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Shaping the Future of Arc Flash Safety: ProGARM x GORE-TEX Brand Partnership

GORE-TEX PYRAD | Arc Flash Clothing

Thorne & Derrick | Arc Flash Protection Clothing Distributed from Stock | Approved Supplier | UK & Export Sales

Arc Flash Clothing

GORTEX PYRAD

When two industry giants unite, extraordinary things happen. When that union is centred around human safety, lives are saved. ProGARM and the GORE-TEX Brand have recently launched a new range of next-generation arc-rated GORE-TEX PYRAD® stretch product technology workwear, marking a new era of innovation in protective garments.

Arc flash and fire resistance garment specialists ProGARM have teamed up with fabric pioneers at W.L Gore & Associates to develop a ground-breaking waterproof and arc-rated GORE-TEX product range. Guided by the principle of ‘safety through comfort,’ this new collection is designed to provide unparalleled protection while ensuring exceptional wearability. This collaboration is focused on delivering the most advanced protective features for workers who rely on high-performance personal protective equipment (PPE) to stay safe on the job.

Thorne & Derrick together with ProGARM are now able to offer the GORTEX PYRAD range of arc flash clothing delivering the ultimate arc flash protection with a wide range of men’s and women’s garments available in hi – vis yellow, hi-vis orange, two-tone yellow, blue and single colour blue.

Arc Flash Safety

Building On A Common Commitment To Safety & Quality

This professional partnership arose from the necessity to reinvent personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees who risk their lives on a daily basis while doing their vital tasks. With decades of expertise in innovative manufacturing and design techniques to deliver safe, compliant and wearable arc flash rated garments, ProGARM is leading the way in delivering fresh thinking in garment technology.

The GORE-TEX Brand, known for its fabrics and technologies that deliver long-lasting functionality and high quality, is the perfect partner, bringing its understanding of fabric technology and industry compliance to be part of something revolutionary.

This partnership is a seamless continuation of the established relationship between the two brands, following the signing of the licensee agreement in 2022. ProGARM is one of only three licensed PPE partners in the UK to utilise Gore’s cutting-edge PYRAD® technology. This highly sought-after collaboration provides a solid foundation of excellence for the companies to build upon with the introduction of their new and innovative product range.

Innovation | GORTEX PYRAD

Breakthroughs, Not Just Enhancements

The PPE industry has experienced continuous product evolution, with gradual improvements made to enhance various aspects of arc flash and fire-resistant clothing. Both ProGARM and the GORE-TEX Brand are recognised for their technical expertise, clearly showcasing their deep understanding of garment composition and fabric design to create clothing that delivers outstanding levels of protection.

But now is the time to raise the bar yet again for arc flash safety wear.

The ProGARM x GORE-TEX Brand collaboration is bringing to market a new, exclusive set of waterproof workwear products and it’s thanks to the power of stretch. Understanding the struggles of workwear that doesn’t move with its wearer, this new arc rated GORE-TEX PYRAD® stretch product technology is changing the game.

Not only are the garments technically compliant with all required regulations for arc flash risk environments, but they are super lightweight, breathable and stretchy, even when wet, offering the ultimate combination of protection and comfort in all weathers and environments. The fabric composition is unique, placing stretch technology at the heart of the design for increased wearability with no compromise on arc rated protection.

The Next Generation Of Arc Flash

Triple Layer Protection

Introducing triple-layer technology to the market, the fabric in the new garments offers heat, flame, and arc flash protection by blocking heat flow and preventing flame propagation, thereby stopping heat from reaching the wearer’s skin. The new range of jackets, trousers, and coveralls will soon provide workers with the most advanced workwear, delivering unmatched levels of movement, flexibility, and comfort.

Known for designing garments for a range of body shapes and sizes to achieve the best possible fit, ProGARM has brought its extensive knowledge of designing for real bodies to ensure its new range is accessible to all.

The new range will be available in high visibility yellow and navy, and orange to ensure worker visibility is not compromised when on-site, and every aspect of the design is arc flash and flame resistant, right down to the stitching thread for total performance reassurance. Advanced porous technology means the fabric is breathable, working with the overall design of the range to avoid a build-up of heat and perspiration in all weather conditions. This range is designed to be worn, with every design decision made in the boots of the wearer.

With this innovative range of workwear embedded in science, there are GORE-TEX garments to suit the needs of every industry where protection from the devastating risks of an arc flash incident is a priority.

Electrical PPE Products | Gloves | Arc Flash Clothing | Arc Suits | Coveralls | Helmets & Visors

Sealing Cables | Windfarm & Substation Cable Sealing using CSD Systems

NOFIRNO | Sealing Cable Ducts | Offshore & Onshore Windfarms

Nofirno Duct Seal System

CSD Technical Services have been involved in a key renewable energy project since 2020, whereby they have been specified for duct seal entries across a huge onshore substation site. The sealing of three additional 250mm cable entries, each containing a 1x120mm cable, was requested by the client. As with other areas of the site, the NOFIRNO Duct Seal System, manufactured by CSD Sealing Systems, was used to provide a water and gastight seal.

