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4 • June 2015
NEWS ► Industry News/ 6 Technology News / 18
NEWS FEATURES ► Future Refineries will be Evolving with ‘Complex & Integrated’ Configurations / 22 Riding on Innovative Automation Technologies / 30
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– Amit Choudhary, Process Design Engineer, Flour Daniel India Pvt Ltd The Enlightened Plant: How an Automation System Delivers New Insight to Plant Operations
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MARKET INSIGHTS ► Henkel to Set-up India’s Largest Adhesives Plant / 71
MARKETING INITIATIVE ► Hydrodyne (India) Pvt Ltd / 72 Automated Solutions for Polymer Development / 73
PRODUCTS ► / 76 EVENTS ► / 81 PROJECT UPDATE ► /82 BACK OF BOOK ► Ad Index / 84 Book Shelf / 85 Interview/ 86 New Fertiliser Policy... A Welcome Shot in the Arm to Revitalise the Industry – R G Rajan, Chairman & Managing Director, RCF Ltd
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CEW Industry News Axens Chosen as Technology Provider for RAPID Project New Delhi, India: Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) has selected Axens as a technology provider for PETRONAS’ Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (RAPID) project located in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. RAPID is part of PETRONAS’ Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) development, which includes six major associated facilities namely the Pengerang Co-generation Plant, Re-gasification Terminal 2, Air Separation Unit, Raw Water Supply Project, Liquid Bulk Terminal as well as central and shared Utilities and Facilities. RAPID is estimated to cost USD 16 billion while the associated facilities will involve an investment of about USD 11 billion. PIC is poised for its refinery start-up by early 2019. Axens was initially selected in October 2010 for a Detailed Feasibility Study, after which their technologies were selected following an open bid in January 2012 on the basis of the best NPV (Net Present Value), as well as proven long term operating experiences supported by the technology and catalyst’s specific features; hence providing additional benefits to the project.
Industrial Output Grew to 4.1% in April New Delhi, USA: On the manufacturing sector’s better than expected performance, the Index of Industrial Production reached 4.1 per cent in April 2015 which is higher than last month’s number at 3.7 per cent. The manufacturing output that has a weightage of as high as 75 per cent in IIP was more than the 3 per cent seen in the April 2014. Although the IIP performance was positive this April, the retail inflation for May 2015 was just as anticipated at 5.1 per cent. This recent IIP performance is an indicator of the increase in the industrial activity in view of the factory output having reached 2.5 per cent in March. The manufacturing performance saw a boost as a result of the uptrend in the capital goods output which increased to 11.1 per cent for the sixth consecutive month; also the consumer goods output rose by 3.1 per cent.
Indian Nuclear Power Plant to Use MBH Pumps Ahmedabad, India: MBH Pumps has bagged order to supply Dewatering pumps to L&T Power for Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, (NPCIL). Larsen & Toubro Ltd, (L&T) is a major Engineering commemorate of India, handling large industrial project. L&T Power will supply, install and commission equipment for 2x700 MW atomic power plant for NPCIL in Rajasthan. MBH Pumps will be supplying the de-watering pumps for construction of the nuclear power plant. MBH Pumps has a new feather in its cap with the supply of de-watering pumps from inception of nuclear power project. These 18 Pumps will have capacity of pumping 20,000 litre/hour with a total of 365,000 litre /hour. They will help in building the foundation of the power project. MBH Pumps is also expanding its business worldwide and seeking new partners globally.
Freudenberg to Invest ` 135 Crore Unit Bengaluru, India: Freudenberg, the global family-owned company, continues on its successful trajectory in India. In 2014, the technology group generated overall sales of ` 1,497 crore in India. Total global sales of the Freudenberg Group amounted to Euro 7,039.1 million, representing growth of Euro 416.6 million or 6.3 per cent over the previous year, thus resulting in global record sales for the fifth consecutive year. One significant project is the new production site of Chem-Trend and Klüber Lubrication in Mysore that will officially open in August 2015. For a total of around ` 135 crore, it is one of the largest investments in the Asia-Pacific region of the Freudenberg Group. This is where more than 20 products will be developed and manufactured for the customers in the South East Asia/Pacific region. The site at Mysore – buildings with a surface area of 17,000 m2 on a site of some 40,000 m2 – also hosts product development facilities and major tribology testing facilities with equipment such as an FZG test rig. FZG stands for Gear Research Centre.
Axalta and Hempel Form Partnership MRPL’s PPU Commences Commercial Production Mangaluru, India: MRPL has successfully started commercial production of Polypropylene from its 4,40,000 MT/annum Polypropylene Unit (PPU) at Mangaluru. MRPL’s Polypropylene Unit, the one of its kind in South India, licensed by Novolen and constructed by Engineers India Ltd (EIL) is integrated with its Phase III and gets its feedstock from its Petrochemical Fluidised Catalytic Cracking Unit (PFCCU). The unit is backed by 4 warehouses with capacity for 21 days cover and a fully Automated Pellet Bagging System. “Commercial Production of Polypropylene, which is a value-added product, marks MRPL’s foray into Petrochemicals. This will be a new revenue stream for MRPL and will also deliver value to the stakeholders,” said H Kumar, Managing Director, MRPL. 6 • June 2015
Houston, USA: Axalta Coating Systems announced forming of a strategic relationship between Axalta and Hempel (USA) Inc. The relationship will enable the formulation/availability of a coating system that boasts external coatings with significant corrosion protection and internal coatings with advanced flow efficiency for natural gas transmission pipes in the North American oil and gas pipeline market. This new relationship combines the corrosion protection found in Axalta’s fusion-bonded-epoxy powder for external pipe for oil and gas pipelines with Hempel’s advanced, liquid, flow-efficiency epoxies for internal coating. The resulting product is a corrosion and abrasion-resistant internal and external coating designed to be suitable for even the harshest of environments. Chemical Engineering World
Chemical Engineering World
October 2013 • 11
CEW Industry News SIBUR & SAP to Execute Petrochemical IT Project in Russia Saint Petersburg, Russia: The Russian petrochemical group SIBUR and SAP CIS have signed an agreement on strategic cooperation. The signing of the strategic partnership agreement is a continuation of successful cooperation between SIBUR and SAP, which began with a pilot project to introduce an ERP system at SIBUR’s enterprises and Moscow headquarter. The complexity of the implementation process was driven by tight deadlines and the need to launch the ERP system without interrupting production and key business processes, while also maintaining operation of the SAP ERP related information systems. The decision to choose the platform was based on an analysis of the functionality of information systems, taking into account industry specifics. SAP has operated on the Russian market for many years, and is firmly established as a reliable vendor capable of providing solutions that fully satisfy SIBUR’s high requirements. The cooperation agreement calls for the implementation of the SAP system in all of SIBUR’s production facilities. The project is scheduled for completion by 2019. By implementing SAP throughout the company, SIBUR expects to see an increase in the accuracy of production planning models, a reduction in the cost of repairs and maintenance, and a general improvement in the reliability of data.
ACHEMA 2015: Global Summit of Innovations Frankfurt am Main, Germany: With 3,813 exhibitors, for the first time at ACHEMA, the majority – 53.9 per cent of exhibitors come from abroad. The biggest groups behind Germany come from China and Italy. About 167,000 participants from more than 100 countries attended the ‘global summit of innovations and exhibitors from 56 countries presented new products and technologies for the chemical, pharma and food industry. Innovation was the leading tune of the opening day in Frankfurt. During the opening press conference, Jürgen Nowicki, Chairman – ACHEMA Committee said that significant increase in international exhibitor numbers offered proof that ACHEMA was on track and has strengthened its position as the world’s leading trade show for the process industries. Prof Dr Rainer Diercks, Chairman – Board of DECHEMA eV, named ACHEMA ‘the global summit of innovation’. Being interdisciplinary and highly international, according to him ACHEMA is a ‘melting pot of ideas’. Diercks also pointed out that the contribution of chemistry and process engineering to the solution of global challenges such as water supply, food or health is not well-known to the general public. ACHEMA therefore aims increasingly to enter into a dialogue with the public. The General Manager of the German Association of Chemical Industries Dr Utz Tillmann emphasised the importance of the innovation association with automotive engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering for Germany as an innovation centre.
BASF Inaugurates World-Scale Acrylic Acid Complex Camaçari, Brazil: BASF inaugurated its world-scale production complex for acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil. These are the first plants for acrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers in South America. The complex has a capacity of 160,000 tons of acrylic acid per year. The investment of more than Euro 500 million is the largest in BASF’s more than century-long history in South America. Superabsorbent polymers are important products in the acrylic acid value chain and are used in the production of baby diapers and other hygiene products. Butyl acrylate, another important derivative of acrylic acid, is used to produce adhesives, construction chemicals and decorative paints. “This complex will secure national and regional supply of products that are currently imported. In addition, it will positively impact the local economy by encouraging investment and innovation in the region and attracting new companies to the Camaçari industrial area,” said Ralph Schweens, President – South America, BASF. In addition to the new Camaçari complex, BASF will convert its butyl acrylate plant at its existing site in Guaratinguetá near São Paulo to produce 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, an important raw material for the adhesive and coatings industries. Production is expected to start in 2016 and will be based on acrylic acid produced in Camaçari. 8 • June 2015
German Robotics and Automation Sector to Grow Frankfurt, Germany: In the past years, robots have considerably contributed to economic growth and prosperity worldwide. The German robotics and automation sector saw a new record in 2014 by achieving a turnover increase of 9 per cent to Euro 11.4 billion. In the current year a turnover growth of 5 per cent is expected. In the first four months of 2015, order intake exceeded last year’s level by 11 per cent. Demand came mainly from abroad. In 2014, exports already accounted for 55 per cent. The largest export market is China where investments are increasingly being made in automation technology in order to advance into technologically advanced markets in the future. The automotive industry expanded its population of industrial robots in Germany by 15 per cent up to 92,000 units between 2010 and 2014. Robotics, as a sub-sector of robotics and automation, increased its turnover by 7 per cent, reaching Euro 3.3 billion in 2014. Machine vision recorded the largest increase of 16 per cent, reaching Euro 1.9 billion. The turnover of integrated assembly solutions increased by 8 per cent to Euro 6.2 billion. According to an IFR survey more than 225,000 robots were newly installed in 2014. This corresponds to a rise of 27 per cent compared to the previous year. Chemical Engineering World
CEW Industry News Neste & Total Fluides to Cooperate on Bio-based Solvents & Technical Fluids
UOP Honeywell Technology Chosen by Dangote for Refinery
Espoo, Finland: Neste and Total Fluides have signed a collaborative agreement for the supply of Neste proprietary N E X B T L r e n ew a bl e i s o a l k a n e u s e d by To t a l F l u i d e s a s feedstock to produce and develop innovative bio-based solvents and technical fluids. Total Fluides will market a new line of renewable fluids for numerous applications such as paints and coatings, drilling fluids, solvents for emulsion polymerisation, printing ink fluids, emollients for cosmetics and many others industrial and automotive fluids.
Des Plaines, USA: UOP LLC announced that its process technology, catalysts and proprietary equipment will form the basis for the largest refinery in Africa, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuels and petrochemicals. Dangote Oil Refining Company selected UOP technology for a world-scale integrated refinery and petrochemical plant to be built in Lekki, near the capital of Lagos in south-western Nigeria. Nigeria has the second-largest amount of proven oil reserves in Africa – an estimated 37.2 billion barrels, according to Oil & Gas Journal. However, the country currently imports most of its refined product requirements due to lack of domestic refining capacity.
“The bio-based solvents produced from NEXBTL renewable i s o a l k a n e a n d p r o c e s s e d u s i n g To t a l F l u i d e s ’ a d va n c e d technology are ideal for downstream use, as their premium quality means that no modifications need to be made to existing processes or production methods,” explained Kaisa Hietala, Executive Vice President, Renewable Products, Neste. “The use of bio-sourced raw materials will bring innovative solutions to the market. The first feedbacks from our customers, who have been testing our new fluids, are very positive and very encouraging,” said Joël Navaron, President, Total Fluides. Neste’s NEXBTL renewable products have a comparable composition to that of their fossil equivalents and, thanks to Total Fluides’ advanced t e c h n o l o g y, t h ey c a n b e t ra n s fo r m e d i n t o m a t e r i a l s w i t h unique proper ties.
Innospec to Divest Aroma Chemicals Business Englewood, USA: Innospec, Inc, has reached an agreement to divest its aroma chemicals business unit (Innospec Widnes Limited) to Emerald Kalama Chemical. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed; however, key details are available in a Form 8k filed by Innospec with the SEC. The sale is expected to close by the end of July 2015. Innospec will use the proceeds as part of its balanced capital management program. Patrick S Williams, President & CEO, Innospec, said, “We have been looking to focus more of our resources on our key businesses and markets that provide us with the best growth opportunities. We have felt for some time that we were unable to provide the Aroma Chemicals business with the support it needs to grow in this market. We believe that the business will flourish under ownership whose core strategic focus includes the aroma chemicals markets. We have made our strategy very clear. We will continue to focus on Fuel Specialties, Oilfield Specialties and Personal Care, where the markets remain attractive, and our strong commitment to technology development and customer ser vice provides opportunities for future growth.” 10 • June 2015
“UOP has been designing state-of-the-art refineries and petrochemical plants for more than a century, so we are well-equipped to help Nigeria develop a massive new installation to meet its domestic needs,” said Pete Piotrowski, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Process, Technology and Equipment business, UOP. In addition to processing crude oil to produce high-quality gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that meet Euro V specifications for reduced emissions, the new facility will produce world-scale quantities of polypropylene, a key petrochemical used in plastics and packaging.
Evonik Completes Acquisition of Monarch Catalyst Essen, Germany: Evonik Industries AG announced the successful completion of the acquisition of Monarch Catalyst Pvt Ltd, on June 5th, 2015. The company employs approximately 300 employees and will be renamed to Evonik Catalysts India Pvt Ltd. All of Evonik’s future catalyst activities in India will be operated through the newly acquired company. The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. Evonik with its Business Line Catalysts is a global leader in producing specialty catalysts, custom catalysts and catalysts components for the Life Sciences and Fine Chemicals, Industrial and Petrochemical and Polyolefines market segments. Monarch’s global activities in oils and fats hydrogenation catalysts range is a broadening of the Evonik catalysts portfolio. The activated base metal catalysts and precious metal catalysts portfolio strengthens Evonik’s positions in India and the Asia region. Monarch’s existing customer base will continued to be served through the established sales channels. Patrik Wohlhauser, Chief Operating Officer and member of Evonik’s Executive Board sees this acquisition as an excellent opportunity to strengthen the catalysts business in the growth region Asia. “The Catalysts Business Line belongs to the core businesses in Evonik’s Resource Efficiency Segment. With this acquisition we complement our competencies in innovation for products and technologies to make our customers’ processes and products more efficient,” commented Wohlhauser. Chemical Engineering World
CEW Industry News Arkema and CJ’s Thiochemicals Platform Inaugurated Terengganu, Malaysia: In the presence of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Terengganu and the Federal and State Government authorities of Malaysia, Arkema and CJ invited 500 guests to the inauguration ceremony of their joint platform on the Kerteh site in Terengganu. The thiochemicals plant, which successfully came on stream in Kerteh, Malaysia, beginning of 2015, was officially inaugurated in the presence of the main Malaysian authorities, the French Ambassador, and Arkema’s main customers in the Asia-Pacific region. This world-scale thiochemicals platform produces methyl mercaptan, a synthesis intermediate for animal feed, as well as dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). The facility strengthens Arkema’s position as the world leader in high added value sulfur derivatives, and is fully consistent with the Group’s growth strategy in Asia. The construction of the new plant represented investments of some Euro 200 million for the Group. With this major project, a first-rate technological success, Arkema reaffirms its knowhow in carrying through complex industrial projects together with its expertise in thiochemicals. The Group confirms its strong expertise of the production process for methyl mercaptan, a sulfur intermediate that is key to the manufacture of the bio-methionine on the same site by Korean company CJ CheilJedang using an innovative biosourced process.
Asahi Kansei Expands Production Lines of Duranol & Duranate Tokyo, China: Asahi Kasei Chemicals held an opening ceremony in June 2015, for a new production line for Duranol polycarbonatediol (PCD) and a 2 nd line for Duranate hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-based polyisocyanate at its plant in Nantong, China. Commercial operation of the new Duranol line began in November 2014, and that of the 2 nd Duranate line began in May 2015. The ceremony was attended by approximately 140 people from China and Japan, including customers and other related parties. At the ceremony, Yuji Kobayashi, President, Asahi Kasei Chemicals, said, “Since the 2007 start-up of the 1 st line for Duranate in Nantong, our HDI polyisocyanate business has been expanding smoothly. The new line for Duranol and the 2 nd line for Duranate enhance our ability to develop the market in China and other Asian countries by supplying high-performance and high-quality products for polyurethane. Nantong is an outstanding location for us to further expand business from.” Demand for highly functional PCD is forecasted to continue to grow throughout Asia and especially in China as a major centre for manufacturing automobiles and consumer electronics. The expansion of the plant in China will enable the company to meet demand growth with a stable supply infrastructure in Asia, reinforcing its position as a leading supplier of highly functional materials, including both Duranol PCD and Duranate HDI polyisocyanate, to manufacturers of high-performance polyurethanes. 14 • June 2015
Synthetic Gas-to-Ethylene Glycol Technology to be Commercialised by Wison Engineering and Partners Hong Kong, China: Wison Engineering Services Co, Ltd, has signed a strategic cooperative agreement with Guizhou Xinxin Chemical Engineering Co, Ltd, and Tianjin University. The three parties will jointly promote the commercialisation of their proprietary technology for the production of ethylene glycol from synthetic gas. Moreover, Wison Engineering will provide EPC services relating to a demonstration unit for the yellow phosphorus tail gas to 70kta oxalic acid and 10kta ethylene glycol project under the strategic agreement. According to the agreement, Wison Engineering, Tianjin University and Xinxin Group will give full play to their respective advantages to enhance the development of their proprietary synthetic gas-toethylene glycol technology and to promote its commercialisation. While Tianjin University will provide the process design package (PDP) of synthetic gas-to-ethylene glycol technology, Wison Engineering will work on PDP conversion and offer engineering design and project management services, and Xinxin Group will invest in the construction of a 10 kta ethylene glycol demonstration unit for the yellow phosphorus tail gas-to-70kta oxalic acid and 10kta ethylene glycol project as pilot plant for further technology optimisation. Wison Engineering is responsible for the basic design, detailed design, procurement and construction management, and commissioning of the demonstration unit. It will take the lead to adopt advanced plant design software, including Smart Plant 3D and Smart Plant P&ID, to process the digitalised engineering work, which can improve efficiency and the design progress. At the same time, the project will also involve the implementation of modular design, manufacturing, transportation and installation, to enable a complete digital delivery to the project owner.
