TIMM technology is a German company founded in 1963 that specializes in the development and manufacture of high-quality safety technology. TIMM technology operates in the explosion protection and renewable energy industries. The company’s electronic measuring and control equipment is used in tank facilities, ports and industry, especially in the (petro)chemical industry, to ensure safe loading, unloading and access control.
Ontec Oy has been an importer of TIMM products for over 15 years. The cooperation has been close, and as a result, the language of use of the TIMM devices is, among other things, Finnish. We have delivered hundreds of earthing, anti-overfill and other devices and measuring devices for industrial needs. In this article, a few examples of the devices we have provided.
Grounding and Overflow Protection Devices
Grounding and anti-overflow equipment improves the quality of tank areas, refineries. safety in factory environments and other liquid handling areas. A wide range of earthing devices, from simple earthing clamps and cables to active electrostatic devices, are available in TIMM Technology’s product ranges. EKX4 belongs to the latter and is the best-selling grounding device of TIMM devices in Finland.
EKX-4 Grounding Device
During loading or unloading, even a single spark can be enough to cause an explosion. This is prevented by safely grounding potential sources of sparks. The EKX-4 enables safe loading by ensuring that static electricity is discharged to the ground while constantly monitoring that the connection is maintained. Whether it’s a tanker, a train, or a big bag, the EKX-4 detects the ground status and allows loading to begin. If the grounding is disturbed or ceases, loading will stop automatically. The EKX-4 is designed for use in accordance with the ATEX directive for equipment classes dust and gas in hazardous areas and for zone classes 1 and 2, as well as 21 and 22.
Functional principle
Before the loading process begins, the EKX-4 is connected to the transport fleet using a plug-in and a press. The EKX-4 ensures that static electricity is safely discharged to the ground while ensuring that the connection is not lost. This method of operation differs from 2-pole grounding devices, which are easier to manipulate in this regard. The device’s green LED light will indicate the status of a safe connection – when the red light comes on, the connection is disturbed, and the device immediately interrupts the loading process.
Benefits for the customer
- Protection against electrostatic discharges in hazardous areas
- Prevents earth manipulation due to object detection and earth status monitoring (measures impedance)
- Simple application configuration (e.g. tanker truck, train wagon, etc.)
- The automated diagnostic system continuously monitors all safety-related activities
- Thanks to cable compensation, it is possible to connect cables up to 30 m in length using the NAMUR-compatible Ex i control output
- SIL 2 control output
Accessories: cables, clamps, push buttons, testing equipment
EUS-2 Grounding and Overload Prevention Device
During the underloading of tanker trucks, several compartments are filled at high speed without the possibility of visual supervision. In critical situations, the EUS-2 will immediately interrupt the filling or unloading process. To prevent product spills, electrostatic charges and emissions, an emergency shut-off system, controlled earthing and the collection of greenhouse gases are mandatory by law to ensure safe loading operations. In practice, the EUS-2 monitors the level sensors of the tank compartments, the grounding of the truck and the recovery of heat gases from possible fault situations, etc. by interrupting the loading process immediately.
Benefits for the customer
- Automatic recognition of the connected tank truck
- Automatic country type detection
- Language of use selectable, e.g. Finnish
Accessories: cables, clamps, push buttons, testing equipment and home sockets
SEK-3 Marine grounding system
Flammable liquids, their loading and unloading into oil and chemical tankers create hazardous environments. Sparks can arise at the junctions of loading hoses, loading arms or other conductive equipment due to the potential difference between the tanker and the shore.
Functional principle
SEK-3 forms an equipotential bond with very little resistance between the ship and the shore, which cancels out the physical effects of the electrical potential difference. The explosion protection prevents uncontrolled sparks when handling conductive materials in the terminal. In addition, the SEK-3 alerts you to dangerous situations by flashing the LEDs while switching off the corresponding control outputs.
Benefits for the customer
- Powerful low-ohmic coupling, especially for marine applications
- 2 clearly visible LEDs on the front panel of the device
- Easy to check the status of the ground connection thanks to the LED
- Easy-to-read fault analyses inside the enclosure
Accessories: cables, clamps, hangers