Alderley Materials Limited, an innovative, dynamic company, has an established reputation for supplying passive fire protection (PFP) to the oil and gas, marine, mass transit and aerospace industries.

The company, part of the Alderley Group, commenced operations in 1994. It is based in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, where development and manufacture is carried out on site. ContraTherm, designed and manufactured by Alderley Materials Limited, is the trade name for the high-performance phenolic foams that provide passive fire protection, thermal insulation, corrosion resistance and impact and blast protection for various process equipment, structures and risers. ContraTherm JF211, a trademarked product which has Lloyds Register approval, is easily applied in the field, providing up to 90 minutes' jet fire protection. It was developed to protect production separators and associated equipment with operating temperatures up to 185°C. Alderley Materials has a wealth of experience through providing fire-protection solutions for the oil and gas sector and working with contractors and material application specialists.

ContraTherm is not only recommended for fire protection but it can also be used as a thermal insulator for many applications. It is suitable for use on structures with accurate dimensions, still allowing easy equipment access for inspection and maintenance. Additionally with it's proven capacity to function on vessels at high operating temperatures the ContraTherm product range is extremely unique.

Alderley Materials Ltd is now making the move into sub-sea insulations. Huge investments are being made into testing for suitability in this market with very promising results so far. ContraTherm materials have been designed and developed to meet the exacting demands of the offshore oil and gas industry and marine, mass transit and aerospace sectors. It was chosen on the basis of its ability to withstand the harsh operating and environmental conditions associated with the oil industry. End users include Saga Petroleum, BP Exploration, Shell. The Britannia Alliance, TotalFinaElf, Amerada Hess, Petro Canada, Norsk Hydro and Esso. The range of applications for which these materials are suitable include PFP and thermal insulation of process vessels/pipework/flanges, PFP and heat conservation of underdecks, PFP and heat conservation of accommodation areas (external system avoiding the need for vapour barriers or the consequences of vapour-barrier failure), PFP and insulation of risers/ESDV, construction of composite offshore/safety modules and cast removable sections of PFP/insulation for valves, pipework and flanges. All these materials are generally 'wet applied' directly to primed steel, making them ideal for application to complex shapes with the additional benefit of providing a continuous high-integrity corrosion-resistant barrier.

Contratherm can be cast into panels or half shells if required.