Solvay Inaugurates a Biotechnology Laboratory Brussels, Belgium: Solvay opened in Brazil its first fully dedicated Industrial Biotechnology Laboratory (IBL) to boost the development of innovations and solutions based on sustainable chemistry, used in a growing range of end-markets. The fully integrated laboratory in Paulinia will chiefly focus on researching new processes and molecules derived from biomass, which is mostly plant or vegetable based and abundantly available in Brazil with its favourable climate and vast surface. The laboratory’s highly qualified researchers will work jointly with the group’s Global Business Units in Solvay’s research and innovation centres worldwide as well as with external partners including public and private institutions. Research programs in place include notably projects in flavours, fragrances, surfactants, cellulose derivatives and solvents. For many decades now Solvay has been developing products and solutions based on bio-sourced raw materials such as ethanol and glycerol. Its growth and innovation strategy responds to society’s challenges in dealing with the scarcity of resources amid growing industrialisation, urbanisation and an increasing number of consumers. Chemical Engineering World
CEW Industry News Praxair to Supply Gaseous Nitrogen to UPL Danbury, USA: Praxair, Inc, has signed a long-term supply contract with United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) in Jhagadia, India, for the supply of gaseous nitrogen to the company’s manufacturing unit in central Gujarat. This agreement further strengthens Praxair’s presence in the fast-growing Western region of the country. UPL is expanding its production capacity, resulting in an increase in its nitrogen usage. Praxair will build, own and operate a 45-tons-per-day nitrogen plant, which is expected to start up in the second half of 2015. The plant will also replace some of the existing customer-owned lower-efficiency nitrogen production equipment currently in place at the site. “The small on-site nitrogen plants designed by Praxair offer UPL and our customers operational efficiency and process reliability. This agreement is another example of the benefits offered by our technology and the confidence our customers have in Praxair,” said Anuj Sharma, Managing Director, Praxair India.
Celanese Awards EPCM Contract to Jacobs California, USA: Jacobs Engineering Group Inc, was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract from Celanese Corporation for the construction of a vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions production plant at Jurong Island, Singapore. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is responsible for the detailed engineering and design of the project; plus procurement of major equipment and management of construction services. With a VAE plant in Singapore, Celanese will broaden its network to better serve customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in the higher-end applications of architectural coatings, building and construction, carpets, and paper industries. Construction is expected to begin by mid-2015, and the unit is expected to begin production by second half of 2016. Upon making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Kevin McMahon said, “We have an existing relationship with Celanese Corporation in the US, and we are delighted to expand this relationship into the Asia region. We look forward to leveraging our globally recognised EPCM experience to oversee this strategically important plant construction.”
A Schulman Completes Acquisition of Citadel Ohio, USA: A Schulman, Inc, has completed the acquisition of HGGC Citadel Plastics Holdings, Inc, for USD 800 million. A Schulman expects the transaction to be accretive in the first 12 months of ownership and to realise approximately USD 25 million in synergies within the next 18 months. “We are thrilled to add Citadel to our portfolio of highly specialized businesses, and welcome the talented group of associates to the A. Schulman team,” said Bernard Rzepka, President and Chief Executive Officer of A Schulman. Since 2010, A Schulman has been executing a deliberate acquisitive growth strategy to aggressively grow in key geographic regions and expand the company’s global specialty product portfolio and capabilities. The Citadel acquisition builds upon this successful strategy, and provides our customers with an extended, valueadded product offering. HSBC Securities (USA), Inc. acted as exclusive M&A advisor to A. Schulman, Inc. in connection with this transaction. 16 • June 2015
Cepsa Concludes Sale of Canadian PTA Plant to Indorama Madrid, Spain: Cepsa concluded the sale of its purified terephtalic acid (PTA, raw material used to produce polyester) industrial plant in Montreal to Thailandbased Indorama as part of its strategy to Cepsa Montreal Plant focus on higher growth petrochemical areas where it is a leader. The sale, which was first announced in March, has been concluded following regulatory approval by the competition authorities. Cepsa´s main aim during the sale process is to guarantee that its PTA business, which makes the raw material used to produce polyester, is sold to a world leader in the sector, and that workers´ rights are not affected. The sale of the Canadian PTA plant will allow Indorama to become an integrated player in the PET market in North America. Meanwhile, the sale allows Cepsa to focus its plans on those markets where it has a strong presence and ability to develop to their full potential the assets that it has, such as in its phenol, acetone and LAB/LABSA (raw material used to produce detergents) businesses in Spain, Canada, Brazil, China, and Indonesia.
Apollo to Acquire OM Group Cleveland, USA: OM Group, Inc, is to be acquired by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC for USD 34.00 per share in cash. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 28 per cent over OM Group’s closing share price on May 29, 2015. Platform Specialty Products will acquire OM Group’s Electronic Chemicals and Photomasks businesses, which represented approximately USD 28 million of adjusted EBITDA in 2014, from the Apollo Funds in two separate transactions for total cash consideration of USD 365 million. Platform believes there is a synergy opportunity in excess of USD 20 million over the next two years from the combination of these complementary assets. Following the transactions, the Apollo Funds will own OM Group’s Magnetic Technologies, Battery Technologies and Advanced Organics businesses. The boards of directors of OM Group and Platform unanimously approved the respective transactions. The acquisition of OM Group is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions, the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart - Scott - Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions, and OM Group stockholder approval. The merger agreement includes a ‘go - shop’ period, during which the board will actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals during a 35 - day period following the execution date of the definitive agreement. Chemical Engineering World
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CEW Technology News New ‘Designer Carbon’ Boosts Battery Performance
Turning paper industry waste into chemicals
C a l i fo r n i a , U S A : S t a n fo r d U n i ve r s i t y s c i e n t i s t s h ave created a new carbon material that significantly boosts the performance of energy-storage technologies. “We have developed a ‘designer carbon’ that is both versatile and controllable. Our A new ‘designer carbon’ invented by Stanford scientists significantly improved the study shows that this material power delivery rate of this supercapacitor. has exceptional energy-storage capacity, enabling unprecedented performance in lithium-sulfur batteries and supercapacitors,” said Zhenan Bao, senior author of the study and professor of chemical engineering, Stanford. According to Bao, the new designer carbon represents a dramatic improvement over conventional activated carbon, an inexpensive material widely used in products ranging from water filters and air deodorisers to energystorage devices. “A lot of cheap activated carbon is made from coconut shells. To activate the carbon, manufacturers burn the coconut at high temperatures and then chemically treat it,” Bao said. The activation process creates nano-sized holes, or pores, that increase the surface area of the carbon, allowing it to catalyse more chemical reactions and store more electrical charges. But activated carbon has serious drawbacks, Bao said. Instead of using coconut shells, Bao and her colleagues developed a new way to synthesise high-quality carbon using inexpensive – and uncontaminated – chemicals and polymers. The process begins with conducting hydrogel, a water-based polymer with a spongy texture similar to soft contact lenses. Read more on http://news.stanford.edu/
Leuven, Belgium: Researchers at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis have found a more eco-friendly way to derive lignin – a paper industry waste product – from wood and convert it into chemical building blocks. The resulting chemicals can be used in paint, insulation foam, and several other products. Lignin is a substance in the cell walls of plants that strengthens their structure. When wood is processed into paper pulp, lignin is produced as a waste product. Researchers have long been trying to valorise this lignin waste stream, says Professor Bert Sels. The traditional method to remove lignin from the pulp requires heavy chemistry and has side-effects: you end up with lignin that is unsuitable for further processing. Therefore, the paper industry usually burns the lignin, even though it is a rather low-grade fuel.
Tiny Semiconducting Crystals Show Promise for Solar Cell Architectures Washington DC, USA: Ames Laboratory scientists discovered semiconducting nanocrystals that function not only as stellar light-to-energy converters but also as stable light emitters. Honing methods to fine-tune optimal characteristics of materials that convert light to energy may lead to more efficient materials, as performance depends critically on composition, crystallinity, and morphology. These perovskites could be used in the construction of new solar cell architectures, as well as for light-emitting devices and single particle imaging and tracking Perovskite materials, such as CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br), are known to display intriguing electronic, light-emitting, and chemical properties. Researchers at the Ames Laboratory synthesised a series of perovskite nanocrystals with different morphologies (i.e., dots, rods, wires, plates, and sheets) by using different solvents and capping ligands. The Ames Laboratory team tested the nanocrystals to explore their morphology, growth, properties, and stability under various conditions. Characterisation studies of photoluminescence, like that seen with glow-in-the-dark paint, found that the rods and wires showed higher photoluminescence and longer photoluminescence lifetimes compared to other shapes. 18 • June 2015
Rather than focusing on the valorisation of this side stream of degraded lignin, the researchers from KU Leuven developed an alternative method to simultaneously convert the wood into usable paper pulp and high-grade lignin-derived products. “Our method involves feeding wood into a small chemical reactor and adding a catalyst – to set off the chemical reaction – as well as a solvent”, Sels explains. Read more on http://www.kuleuven.be/
New Composite Material as CO 2 Sensor Zurich, Switzerland: Material scientists at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam have developed a new type of sensor that can measure carbon dioxide (CO 2). Compared with existing ETH researchers’ miniature CO 2 sensor: chip sensors, it is much smaller, has with a thin layer of the polymer-nanoparticle a simpler construction, requires composite. considerably less energy and has an entirely different functional principle. The new sensor consists of a recently developed composite material that interacts with CO2 molecules and changes its conductivity depending on the concentration of CO2 in the environment. ETH scientists have created a sensor chip with this material that enables them to determine CO2 concentration with a simple measurement of electrical resistance. The basis of the composite material is a chain-like macromolecule (polymer) made up of salts called ionic liquids, which are liquid and conductive at room temperature. The name of the polymers is slightly misleading as they are called «poly(ionic liquid)s» (PIL), although they are solid rather than liquid. It was not only this that astonished the scientists. They were also surprised that the conductivity of the composite material at room temperature is CO2-dependent. “Until now, chemoresistive materials have displayed these properties only at a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius,” explains Dorota Koziej, a team leader in the laboratory. Thus, existing CO2 sensors made from chemoresistive materials had to be heated to a high operating temperature. With the new composite material, this is not necessary, which facilitates its application significantly. Read more on https://www.ethz.ch/ Chemical Engineering World
CEW Technology News Bayer’s Environmentally Friendly Chlorine Production Technology Honoured
Genomatica Advances Commercial Readiness of Biomass Feedstocks
Leverkusen, Germany: The government of Germany’s North RhineWestphalia state has honoured a Bayer MaterialScience chlorine manufacturing process that saves significant amounts of electricity as a flagship project for climate protection. Environment Minister Johannes Remmel presented this honour in Cologne at the annual convention of the KlimaExpo. The new oxygen depolarised cathode (ODC) technology won second place in the ‘Conserving Resources’ category. The oxygen depolarised cathode (ODC) technology developed jointly by Bayer MaterialScience and Thyssen Krupp reduces the amount of electricity needed for the very energy-intensive production of the important basic chemical chlorine by up to 30 percent. If, for example, all chlorine producers in Germany were to adopt this technology, which has now reached market maturity, the country’s overall electricity consumption could be reduced by around one percent, which is about as much energy as is needed in one year by a large city like Cologne.
San Diego, USA: Genomatica announced significant progress in harnessing cellulosic biomass for commercial production of high-quality chemicals rather than just fuels. Genomatica’s work sets the stage to increase the range of feedstock choices for making chemicals using biotechnology. Through advances in strain engineering and process design, Genomatica has developed clear guidance for biomass pre-treatment technology developers to enable their technologies to work better with commercial bioprocesses for chemicals. As part of the current work, Genomatica developed a ‘sugar specification’ for biomass pre-treatment technologies to produce sugars compatible with commercially-proven GENO processes. To harness cellulosic biomass effectively required changes to the microorganism and the overall process, including downstream separation and purification unit operations. Changes were guided by Genomatica’s ‘wholeprocess’ approach to bioprocess development and resulted in a more commercially viable solution. Genomatica believes that its sugar specification and vendor evaluation is the industry’s most extensive effort at characterising and enhancing the suitability of pre-treatment technologies for non-fuel applications. Genomatica’s sugar specification provides important baseline guidance to biomass pre-treatment vendors.
“The technology can play a key role in Germany’s energy transition, which focuses in particular on improving energy efficiency,” said Dr Klaus Schaefer, Head - Production and Technology, Bayer MaterialScience.
Dow Corning Granted Korean Patent for IndustryLeading LED Optical Silicone Encapsulant Technology Seoul, South Korea: Dow Corning reported that the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) granted a patent protecting the company’s high refractive index (RI) phenyl-based optical silicone encapsulant technology, which targets advanced LED lighting applications. Specifically, the patent protects the composition of curable organopolysiloxane chemistry used to formulate Dow Corning Optical Encapsulant products, which offer high-value benefits to LED devices. The patent granted by the KIPO ensures only Dow Corning products are authorized to contain the patented technology. Dow Corning’s broad portfolio of phenyl silicone packaging materials delivers photothermal stability suitable for many middle- and highpower general lighting applications. Compared to methyl-based technology, phenyl-based silicone encapsulants generally offer a stronger gas barrier, which helps protect key LED components. The enhanced gas barrier protection helps maintain both light output performance and reliability of LED packages. Over the past decade, the high efficiency and reliability afforded by Dow Corning’s phenyl silicones has helped establish the company as a market and technology leader in optical encapsulants for high-performance LED applications. Virtually all of the company’s high RI encapsulants fall under the recently granted patent or its associated patent family. Therefore, LED manufacturers and equipment manufacturers can be confident they are designing with high-performance encapsulant materials backed by strong international patent protection. 20 • June 2015
State-of-the-art Tire Rubber Helps Save Fuel Mumbai, India: On freeways, tires currently account for around a fifth of fuel consumption, and in urban traffic, this figure can be as high as 30 percent. LANXESS already markets rubber raw materials that can substantially reduce these figures. Examples include new grades of butyl rubber (IIR), modified solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) and advanced neodymium-polybutadiene rubber (Nd-BR). The cause of high rolling resistance may be high internal friction of tire components. It should be possible, for example, to reduce the internal friction of the silica gel filler particles that give the rubber its stability with the help of modified SSBR rubber from LANXESS. In layman’s terms, the molecules of these rubber raw materials have a high density of ‘sticky’ anchor points that stick particularly well to the hard filler particles and cover them with a thick, frictionreducing rubber skin. The number of ‘loose ends’ in the rubber matrix is, in turn, much lower in Nd-BR rubber from LANXESS than in other grades of tire rubber. Due to of complex physical relationships, producers can now manufacture tires with outstanding physical data using rubber raw materials that are also easier to process than before. At the same time, the latest grades of Nd-BR rubber from LANXESS result in more uniform, homogeneous products than many polybutadiene rubber types of former generations. Air-impermeable grades of LANXESS butyl rubber help keep tire pressure constant for a longer time. Chemical Engineering World
High Speed Doors Motorized Rolling Shutters
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Future Refineries will be Evolving with ‘Complex & Integrated’ Configurations HPCL is implementing Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP) wherein existing Visakh Refinery capacity expansion from 8.33 MMTPA to 15 MMTPA is envisaged. As a part of this project, latest bottoms upgradation facilities will also be implemented in the refinery. This project will improve the overall profitability of HPCL. The environmental clearance is being pursued. Further, the corporation is also expanding Mumbai Refinery capacity from 6.5 MMTPA to 10 MMTPA. The detailed feasibility report of both the projects has been prepared by Engineers India Limited (EIL). In an exclusive email interaction with S C Mehta, Executive Director – Refineries, Project Process, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Harshal Y Desai seeks further insights into the development. According to Mehta, the expansion will help the corporation reduce the imbalance between marketing and refining capacity.
H S C Mehta Executive Director – Refineries Project Process HPCL
“Today, refineries must adapt to on-going business changes including demand for divert product specifications, selecting among divert feedstock, greater demand in emerging regions, more complex supply chains, shortage in trained workers, new business module that extend into retail segments and increasing environment and process safety requirements.” 22 • June 2015
PCL, a Navratna PSU downstream refining and marketing company, produces MS, HSD, LPG, ATF, SKO, etc and Lubes. It operates two refineries - in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam along with a JV Refinery – HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) in Bhatinda, Punjab. Additionally, it has 16.95 per cent stake in Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) as well. Its marketing infrastructure comprises of 35 Terminals, 90 Depots, 46 LPG Plants, 35 ASFs, 7 Lube Blending Plants, 12869 Retail Outlets, 1638 SKO Dealers and 3506 LPG Dealers. HPCL has 20 per cent market share with Annual Turnover of ` 2.32 lakh crores. As the organisation states, “HPCL, along with its joint ventures, will be a fully integrated company in the hydrocarbons sector of exploration and production, refining and marketing; focusing on enhancement of productivity, quality and profitability; caring for customers and employees; caring for environment protection and cultural heritage. It will also attain scale dimensions by diversifying into other energy related fields and by taking up transnational operations.”