Sealing Challenges
There were no major challenges encountered as the NOFIRNO Duct Seal System is the ideal solution for vertical ducts. This is due to the fact the insert sleeves cling to the cables and ducting without sliding down and falling out of the penetration. The high adhesion and viscosity of the NOFIRNO Sealant means it will also not run down the duct when applied.

Outcome Using NOFIRNO 
The NOFIRNO multi-sleeves were installed to provide cable separation and a firm backing for the NOFIRNO Sealant layer. The cable entries which were exposed to the elements are now watertight.

Water and gastight sealing protection of cable duct and building entry points.

NOFIRNO Sealant

The NOFIRNO Duct Seal System comprises of two components; 60mm rubber NOFIRNO multi-sleeves which provide cable support, ensure cable separation, and provide a backing for the second component which is a 20mm layer of NOFIRNO Sealant. To ensure the NOFIRNO Sealant adheres correctly, the areas in where the sealant is to be applied should be clean and dry before application i.e., the cables and any frames and structures.

The NOFIRNO multi-sleeves are then installed providing cable separation and a firm backing for the NOFIRNO Sealant layer. The system will provide a water and gastight seal to certified levels of 2.5 bar and has been shown to provide protection for a period of at least 50 years.

Key Benefits of Sealing Cables

• Tested to prove no deterioration in performance for more than 50 years
• Provides flood protection and prevents water and gas ingress – pressure rated up to 2.5 from the front and back of the seal
• Quick and easy to install to install
• Easy re-entry for adding, removing or replacing cables

Offshore Windfarm | Onshore Substation | Cable Sealing Solutions

Further Reading 

• 66kV 72.5kV | Power Cables Accessories for Offshore Windfarms
• Supplying Cable Termination, Jointing, Pull-in & Electrical Equipment up to 66kV
• CSD Marine Grade Cable Transit Sealing System Supplied Onboard Kintra II Passenger Vessel

More Case Studies 

• Sealing HV Cables | A Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Case Study
• Sealing Cables | 400kV Substation Cable Sealing using CSD Systems
• Sealing Cables | Windfarm & Substation Cable Sealing using CSD Systems
  

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Specialist Distributors to the UK and international Offshore Wind & Renewable industry to provide safe and reliable LV HV Electrical Cable & Power Distribution Systems up to 66kV – we are highly customer responsive and absolutely committed to providing a world-class service. Contact our UK Power Team for competitive quotations, fast delivery from stock and technical support or training on all LV-HV products.

See how T&D support, supply and service the Renewable Energy industry.

Stockists & Suppliers | UK & International Projects

Thorne & Derrick & 3M Decarbonising Industry in the NEPIC Cluster

8.10.2024
By Chris Dodds | Sales & Marketing Manager at Thorne & Derrick International

“Bringing People Together”

A brilliant bullet from Paul Frankland’s (Operations Director at NEPIC) super slide-deck presented to us this morning at the Wilton Centre, the premier science park in the North East of England adjacent to Wilton International and sitting in the heart of the North East of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC).

The NEPIC Cluster is the largest industrial concentration of chemical, pharmaceutical and process companies in the UK, and the second largest in Europe.

Paul and Joanne Fryett (CEO at NEPIC) hosted Thorne & Derrick and an international delegation from 3M Electrical to discuss Energy Transition developments and opportunities within the Cluster involving Net Zero. NEPIC have now extended further support for Thorne & Derrick’s business growth strategy in the clean energy, low carbon and hydrogen sectors.

The NEPIC Presentation informed us all about the energy project pipeline on Teesside with major companies including BP, Equinor, Huntsman Corporation, SABIC, PD Ports, MGT Teesside and px Group.

Michael Kendall (Business Solutions Manager – Tees Valley Combined Authority) then underlined the central role of Teesside in UK plc’s economic growth drive which is strategically aligned with the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. The TVCA secures investment and creates jobs; it is home to ReNew ELP, Alpek, Conoco Phillips, EDF Energy, Mitsubishi Chemical and global renewables giant JDR Cable Systems.

We then all benefitted from excellent electrical power and utility insights provided by Gillian Baker (Head of Commercial New Business – Sembcorp).

Sembcorp supply the high voltage power (66kV/11kV) to Wilton International clients via their owned and operated on-site power station, substations and private wire electricity grid.

Our visit concluded with a Guided Tour of Wilton by Paul Frankland that emphasised the sheer scale of business opportunity, national leadership and centre of excellence our region provides for the the future of decarbonised power.

