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 January
2009
Hodgson
& Hodgson Scores a First with Transportable Acoustics
Leading
acoustic engineering group Hodgson & Hodgson has completed a contract
worth over £3.5 million to supply acoustic enclosures for portable
power generation units. The project makes the acoustic specialists the
first company to manufacture flat-packed, fully transportable large acoustic
enclosures designed to be broken down and reassembled at different locations.
Hodgson
& Hodgson's brief was to design and manufacture 15 transportable acoustic
enclosures for use in power generation applications in some of the most
remote and challenging environments in the world. The enclosures, which
are installed and operated in sets of three, house the power-generating
diesel engines plus skid units and other associated machinery and equipment.
The innovative design will enable the units to be stripped down when their
use at one location is at an end, after which they may be relocated to
another part of the world.
Hodgson
& Hodgson's wealth of experience and technical expertise were also
strong factors in the success of its tender. Consequently, once the contract
was won, the company was able to design a bespoke solution that met all
operational and environmental requirements. Hodgson & Hodgson designed
and built not just the enclosure but also the ducting system, access platform,
electric control panels, ventilation system and lights.
"This
was an intriguing and challenging project to work on," says Tom Doyle,
Project Manager at Hodgson & Hodgson. "The design of the acoustic
enclosures is very novel and we believe we are the first company to produce
such a large unit capable of being broken down, flat-packed and shipped
in 40-foot freight containers. A significant factor in the design is the
totally interchangeable exterior panels, which make break-down and reassembly
very straightforward."
The
creation of these portable 'power stations' could be of enormous benefit
to the developing world: not only can the engines be configured to burn
a particular type of oil, enabling them to make use of local resources.
The only requirement for successful erection of the enclosures is a concrete
base. This simplicity eliminates the need to build a conventional power
station and the flat-packed system can be easily containerised and relocated.
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