Besides expansion in Visakh and Mumbai refinery, HPCL is in the process of getting environmental clearance for a 9 MMTPA grass-root Refinery-cum-Petrochemical
Complex, Rajasthan Refinery Project (RRP) in Pachpadra, Rajasthan. Currently the Project financial terms of the JV are being reviewed by Government of Rajasthan, Mehta reveals. Feasibility of 15 MMTPA Refinery-cumPetrochemical Complex under PCPIR Project in Andhra Pradesh is also being explored along with GAIL Limited. New FCCU Project HPCL has also implemented a new FCCU Project at a cost of ` 900 crores. Mehta replies that with the commissioning of this project, HPCL Mumbai Refinery is able to produce high value distillate products like LPG and MS and this contributes towards higher refinery margins. The New FCC Unit has incorporated a number of state-of-the-art features which facilitate a high severity and high conversion operation and upgradation of heavy low value streams of the Refinery. Facilities include an integrated Flue Gas Scrubber (technology sourced from BELCO, USA), which will considerably bring down SO 2 and SPM emissions, much lower than the stipulated pollution control norms. The design includes provision of catalyst cooler facilities which allow processing of heavy feed stock. Catalyst cooler is the first of its kind in the country and technology supplied by UOP of USA and indigenously fabricated by L&T for the first time. Chemical Engineering World
CEW News Features Refinery Integration with Petrochemical Unit While replying to the question on refinery and integration with petrochemicals unit as an economic growth driver, Mehta says that as energy demand growing along with higher energy cost, the value addition at refinery can be brought through ensuring reliability to maximise availability and asset utilisation at increasing refining complexity. “Also, India has untapped potential in petrochemical and chemical industries due to low per capita (~10 kg vs 25 kg global average in 2013) polymer consumption and higher growth rate. On the other side, refinery has low value streams like off gas, pet coke, fuel oil, sulphur, etc which give potential for synergy with petrochemical/chemical sectors to bring value addition to refinery,” he adds further. “Thus, future refineries will be evolving with refinery configurations which are highly complex and integrated with petrochemicals, chemical and power plants to up-grade bottom of the barrel and low value streams for maximise profitability.”
Mehta elaborates on the increasing regulatory requirements, refinery complexity and demands for higher quality that continues to place higher economic demands on refineries while reducing operational margins and elucidates that refineries in the current scenario are facing various challenges like volatile crude oil prices, higher operating cost incurred due to high cost of captive power, meeting product specification BS V/VI (MS & HSD) with varying crude mix and continuous quality upgradation to meet stringent environmental stipulations requires substantial investment but low returns. He emphasises that huge investment are required for grass root refinery with bottom of the barrel upgradation etc. Apart from the above, refinery low value streams like Petcoke, off gas, sulfur, FO, etc which further lowers the margins if not upgraded. Mehta also comments on the falling crude oil prices and explains that falling crude oil prices do not add to refinery GRMs as refinery GRMs are dependent on difference between crude & product prices. The product prices are revised every fortnightly, hence, with falling in crude oil price, product prices also get revised. Thus, refinery GRM does not add up with falling crude prices. However, the inventory losses will have impact (negative effect) on GRM. Auto Fuel Vision & Policy 2025 HPCL is also gearing up to meet the requirements of India’s Auto Fuel Vision & Policy 2025 document that suggests that the fuels should meet Euro IV standards by 2017, Euro V standards by 2020. Mehta discloses that in order to have 100 per cent BS IV or switch to BS IV / V for MS and HSD specifications from present Euro III / IV MS, HSD specifications, certain debottlenecking will be required in HPCL’s existing refineries which will require time and cost. HPCL, however, may fit into the time frames envisioned 26 • June 2015
Methodologies Adopted by HPCL to Reduce Hazardous Wastes Generated in Refinery Oily Sludge: The frequent filling and depletion of the petroleum product in the tank and the residence time provided in the tanks allows oily sludge settlement at the tank bottom. However, in the crude tanks more sludge is expected as it is non refined material. In HPCL Refinery in order to maintain the sludge particles in the fluidised condition and reduce the sludge accumulation, Side entry mixers are provided in the crude tanks. The efficient operation of side entry mixers results in reduction of sludge generation during the maintenance activities. The oily sludge treatment plant set up in Visakh refinery by Plant Tech Mid Continent, Mangalore, designed to process 25-30 m 3 of sludge per day and involves the use of thermo-mechanical processes to separate oily sludge into its primary components of oil, water and solids. After quantification, the sludge is processed through a centrifuge to separate solids and recovered oil pumped to refinery slop oil system. The oil recovery from the sludge is about 70-80 per cent depending upon the type of sludge. After recovering the oil, the sludge has very low oil content of about 10 per cent transfer to the bio bins for bio-remediation using the Oil Zapper Bacteria. HPCL VR has processed @ 5440 m 3 quantity of sludge in 2014-15. Thus the process of oil recovery and bioremediation reduces the hazardous solid waste by 20-25 per cent. Spent Catalysts: Catalysts like NiMox, CoMox, Alumina, Iron Oxide, Activated Carbon, etc are used in various process units in the refinery. Every catalyst is supplied with definite number of run length after which the catalyst is replaced with fresh catalyst. The spent catalyst removed from the equipment are treated as hazardous wastes and disposed to authorised recyclers or re-processors or Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF). by Auto Fuel Policy 2025 (depending on the extent of debottlenecking required). HPCL has taken necessary steps for debottlenecking of existing refineries MS and HSD facilities to meet BS IV standards by 2017 in line with the Auto fuel policy. HPCL is implementing expansion Project at VR & MR wherein MS and HSD facilities of BS V /BS VI standard are envisaged, he states further. Investment into GFECP and Clean Fuel Project In order to produce Euro III/IV MS at our Refineries, HPCL has successfully implemented Green Fuels Emission Control (GFEC) Project at Mumbai Refinery and Visakh Refinery Clean Fuels Project (VRCFP) at cost of ` 1700 cores and ` 2100 crores respectively. Mehta explains that both the projects comprise of Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit, Continuous Catalytic Reformer Unit, Isomerisation Unit and FCC Naphtha Chemical Engineering World
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CEW News Features “As energy demand growing along with higher energy cost, the value addition at refinery can be brought through ensuring reliability to maximise availability and asset utilisation at increasing refining complexity.” Hydrotreater unit with associated Utilities and Offsites. “We have also successfully implemented Euro IV HSD Quality Upgradation Projects at our both the refineries at total cost of ` 5200 cores. These projects comprise of Diesel Hydrotreater Unit, Hydrogen Generation Unit and Sulphur Recovery Unit with associated Utilities and Offsites giving us the capability to provide Euro IV MS and HSD in 11 major cities and Euro III MS and HSD in rest of the country,” he adds. ‘HP HiGAS’ (Hindustan Petroleum-HiGee Gas Absorption System) ‘HP HiGAS’ (Hindustan Petroleum-HiGee Gas Absorption System) is a major milestone by R&D in developing New Generation Refining Technologies. Mehta informs that the technology is a first of its kind technology in the refining industry and is based on the principles of process intensification for separation processes.
“The first commercial HP-HiGAS unit was successfully commissioned at HPCL, Visakh Refinery. The operation of the HP-HiGAS unit at Visakh Refinery involves removal of H 2 S from Refinery Fuel Gases from a level of 5 wt% to 100 ppm using Amine as the absorbent, which is similar to that of the already existing Fuel Gas Amine Absorption Unit (FGAAU) column in the Visakh Refinery. The remarkable breakthrough achieved with this technology is the plant size reduction by 10 times, with a 2.5 mts. HP-HiGAS unit replacing the existing conventional trayed FGAAU column of 23 mts,” Mehta reveals. On the momentum provided by IIT Kanpur Mehta replies that the technology was initially developed by IIT Kanpur. HPCL collaborated with IIT Kanpur for scaling up of the Technology. The original design of IIT Kanpur was based on two rotors and associated components. However, during the scale-up stage through the help of rotor modelling analysis, it was found that such design is vulnerable to mechanical failure due to centrifugal actions. Considering high level of safety and reliability required for adapting to actual plant conditions, the technology was further developed and taken forward by HPCL R&D Centre with a new and simplified design of a single rotor machine. This single rotor design has been successfully demonstrated at Visakh Refinery with satisfactory mechanical and process performance which is in line with existing Fuel Gas Amine Absorption tower. 28 • June 2015
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Riding on Innovative Automation Technologies Beckhoff Automation pioneered the PC based control technology three decades ago. Its products include automation components like Industrial PCs, Fieldbus I/O Modules, Servo Motors, Servo Drives and the all-powerful and futuristic Automation Suite –TwinCAT, says Ajey Phatak, Marketing Head, Beckhoff Automation Pvt Ltd. In an exclusive interaction with Harshal Y Desai, Phatak further reveals details about the company’s presence and operations in India and the perspective of Beckhoff on the automation trends.
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eckhoff’s Indian operations started in 2007 with its headquarter in Pune. Phatak says that it was a challenge then to make a place in the select club of automation players in India and still standout. Since, Beckhoff’s existence is based on ‘technology foundation’ and sales oriented positioning has never been its priority, the company could standout, and as Phatak claims, its presence in India is inching upwards with technology focused industries. Leveraging Technology “A global brand having local connect and reach is equally important to us to pass on the benefits of hi-tech automation to the industry and consumer world over. EtherCAT technology and its fast acceptance in the global automation industry demonstrate the strength of Beckhoff as a ‘technology company’. It has certainly created a lasting impact in the Indian market for Beckhoff,” he states. Beckhoff has opened six branches in eight years and has witnessed double digit growth in its sales by the end of the last fiscal. The company widely caters to pharma, packaging, paper, plastics, steel, rubber and tyre, textile, renewable energy, power transmission and distribution, data acquisition, metal forming, cutting, vison automation, building automation, home automation. Phatak is of the opinion that multi industry presence with acceptance of open automation technology has benefitted the company a lot. Beckhoff Technology is advantageous for use in discrete manufacturing, factory automation and batch process automation industry like packaging, plastics and
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water, etc. Process engineering does not demand such a technology. However, IP20 Remote I/Os, IP67 compliant fieldbus box I/O Modules, Industrial PCs can find the best use in process industry. Phatak elucidates that PC Control technology with open automation platform is best suited for special purpose machine builders, testing and measurement automation, batch process automation and MES systems and other industries. Beckhoff Automation is becoming the preferred control systems where conventional control systems cannot meet the requirements. Beckhoff is achieving its targeted double digit growth year-on-year basis. There are certainly challenges to overcome. “We envision being a fast growing leading edge Automation Technology company making our manufacturing industry customers more future ready. Obviously traditional benchmarking of the market share is a misfit,” Phatak adds further. Automation Standards Phatak agrees that the Indian manufacturers are still reluctant to go for advanced automation solutions within their facilities - probably because automation technology is seen as ‘cost centre’ and not an ‘investment.’ The mediocre business approach weighs heavily in decision making and the limitations like in-house technical capabilities of the employees might be a few other reasons. “Automation technology can be a leveraging business strategy for visionaries; unfortunately
board rooms do not discuss automation technology as a strategy,” he criticises. Phatak further elaborates that the technology conscious and export focused multi location manufacturers do have the strength to reinforce their manufacturing and shop floor activity using hi-tech control systems for machine control and become more competitive in their respective markets. However, very few manufacturers have a long term vision and ambition. “There are talks about manufacturing plant efficiency, role of automation etc in conferences and seminars; however, these topics do not come on the agenda in practice. Average Indian manufacturers are far away from using automation for its obvious benefits,” he continues. Phatak also throws light on the industries that are making the most of available automation solutions and drive technology in India and adds that discrete machine manufacturers, automotive, engineering,
B e c k h o f f Te c h n o l o g y i s a d v a n t a g e o u s f o r u s e i n d i s c r e t e manufacturing, factory automation and batch process automation industr y like packaging, plastics, and water, etc. Process engineering doesn’t demand such a technology.. Chemical Engineering World
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CEW News Features power industries use automation technology considerably. Process and chemical industries are automated where the process demands use of automation. However, it is not used as a standard for other auxiliary activities. Internet of Things: Phatak expresses his views on the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and emphasise that IoT can help companies in increasing operational, safety, and environmental performance. “IoT or Industry 4.0 certainly supplements the operational performance of manufacturing plant and bring higher efficiency. Further informed decisions by management can optimise cost of operations,” he suggests. Can SME afford Beckhoff’s Solutions? Small or mid-size plant operations are sometimes hesitant to invest in new technologies due to the cost involved. However, Phatak goes into detail and explains, affordability is linked with a vision and Indian SME industry needs a serious relook into their priorities. He further suggests them to compare how world’s small and midsize companies have used technology as an investment in manufacturing for global growth. “It can give them the motivation. Case studies of Chinese and Asian SME manufacturers can bring out the facts how technology investments have paid off in long run,” he adds. SMEs can certainly afford Beckhoff Automation solutions provided they clearly define their value added objectives and consider their pain areas and decide. If the product life cycle cost and value addition is considered instead of procurement cost, SME can implement hi-tech automation solutions at a justified cost. Also, scalability of Beckhoff products for all levels of complexities makes the products affordable without compromising on value addition features. Beckhoff offers Embedded PCs and TwinCAT with full in-house software development and provides training to plant engineers to make them less dependent on service provider vendors, he states further. Phatak strongly feels that Indian industry is locked in a cost loop, and according to him, it is important to acknowledge that only value addition adds to business margins and manufacturers should invest in automation in every element of the manufacturing process. Value added proposition from automation vendors should be considered. IT and Automation technology can catapult the profitability and the top management should make a conscious decision to implement latest automation technology as a strategy to increase profits. Beckhoff Automation technology is an open technology and gives the freedom to develop customised solutions. SME companies providing such solution services can be cost-effective and make it further affordable. Use of technology requires skills development, training and technical support from the technology provider. Beckhoff focuses on training and technical support. It has been an influencing factor in PC based automation technology acceptance in India. 32 • June 2015
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Your Complete EPC Partner - in India & abroad With over 30 years’ experience in designing and constructing plants for the chemical industries in India and abroad, we are ideally placed to fully understand our Clients’ requirements. Just as we understand them having come to expect nothing but the very best from us. Our plants are a tribute to our economical processes, comprehensive services, technology portfolio, experience and unique working methods. Energy-efficient, environment-friendly and operationally reliable, they stand out for their product quality, high yields and safety considerations. And they come backed by the technological competence of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions-Process Technologies, Germany and its group companies. Needless to say, we undertake everything from pre-project activities to plant commissioning and operation. All of which makes us the Complete EPC Partner.
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CEW News Features
Keeping Pace with Changing ‘Trends & Technologies’ Kirloskar Brothers Limited’s all-women Coimbatore facility has emerged as the winner in 10 th Kaizen Incremental Improvement Competition organised by the Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI). Kaizen is a system of continuous improvement in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety and leadership. KBL Coimbatore team received two ‘Excellence Awards’ for the presentation made by teams on the theme of ‘Process Improvements.’
K
BL’s Coimbatore plant is a state-ofthe-art manufacturing unit. “We have semi-automated the critical assembly stations such as bearing pressing in motor body, NDE cover and motor body pressing, air leakage tester, pump single box packing and pump master box packing,” says Dr Raj Kuumar, Plant Head, KBL, Coimbatore. In an email interaction with CEW, Kuumar further reveal that KBL ensures the machine performance and reliability through various systems like monitoring the productivity, process rejection, utilisation and improving the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Keeping Pace with Changing Trends “We also maintain breakdown reports for all machinery, monitoring through trend chart allows us to analyse the root cause for the breakdown. Corrective and preventive action is taken immediately for the same. Daily routine maintenance register is maintained for all machines,” he adds further. While responding on the questions on the rate of incorporation of automation tools and technologies in Indian factories or plants, Kuumar suggests that due to nonavailability of skilled labour in the market, Indian manufactures are really looking for technology driven machines and processes. After Globalisation it is not only affordable but also widely available. According to him, the automation of the production activities offers advantages in terms of cost-efficiency, waste reduction, speed production, ease in production monitoring and management, reduced feedback and action times, over the traditional manual processes. “Nowadays, all manufactures are keen in investing in low cost advanced automation technologies, due to the return on investment, reliability and quality of output being high,” Kuumar writes. However, for pump industry, Kuumar says, automation of entire line is not advisable and one should
34 • June 2015
focus on semi-automation in subassembly, single operation and in packing. Adopting High-end Technologies Kuumar explains that manufacturing is an energy intensive sector with energy cost sometimes accounting for almost 50 percent of overall operations cost (OPEX). It is observed that the last decade witnessed sharp increase in energy costs, frequent changes in the feedstock and material costs, alteration in demand supply pattern that has gained significant attention of manufacturers. Manufacturers are more open towards adopting high-end technologies to monitor business variables and integrate manufacturing operations with the board room for taking strategic decisions and maintaining company’s profitability. Coping Up with Financial Pressure On company’s strategies to reduce maintenance costs, increase capacity and reduce scrappage, Kuumar remarks that industry consolidation and worldwide competition are putting plants under an intense financial pressure, and operations and maintenance budgets are among the first to be cut. Fewer personnel working fewer hours are expected to operate and maintain more equipment at lower cost, while also delivering higher throughput, higher availability, and higher profits with aging assets. A preliminary inspection for all machinery is done and critical spares for all machineries are maintained. At the same time, we ensure optimum utilisation of capacities. Automation: The Way Ahead According to Kuumar, any automation should be simple in technology, cost effective and high in productivity, ensuring the spares and service on time for longer period. Technology up gradation is the process which can be
undertaken any time in any model at low cost. “Industrial automation can and will generate explosive growth with technology related to new inflection points: nanotechnology and nano-scale assembly systems; MEMS and nanotech sensors (tiny, low-power, low-cost sensors) which can measure everything and anything; and the pervasive Internet, machine to machine (M2M) networking. Real-time systems will give way to complex adaptive systems and multi-processing. The future belongs to nanotech, wireless everything, and complex adaptive systems,” he comments. Major developments in new software applications will be in wireless sensors and distributed peer-to-peer networks – tiny operating systems in wireless sensor nodes, and the software that allows nodes to communicate with each other as a larger complex adaptive system. That is the wave of the future, Kuumar emphasises. “Wireless devices are also perceived as the next big technological step in industrial automation. However, their adoption has been moderate to date because of concerns over the robustness, reliability, and security of wireless technology. A need for automation in industries such as oil and gas, automotive, power, and textile has created need for industrial wireless.” - Harshal Y Desai Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features Technical Article
Integration of HSE Aspects In Engineering Design Design engineers are in a unique position to reduce the risks in the life cycle of a plant and thus have a key role to play. The design process evolves from initial concepts to a detailed specification, and involves different teams and people at various stages. At each stage, engineers from all disciplines can make a significant contribution by identifying and eliminating hazards, and in some cases where elimination is not an option, reduce the likely risks. Design evolves as a part of an iterative process and design engineers should consider the life cycle of a project from concept/feasibility to detailed design, constructability, maintenance and refurbishment/demolition. This thought process should not suppress innovative design; instead design engineers must take advantage of this opportunity to stretch the boundaries of the industry to create practical, pragmatic design solutions. HSE in Engineering is a good business solution when it is a part of the design process, in the life cycle of a project. It can help to eliminate or reduce the potential hazards and risks through design.
