Emerson Controls the Flame on the Olympic Torch in Turin
Emerson’s mission includes preventing Olympic flame-out
Jerry Moon at Emerson just sent me this:
Emerson Process Management will be at the base of the 25-meter-high Olympic Flame when it ignites Friday, heralding the beginning of the 20th Winter Olympic Games. Emerson is providing the technology that will ignite and maintain the iconic flame as it burns until the close of the competition Feb. 26, by having designed and manufactured the pressure-regulating system – equipped with piping for measuring, filtering, and regulating natural gas to six burners – that will ignite and keep the flame burning up to 25 meters high throughout the games.
Emerson developed the system for Azienda Energia e Servizi, the local Turin gas company supplying the natural gas. The system, which resembles a boiler for a large building, is about 18 feet long and 6 feet wide, and includes inlet and outlet headers, a filtering section, a measuring line, pressure regulators, and a safety relief valve. It also includes emergency backup capability to ensure the flame burns bright even if a problem arises with the main equipment.
“Emerson’s mission is to provide technology solutions to our customers, whether digital automation that allows manufacturing plants to run more smoothly, or solutions that enable the Olympic Flame to burn more brightly,” said John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management, (obviously with a big smile on his face –ed.).
Emerson engineers from Bologna, Italy, installed the system in the flame tower beside the new Olympic Stadium in downtown Turin. The Olympic Flame arrives Thursday in Turin, and will be used to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony Friday. The Winter Games are expected to attract a combined television audience of more than 2 billion people worldwide.
The Winter Games, which include seven sports and 15 disciplines, will draw 2,500 athletes, 650 judges and umpires, and more than 1 million spectators for the 17 days of competition and ceremonies.