Boatsafe® Heaters and The Olympic Flame

In September 2001, BoatSafe® was contacted by an individual from the Georgia Institute of Technology. This person had been entrusted with the responsibility of designing and implementing the “conveyance” method that would transport the Olympic Flame on its journey across America. The Flame would travel across most of the U.S. before arriving in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympic Games. Keeping the Flame lit during its journey was critically important. The Flame would be traveling through areas of the country where temperatures would be extremely cold. The cauldron that held the Flame was fueled by propane. And, since propane sometimes will fail to flow properly when it is very cold, his dilemma was how to insure that the propane fuel could safely be warmed to a temperature where it would continue to maintain enough flow pressure to keep the Flame burning.

After a lengthy discussion of the requirements that had to be met, it was decided that BoatSafe® Heaters would do the job reliably and safely. The Flame transport vehicle was a specially outfitted Chevrolet Avalanche® SUV. The cauldron that held the Flame was mounted in the rear of the SUV. The vehicle had a 120V A/C alternator installed under the hood. The output from that alternator was routed to a special compartment in the rear of the vehicle that housed four 20lb. propane cylinders used to provide fuel for the Flame. Two 750W BoatSafe® Heaters were also installed in that same compartment. The 120V A/C from the special alternator provided the power to operate the BoatSafe® Heaters.

Any time the Flame traveled through an area where the temperature was cold enough to affect the operating pressure of the propane, the BoatSafe® Heaters would energize and keep the compartment warm enough so that the propane would continue to flow properly.
No special modifications or alterations were performed on these two heaters. They were the same heaters that our customers receive when they purchase a BoatSafe® from their favorite marine accessories dealer to be used on their boat during the winter months.

When “crunch” time came, and a safe and dependable product had to be found to provide protection against winter temperatures, BoatSafe® Heaters got the job done!

BOATSAFE® HEATERS
WE HELPED KEEP THE OLYMPIC FLAME BURNING BRIGHTLY.

(*Note: This article is for news and information purposes only.)