I
t takes an average of 3 to 4 years to build a process plant, right from concept to commissioning. All critical features of the plant are decided during the early stages of the project. Subsequently, during operation and maintenance, very few design changes are possible. Design choices for safety systems help to minimise risks but they vary in terms of factors such as cost, reliability and maintenance. Design engineers should manage these design choices in order to follow consistent risk tolerability levels, to understand how a specific facility or process fits into their overall business plan and to know what the cost limitations are for the safety component of a process.
Figure 1 Inherently Safer Design
materials and process conditions that are less hazardous. For example, faced with the hazard posed by a flammable solvent, the engineers might seek to substitute the same with water. When large inventories of hazardous intermediates increase risk levels, there may be a way to reduce or eliminate these inventories.
When deciding among the hierarchy of mitigation options, design engineers should avoid the pitfall of ‘project mentality’ which is focusing only on minimising capital cost. As the following figure 1 suggests, inherently safer approaches may have a higher investment initially. However, the cost of maintaining an active system, to obtain an equivalent level of risk reduction can be significant. Therefore, following the correct approach is necessary while considering the life cycle cost of the design options.
Passive designs offer a high level of reliability by operating without any devices that sense and/or actively respond to a process variable. Examples of passive design solutions include incompatible hose couplings for incompatible substances and process components, equipment designed to withstand internal deflagration and other very high-pressure hazards and dikes that contain hazardous inventories, with a bottom sloping to a remote holding area.
Design Options Inherently safer design eliminates or mitigates the identified hazard by using
Active design employs devices that monitor process variables and activate to mitigate a hazardous situation.
38 • June 2015
Active solutions, sometimes called engineering controls, are often less reliable than passive or inherently safer design solutions because they require more maintenance and more operating procedures. The following are characteristics of active design solutions: • A pressure safety valve or rupture disk that prevents vessel overpressure. • A high-level sensing device interlocked with a vessel inlet valve and pump motor to prevent overfilling. • Check valves and regulators. Procedural design, also known as administrative controls, avoids hazards by being controlled manually. These actions might include reacting to an alarm, an instrument reading, a leak, a strange noise, or a sampling result. The involvement of a person in safety solutions mean incorporating human factors in the Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features analysis. These human factors lead to inappropriate division of tasks between a machine and a person and results in an unsupportive safety culture. Thus, these factors contribute to making procedural solutions generally less reliable than other design solutions. Selection of Design Options Design engineers have a responsibility to select the most reliable approach. Inherently safer and passive solutions offer high reliability and low operating costs, but involve an initial cost. Active and procedural designs cost less initially but typically involve higher operating costs and are less reliable. The following examples will help in clarification: While designing one of our process plants, a flammable substance with a highly hazardous reaction was involved. There were previous incidents with the substance and two options were available for reducing the risk. The first option was an inherently safer approach which involved designing a vessel to withstand a maximum pressure level of 800 psi. However, the cost of design was very high. The second option was to activate an emergency pressure relief system. This required a reactor vessel with a lower pressure rating. While this approach was less expensive, it required the facility to deal with a hazardous release into the atmosphere and to address the reliability of the release system. This option was found to provide a tolerable risk level and a lower cost of implementation.
design engineers considered various combinations of passive solutions such as heat exchangers that use nonpressurized water, active solutions such as advanced leak-detecting sensors, and procedural solutions such as enhanced testing, inspection, and maintenance. All of the alternatives reduced risk levels. The choice of an alternate design that substituted a compatible heat transfer fluid for water. required a higher initial investment for equipment replacement but eliminated maintenance and administrative expenses during life cycle of the plant. Cost Effective Design Option Safety studies such as HAZID / HAZOP / QRA / RAM during design is sometimes viewed as an expensive way to achieve greater risk reduction. However, when risk assessment is left out of the design process, the plant may be overdesigned, with safety protection costing more than it should, or the plant may be unprotected from significant, unidentified risks. Systematic, risk-based design helps in the identification of significant risks, ranks them, and prioritises steps to address them. The result is
Following figure explains cost effective risk reduction principles. Comparison of Prescriptive versus Performance Based Approaches The prescriptive approach consists of applying local regulations, industry codes and standards and good engineering practices. The safety objectives are implicitly defined and the design process focuses primarily on the means to reach them. The performance-based approach relies on the explicit definition of the safety objectives and functional requirements (eg, performance standards). The design process focuses primarily on the objectives, and the design is developed to fulfil these objectives in a more flexible manner as compared to the prescriptive approach. This allows the implementation of innovative solutions and optimisation of the design. The performance-based approach applies in realistic hazard scenarios (eg, fire,
Table 1: Strengths and weaknesses of approaches Prescriptive
Strengths
Performance-based
Approach
Approach
(Focus on Means)
(Focus on Objectives)
• Very efficient for conventional cases • Well-known and well controlled • Straightforward application • Compliance is ‘easy’ to
In another case, water-cooled heat exchangers were used in a process that included a material that reacts vigorously with water, producing corrosive and toxic by-products. The
that capital expenditures, operating expenses, staffing, and other resources are better allocated.
demonstrate for the designer, to
• More flexible to cope with project specificities • Explicit definition of objectives and associated performance criteria • Optimisation of mitigation measures (cost reduction, reduced MTO, less time on construction site for implementation)
endorse (owner) and to accept (authority, classification society) Weaknesses
• Implicit objectives • Special cases not covered • Long process for acceptance of any deviation to the codes and regulations
• Acceptance criteria may be more difficult to define (by owner or authorities) or acceptance may be more difficult to grant. • More resources (skills) needed for each step of the detailed design process • Time consuming during engineering phase (demonstration that the system satisfies the performance criteria) • Safety Management System required during the entire lifecycle of the facility to account for potential
Figure 2 Cost Effective Risk Reductions
40 • June 2015
design modifications which can change scenarios Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features explosion or cryogenic release events), which could even be deterministic (eg, worst case approach) or probabilistic (risk-based). The strengths and weaknesses of both the approaches are summarised in the table below: Conclusion This article is focused on the integration of HSE aspects in engineering design. The multidisciplinary approach is based on the verification method for all design disciplines, in order to fulfil overall safety objectives of the plant. Focusing on interfaces and integrating HSE aspects can be achieved by:
VOL. 49 NO. 3 March 2014 US $ 10
`
` 150
EPCM Special ChemTECH World Expo 2015 28-31 January 2015, Mumbai, India
28-31 January 2015, Mumbai, India
1. Specialist HSE engineers who provide accurate, quantitative inputs allowing all disciplines to work in parallel, using experience gained from previous similar projects. 2. Design engineers who need to know the impact of HSE aspects and design rules of their discipline. Finally, the experience and anticipation of HSE aspects during the engineering phase of the project can prevent over- and under-design, leading to an impact on cost and schedule and thereby ensuring the required level of safety in design. References 1. Guidelines for Engineering Design for Process Safety, AICHE, CCPS. 2012 2. Risk - Based Process Safety Design An iMosaic Corporation White Paper 3. Managing Process Safety in Facilities Design, by G. Unnikrishnan at International Petroleum Technology Conference Beijing, China 2013. 4. Challenges in a Multidisciplinary Approach for Explosion Design of FLNG, by Laurent Paris and Marc Cahay, Technip at Offshore Technology conference 2014.
Author’s Details Raj Narkhede Senior General Manager–Risk Assessment Aker Solutions Raj.Narkhede@akersolutions.com 42 • June 2015
Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features Technical Article
Building a Proactive Safety Culture The first aspect that is compromised during challenging economic times is investments in workplace safety. This is a critical aspect more so in the case of construction companies. This article details the various aspects involved in ensuring workplace safety viz, proactive steps to be taken, proactive safety index, proactive safety observation programme among other issues.
C
ompanies invest significantly to ensure workplace safety, especially in the construction industry. In this industry, which operates on low margins, it may be tempting to scale down the investment on safety during challenging economic times. Doing so can cost far more than you save. The average work-related injury results in direct costs, including worker’s compensation, ambulance fees, medical expenses, etc, which is much smaller than the exponentially higher indirect costs such as equipment downtime, lost productivity, legal actions, etc. They are estimated to range between 4 to 10 times the direct costs. It may help if you think of safety as a profit centre, rather than an expense. Following are just a few potential profit areas: a) Insurance premiums: If worker’s compensation and other insurance claims are under control, thus lowering the experience modification rating (EMR), insurance companies will perceive this company as a lower risk. Consequently, you may be eligible for reduced premium rates. b) Higher calibre workforce: A well-trained workforce with proper safety training is an invaluable resource for any company. Not only will employees be more productive, they will be able to help identify unsafe conditions and/or operating practices, as well as situations where jobs might be done more safely and effectively. c) Company safety culture: Promoting a safe work environment improves employee morale, a much-needed commodity in tough financial times. If employees believe the company cares about their 44 • June 2015
well-being, they in turn will care about the well-being of the company. The result can be greater productivity and employee loyalty. If safety is considered as just another expense, it will be reflected in the EMR and bottom line. But if you see it as a means to save both lives and money, the ROI will follow quickly. Proactive steps A proactive safety culture helps to save lives, retain workers, reduce claims and delays, and enhance productivity and profitability while strengthening the company’s reputation. If you look at accident pyramid, a proactive safety culture can be developed by improving and increasing the reporting of a) Near miss b) Unsafe conditions c) Unsafe acts A Near miss reporting programme can be defined as an administrative tool to help reduce accidents and injuries at the workplace/sites. A near miss is an event, circumstance, condition or behaviour with the potential to cause injury, illness, accidental release or property/productivity loss, but did not actualise due to chance, corrective action and/or timely intervention. A wide variety of occurrences can be near miss: unsafe conditions, unsafe behaviour, minor accidents/injuries with potential to be more serious, events where injury could have occurred but did not, events with property damage, events where safety barriers crossed, etc.
Unsafe conditions within the working environment of the employee increases his/her chances of having an accident. For example, improper scaffolding, no hard barricading for deep excavation as well as for working at heights, inadequate rock support, insufficient ventilation, inadequate lighting etc. Unsafe act is any act on the part of the employee, which increases his/her chances of being injured. For example, improper lifting, handling or moving of objects, incorrect use of tools and equipment, improper placing and stacking of objects, annoyance in the workplace, ignoring to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), removing safety guards from the equipment, adoption of wrong work methods etc. Proactive safety index Effectiveness of the proactive safety culture can be identified on the basis of calculating the Proactive Safety Index (PSI). Proactive safety index (PSI) = Total Number of Near Miss, Unsafe condition & Unsafe Act multiplied by 1 million and divided by total man hours. When a construction company succeeds in building a strong culture of safety, it becomes
Figure: Accident pyramid
Chemical Engineering World
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CEW Features a core value for every employee. A strong safety culture burnishes the company’s reputation, which is one of the most valuable assets for any business, and plays an essential role in its long-term success. The construction industry is always adopting new methods, new equipment and new machinery. Safety has to continually adapt to the new ways that workers perform their jobs. At the end of the day, every company wants every worker to go home safe at night. The ultimate goal should be zero injuries. Indian construction scenario Indian construction industry is of significant economic importance as it accounts for about 11 per cent of gross domestic product and employs approximately 33 million people, making it the second largest industry after agriculture. It is an essential contributor to infrastructural developments like: roads, dams, irrigation projects, power plants, hospitals, schools, etc. The amount of money invested and jobs provided by construction industry are larger than any other industry in India. The workforce in Indian construction industry comprises of 55 per cent unskilled labour, 27 per cent skilled labours and rest are technicians and supporting staff. About 16 per cent of the nation’s working population depends on constructional work for its livelihood. Proactive Safety Observation Programme (PSOP) The Proactive Safety Observation Programme is a dedicated and
46 • June 2015
Severity
Classifications
5
Could have potential to convert into fatality
4
Could have potential to convert into serious injury/disability
3
Could have potential to convert into major injury
2
Could have potential to convert into medical treatment case
1
Could have potential to convert into minor injury/first Aid
PSOP - Severity Index (SI)
predetermined observation round conducted by the cross functional senior management team at any project site. This is not a part of regular safety inspection round or audit. Even a project manager who is in-charge of the project has to conduct mandatory PSOP rounds on a regular basis. The main aim of the PSOP round is to identify unsafe conditions and unsafe acts adopted at site. Minimum ten observations per round are a must for effectiveness of this initiative. The unsafe acts are corrected on the spot and these observations are reported to the HSE in-charge of the site. The HSE in-charge documents these observations and assign responsibility for corrective action and close the loop with respective section in-charge. These PSOP observations are discussed in weekly and monthly safety committee meetings. The project manager reviews the observations and gives direction to the concerned or responsible person for corrective actions and its 100 per cent compliance. PSOP- Severity Index (SI) The PSOP observations for any round comprises of unsafe conditions like unsafe
practice, not following methodology/ drawing/procedure, unsafe equipment, poor housekeeping and unsafe acts. All unsafe conditions or unsafe acts will be categorised as per its potential severity in the scale of 1 to 5. The potential severity will be useful for evaluating the extent of risk and hazards for assessing the impact of activities in the projects. The severity index for each round will be calculated by using the severity of each observation with the help of below formula.
Severity index
=
Sum of Severity factor of all PSOP observations Total number of PSOP observations
Subcontractor’s performance plays an important role on severity index of the entire project as they are involved in various activities throughout the lifespan of the project. The PSOP observation based on SI is highlighted in figure 8. The SI for subcontractors varies in the range of 2.5 to 4.5. This evaluation helps management to appreciate the managers and subcontractors based on their performance as well helps to identify the shortfalls and improvement areas.
Chemical Engineering World
Sinocalci (India) Technology Private Limited 中圣园(印度) 印度)技术私人 技术私人有限 私人有限公司 有限公司 Contact Address: DL-238, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, W.B, India 700 092. Tel: +91-33-4007 8665 Engineering & Project Site Office: Pkg-08 of NISP, NMDC, Nagarnar, Jagdalpur, District Bastar, Chhattisgarh, India 494 001 Telephone No: +91-87188 88213, +91-78981 90528 E-mail: akgupta@sinocalci.com, wangshengqun@sinocalci.com Sinocalci Corporation (ISO: 9001-2008 certified) Address: No. 185 Yanhu Road, Jiangning Economic & Technological Development Zone, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 211102 Telephone No: +86-25-5807 1620, +86-25-8317 2895. Fax No: +86-25-5807 1640 E-mail: sales@sinocalci.com website: www.sinocalci.com
CEW Features Implementation of PSOP at HCC At HCC, the proactive safety culture is developed over years through a proper induction programme to the workforce, a regular tool box talks that are conducted every day before starting the work and a detailed calendar of training imparted to workers on various initiatives and new techniques adopted while implementing the project work. The training programme include Vehicle incidents and traffic managements, Behaviour based safety awareness, Proactive safety observations, Near miss reporting, Occupational health and hygiene, Drilling and blasting techniques and safety precautions, defensive driving, Heavy lifting, Safe electrical handlings, Scaffolding simulations at working place etc. Safety posters are displayed at important locations and at the assembly points. Implementation of PSOP added a new dimension and discipline to the entire programme.
FY2010-11 to 0.2 in FY2014-15. There was also improvement in the value of Frequency Rate (FR) from 0.86 to 0.22. The overall objective of this programme was to reduce accident and improve productivity. This was very well achieved by implementing the PSOP. This programme gathered diverse data that helped in identifying the safety deficiency areas at work places and/or a lacuna by a sub-contractor so that corrective actions are taken to improve the overall situation. The PSOP is a continual process to decide safety priorities, avoid major accidents and ultimately achieve the ‘Zero Accident Goal.’
The PSOP was launched in mid of financial year 2012-2013. Average number of reportable accidents in three financial years i.e. 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 was around 73. After launch of PSOP there was drastic reduction of around 48 per cent in the reportable accident in financial year 2013-14. The programme took around one year to mature in its form and started showing the desired results.
Author’s Details
The real success of this programme was evident in the financial year 2014-15 where the reportable accident number was reduced by around 78 per cent as compared to the average of previous three financial years. There was drastic improvement in FSI from 1.02 in
Avinash Harde Assistant Vice President – IMS Hindustan Construction Company Limited Avinash.Harde@hccindia.com
Process Equipment Focus: Pumps & Valves The most essential aspects that come to mind with respect to process equipment are the design, installation of the equipment, the materials used and the fabrication of the equipment. Today, to sustain growth in the intensely competitive global market, innovation is extremely needed, innovation in terms of production be it a new process or equipment; it could include new green technologies for process enhancement or intensification. The stringent safety and quality norms coupled with the evolving operating conditions put increasing pressure on Process Equipment manufacturers to turn to new Materials of Construction (MoC). This constantly evolving scenario poses a number of advantages and challenges for the process equipment manufacturers. The July 2015 issue of Chemical Engineering World aims at exploring these aspects in detail. It will also carry technical articles related to ‘Pumps and Valves.’ Talk to our Sales Representative on +91 22 40373636 or email at industrialmags@jasubhai.com Last date for submission of advertisement: July 20, 2015 If you want to submit an article/ a case-study, contact at girija_dalvi@jasubhai.com 52 • June 2015
Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features Technical Article
Size of Storage Facilities to Facilitate Refinery Revamp An efficient utility and overall OSBL facility is vital to the refinery economics and its importance can no less be undermined in the overall refinery revamp job. This article focusses on the storage and dispatch facilities’ configuration to meet the revamp requirements and talks about considerations required during conceptual study phase for arriving at adequate size of storage facilities to facilitate a major refinery revamp.
