over many years on the safe use of potable water in emergency showers has influenced material choice for tanks and insulation. Whilst stainless steel Tanks are still prevalent from some manufacturers, research from Hughes R&D in the United Kingdom found that bacteria can over time damage stainless steel tanks, ultimately creating leaks and reducing the usable life of the product.
A preference of Polyethylene tanks removes this risk through the materials anti-microbial properties and extends product life. Plus the ability to form the single piece polyethylene material adds strength and design benefits including the ‘heater well’ present in all Hughes Tanks that ensure immersion heater elements are always submersed in water to avoid burnout if the tank ever runs empty.
Material choice and smart design is now complemented by cutting edge wireless technology. One of the main benefits of Tank Showers is their flexibility on location. A Tank Shower will provide compliant emergency facilities in places not always accessible for standard drench showers, but this can mean remote locations, far from any centralized control facilities. Wireless monitoring systems have increased in popularity, measuring the high availability of emergency services including, water temperature, pressure, volume, emergency lighting status and activation alerts. Tank Solutions such as the Hughes EXP-MH-14K/2000 can provide ANSI compliant showers combined with The Hughes Sentinel Hart Wireless Monitoring system. Sentinel provides constant status monitoring of the unit, exporting industry standard MODBUS data over a HART wireless network.
So it looks like Tanks have invaded after all, but this is a friendly invasion, designed to save lives and provide operators and EPC specifiers affordable and reliable solutions for every challenging environment.
For more information: www.hughes-safety-showers.com/tepid-water-for-hot-and-cold-climates.html
Watch a video on the Hughes Sentinel 2016 Tank Shower: https://youtu.be/7qDErzqqnHU
About Hughes Emergency Safety Showers with Water Tanks
Hughes Safety Showers offer a range of emergency Temperature Controlled Drench Showers and Shower Cubicles developed for use in cold climates where it is necessary to maintain a tepid showering temperature or provide a warm environment for showering. Hughes offer products that provide a heated water supply that is also pre-insulated to prevent freezing during conditions of frost. There is an optional insulated Tank Shower range without heating to ensure a steady internal temperature is maintained especially in hot climates. Tank showers are available in five sizes; 350 liter which supplies a flow of warm water for several minutes and the 750 liter model which will deliver warm water for up to 15 minutes. Larger Tank Shower models include the 1200, 1600 and 2000 Liter models designed to meet and exceed ANSI Z358.1 2014 standards. These models are now the most widely specified and used Tank Shower Solution in EPC contracts throughout the world.