Hazardous Area Zones & High Voltage Systems

Thorne & Derrick International, based in the North East of England, are leading UK Specialist Distributors of products to guarantee personal safety, site efficiency and plant reliability in Harsh, High Voltage & Hazardous Areas.

Our diversity is our strength, from providing legacy asset management solutions for aging electrical infrastructure to the delivery of high voltage cable connection products to repair or energise networks from 600V to 66kV.

We can competently specify and competitively supply an extensive range of Hazardous Area Equipment (ATEX & IECEx) to provide Power, Heating & Lighting to the Explosive Atmospheres industries – this includes LV HV Cables, Accessories, Jointing, Substation & Electrical Eqpt. 

We are 3M Electrical Distributor for the UK and can be trusted to specify and supply from the largest stocks in the UK and EU products utilising Scotchcast Resin and Cold Shrink Technologies for the installation, jointing and termination of cables from Low to High Voltage.

We are a firmly established vendor and high-value added member of the Cluster supply-chain – we provide world-class customer support including Design Services for Trace Heating & Lighting Systems for Zone 1/2 (21/22) hazardous area applications from our partners Eltherm and Raytec.

Sealing Cables & Protecting Assets | The CSD Sealing System range of DSEAR compliant NOFIRNO products are extensively specified for the prevention of water ingress, gas migration and fire spread in industrial and potentially explosive atmospheres including hazardous area Zones with ATEX designation including Zone 1 & 2 Flammable Gas.

Decarbonising the Teesside Cluster

Last weeks government green-lighting of the Net Zero Teesside project, a £4billion investment which will establish the world’s first industrial-scale Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) facility at Teesworks was accompanied by confirmation from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of £21.7 billion of funding to establish the UK as an early leader in 2 growing global sectors, CCUS and Hydrogen. This reignition of the UK industrial heartlands to be delivered by investment in projects and the energy-tech of the future further enhances Teesside’s position at the centre of the Decarbonisation universe.

Teesworks | The UK’s largest Freeport Tax Zone, most connected industrial zone and home to diverse, sustainable and low-carbon activity. In 2023, SeAH Wind announced a £650m investment in a monopile manufacturing facility at South Bank Teesworks to support a contract with Vattenfall to supply all the wind turbine monopiles for its Norfolk Vanguard Project. This commitment to Teesside positions SeAH Wind as the UK’s leading Foundation Manufacturer and ensures the UK is at the forefront of developing offshore wind globally.

Net Zero Teesside

NZT is a collection of industrial, power and hydrogen businesses which aim to decarbonize their operations through the deployment of CCUS.

NZT Power is a first-of-a-kind fully integrated gas-fired power and carbon capture project and a key driving force behind plans to make Teesside the UK’s first decarbonized industrial cluster.

NZT Power’s proposed combined cycle gas turbine electricity generating station will have an electrical output of up to 860 megawatts (MW) of low carbon electricity, enough to power up to 1.3m homes per year.

NZT | The UK’s First Decarbonised Industrial Cluster

A Sustainable Future for our Energy & for our Business

Our NEPIC Membership has positioned Thorne & Derrick alongside a cluster of businesses dedicated to the decarbonisation of industrial operations through the deployment of CCUS – we are working closely with EPC’s and contractors to specify and supply compliant critical equipment to build and operate the infrastructure required to transport CO2 from emitters in the Teesside and Humber regions to a secure offshore carbon store beneath the North Sea via the East Coast Cluster and the Northern Endurance Partnership.

The East Coast Cluster Decarbonising Industry 

Northern Endurance Partnership | NEP is a CO_2. transportation and storage company which will deliver the onshore and offshore infrastructure needed to capture carbon from emitters across Teesside and the Humber and transport to offshore storage in the Endurance store in the southern North Sea. In October 2021, The NEP’s East Coast Cluster, which includes Net Zero Teesside, was selected as a priority cluster in phase-1 of the UK Government’s CCUS cluster sequencing process. Endurance, a saline aquifer, has the capacity to store 450m tonnes of CO_2. Other potential stores nearby take potential storage capacity to around 1 billion tonnes.

Pictured | Charlotte Fletcher (Project Manager Pharma-Sector NEPIC) Tanja Schroeder (Area Director EMEA 3M Electrical), Andy Townsend (Specification Manager C&I 3M Electrical UK), Paul Frankland (Operations Director NEPIC), Jenny Swindells (Regional Division Leader 3M Electrical Northern Europe), Chris Dodds (Sales Marketing Manager T&D), Monica Barros (General Business Director 3M Electrical ), Carl Cox (Sales Engineer T&D) and Richard Derrick (Managing Director T&D).

T&D are Specialist Distributors to the Process Industries – this includes the fine and speciality chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and polymers manufacturing sectors.

