Alpha Process Controls (APC), a member of the GT Group, has launched a new training division to support the skills and competency development of engineers involved in the transfer of hazardous liquids, chemicals and gases including LNG and LPG.
The division will operate out of GT Group’s recently expanded Research and Development facility in North East England to provide practical training for the maintenance of its portfolio of coupling systems.
A team of three experienced and fully-qualified product engineers will deliver training, which can also be provided on customer sites anywhere in the world.
Engineers that successfully complete the training programmes receive a certificate of attendance for the maintenance of couplings.
Dedicated training rooms have been created at the facility in Peterlee, County Durham. In addition, the training will also take advantage of APC’s specialist in-house coupling test centre.
Introduced as part of a multi-million pound investment, the test facility uses a pressurised water system, calibrated to supply water at a comparable rate to LNG during ship to ship transfer, to ensure couplings deliver maximum performance and meet stringent industry standards.
It is used to overhaul, re-test and re-commission units that are already in operation throughout the globe and offers a range of scenarios ideal for practical training.
The training division and the testing facility are key elements of APC’s growing position in the onshore, marine liquid and gas transfer sectors.
APC designs, manufactures and installs bespoke engineering systems, which include safety breakaway couplings, drybreak couplings and emergency release collar breakaway couplings, in addition to loading arms and loading skids, supplied to its international client base that includes Shell, BP, Exxon and Saudi Aramco.
John Lamb, Managing Director of Alpha Process Controls, said: “It is essential that engineer training and competency maintains the same pace as the development of technology.
“APC has, through an extensive five year programme of research and development, developed a family of coupling solutions that meet the safety and productivity challenges of liquid transfer operations and we have developed training programmes that enable engineers to have a comprehensive and practical understanding of their operation and maintenance.”
