Pressurised perfection Chesterfield Special Cylinders

PRESSURISED PERFECTION

Chesterfield Special Cylinders is a global leader in the development and manufacture of safety-critical, high-pressure gas cylinders. Philip Yorke talked to Lee Lawrence, the company’s sales manager, about its latest prestigious contracts and new growth markets.

Lee Lawrence, sales manager

For over a century Chesterfield Special Cylinders have been leading the world in the development of high performance gas containment equipment. The company was originally founded in 1897 in Chesterfield, UK, as the Chesterfield Tube Company and was a pioneer in the manufacture of seamless tubes before producing the world’s first high-pressure gas cylinder. As the clear leader in its field, Chesterfield soon became a global supplier and even today its CTCO stamp is recognised as a guarantee of quality and reliability.

In 2004, after a management buy-out the company streamlined its activities to focus solely on the production of special, tailormade, high pressure cylinders for safety critical applications. Since moving to its new premises, a state-of-the-art plant in Sheffield, UK, a city renowned for manufacturing excellence, the company has seen rapid growth and in 2007 formed a holding company: The Pressure Technologies Group.

Today the company is listed on the UK’s ‘AIM’ stock market and Chesterfield’s high-performance special cylinders serve a diverse range of industries from defence and aerospace to oil and gas and transport as well as providing bulk HP gas storage installations worldwide.

Growth in energy markets driving sales

Chesterfield Special Cylinder’s primary role is to be an integral part of the design and engineering process for projects in which high-pressure cylinder systems play a vital function. One of the company’s fastest growing markets is the energy sector, whether it is for oil and gas or renewables. It enjoys a worldwide reputation for its expertise in cylinder systems design, which is coupled with a practical ability to manufacture and test its high-tech products.

The company’s unparalleled expertise and in-depth knowledge is available to anyone seeking the optimum solution to a gas containment requirement. It offers a broad range of advisory partnership services, including joint development at the initial design stage, prototype fatigue and burst testing, consultation with sub-contractors and end-users and technical solutions for any pressure system requirements.

Chesterfield Special Cylinders core business comes from the oil and gas industries, as well as from the defence industry and in particular the naval and avionics sector. However, it is the energy sector that is seeing the strongest growth potential, as Lee explained, “We have always been a major player in the energy sector and today our biggest contributor to sales remains this industry sector, with the biggest potential coming from the alternative fuels market. We have unsurpassed technical know-how in this area, with a highly qualified, multiskilled workforce and as a result of our innovative R&D, our control-flow technology leads the world.

“Today oil and gas is by far our biggest business sector and continues to drive sales. Our motion-compensation technology is utilised in deep water environments to allow oil rigs, drill ships and support vessels to continue to operate in challenging sea conditions. Our cylinders are designed to provide optimal performance within extreme temperature ranges, operating at maximum efficiency between –50oC to plus +65oC.

“As a global operator with the ability to provide technical service and support worldwide, we offer a turnkey package including a world-class design service and risk-free technical solutions.”

Mr Lee added, “We don’t just offer a cylinder to a customer but always look at what is required of it and the environment in which it will be used. We also have a global in-situ testing and servicing team available 24/7. The team can manage the strict maintenance and inspection protocols that are required of all of our customers’ high-pressure cylinders. These must be tested at regular intervals every 5–10 years. Our global team is able to service and certify all types of cylinders currently in operation throughout the world, whether they originated from us or from another supplier. Our world-leading cleaning services are unsurpassed when it comes to the internal cleaning of cylinders, which is often critical when it comes to oxygen cylinders, where any hydrocarbon residues can be an explosion risk. As the clear technology leaders in our field, we are committed to maintaining and building upon our reputation for quality, innovation and unrivalled service worldwide.”

Prestigious USAF F-22 Raptor contract

Recently Chesterfield Special Cylinders secured a prestigious order to supply the US Air Force with high pressure cylinders for its entire fleet of F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft. These safety-critical, high-pressure cylinders form a vital component of the Raptor’s new automatic back-up oxygen supply system (ABOS). Retrofitting the entire F-22 fleet with this advanced equipment involved working closely with Honeywell Aerospace Systems. This contract was expected to be completed by mid 2014; however, Chesterfield has already retrofitted 40 of the USAF’s F-22 Raptors by the time of going to press.

Chesterfield Special Cylinders has a long and proud history of providing vital pilot oxygen systems to military aircraft. This includes iconic aircraft from WW2, such as Spitfires and Lancasters, and subsequently Vulcans, Hawks and more recently the advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It is this exceptional track record for reliability and safety that helped Chesterfield to secure the prestige USAF contract in competition with other manufacturers.

In preparation for the F-22 retrofitting programme, the company’s headquarters near Meadowhall, Sheffield, was the focus of a thorough inspection by USAF representatives. The USAF audited the manufacturing processes, material sources, traceability and reporting systems, thus confirming Chesterfield Special Cylinders as the supplier of choice. Mick Pinder, the company’s managing director added, “This is a highly prestigious order and we are honoured to be selected. Chesterfield Special Cylinders prides itself on manufacturing to the highest standards and we look forward to our continued work with Honeywell Aerospace and the United States Air Force.” n

For further details about Chesterfield Special Cylinders products and turnkey technical services visit: www.chesterfieldcylinders.com