R
evamp of existing refineries has its own challenges at each stage of the engineering cycle starting from conceptualisation to final erection or modification and commissioning of the revamped facilities. Once the licensor selection and ISBL configuration are frozen, the utilities - power and offsite infrastructure required to assist the production requirements - needs an overhaul. The configuration of the OSBL facilities requires a brainstorming so as to assist the refiner to limit the project spending while meeting the production needs. The possibilities and means of conducting and carrying out the OSBL revamp are many and it is imperative that the right philosophy is adopted to yield the most cost effective yet most efficient OSBL design. A more efficient utility and overall OSBL facility is vital to the refinery economics and its importance can no less be undermined in the overall refinery revamp job. The intention of this paper is to mainly highlight the challenges faced and the solutions finally rendered to such problems, during the configuration study for the storage and dispatch facilities for a major revamp for one of the recent refineries’ revamp project. The group of refineries’, for which the study was carried out, is located in Asia and has an existing crude processing capacity of approximately 550,000 BPSD. Post revamp this processing capacity shall almost double to 13,00,000 BPSD. The increase in the processing capacities for each of the refineries range from as low as 6 per cent for one of the refineries to as high as 136 per cent for the other. The paper shall concentrate on the operational philosophy of ISBL units, the product marketing
54 • June 2015
requirements and the plot plan considerations that were the deciding factors for arriving at the most appropriate and suitable storage and dispatch facility configuration for each of the refineries undergoing revamp. The central idea is to provide a better perspective to the commonly occurring problems in projects of similar kind which will perhaps enable the project team to better execute the job at hand. Some of the key highlights of the configuration study were, possible modifications to make existing tank suitable for new service, finalising the operational philosophy to optimise the storage requirement, unit wise slop segregation and minimising separate product blending tanks by providing inline blending. Background Refinery revamp is often necessitated owing to a lot of conditions, viz, ageing of the refinery units, rise in demand of distillates which may be either local or global, change in the refinery configuration so as to meet a particular product slate, modernisation of the refinery for improved GRM, or most importantly change in the environmental regulations of a country for sale of the distillate yields. While all or one of these conditions may require the refiner to consider undergoing a revamp, most commonly occurring rather dictating condition that pushes refineries to undergo revamp, off-late, is the local law and environmental regulations. Due to the rising awareness and concerns of the impact of fossil fuels’ use on the environment around us, most
developed countries and many developing ones are pushing towards a clean fuels approach. This means adding of mainly the hydrodesulphurisation units so as to reduce the sulphur content in the final distillate. Revamp of existing refineries has its own challenges at each stage of the engineering cycle starting from conceptualisation to final erection or modification and commissioning of the revamped facilities. Introduction After the licensor selection and ISBL configuration are frozen the utilities - power and offsite infrastructure required to assist the production requirements - needs an overhaul. The configuration of the OSBL facilities requires a brainstorming so as to assist the refiner to limit the project spending while meeting the production needs. The possibilities and means of conducting and carrying out the OSBL revamp are many and it is imperative that the right philosophy is adopted to yield the most cost effective yet most efficient OSBL design. A more efficient utility and overall OSBL facility is vital to the refinery economics and its importance can no less be undermined in the overall refinery revamp job. The revamp for the refinery, in discussion here, had been initiated with the following objectives: • Increasing margin for existing refinery units • Increasing flexibility of current refineries to
Due to the rising awareness and concerns of the impact of fossil fuels’ use on the environment around us, most developed countries and many developing ones are pushing towards a clean fuels approach. Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features STORED STOCK
EXISTING TANKS ALLOCATED FOR STORAGE
NEW TANKS
NO. OF TANKS
TYPE OF TANK
DIMENSION (m) ID
FEED STORAGE TANKS
INTERMEDIATE STORAGE TANKS
INTER-UNIT FEED TANKS
PRODUCT STORAGE TANKS
H
Azeri Crude
Domestic Crude
2
FR
95
20
Arab Light Crude
Domestic Crude
1
FR
95
20
CDU-I Feed (Buffer tank)
Domestic Crude
1
FR
40.7
15.0
CDU-II Feed (Buffer tank)
Domestic Crude
-
-
-
-
HT Kerosene
SR Kerosene
-
-
-
-
Reformate
SR Naphtha
-
-
-
-
Treated FCC Naphtha
Gasoline
-
-
-
-
Decant Oil
Fuel Oil
-
-
-
-
Propylene
-
2
SPH
16.8
-
NHT Feed
SR Naphtha
-
-
-
-
Isomerization Feed
Sweet Naphtha
-
-
-
-
CCR Feed
Sweet Naphtha
-
-
-
-
SR Kerosene
Kerosene
-
-
-
-
DHT Feed
LVGO & existing fixed roof Crude storage tanks
-
-
-
-
LCO+ VGO-HT Diesel (DHT Feed)
FO
-
-
-
-
LVGO
LVGO
-
-
-
-
HVGO
HVGO
-
-
-
-
FCC Feed (Treated Residue)
Atm. Residue
-
-
-
-
VR
Atm. Residue
-
-
-
-
FCC Naphtha HT Feed
Sweet Naphtha
-
-
-
-
LPG
LPG & Propylene
-
-
-
-
Gasoline
Gasoline
3
FR
49
20
ATF
ATF & Kerosene
-
-
-
-
HSD
HSD & FO
1
CR
63
20
Table 1.0 Tankage Summary (Reuse of existing and New tanks required)
process high sulphur crude • Meet future product requirement of Euro IV diesel and gasoline • Meet security of supply by increasing production of diesel and gasoline As part of the OSBL facility configuration, the focus area of this paper shall be the storage and dispatch facilities’ configuration to meet the revamp requirements. Configuration As mentioned earlier in the background section, the ways and means of approaching a new configuration for the offsite facilities are more than one. There is also no one particular way of doing this activity. However the intention of this paper shall be to highlight the 56 • June 2015
experience of conducting this job such that it provides an insight into one of the many ways in which this configuration can be addressed. The starting point for the storage configuration study was the material balance of the process units. This can be in form of an HMB document or the LP model output of the Process units’ licensor. The initial material balance for one of the refineries yielded the block flow diagram. The block flow diagram helped in deciding the flow of mainly the intermediate streams to and from the units in a more clear perspective. View the Block Flow Diagram in the online version of the article on www.cewindia.com/features.html.
Operational Philosophy The unit operating philosophy in terms of the overall sequencing of process units’ start-ups was finalised based on the client considerations. The operational philosophy with any such project, for the process units, is site specific. However, the refiner may ask the engineering contractor to suggest the sequence of secondary units’ start-up so as to decide on the storage requirement. In this case, past process unit operating experience comes handy and the possible options can be suggested. For eg, many refiners prefer to store the sweet naphtha from NHT so as to assist CCR (Platformer unit) start-up which assists to generate the hydrogen required for other hydrotreating units. But this storage Chemical Engineering World
MTBE METHANOL
METHANOL TANK
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
MTBE TANK
MTBE PLANT
TO LPG/GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
MTBE RAFFINATE MIX C4= FROM PRU
NC4
NAP SPLITTER TOPS NAPHTHA SPLITTER
NAP SPLITTER BOT
LIGHT HT NAPHTHA HCU L NAP
ALKYLATION UNIT
SAT DC3 BOTTOMS FROM SAT GAS CONCENTRATION UNIT
LN NHT FEED TANK
LN NHT
ALKYLATE
SR KER 2 SR KER 1
SR KEROSENE TANK
NHT NAPHTHA
CDU II FEED BUFFER TANK
NHT 2 AND NHT 3 SWEET NAPHTHA TANK
SR LDSL 2 SR LDSL 1
SR FR NAP
CDU II
SR KER 2
SR HDSL 2
SR LDSL 2
SR HDSL 1
SR HDSL 2
L.DIESEL (DHDT FEED) TANK
CCR3
NHT1
NAPHTHA SPLITTER
LIGHT REFORMATE/ AROMATICS COMPLEX FEED TANK
HEAVY REFORMATE
TO AROMATICS COMPLEX
HEAVY REFORMATE
HEAVY REFORMATE TANK MTBE
HEAVY HT NAPHTHA
REFORMATE MED RON CCR1
NHT 1 SWEET NAPHTHA TANK
H. DIESEL (DHDT FEED) TANK
LIGHT REFORMATE
LIGHT HT NAPHTHA SR NAP 1
LPG TO SALES
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
NHT3
KEROSENE MEROX
REFORMATE SPLITTER
CCR2
NHT NAPHTHA
LPG STORAGE
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
ISOMERATE
HN NHT FEED TANK
SAT TRTR LPG SAT DC3 TOPS
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
ALKYLATE TANK
ISOM
NHT2
PP SPLTR BTMS NC3 MTBE RAFFINATE
TO LPG/GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
REFORMATE MED RON
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
TREATED KEROSENE
TO ATF BLENDING POOL
HC L NAP ISOMERATE PL2 REF PL2 H REF TRTD FCC NAPHTHA
GASOLINE STORAGE TANK
GASOLINE TO SALES
MTBE RAFFINATE ALKY C4
CRUDE SPM
V DSL 2 V DSL 1 L MVGO 1 MVGO 1
AR 2
KEROSENE HT UNIT
VAC. DISTILLATE TANK
HDT KEROSENE
TO ATF BLENDING POOL TO LPG BLENDING POOL
V DSL 2 VDU III FEED TANK
LPG FROM CDU, ISOM, CCR-1, CCR-2, CCR-3, LUBE UNIT & HCU
LVGO 2
VDU III
HVGO 2
MVGO 1 L MVGO 1 LVGO 2 LVGO 1 L HVGO 1
VR 2
CRUDE
HVGO 2
CDU I FEED BUFFER TANK
HVGO 1
TO LPG BLENDING POOL
DHDT 1 UNIT DHDT1 DIESEL
LVGO TANK
HVGO TANK
DHDT1 DIESEL
TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL
THDT DIESEL
TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL
DHDT2 DIESEL
SR NAP 1
TDHT UNIT
SR KER 1
PROPYLENE UNSAT LPG TREATER UNIT
SR HDSL 1
DHDT 2 UNIT
TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL POLYPROPYLENE
THDT DIESEL
SR LDSL 1
CDU I
SAT GAS CONCENTRATION UNIT
SAT TREATED LPG
LPG TREATER UNIT
SAT DC3 TOPS
ALKYLATE DIB NC4 EXT RAFF LUBE NAPHTHA
TREATED US LPG
PROPYLENE RECOVERY UNIT
POLYPROPYLENE TO SALES
POLYPROPYLENE UNIT
KEROSENE HT KERO
PROPANE
TO LPG BLENDING POOL
MEROXED KEROSENE HC KEROSENE
DHDT2 DIESEL
ATF STORAGE TANK
ATF TO SALES
LUBE KERO
AR 1
FCC NAP I UNIT
FCC NAPHTHA HT FEED TANK
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
TREATED FCC NAPHTHA
V DSL 1 LVGO 1 L MVGO 1
VDU I AND II
VD
MVGO 1
FCC LPG
LVGO + LHVGO
L HVGO 1
HVGO L MVGO
HVGO 1 HHVGO 1
FCC
FCC NAP FCC DSL (LCO)
VGO HT DSL
LCO FROM FCC STORAGE TANK
FCC SLURRY OIL (FO STORAGE) TANK
FCC DSL (LCO)
TO DCO SALES
MVGO SWEET VGO
VR 1
FCC SLRY L MVGO
HV160
MVGO
HV195
L HVGO
HV1160
HVGO
HV1650
TO SALES TO SALES TO SALES TO SALES
150N
VR
TO SALES TO SALES
500N
VD
VR TANK
HCU H NAP
HVGO
HYDROCRACKER
SPO HARD WAX
TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL
HCU L NAP HCU KEROSENE
TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL
HCU UCO
TO SALES
NMO HARD WAX
TO ATF BLENDING POOL
HCU DIESEL
TO SALES
LMO HARD WAX
LUBE
TO SALES
DAO HARD WAX
TO SALES TO SALES
BASE OIL CRI TDAE
FCC FEED (VGO HT BOTTOMS) TANK
LUBE NAPHTHA LUBE KERO LUBE DSL
VR AR 1
LUBE HTU SIDE
VGO HT
VGO HT DSL
TO SALES TO GASOLINE BLENDING POOL TO ATF BLENDING POOL TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL TO DIESEL BLENDING POOL
DHDT DIESEL HDS DIESEL THDT DIESEL HC KEROSENE HC DIESEL HA COL BTMS LUBE DSL LUBE HTU SIDE
DIESEL STORAGE TANK
DIESEL TO SALES
VGO HT PRODUCT
H2S
SULPHUR PLANT
SULPHUR
Fig 1: Block Flow Diagram of one of the Refineries Page 3 of 8
SULPHUR TO SALES
PRESENTING ARC’S TH I RTEENTH I N DIA FORUM
Industry in Transition: The Information Driven Enterprise for the Connected World J U LY 9 - 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 • B A N G A L O R E
Featured topics: India’s economy is impacted by domestic happenings and global business cycles. With the gradual return of investor confidence, economic growth is now stabilizing. In a connected world the buzzwords for industrial growth are greater agility, flexibility, responsiveness, and innovation; and this can be achieved only with the adoption of new information technologies, such as Internet of Things, Big Data, predictive analytics, wireless, additive manufacturing, cloud computing, mobility, and 3D visualization. It is evident that information and automation technologies will play a greater role in the production process than in the past; by automating all industrial processes that don’t require human intervention and empowering humans with the timely, in-context information they need to improve performance, they can achieve operational excellence. ARC Advisory Group’s Thirteenth India forum – for process and discrete industries - is a must attend industry event for technology solution providers, industry trackers, end users, and the media. The Forum provides an appropriate networking platform for key decision makers and thought leaders to share their experiences and insights on best practices, strategies, and technologies, along with suppliers of automation systems, enterprise solutions, and manufacturing IT solutions. The knowledge transfer will come from case study presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and peer-to-peer networking. Whether you are a manufacturer or a solution provider, this forum will help you make well-informed decisions on investing in new information driven technologies.
improving energy eFFiciency advanced control solutions smart grid and smart cities collaboration at the user and device level managing legacy and aging inFrastructure 3d training and simulation social media advanced analytics and big data cloud computing impact oF mobile computing enterprise and plant asset management supply chain management including service liFecycle management cyber security and saFety
TO REGISTER: Space Is Limited! Call India +91-80-2554-7114 or USA +1-781-471-1000, Register on-line at www.arcweb.com/events/arc-industry-forum-india/, or e-mail ramang@arcweb.com.
V ision , E xpEriEncE , A nswErs
for i ndustry
CEW Features Existing Service
Service Post Revamp
Tank Type
Domestic Crude
Bonny Light
FR
Domestic Crude
Arab light
FR
Arab light
Arab light
FR
Domestic Crude
Domestic Crude
FR
Domestic Crude
Arab Light
FR
Mixed Crude
Azeri
FR
Mixed Crude
Arab Light
FR
Mixed Crude
CDU-IV Buffer tank
FR
Mixed Crude
CDU-IV Buffer tank
FR
Naphtha Feed
Arab Light
FR
Naphtha Feed
Qatar Condensate
FR
Naphtha Feed
Qatar Condensate
FR
SR Naphtha
Isomerate
FR
SR Naphtha
Treated Naphtha
FR
RFCC Naphtha
RFCC Naphtha HT (Product)
FR
RFCC Naphtha
RFCC Naphtha HT Feed
FR
Fuel Oil
FCC+DCU Diesel (DHT Feed)
CR
Coker Naphtha
Slop Oil
FR
Atm. Residue
VR
CR
Atm. Residue
VR
CR
Fuel Oil
LVGO +MVGO (VDU II)
CR
HVGO
HVGO (VDU II) + Coker HGO
CR
Required Modifications
(1) Internal coating of phenolic epoxy in bottom plate inner surface (service exposed) and upto 1 metre height in first course of shell (2) Sacrificial anodes (cathodic protection system) to be installed on inner surface (service exposed) of bottom plate
Tanks to be converted to IFR with N2 blanketing facility.
Nitrogen blanketing to be provided (modification in roof due to this change shall be considered) (1) Internal coating of phenolic epoxy in bottom plate inner surface (service exposed) and upto 1 metre height in first course of shell (2) Sacrificial anodes (cathodic protection system) to be installed on inner surface (service exposed) of bottom plate
Table 2.0 Modifications recommended for some tanks due to revised service
was not considered in this case since the Hydrogen plant of the refinery was accounted to provide and maintain the required H2 balance for operating the secondary units of the refinery. Likewise the requirement of storing the NHT feed and Isomerisation unit feed were not considered by adopting the philosophy of keeping all these naphtha and gasoline processing units shut along with CDU shutdown. This led to a substantial saving on plot space requirements combined with adopting the approach of reducing the number of days of storage for inter-unit feed tanks from a very conservative 10 days production requirement storage approach to a more practical 2-3 day of 100 per cent production requirement and about 6 days of turndown production storage. Over the years, with improved automation and overall technology combined with the increase in the number of skilled operation personnel and increased emphasis safety matters 58 • June 2015
(which includes all key operation aspects like commissioning, start-up, normal operation with SOPs and shutdown procedures) has improved the refiner’s ability to maintain the units on-stream for a longer time. Also, typically once the power requirements of the refinery are uniformly met and once the overall power block is stabilised in a new or revamped refinery, then the reasons for any unit and particularly CDU to stay shutdown for long may be very rare. Accounting all these aspects of experience gained in operation of a refinery the recommendation of having a reduced number of days of storage for the inter-unit feed tanks seems a reasonably fair conclusion. These suggestions having been accepted by the client helped in finalising the process
units operating sequence and in turn it helped finalise the storage required for different services. Reuse of the Existing Tanks for New Service After firming the operational philosophy and the number of days of storage, the numbers of tanks required for each service were worked out. The important aspect here was to allocate the existing tanks in newer services and thus reduce the requirement of addition of new tanks. Based on the data available for existing tanks, the tanks were allocated to new service as shown in the Table 1. The important considerations while allocating the tanks were the vapour pressure of stored substance, the corrosive nature of the stored substance and the location of the stored substance (ie, storage tank) on the plot plan. Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features It should be noted that few of the components shall be intermittently required to tune the final product quality requirements. Like the Alkylate flow will be governed by the octane number requirement and will generally be an intermittent requirement . The tanks allocated to new service would require some modification. The suggested modifications to the tank, as required, have been tabulated in Table 2. It can be seen from the Table 1 that among the many stocks required to be stored, the requirement of new tanks is significantly less despite a considerable increase in the total refinery processing capacity. This is due to the excess number of days of storage available with most of the existing tanks. Also, the operational philosophy as discussed above helped in reduction of the number of days of storage as also the storage requirement of a few components. The spheres for propylene with one of the refineries were in excess compared to the requirement. Now propylene spheres being of a higher design pressure were allocated for LPG storage purpose since the LPG vapour pressure is very less as compared to propylene. This is one of the examples of how the allocation has avoided addition of new spheres/tanks and thus helped in keeping the cost in control. Further, from Table 2 the modifications are suggested on a few existing tanks. For eg, instead of constructing a new IFR the existing Floating Roof (FR) tank has been recommended to be modified for storage of products like feed and product of the RFCC Naphtha HT unit. IFR storage is required for this service so as to minimise the gum forming tendency of naphtha. The modification is possible since the vapour pressure of the tank shall be the same due to the tank being in similar service earlier. The only additional aspect is the addition of a fixed roof with N2 blanketing. Since the roof’s mechanical design will be based on the design pressure due to this blanketing, the new roof shall be designed to 60 • June 2015
meet the same. Hence the modification is an executable one. Plot Plan Considerations The overall plot is arranged considering process flow, safety, ease of maintenance, operation, and construction requirements along with client preferences. In this particular refinery which is being discussed here, the considerations were based on storing requirements of the feed and products at different locations. The crude was being received at a distant island from the refinery complex while the products and intermediates were to be stored at the refinery complex itself. The new crude storage tanks to be added as a result of the increase in refining capacity also were to be accommodated on the island. On the other hand, the refinery orientation was such that the North side of the refinery complex housed all the units while the south had the product tanks and product jetties for dispatch. While allocating the product and intermediate storage tanks for the new service this philosophy was taken into account and accordingly the tanks were allocated for the storage of the same. These were the kinds of considerations that were taken in to account for the plot plan configuration of one of the refineries. Minimising the Blending Tank Requirements The blending tanks that were separately used in the refinery for blending the crude and/or products were replaced by the recommendation of inline blending of the streams. For eg, the various blend components of Gasoline like Isomerate, Reformate, Hydrotreated RFCC Naphtha, Alkylate and MTBE are blended through an automatic inline gasoline blending which is controlled by a feedback controller working on RON and Sulfur measurements being measured in the final product. It should be noted that few of the components shall be intermittently required to tune the final product quality requirements.