We supply and support businesses working on the design, construction and maintenance of UK, European and international projects.

Based in the UK, we are highly customer responsive and absolutely committed to providing a world-class service.

Since 1985, we have provided expert technical support and express delivery from extensive UK stocks to world-wide destinations.

3M Cold Shrink | This advanced Cold Shrink material technology has been developed into a comprehensive range of Cable Accessories to seal, joint, abandon, insulate and terminate cables from 600V to 66kV. Superior reliability, easy to install, and safe for use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres.

Award Winning Arc Flash Clothing from ProGARM

Arc 4 Rated Switch Suit

Wins Prestigious Industry Award

Thorne & Derrick is proud to announce that the Arc 4 Rated Switch Suit, developed by ProGARM a leading manufacturer of arc flash clothing, using the cutting-edge PYRAD® Technology by GORE-TEX LABS, has recently won the prestigious Fibre, Fabric & Materials Award at the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide Ltd Awards 2024 (PCIAW®). This recognition highlights innovations that push the boundaries of performance, protection, functionality, and comfort in professional clothing.

The Arc 4 Switch Suit sets a new standard for safety and comfort in Arc Protection.

Thanks to PYRAD® Technology by GORE-TEX LABS, the switching suit delivers Class 2 Arc Flash Protection in a single-ply textile, offering superior safety without sacrificing freedom of movement. Unlike traditional multi-layer, bulky fabrics that can be heavy and restrictive, this thin, lightweight design ensures maximum protection against arc flash incidents without compromising on comfort.

This ground-breaking product is a testament to the power of collaboration, combining ProGARM’s expert craftsmanship with the innovative GORE-TEX LABS technology to deliver a truly exceptional product to market.

The Arc 4 Switch Suit is now setting a new benchmark in the world of professional arc flash protective clothing. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of innovation in this field.

Further Reading

• Shaping the Future of Arc Flash Safety: ProGARM x GORE-TEX Brand Partnership
• New Levels of Waterproof Arc Flash Protection I ProGARM & GORE-TEX PYRAD
• Protecting Jointers & SAP’s Against Arc Flash Risks | ProGARM 6444 Coveralls
• ProGARM 4690 Coveralls | Arc Flash Protection for Rail Trackside & Substation
• The First Sustainable Arc Flash Range Of PPE From ProGARM

Arc 4 Rated GORE-TEX PYRAD | Hood | Jacket | Dungarees | Gloves

NEW | High Current, High Voltage Power Connectors from Marechal

P66 cONNECTOR

660 Amps | 1100V 

MARECHAL P66 Connector is the highest performance plug and socket-outlet which has now secured extensive specifications for power distribution applications across industry with a market-leading current rating up to 660A and voltage capacity of 1,100V.

Thorne & Derrick, the UK Stockist & Channel Partner for Marechal Electric, recently welcomed Ross Allan (Area Sales Manager) for a Training Session with our Technical Sales Engineers to support the industry with innovative industrial power connection solutions.

Click ‘GET A QUOTE‘ to enquire for the P66 Connector and ‘Electrify Your Industry’:

P66

HV Connector | Rated For 660A High Current & 1100V High Voltage Distribution 

The high voltage plugs and socket-connectors withstand harsh conditions and integrate into industrial high power systems requiring maximum reliability and performance.

• High current – 660A
• High voltage – 1100V (1.1kV)
• 8 Auxiliary contact + 2 pilots
• Metal casing IK10
• T °C : -40 °C / +80 °C
• Safe pre-wired – Reed sensor switch
• Robust – IP66/IP67 & IK10
• User friendly connectors – drawing mechanism
• Compact plug and socket – designed to fit in minimal confined space
• Ease of installation – multiple mounting and wiring configurations
• LOTO compliant
• Downloads | Brochure | Specification | Instruction

The P66 Connector is modelled to be all-purpose, whether it’s straight or angled, handles can be offered with a threaded plate to suit different cable diameters, allowing configuration variations – the high voltage power connector is lightweight, high-technology and easy to wire providing optimum versatility to international electrical safety standards.

MARECHAL | Plug, Sockets & Connectors

Established over 70 years ago, MARECHAL Electric are currently one of the worlds largest manufacturers of industrial electrical Plugs, Sockets & Connectors for commercial, industrial, hazardous area and high voltage applications.  With over 500+ employees worldwide and a consolidated turnover of nearly €100 million, MARECHAL are established market-leaders in the manufacture of LV Power & Electrical Distribution Connection products.

600V to 66kV | Substation to Socket Connections for LV & HV Electrical Power

Heat shrink, cold shrink, push-on and slip-over cable accessories enable the jointing and connection of 11kV/33kV and 66kV-/132kV cables to oil, air or gas insulated switchgear, transformers, motors and overhead lines distributing electricity at medium/high voltages.