Expanding our Middle East presence
Committed to providing unrivalled customer service as locally as possible, John Crane has doubled the size 
of its regional headquarters in Dubai by establishing an adjoining state-of-the-art maintenance and manufacturing facility.
The expanded Middle East and Africa headquarters includes one of the world’s most advanced gas seal test rigs which features a customer viewing suite, on-line wireless access for testing and reporting, plus full inspection services. The 4,000m2 facility also houses custom diagnostic, inspection and refurbishment facilities for wet seals and metal bellows.
Gulf region customers will now benefit from easier access to a far more comprehensive inventory of John Crane spares than previously, as well as rapid connections to the company’s extensive global spares network. The prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver-certified facility, which employs over 80 people, helps ensure John Crane maintains its global status as provider of choice for engineered solutions among process and energy industry customers.
Tapping alternative power
While John Crane is rightly renowned for servicing the traditional oil and gas sector, its advanced equipment is also proving crucial to the development of one of the most promising sources of ‘renewa
ble’ energy – concentrated solar power.
By 2050 around 15% of Europe’s electricity demand could be met by solar energy and John Crane is already participating in projects in southern Spain and the United States.
Its patented HTC (High-Temperature Corrosion-resistant) seal technology allows reliable sealing of heat transfer fluids, critical to the success of concentrated power plants. John Crane sealing technology is also used in the ‘power block’ section, where a safely encased combination of molten salts and water produces high-powered steam to drive turbines and generators.
The intense heat of up to 400°C (752°F) is created by mirror-focusing the sun’s rays on to an absorber tube filled with heat transfer fluid. This thermal energy can be stored in the form of melted salts so that generation can continue through the night or on cloudy days.