Composite manhole covers used in national LUKOIL Bulgaria update program
Fibrelite’s GFRP covers are said to improve safety for operators and site owners vs. corroded metal covers.
Composite access covers, developed by Fibrelite, part of OPW and Dover (Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.), to replace old, heavy-hinged cast iron access covers nationwide.
The project began in late 2015 and impacted 13 petrol stations across Bulgaria. LUKOIL’s previously-installed covers had become rusted over time, Fibrelite says, with hinge mechanisms beginning to fail and covers becoming unsafe for operators and site owners to remove and replace. The seals around the covers were also damaged, allowing water to get in.
Fibrelite provided LUKOIL with corrosion-free lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic composite access covers through their responsive local distribution network. Said to be watertight and able to be safely removed manually, these covers offered a solution to LUKOIL’s manual handling challenges. Fibrelite manhole and trench covers reportedly require minimal maintenance and perform for the life of the site.
The project was completed by SisCo-M Ltd., a Bulgarian supplier of Fibrelite and other OPW products.
Related Content
-
Plant tour: Teijin Carbon America Inc., Greenwood, S.C., U.S.
In 2018, Teijin broke ground on a facility that is reportedly the largest capacity carbon fiber line currently in existence. The line has been fully functional for nearly two years and has plenty of room for expansion.
-
Revisiting the OceanGate Titan disaster
A year has passed since the tragic loss of the Titan submersible that claimed the lives of five people. What lessons have been learned from the disaster?
-
The potential for thermoplastic composite nacelles
Collins Aerospace draws on global team, decades of experience to demonstrate large, curved AFP and welded structures for the next generation of aircraft.