The Alkylate flow will be governed by the octane number requirement and will generally be an intermittent requirement. The flow of components like Alkylate and MTBE are also very less compared to the continuous flow of other gasoline components. Hence the storage was only recommended for these intermittent components. As it turned out for all the refineries in this case, the flow of these components was very less and hence small existing tanks were allocated for its storage. The remaining streams were designed for continuous flow in the Gasoline pool and hence the separate storage for these streams was not required. This method reduced the number of components to be stored for each of the product and feed pool and thereby was an important aspect in minimising the overall storage requirement. Conclusion Thus it can be concluded that the detailed study of existing facilities and the operational philosophy can yield various areas of improvement at the time of a refinery turnaround. When these aspects are studied in detail and are looked at with a fresh approach there can be various cost reducing factors which will surface up as a result. Hence by considering a few or all of the above discussed methods and approaches the storage facilities can be optimally sized and thus contribute to the goal of delivering a cost friendly and economically feasible project. Disclaimer The conclusions presented in this article are solely those of the author, and cannot be ascribed to Fluor Corporation and/or any of its subsidiaries.
Author’s Details Amit Choudhary Process Design Engineer Fluor Daniel India Pvt Ltd amit.d.choudhary@fluor.com Chemical Engineering World
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CEW Features White Paper
The Enlightened Plant: How an Automation System Delivers New Insight to Plant Operations Industry teams today must comprehend and leverage a massive volume of information delivered by control technologies. A process automation system can inform and enlighten plant personnel at all levels with contextrich information. Last in a series of three, this paper explains the new operational insight that can be delivered to plant operations after meeting basic needs for reliable, secure performance.
T
his paper focuses on how modern, process automation systems can enhance existing control technology. The goal is not just to inform plant personnel, but to enlighten them with context-rich information – delivering new levels of operational insight for operators, systems engineers, project engineers, maintenance technicians, safety team members, and managers. Information without context is noise. When surveyed, many of today’s process industry engineers and operators indicate that they have all the information they need, but want help in figuring out what to do with it. The best way to filter that noise is to ensure that each plant function has clear, up-to-date information that enables safe, successful operation of the business. Although each job role operates within multiple contexts, automation systems can assist process plants most in the following areas:
• Increasing production value • Reducing costs of raw materials and energy • Improving plant safety and security • Improving environmental integrity and regulatory compliance • Empowering the plant workforce This paper, the third in a series of three, focuses on how automation system users can adjust to information overload and can incorporate new tools that will help them to simplify tasks in a more complex environment. The other papers in this series include ‘The Future-proof 64 • June 2015
Plant: Impact of Evolving Operations, Technology, and Workforce Changes’ and ‘The Protected Plant: How an Automation System Mitigates Risks to Operational Integrity.’ Operational Adjustments Plants will continue to grow larger and more complex. Operators will struggle to handle the increased load. More instrumentation will need to be managed, more data will need to be processed, and, as a result, the potential for more human error will grow. Unlike their predecessors, who viewed a panel board to determine at a glance what was going on in the plant, modern operators rely on workstation screens. They access and absorb much more information at a faster speed. More steps are required in order to properly assess and resolve a problem. Modern systems will be designed to counter this gap between system complexity and human operator capability. For example, new situational libraries based on modelling tools provide operators with the content they need to adjust set points or otherwise respond with maximum speed. Pre-configured templates can improve operator effectiveness, shorten response time, reduce human error and fatigue, and ensure that all actions are consistent with company procedures, policies, and strategies. In addition, critical information can be displayed on smart phones and tablets for operation from almost anywhere, at any time, depending on the process and the intrinsic safety parameters of the devices involved.
Enhanced Engineering Tools Remedying production problems based on root-cause analysis is a key role that systems engineers play while increasing production value and managing constraints. Their work environment comprises a large variety of systems, each of which may be from a different vendor and each of whose technologies may be changing rapidly. These engineers need to understand those systems well enough to diagnose production problems quickly, and then scale immediately to make necessary improvements. Timing is critical. They no longer have the time to analyse detailed sequential flow charts, ladder logic, function block diagrams, or structured text to determine what is really taking place in the system. These are abstractions of the actual process – and in many cases, abstractions not created by the engineer who encounters them. Intuitive, easierto-use interfaces are required for these engineers to complete their tasks. One approach that offers engineers a means for addressing these challenges is based on an enhanced version of Scientific Apparatus Manufacturer’s Association (SAMA) configuration tools that are especially popular in the power industry. These tools present a more accurate representation of the relevant proportional-integral-derivative (PID) blocks and data flows. Such an implementation can also include dynamic filters, which help engineers focus more directly on the control mode in which they are working. Users report that the intuitive modelling of such SAMA tools, combined Chemical Engineering World
CEW Features with the dynamism built into them, can reduce engineering workloads by as much as 60 per cent. Project Engineering Productivity Project engineers must deliver new and major upgrades on time and on schedule. They need real-time awareness of changing requirements and need to assess the cost of the technology required. Their productivity improves when they can access an automation system that decouples the configuration layer from the runtime layers, enabling significant portions of the system to be configured and tested in the cloud. This speeds project delivery by enabling engineering in the context of a hypothetical future state. Such a system also supports engineering workbench and project management tools, which can be deployed in the cloud to enable project engineers to work in realtime collaboration with colleagues around the globe. Downtime Control Maintenance technicians working to minimise downtime are also challenged with increasing volume and complexity of information. Systems generate an unprecedented quantity of alarms. The systems that the technicians work on are sourced from many different vendors who use multiple protocols to communicate and who provide unique toolsets and instruction manuals. One solution is a maintenance response centre that can display maintenance alert dashboards comparable to the alarm management systems that operators use. When maintenance alerts sound, the dashboard helps technicians determine where to start drilling deeper into procedures, inventory and other information they need to solve the problem. Integration of workflow management helps maintenance technicians synchronise their activities with others who may be working on, or be affected by, a problem. Security Enhancement Safety team members must secure the plant from safety breaches and cyber 66 • June 2015
attacks – and must do so at the lowest cost, but without the slightest increase in risk exposure. As discussed in ‘The Protected Plant: How an Automation System Mitigates Risks to Operational Integrity,’ the second white paper in this series, the role that a modern system plays in maintaining the operational integrity of a plant includes safety. When a process automation system combines with a safety system, those managing plant controls can work with enhanced information regarding how and where emergency shutdown capability is being deployed throughout the plant. To change these deployments, they go to a separate interface or request modifications from an engineer dedicated to the safety system – but they have the information they need to work in full awareness of the safety protection levels in operation. Dashboards can provide further context on a company’s risk profile and provide users the maximum flexibility of an integrated experience without jeopardising safety. Managing In Context For plant executives and managers, the future will demand more on-the-spot decision-making that could have serious implications for plant profitability, safety, and security. Managers will guide the setting of strategies and polices that will make these decisions easier, but they must be confident that the entire plant is executing accordingly. A futureready automation solution must provide an effective perspective across the enterprise, facilitating better and faster business decisions. A modern system should provide all components necessary to integrate execution of plant strategies at every level. A template of the operator situational awareness library, for example, could display real-time monitoring of performance against one or more of the objectives mentioned earlier, such as reducing raw material or energy costs (see Schneider Electric white paper ‘How Human Machine Interface (HMI) Impacts Business Performance in Industrial Sites’ for more information regarding the situational
awareness concept). Maintenance alerts could be programmed to prioritise based on achieving those same objectives. An operator interface could warn of safety risks that might be introduced by changes in operations, and workflow engines could connect all relevant functions. In addition to the individual productivity improvements that a new system can bring to each function, aligning everyone on the same strategic page yields unmatched competitive advantage to those companies that implement it. Some of the references at the end of this paper provide more detail on how that alignment can be achieved. Object Model ‘Future-Proof’ Benefits Many of the applications that will be needed to manage the future have not yet been developed or even imagined, which is why it is critical to build on an open yet secure system platform. Much like the case with smartphone or tablet apps, adherence to common object models means users can benefit from future managing applications still to be developed. The more closely these applications adhere to the standards, the more easily users can incorporate and benefit from them. In addition to simplifying the delivery of advanced tools and critical run-time applications, a component object-based architecture and layered design can enable easy plug-in of applications built to open computing standards, such as the following: a. Simulation, modelling and software, which supports operator training, real-time online optimisation, and multivariable process control b. Enterprise manufacturing intelligence, which delivers real-time insight into trends in production and operation c. Corporate energy management, which helps management deal with fluctuating energy costs and supply d. SCADA applications that are customised for well-field, pipeline, water/ wastewater, and other applications e. Enterprise asset management software, which reduces costs through improved diagnostics, inventory management, Chemical Engineering World
Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 • 67
68 • June 2015
Chemical Engineering World
EMJAY ENGINEERS, Mr. Jayant Joshi
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CEW Features and preventive and predictive maintenance f. Mobile applications, which deliver real-time procedure guidance to field workers and enable real-time reporting Conclusion In the final analysis, automation does not solve problems; people do. While a future-ready, future-proof process automation system can deliver tremendous competitive and protective benefits, the real strength of the control system is in its application, not its technology. That application is in the hands of the people who use it.
INSIGHT INTO THE PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOTECH INDUSTRIES
Automation has traditionally meant replacing human activity. Now, recent advances in automation technology and the demands of the future have moved the industry into a new age. It is an age in which automation is not replacing operational roles or dumping raw data on people in the plant. Instead, it is enlightening plant personnel with the context-rich information they need, and thus helping them perform their roles better, more safely, and with greater gain – for themselves, their employers, and the consumers of their products. References 1. Martin, Peter G., Walt Boyes, and Kaoru Maruta, Real Time Control of the Industrial Enterprise, New York, NY: Momentum Press, 2013. 2. Martin, Peter G., Bottom-Line Automation, 2nd ed., Research Triangle Park, NC: International Society of Automation, 2006. 3. Martin, Peter G., “Real-Time Strategic Empowerment for Improved Profitability,” white paper, Invensys Operations Management, 2012. 4. Martin, Peter G., “Real-Time Profit Control: Driving Profitability in the Dynamic Industrial Environment,” white paper, Invensys Operations Management, 2011.
PBW Spotlights Indian Pharma and Biotech Industry Globalisation Latest Developments in Pharma Innovation
and Technologies Future Trends of the Industry Current Indian and International Corporate News Novice & Updated R & D Strategies In-Depth Market Research New Product Launches Event Alerts and Many More……
Authors’ Details Dr Peter G Martin Vice President – Strategic Ventures and Marketing Schneider Electric Grant Le Sueur Director – Product Management Schneider Electric 70 • June 2015
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Chemical Engineering World
Market Insights CEW
Henkel to Set-up India’s Largest Adhesives Plant Having been in India for almost three decades, Henkel has about nine facilities in India. Keeping in mind the growing demand in the domestic market, the company is to set up the largest adhesives plant in India with an investment of Euro 30 million. Jeremy Hunter, President, Henkel Group India states that the company is aiming to win a greater market share in India which is one of the biggest emerging markets for the company.
H
enkel, a 138 year old enterprise, is a global leader in brands and technologies operating in three core business segments viz, laundry and home care; beauty care and adhesives technology business. Globally, Henkel’s annual sales figure is around Euro 16 billion with almost 44 per cent of that figure coming from the emerging markets, including India. Of the total company’s business, the adhesives technology business comes up to approximately 50 per cent. With the favourable business environment being created by the government, Henkel is set to expand its footprint in India. The company is setting-up the country’s largest adhesives plant in Kurkumbh near Pune with a production capacity of about 80,000 metric tonnes. It is expected to begin production by 2017. The ground breaking ceremony took place this month. Honourable Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and dignitaries from the Maharashtra government along with Jeremy Hunter laid down the plant’s foundation at the ceremony. The plant will
cater to Henkel’s end user segments viz, automotive, metal and industrial sectors. Commenting on the company’s plans in India, Hunter said, “This plant will enable us to localise our product portfolio and reduce imports while bringing the best technology to India. Considering the proximity of the plant to our customers, it will help us to work closely with them in developing solutions.” While addressing a gathering of media person, Hunter elaborated that the company has doubled its business in India in the last five years and it plans on doubling it in the next five years as well. He adds that while the company would also be exporting its products from this facility, its primary focus would be on the Indian market. The company intends to expand its volume by 10-15 per cent by volume in the sectors that it caters to. Henkel aims to standardise its operations on par with the global standards. In India, Henkel has its facilities in Rudrapur – Uttrakhand, Gurgaon – Haryana, Navi Mumbai, Mhape, Jejuri – Maharashtra, and Chennai – Tamil Nadu among others. Henkel is a great example of ‘Make in India’ with almost 90 per cent of its production being sold in the Indian market. Henkel’s strategy for sustainability is to triple its output while maintaining the same carbon footprint by 2030. What is commendable is that it had set a target of improving efficiency by 30 per cent till 2015 which Henkel has already achieved in 2014. By 2016, the company has set a target of reaching Euro 20 billion in sales. Almost 50 per cent or Euro 10 million of the set target is most likely to come from the emerging markets. Hunter feels that competition is always a threat and the bigger challenge is to continue to innovate and solve customer problems quicker than the competitors do. It is crucial to constantly figure out what the trends are. In order to grow the market share, innovation is vital.
(Extreme left) Jeremy Hunter, President, Henkel Group India, (extreme right) Paul Kirsch, Corporate Senior Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain, Henkel Adhesive Technologies with Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra with other dignitaries at ground breaking ceremony of Henkel’s Kurkumbh plant
Chemical Engineering World
- Girija Dalvi June 2015 • 71
Marketing Initiative
Hydrodyne (India) Pvt Ltd
H
About Canned Motor Pumps • Canned Motor Pump is a combination of a centrifugal pump and an induction motor presented as an integral unit. In the canned motor configuration, the rotor is mounted directly on the same shaft as the impeller • Canned Pumps are of simple design and construction, having very few parts and only two rotating parts – rotor and the impeller • Secondary sealing is restricted to a couple of static gaskets, which are again well confined • Canned Pumps do not require any external lubrication • Canned Pumps are seal-less and auxiliary support arrangements for cooling seals are not required • Bush Bearings made out of carbon graphite or silicon carbide, are the only parts that come up for replacement and the bearings have a very long life, since there is no load on bearings, because of automatic thrust balancing, inherent in the design • Canned Pumps run with negligible vibration (<10 microns) and thereby wear and tear is greatly diminished • Maintenance and operational costs are negligible compared to conventional pumps • Canned Pumps Never Leak: On continuous or intermittent pumping or even in case of pump failure
ydrodyne India Pvt Ltd is the pioneer in manufacturing Seal-less Canned Motor Pumps in India. Hydrodyne offers a whole range of Canned pumps to suit extreme conditions for toxic, hazardous and critical services in variety of industrial sectors. Hundreds of pumps are serving in the most critical areas of nuclear power, refineries, petrochemicals, chemical, edible oil plants, industrial refrigeration, etc. The company maintains unsurpassable standards in design, engineering and precision manufacturing of motors and pumps to provide the most durable and efficient pumping system for the users. State-of-art, comprehensive manufacturing and testing facilities and highly skilled technical core group assure for the users, an ideal pump for every application. Mission and Vision Our company was incorporated with the guiding principle of delivering fluid handling solutions that improve our customers’ profitability. We still continue with that same commitment to provide value to our customers. Maintaining highest quality standards, we aim to achieve complete customer satisfaction. Our mission is to optimise on the latest technology, providing our clients with the best of equipment and services. Features
Benefits
• No Mechanical Seals or its API systems • No coupling • No external Lubrication • Vacuum tight • Hermetically Sealed with Secondary fluid containment • No rigid foundation • Compact- Saves 40% space • Flame proof and Explosion proof
• • • • • • •
72 • June 2015
Zero emission No alignment No product loss Longest MTBF Low vibration and noise levels Negligible Maintenance Lowest cost of operation
• Hydrodyne Pumps are Certified Flame Proof / Explosion Proof (EEx-d IIA/IIB T6 (Ex) ds.) • Conform to API 685, 1 st and 2 nd Edition for petroleum application • Approved by leading Consultants in India and abroad • Catering to wide range of toxic and hazardous services and duty conditions • Although the initial cost of Canned Pump is higher in comparison with conventional pumps, the advantages it offers – flawless pumping; minimal maintenance; negligible spares replacement; no hazards – contributes to definite cost-benefits, if the operating costs are computed even over 2-3 years’ time. Canned Pumps will thereafter, prove tremendous economy in operation considering, minimum 15-20 year life cycle of the Pump.
