Oil, Gas, Construction and Mining Industries Warming up to Powerblanket's Patented Uniform-Heating Technology


When the winter chill sets in, companies lose profits, productivity and valuable equipment to freezing temperatures. With Powerblanket's uniform-heating technology, companies can put Mother Nature in her place and experience unprecedented winter success.



SALT LAKE CITY – Every January and February, the oil and gas industry struggles to meet peak consumer demands due to equipment breakdown, power outages and the other unrelenting physical effects of freezing temperatures. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, residual fuel consumption in the U.S. jumped from an average of 220,000 barrels a day (b/d) during December 2013 and early January to 471,000 b/d in mid-January.



Companies in the construction and mining industries likewise suffer during the winter, losing expensive equipment to rust and temperature damage, spending exorbitant amounts of money to heat necessary fluids, struggling to thaw the frozen ground, and fighting to keep pipes insulated and functioning.



To combat the annual effects of severe cold weather, companies resort to various heating means to keep their assets from freezing. Solutions may include an insulated blanket wrapped around a propane tank, a heated tube inserted into a pipe, or a flexible, silicone rubber heating pad cut to the measurements of your equipment. Methods vary greatly in terms of price, longevity and effectiveness.



"When choosing a heating solution, companies need to make sure the solution provides uniform heat, is reliable at sub-zero temperatures, is cost-effective and can be custom-fitted," said Powerblanket President Brent Reddekopp.



According to Reddekopp, the company's "Powerblanket" product line — featuring patented technology — delivers a barrier of uniform-directional heat that maintains optimal temperatures necessary for preventing fluids from freezing in temperatures down to -40ºF. A pliable electrical heating element is located between the first and the second cover layers and its purpose is twofold - it includes a heat-generating element for converting electrical current to heat energy and it also features a heat-spreading element comprising carbon thermally coupled to the heat generating element.



"Powerblanket barrel and bucket heaters are a drastic improvement over the original band heaters we used to offer," said Mike Roberts, manager at Howard Marten Fluid Technologies in Ontario, Canada. "We no longer have to worry about overheating or unpredictable thermostats."



Over the years, the company's technology has been used for frac tanks, frac water heaters, propane tanks, 500-gallon gravity flow tanks, pipes and manifolds, valves and instrumentation, railroad breaker bars, large tanks and wind blade epoxy curing. Powerblanket designs and manufactures custom products that are UL/CSA approved and in compliance with CID2-T4 hazardous location requirements. Additionally, the company can design and manufacture custom products that are in compliance with Class I Div. 2 T4 hazardous location requirements.



For more information, visit

www.powerblanket.com.



About Powerblanket



PowerBlanket's mission is to use its patented heating technology to help the oil and gas, construction, mining, railroad and other industries continue serving customers worldwide in freezing weather conditions. Powerblanket's innovative, heat-spreading technology is an efficient, economical, freeze-protection solution for viscous and temperature sensitive materials, equipment, pipes, tanks and other applications in temperatures as low at 40ºF. This technology not only creates a barrier between expensive equipment and extreme cold, but it also can be customized to fit snuggly around practically any object. All products are UL/CSA approved and in compliance with CID2-T4 hazardous location requirements. Additionally, the company can design and manufacture custom products that are in compliance with Class I Div. 2 T4 hazardous location requirements. Powerblanket was founded in 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit www.powerblanket.com.

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