Hydrodyne (India) Pvt Ltd B-47, Paramount, New Link Road Andheri (West), Mumbai, 400053 Maharashtra, India T: +91 22 40647600/01/02 F: +91 22 26736639 E: info@hydrodynepumps.com W: www.hydrodynepumps.com Chemical Engineering World
Marketing Initiative
Automated Solutions for Polymer Development
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ow can we control the quality of our polymer development processes? Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has, since it was first marketed in the middle of the 20 th Century, found wide application in a diverse range of products, including polyester films, clothing fibres, packaging, glass manufacture, and electronic displays. As with any commercially useful material, its usefulness is a function of its physical properties. PET can be impact resistant, lightweight, and heat-resistant at temperatures > 250 Degree°C. As with any material, these properties are highly dependent on how the polymer is processed. A highly useful and informative measurement that QC scientists and researchers use to assess the properties of polymers such as PET is viscosity. For example, the intrinsic viscosity range of PET for bottle manufacture is from 0.72 to 0.85 dl/g. PET with intrinsic viscosity towards the lower end of this range is excellent for fine detailing, whilst material with intrinsic viscosity towards the upper end of this range will produce stronger bottles and make product manufacture an easier-to-control process. With polymer developers/processors manufacturing to an intrinsic viscosity specification that meets the demands for the market, rapid analysis is essential for monitoring process performance and QC. Relative, Intrinsic, Inherent, Reduced, and Absolute viscosity measurements are widely used as control procedures to obtain values related to the molecular weight and physical properties of polymers. These measurements can be made by observing the drop times in Ubbelohde, Cannon-Fenske, or Schott glass capillary tubes (Figure 1). Whilst Chemical Engineering World
a very simple procedure, drop-time analysis is slow, difficult to automate, wasteful of solvent, and heavily prone to user-bias. The proper tool to measure relative viscosity and all of the solution viscosity values calculated from the relative viscosity is naturally a relative viscometer. Increasing the efficiency and reliability of polymer QC whilst reducing cost Malvern’s Viscotek Dilute Solution Viscometry (DSV) solution (Figure 2) directly measures the relative viscosity of dilute polymer solutions in a few minutes using the dual capillary Viscotek Y-501 Relative Viscometer (Figure 3). The dual capillary viscometer works on the basic principal of Poiseulle's law which states that the pressure drop across a capillary is equal to the viscosity of the material times the flow rate times the resistance of the capillary (which is defined by the length and diameter of the capillary). When a sample solution is loaded, it flows into one capillary while pure solvent remains flowing through the other capillary (Figure 4). The difference in pressure drop between the two capillaries is measured and used to calculate the relative viscosity of the
Etched Lines
Figure 1: Standard Glass Capillary Tubes
two solutions. Intrinsic viscosity can be calculated directly from the relative viscosity. By analysing both solvent and sample viscosity simultaneously, differences due to temperature change, calibration or operator are eliminated. Since it uses less solvent than traditional glasstube systems, the DSV offers a more economical, environmentally friendly and safe method to measure polymer solution viscosity. Measurements can be made at temperatures up to 160 Degree°C, maximising the range of samples that can be analysed. The method is faster and more precise than conventional glass tubes. Automated sample preparation (using a computer controlled balance) and loading is available for Viscotek DSV
Figure 2: Automated Relative Viscometer including balance
June 2015 • 73
Marketing Initiative Table 1: Highly reproducible automated DSV measurements of PET in OCP solvent – ideal for efficient QC Sample
Injection
Run
Specific
Inherent
Viscosity
Viscosity (dL/g)
A PET 1 B A PET 2 B A PET 3 B A PET 4 B A PET 5 B
1
0.3306
0.5713
2
0.3312
0.5723
1
0.3323
0.5737
2
0.3329
0.5745
1
0.3242
0.5615
2
0.3244
0.5617
1
0.3239
0.561
2
0.324
0.5613
1
0.3238
0.5609
2
0.3239
0.5611
1
0.324
0.5612
2
0.3244
0.5618
1
0.3528
0.6059
2
0.3542
0.6066
1
0.3539
0.6059
2
0.3539
0.6059
1
0.3299
0.57
2
0.3299
0.57
1
0.3293
0.5695
2
0.3293
0.5695
(Figure 2), minimising solvent exposure and ensuring maximum robustness in demanding QC applications, with the method being ASTM-approved. Table 1 shows data obtained from DSV analysis of PET polymer preparations in ortho-chlorophenol (OCP) solvent. Sample preparation was fully automated, with addition of solvent to sample, heating, mixing and measurement all being carried out in sequence without user intervention. Samples were heated to 100 Degree°C and stirred for 90 minutes. Multiple preparations were run with duplicate injections to show the precision of both the viscometer and the sample preparation system. As is clear from Table 1, automated Malvern Viscotek DSV gives a highly reproducible and efficient means of assessing polymer quality through automated preparation and measurement, each measurement taking 5.5 mins to complete. An orthogonal polymer analysis strategy Whilst this article has focussed on the application of DSV to PET QC, the method is used to characterise a wide range of polymers, including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), 74 • June 2015
Figure 3: Two capillary relative viscometer – Injection valve shown in the load position
Figure 4: DSV raw data – sample and solvent viscosity measured simultaneously in order to maximise accuracy and repeatability
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polybutadiene (PBD), Synthetic Rubber (EPDM), Hyaluronic Acid (HA), Cellulosic, Nylon, etc. Malvern also provides a number of other means of characterising polymers. Viscotek FIPA (flow injection polymer analysis), for instance, uses the Viscotek Triple Detection Array (TDA) detection set-up (containing refractive index, light scattering and viscometer detectors) to directly measure both the absolute molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity (and calculate the size) of polymers in one measurement. Automatable, FIPA gives a means of comprehensively characterising polymers with regard to both molecular weight and viscosity. An example FIPA application is the analysis of the xylene soluble fraction of polyolefins (such as polypropylene) as a more efficient, accurate and repeatable alternative to the traditional gravimetric approach. Malvern’s Viscotek High-Temperature Gel Permeation Chromatography (HT-GPC) system is also widely used for polyolefin characterisation, presenting a means of characterising the absolute molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity and molecular size of polyolefins and other polymers (such as such as polythiophene, PEEK and PVF) that require temperatures from 100°Degree C up to 160°Degree C to stay in solution. Chemical Engineering World
Marketing Initiative
Figure 5: Resolve and Reveal the character of your polymers using OMNISEC
Finally, February saw the release of OMNISEC, the world’s most advanced GPC system (Figure 5). The system combines an integrated degasser, isocratic pump, autosampler and column oven (OMNISEC RESOLVE) with an optimised detection unit that includes light scattering, refractive index, UV/Vis photodiode array and viscometer (OMNISEC REVEAL). Together, these two components allow automated high-resolution separation and characterisation of very low concentration polymer samples with minimal baseline noise and maximum sensitivity and accuracy. OMNISEC allows complete understanding of your polymer product by measuring absolute molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, hydrodynamic radius, Mark-Houwink parameters, radius of gyration, branching, and co-polymer composition. Whatever the polymer, Malvern’s instrumentation enables you to characterise the nature and quality of your product in the most accurate, efficient and cost-effective manner possible.
Malvern Aimil Instruments Pvt Ltd Naimex House A-8 Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road, New Delhi – 110044 T: 011-30810244 F : 011-26950011 E: delhi@aimil.com Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 • 75
CEW Products Adsorption Chillers
Piping Component File
Bry-Air (Asia), offers adsorption chiller in the range of 35 to 1,180 kW under license from Power Partners, Inc, USA. The BryAir adsorption chiller provides energysmart cooling using waste heat. It is a first ever product being launched in India to tap the abundant low grade waste heat available in process industries and use it for process cooling or air-conditioning (HVAC). A lot of low grade process heat (50 oC – 100 oC) generally goes waste, which now can be used for cooling. This eco-friendly solution also cuts down CO 2 emission and reduces energy expenses. It is ideal for process industries like power plants, food and beverages, chemical manufacturer, etc.
Intergraph Process, Power & Marine, offers Isogen Piping Component File (PCF) reference documentation for free download and use at h t t p s : / / i g - p r o d . e n t i t l e n ow. c o m / DownloadCenter/?product=isogen_ pcf Data exchange is needed at many points during the design, fabrication, construction and operation of piping systems and Intergraph recognizes that PCF plays an important role. Isogen is the industry’s most widely used software for automated piping isometric production. In addition to its use with many piping design software applications, SmartPlant Isometrics and SmartPlant Spoolgen are innovative products powered by Isogen that address the needs of owner operators and companies providing engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction services.
For details contact: Bry-Air (Asia) Pvt Ltd 21C, Sector-18, Gurgaon 122 015 Tel: 0124-4091111 | Fax: 91-0124-4091100 E-mail : sdutta@pahwa.com
For details contact: Intergraph Corporation 305 Intergraph Way, Madison, AL 35758, U.S.A. Tel: 1.256.730.3326 E-mail: patricia.mccarter@intergraph.com
or Circle Readers’ Service Card 1
or Circle Readers’ Service Card 2
Chlorine Dioxide Disinfection System Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd (Grundfos India) offers its chlorine dioxide disinfection system for water treatment applications. This system can be used for treating cooling tower water, industrial raw water, process water and drinking water. Based on underwater generation technology, the system generates chlorine dioxide (ClO 2) using concentrated solutions of sodium chlorite and hydrochloric acid. With their high precision, integrated Grundfos dosing pumps the system assures a high performance level and yield for the generation of 1 kg to 200 kg ClO 2/hr. The Grundfos ClO 2 system can be tailor-made according to customer needs: titanium pumps for pressurized injection, a distribution panel for multiple injections, complete or partial redundancy, external communication for remote control, etc. It is designed with very effective underwater generation technology which not only consumes lesser chemicals, but also generates lesser by-products. The small volume of reaction chamber of the Grundfos chlorine dioxide system means lower ClO 2 quantity, and therefore lower risk. There is no risk of concentrated ClO 2 gas getting released into the atmosphere as the highly concentrated ClO 2 is generated underwater. For details contact: Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd (Grundfos India) 118 Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Thoraipakkam Chennai 600 097 Tel: 044-45966800 Fax: 91-044-45966969 E-mail: sales@grundfos.com / mahathi@grundfos.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 3
76 • June 2015
Chemical Engineering World
Products CEW Wireless Router Siemens Ltd offers the Ruggedcom RX1400, a smart multiprotocol network node with integrated firewall. The device combines the functionality of Ethernet switch and router with various connectivity options for Wide Area Networks (WAN). Among the device’s various applications is its use for secure communication of metering data to a Smart City’s Control Center via a wired Network or a wireless Wide Area Network (2G or 3G). It is also ideal for oil and gas facilities, substations of power distribution systems, switch cabinets for traffic and rail transport control as well as applications in any harsh industrial environment. The router is primarily designed for communication via commercial long-term evolution (LTE) networks, where it leverages the extensive advanced LTE functions for Quality of Service/QoS management. The router’s dual SIM card slot allows automatic failover between mobile service providers in case of network failures, if necessary. Users can equip the device with two optional fiberoptic SFPs (Small Form-factor Pluggable) to establish wired communication connections where needed. For details contact: Siemens Ltd 130, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli, Mumbai 400 018 Tel: 022-39677000, 39677537 E-mail: bijesh.kamath@siemens.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 4
Precision Measurement Instruments Cole-Parmer expanded its Digi-Sense line of precision measurement instruments. Digi-Sense, has introduced several new instruments for convenient temperature measurement, equipment testing and inspection. The Be Sense-ible line contains a full range of environmental and temperature instruments that includes thermocouple meters, thermistor meters, RTD meters and infrared thermometers—many with NIST-traceable calibration already completed and ready to use upon arrival. The new items include: Digi-Sense Precalibrated Humidity and Temperature Indicator monitors humidity levels and displays temperature and time as well; Digi-Sense Precalibrated Pocket Thermometers in large head, pen style and folding probe types take fast and accurate temperature measurements anywhere; Digi-Sense Precalibrated Pocket-Size Moisture Meter measures the moisture level in wood products and hardened materials with one-handed operation; Digi-Sense Precalibrated Digital Contact/Photo Tachometer ensures equipment is in optimal operating condition, eliminating costly repairs; and Digi-Sense Borescope and Video Borescope are ideal for inspecting ductwork, wiring, piping, vehicles and other hardto-reach areas. For details contact: Cole-Parmer India Pvt Ltd A-403 Delphi, Hiranandani Business Park Powai, Mumbai 400 076 Tel: 022-61394444, 61394410 | Fax: 91-022-61394422 E-mail: info@coleparmer.in or Circle Readers’ Service Card 5
Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 • 77
CEW Products SmartPlant Electrical
Side Channel Blowers & Vacuum Pumps
Intergraph offers SmartPlant Electrical 2015, an enhanced version of its integrated solution within the Engineering and Schematics product suite designed to help plant owners achieve business success. SmartPlant Electrical (SPEL) addresses the electrical power distribution network needs of a plant’s entire life cycle, from concept to detailed design through operations and maintenance, including start-up, continuous operation, emergencies and shutdowns. SmartPlant Electrical enables users to create and maintain a safe and reliable power distribution from load identification to plant start-up, with input taken from mechanical drawings and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) to interface with other vendors’ analysis products for design verification.
Vacunair Engineering Co Pvt Ltd offers side channel blower and vacuum pumps. The chambers set in the periphery of the impeller, air is accelerated due to centrifugal force created as the impeller turns and is thrown into the next chamber and is again similarly accelerated, thus continuously increasing compression as the impeller turns until it reaches the outlet port.
For details contact: Intergraph Corporation 305 Intergraph Way Madison, AL 35758, U.S.A. Tel: 1-256-730-2000 | Fax: 1-256-730-2048 Email: justin.lucas@intergraph.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 6
This rugged, compact, lightweight, aluminium alloy constructed product features non-pulsating continuous air flow. There is no metal to metal contact; oil-free air. It has a low noise level and additional filter system (optional). For details contact: Vacunair Engineering Co Pvt Ltd Nr Gujarat Bottling, Rakhial, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380 023 Tel: 079-22910771 | Fax: 91-079-22910770 E-mail: info@vacunair.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 7
Scaling Watch Flowrox offers scaling watch, which is of high relevance to oil and gas pipelines supplying the energy industry. The Flowrox scaling watch is of instrumental value to energy companies seeking to reduce or eliminate pipeline damage by monitoring and controlling the buildup of asphaltene depositions and paraffin wax that can create choke points that reduce the flow of heavy oils. Beyond the instrument’s ability to monitor deposition in the pipeline, the Flowrox scaling watch also has the ability to provide multiphase flow images, such as percentages of oil, sea water or sand. Flowrox’s patented algorithm monitors depositions with a 3D view of the pipe, tracks data on buildup growth rates and reports the available volume within the pipe—all leading to a proactive maintenance approach, rather than having to repair or replace a pipe after the damage. Thanks to its ability to show pipeline deposits and the downward trend in pipeline capacity available, the Flowrox scaling watch offers a unique perspective on proactive maintenance that can prompt pipeline operators to take corrective action. Common compounds found in oil pipelines that can lead to damaging buildup include a variety of resins, hydrocarbons and paraffin which increase the viscosity and decrease the mobility of fluids during the transportation process. For details contact: Flowrox India 7 Udyog Bhavan, Sonawala Road, Goregaon (E), Mumbai 400 063 Tel: 022-26861106 | Fax: 91-022-26860323 E-mail: rajesh.menon@flowrox.com / india.snicker@flowrox.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 8
78 • June 2015
Chemical Engineering World
Products CEW Resilient Seated Knife Gate Valve DeZURIK’s new KGC-BD bi-directional resilient seated knife gate valve features a unique, patented perimeter seat design that provides bubble-tight shutoff in either direction, even on dead end service. It combines a one-piece rubber moulded seat with an insert, a spline and a puck that work together to lock the seat securely into the valve body. This unique seat design prevents buckling or dislodging that can occur with other perimeter seat designs. In addition, the KGC-BD features the exclusive premium packing system that includes high performance packing material options and anti-extrusion segments. Available in sizes 2-36” (50-900 mm) in a variety of materials, the valve provides improved sealing, extended packing life and reduced maintenance.The valve is designed for isolation and on/off applications in the paper, chemical, mining, power and waste water industries. It is designed to handle clean, dirty, viscous and corrosive liquids, sludge, fibrous slurries, clean and corrosive gases. For details contact: DeZURIK/APCO/Hilton 250 Riverside Ave N, Sartell, MN 56377, U.S.A. Tel: (320) 259-2000 | Fax: (320) 259-2227 E-mail: info@dezurik.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 9
Fibre Laser Marking Machines Technifor offers a new range of laser marking machines that are making their mark as a true model of integration: laser solution F-Series. The new electronics offers communication tools natively, allowing continuous and instantaneous interaction with the various workstations integrated into the chain of production. Dedicated and generic I/Os, TCP/ IP Ethernet, PROFINET, RS232, USB, the configuration, control and data recording options are cutting-edge and allow for remote control. The new connections eliminate the need for costly adapters and offer the prospect of a single central server managing a factory’s entire fleet of lasers. Ultra-fast, the choice of high-performance electronic components has resulted in marking equipment that is 50 per cent more time-efficient than the previous generation. Available in a whole range of powers (from 10 to 50 W), the Laser Solution F-Series permits the direct and permanent marking of a wide variety of parts and materials (plastics, metals, ceramics, etc). From surface marking to deep engraving, it executes 1D and 2D codes of outstanding quality, guaranteeing faultless scanning. These new laser machines offer a real technical advantage to integrators and manufacturers who need to install marking stations on production lines. For details contact: GRAVOTECH Engg Pvt Ltd Gat No: 2323/1, Pune Nagar Road, Reality Warehousing, Tal: Haveli Wagholi, Dist: Pune, Maharashtra 412 207 Tel: 020-41030001 | Fax: 91 020-41030010 E-mail: infotechnifor@in.gravotech.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 10
Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 • 79
CEW Products
Smart switching – adapted braking. New electronic braking torque regulation for ROBA-stop® safety brakes The new, intelligent braking torque control module by mayr® power transmission makes it possible to decelerate devices and machines evenly and gently. This innovative and economically attractive solution is pre-destined for application in smart, interconnected machines.
Intelligent Braking Torque Control Module
Research Grade Bench-top Meters
With the new, intelligent braking torque control module, mayr power transmission offer an economically attractive solution to generate a variable braking torque for ROBAstop safety brakes, making it possible to decelerate machines evenly and gently. Fig.1: With the new, intelligent braking torque control module, mayr® power transmission offer an
Hanna Instruments offers HI5000 Series of advanced research grade benchtop meters for pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ion analysis and other water parameters. The user interface of the HI5000 Series is highly adaptable, allowing users to display various measurement modes, real-time graphing and GLP data. Additional features include, but are not limited to, custom calibration options and buffers, three types of data logging, programmable alarm limits, and a dedicated contextual help key. This Series does just that by offering intuitive and customizable features such as the capacitive touch keys and custom buffer options. The HI5000 meters also provide Hanna’s exclusive CAL Check feature to alert the user of potential problems during the pH calibration process.
economically attractive solution for the generation of a variable braking torque for ROBA-stop® safety brakes.
With the new braking torque control module, mayr power transmission provide the possibility to build up control circuits and brake movements intelligently – ideal prerequisites for application in the smart, interconnected machines of Continuous braking torque changes when in operation the future. Nobody would even think of using the handbrake or parking brake when a car is going at full speed. In order to decelerate the car as required, a driver would use the foot brake. Gradual, even deceleration is also often desired for devices and machine applications with dynamic braking actions. However, as safety brakes – in contrast to car brakes – can only distinguish between two operating conditions due to their design, namely “braking torque present” and “no braking torque present”, every braking procedure is carried out with the maximum braking torque available. With the new, intelligent braking torque control module, mayr® power transmission offer an economically attractive solution to generate a variable braking torque for ROBA-stop® safety brakes, making it possible to decelerate machines evenly and gently.
Up to now, brakes have been dimensioned with regard to the maximum load where devices with variable loads, for example forklift trucks, are concerned. However, it is not always expedient to work with the full braking torque. In case of partial loads, a stronger deceleration than necessary can lead to damage to the transported goods or even to sliding of the wheels. If, however, the system detects the operating conditions and converts this information into a default signal for the new, intelligent control module by mayr® power transmission, electronic braking torque regulation is possible. Using the new system, the brake specialists have succeeded in continuously changing the contact force on the brake linings and therefore also the braking torque during operation. In this way, machines can be decelerated gently, adapted to the respective system requirements. Furthermore, the new braking torque regulation makes it possible to compensate for negative influences on the braking torque consistency in applications requiring a constant braking torque within narrow tolerance limits.
For details contact: Chr Mayr GmbH + Co KG Eichenstraße 1 87665 Mauerstetten, Germany Prerequisites a smart machine Tel: +49for8341 / 804-232 | Fax: +49 8341 / 804-49232 E-mail: hermann.bestle@mayr.de
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or Circle Readers’ Service Card 11
For details contact: Hanna Equipments (India) Pvt Ltd. Aum Sai Bldg, 3/4/5/6, Plot No: 23-C, Sector 7, Kharghar Navi Mumbai 410 210 Tel: 022-27746554 E-mail: marketing@hanna-india.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 12
SMART Distributed Control System Siemens offers DCS product line SIMATIC PCS 7 SMART specifically designed for small to mid-sized process automation markets across applications and industries. PCS 7 SMART ensures lower initial acquisition cost than a larger DCS, thus reducing the Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO). It offers a fixed, compact configuration which ensures ease of repeatability. This feature not only reduces engineering efforts but also ensures lesser time-tomarket. This compact automation controller is an extension of the powerful and proven SIMATIC AS 410 Series controllers. SIMATIC PCS 7 SMART can withstand harsh temperature, vibration, shock, EMC requirements and is designed for round-the-clock industry use. It has a proven ruggedness of SIMATIC controllers and is equipped with conformal coating (G3). SIMATIC PCS 7 SMART is the future-oriented process control system with modern system architecture. It is based on robust, industrial standard SIMATIC hardware, software and peripheral components. It allows flexible and simple integration of field devices and drives based on PROFINET, PROFIBUS or Foundation Fieldbus. It also supports open source interfaces based on international standards such as OPC. For details contact: Siemens Ltd 130, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli, Mumbai 400 018 Tel: 022-39677000, 39677537 E-mail: bijesh.kamath@siemens.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 13
80 • June 2015
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ChemTECH Chennai 2015 Dates: 10-12 December, 2015 Venue: TNTPO, Exhibition Ground, Chennai Details: World meet of chemicals, petrochemicals, pharma and process industry in India encompassing exhibition and conferences. Contact: +91 22 40373636 Email: sales@jasubhai.com Website: www.chemtech-online.com ChemTECH Gujarat 2016 Dates: 10-12 February, 2016 Venue: Ahmedabad, India Details: World meet of chemicals, petrochemicals, pharma and process industry in India encompassing exhibition and conferences. Contact: +91 22 40373636 Email: sales@jasubhai.com Website: www.chemtech-online.com
2015 SNO Conference Dates: 8 - 10 November, 2015 Venue: Portland, USA Details: This year’s SNO conference sessions will be organized around selected ‘systems’, eg, air-water systems Organiser: Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Email: info@susnano.org Website: http://susnano.org/ POWTEX OSAKA 2015 Dates: 14-16 October, 2015 Venue: International Exhibition Centre, Osaka (INTEX) Details: The 11th Powder Technology Exhibition Osaka Organiser: The Association of Powder Process Industry & Engineering Contact: +86 10 6422 2898 Email: info2015@powtex.com Website: www.intex-osaka.com
ARC’s Thirteenth India Forum Dates: 9-10 July, 2015 Venue: Le Meridien, Bangalore India Details: Networking platform for decision makers to share their insights on best practices, strategies, and technologies, suppliers of automation systems, enterprise solutions, and manufacturing IT solutions. Organiser:ARC Advisory Group Contact: +91-80-2554 7114 Email: lkanickaraj@arcweb.com Website: http://www.arcweb.com/ MainTech 2015, 6th Edition Dates: 17 July, 2015 Venue: Hotel Surya Palace, Vadodara Details: Forum for Maintenance Technology & Practices Focus Area for 2015: Lubrication Organiser: Confederation of Indian Industry Contact: +91 265 2340751 Email: abhaya.singh@cii.in Website: www.cii.in Chemical Engineering World
Biorefinery I Dates: 27 Sept - 2 Oct, 2015 Venue: Chania (Crete), Greece Details: An event on chemicals production from renewable resources Organiser: Engineering Conferences International Contact: 1 212 514 6760 Email: info@engconfintl.org Website: www.engconf.org Plastics Recycling Show 2015 Dates: 25-26 November, 2015 Venue: Belgium Details: European exhibition & conference for plastics recycling Organiser: Engineering Conferences International Contact: +32 2 742 96 82 Email: info@plasticsrecyclers.eu Website: www.plasticsrecyclers.eu June 2015 • 81
CEW Project Update
New Contracts/Expansions/Revamps The following list is a brief insight into the latest new projects by various companies in India. • CHEMICALS Astrica Laboratories is implementing a 240-TPA synthetic organic chemicals manufacturing project at a cost of ` 78.8-million in village: Ananthsagar, district: Medak, Telangana. Team Labs & Consultants are the environmental consultants. The project will come up on 6.97-acre of land. According to MoEF sources, it is proposed to treat all HTDS effluent in stripper followed by MEE and ATFD. All LTDS effluent including domestic effluent shall be treated in biological treatment followed by RO system. RO rejects sent to MEE and permeate is used for cooling towers as make up. Solid wastes are generated from the process, solvent distillation, collection/neutralization tank, waste oil from DG sets, used batteries from DG sets. The ash from boiler is sold to brick manufacturers. The solid wastes; evaporation salts, wastes from the process in inorganic form, ie, process salts and filtration aids shall be disposed to the TSDF, while the hazardous wastes of organic nature, i.e, distillation residues shall be disposed to authorized cement units and other wastes like used oil and used batteries shall be sent to authorized recyclers. The sludge from treatment plant shall be sent to TSDF. The basic technology involved in the manufacturing of bulk drugs is the process kettles, heat exchangers, centrifuges and storage tanks. To support the process, equipment boilers, chilling plants, cooling towers, etc, are required. All the above equipment can be sourced indigenously. 80 per cent of civil work has been completed and remaining 20 per cent is in progress. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2015.
Stellar Chemical Laboratories is planning an expansion of its organic chemical manufacturing project from 7.1-TPM to 84.1-TPM in village: Derol, district: Panchmahals, Gujarat. Machinery is yet to be ordered. Work on the project is expected to commence after receipt of environmental clearances and the completion date is yet to be finalized. • MINING Barmer Lignite Mining Company, a JV between Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals & Raj West Power, a subsidiary of JSW Energy is planning an expansion of the Kapurdi Open Cast Lignite Mining project from 3.75-MTPA to 7-MTPA in Kapurdi, district: Barmer, Rajasthan at an estimated cost of ` 18,000-million inclusive of a new lignite mining project at Jalipa mines. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. • NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY Karnataka Renewable Energy Development is planning a 10-MW solar power project at an estimated cost of ` 600-million (approximately) in village: Tingloor, taluka: Madhugiri, district: Tumkur, Karnataka. Surana Telecom And Power has received Letter of Award (LoA) for development of the project. Maharashtra State Power Generation Company is planning a 50-MWp solar photo voltaic power project in Gangakhed, district: Parbhani, Maharashtra. The company is scouting for land. Other details are yet to be finalized.
Adi Finechem is planning a 40-TPA specialty products manufacturing project on a 2-acre land at an estimated cost of ` 400-million in village: Chekhala, district: Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The project is waiting for environmental clearance.
Azure Power India is implementing a 10-MW solar photovoltaic power project in taluka: Hiriyur, district: Chitradurga, Karnataka. PPA has been signed with Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM). Civil work and panel installation work is in progress.
Lakhani Dyestuffs is implementing a 100-TPM reactive dyes manufacturing project in MIDC, Ambernath (W), district: Thane, Maharashtra. Environmental clearance has been received for the project. Land has been acquired and civil work is in progress. The project is scheduled for completion in H2 2015. RSPL is planning a 1,500-TPD soda ash plant and 40-MW captive power project in village: Kuranga, district: Jamnagar, Gujarat. Land acquisition is in progress. 85 per cent of land has been acquired. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. The entire project is planned for completion in 5 years from zero date.
Government of Odisha is planning a 20-MW solar power plant in Manmunda, district: Boudh, Odisha. Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha is the nodal agency. According to reports, the nodal agency has identified about 120-acre of land at Manmunda for establishment of the project. Land has been allotted to the agency from the industrial park area earmarked by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).The EPC tender is for development of the power plant and maintenance for a period of 10 years. Apart from the Boudh project, the agency is in the lookout for additional land in Koraput, Kantamal and Bolangir areas for installing about 200-MW solar energy capacity.
Superhouse is planning an expansion of its chemical mixmanufacturing project from 200-kg/day to 500-kg/day in UPSIDC Industrial Area, district: Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The product will be used in leather tanneries. The project will involve installation of containers. The project is in planning stage.
ACME Solar Energy is planning a 30-MW solar photovoltaic independent power project at a cost of ` 2.4-billion in Chhattisgarh. The company is a JV between ACME Cleantech Solutions, EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) and EREN, Luxembourg. PPA is yet to be signed with Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company
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Project Update CEW (CSPDCL). The project is in planning stage. The project is planned for completion in 1-year from zero date. â&#x20AC;˘ THERMAL POWER R a i n C e m e n t s i s p l a n n i n g a 7 - M W wa s t e h e a t r e c ove r y - b a s e d p owe r p l a n t i n v i l l a g e : B o i n c h e r u v u p a l l i , Pe a p u l l y M a n d a l , d i s t r i c t : Kur nool, Andhra Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project is ` 700-million. The project will come up in the existing cement plant premises. The project will generate up to 7-MW of gross electrical energy from the waste heat and the flue gases evolved during the cement manufacturing process. The project that will be financed by a combination of internal accruals and bank loans is expected to be completed in about 14 months. The Board of Directors of the company had approved of the project at its meeting held on 27 th February, 2015. Seven Star Steels is planning an expansion of its thermal (coal-based) captive power project from initial 8-MW to 12-MW at a cost of ` 600-million in village: Kalendamal, district: Jharsuguda, Odisha. The project will come up along with an expansion of its sponge iron plant from 60,000-TPA to 180,000-TPA and ingot plant from 39,200-TPA to 80,000-TPA. Machinery will be partially procured locally and partially imported; orders are yet to be placed. The project is waiting for industrial clearance. Work on the project will commence soon. R a i ch u r Pow e r C o r p o r a t i o n , a J V b e t we e n K a r n a t a k a Powe r Corporation and Bharat Heavy Electricals plans a 800MW coal-based super-critical power project at an estimated cost of ` 88,062.3-million in village: Edlapur, district: Raichur, Karnataka. This is an expansion of the Raichur TPP by addition of 800-MW and would generate 5,957MU of energy annually. According to MoEF sources, 382-million tonnes of coal to KPCL has been allocated in Deocha-Pachami Coal Block in West Bengal, which has a total reserve of 2,012-million tonnes. The blended coal 2.92-MTPA (indigenous coal of 2.044-MTPA (70 per cent) and imported coal is 0.876-MTPA (30 per cent)) will be used for the proposed TPP. Edlapur TPS is proposed to be commissioned in 51 months from zero date. Imported coal would be utilized. Coal would be transported by rail for the entire route from mines to power plant site. Clearances for the project are received from Airports Authority of India and Archaeological Survey of India, Health & Family Welfare Department and Fisheries Department, GoK. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. Work will commence after receipt of clearances from MoEF. Birla Corporation is planning a 50-MW captive power project in district: Nagaur, Rajasthan. The project will come up as a part of its integrated cement project. Land acquisition is in progress. Further details of the project are yet to be finalized. ARS Metals is planning an 8-MW waste heat recovery-based captive power project in Naidupet, district: Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. The project will come up as a part of its 4-phase greenfield integrated steel project in the same location, which is also in planning stage. The power generated will be used for the upcoming greenfield integrated steel plant. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. 58-acre of land has been allotted by APIIC for the project. The entire project is planned for completion in 30 months from zero date. Adani Power Rajasthan is planning an expansion of Kawai Thermal Power Plant in Kawai, district: Baran, Rajasthan. The capacity will be augmented from 1,320MW by addition of 2x800-MW. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ 83
CEW Ad Index Sr. No.
Client’s Name
Page No
Sr. No.
Client’s Name
Page No
Inside Cover I
20
Lubrizol Advanced Materials India Pvt Ltd
15
Avians Innovations Technology Pvt Ltd
21
21
Paharpur Cooling Tower
47
3
BHS-Sonthofen (India) Pvt Ltd
75
22
R K Dutt Concerns
43
4
Busch Vacuum India Pvt Ltd
17
23
Rasaii Flow Lines Pvt Ltd
61
5
C R I Pumps Pvt Ltd
41
24
Rathi Transpower Pvt Ltd
65
6
Desmi Pumping Technology A/S
31
25
Ravel Hiteks Pvt Ltd
69
7
Emerson Process Management (I) Pvt Ltd
19
26
Rotex Manufacturers Engineering Pvt Ltd
8
Emjay Engineers
63
27
Sinocalci (India) Technology Pvt Ltd
51
9
Gopani Product Systems
Back Cover
28
Steelfur System Pvt Ltd
23
55
29
Suraj Ltd
69
63
30
Tecnimont ICB Pvt Ltd
45
7
31
Toshniwal Instruments (Madras) Pvt Ltd
65
1
Atomic Vacuum Company (Exports)
2
10 GRPC
9
11
Hanna Instruments Equipments (I) Pvt Ltd
12
Hi-tech Applicator
13
Hydrodyne India Pvt Ltd
39
32
ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd
33
14
ImageGrafix Engineering Services Pvt Ltd 77, 79, 81, 83
33
Uni Klinger Ltd
53
15
Integral Process Controls India (P) Ltd
35
34
UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd
27
16
Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd
11
35
Zeeco Inc
17
Kevin Enterprise Pvt Ltd
18
Kirloskar Brothers Ltd
19
KSB Pumps Ltd
84 • June 2015
5 Inside Cover II
3
36 ARC
57
37
59
Chemtech World Expo Events
29 Chemical Engineering World
Book Shelf CEW Understanding and Negotiating Turnkey and Epc Contracts Author : Joseph A Huse Price : USD 464.12 Pages : 1101 (Hardcover) Publisher : Sweet & Maxwell About the Book: This work is a practical commentary on the FIDIC and EPC turnkey contracts widely used in the international construction industry. It provides clause-by-clause analysis of these contracts, accompanied by practical guidance on their application in specific projects. It also reproduces the contracts in full as an appendix. Detailed, clause-byclause approach makes it a highly practical working tool. Invaluable for international projects where the use of FIDIC standard contracts is increasing all the time
Industrial Megaprojects: Concepts, Strategies, and Practices for Success Author : Edward W Merrow Price : USD 41.38 Pages : 384 (Hardcover) Publisher : Wiley About the Book: More than half of large-scale building projects, such as drilling platforms, chemical plants, or dams, have miserably poor results: billions of dollars in overruns, long delays in design and construction, and poor operability once they are finally completed. Occasionally, these fiascos make the news, but for obvious reasons, companies usually bury the disasters with as little publicity as possible. Yet, management at the companies know full well the complexity and the difficulty faced when mounting megaprojects. Industrial Megaprojects explains the underlying causes of over-budgeted, delayed, and unsafe megaprojects: poor project management, destructive team behaviours, weak accountability systems, an almost pathological focus on the short-term, and the unwillingness to invest in deep technical expertise.
Process Plant Construction: A Handbook for Quality Management Authors : Patrick Noble Price : USD 157.54 Pages : 228 (Hardcover) Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell About the Book: This handbook introduces engineers, project and construction managers, and senior technicians to a methodology for the management of quality on a process plant construction site. The eleven chapters of the handbook define the roles and appellations of the parties involved in a project as well as outlining the fundamental strategic and contractual orientations to be decided. The ISO 9000 series of standards are examined within the context of the process plant construction site. A study is then made of the roles of the organizations involved and of the interfaces between them. Special attention is given to document and materiel control, followed by a review of the various monitoring and feedback systems to keep the project on track moving towards the ultimate goal of satisfactory construction completion leading to turnover. Model procedures are proposed, complete with forms attached, and a number of case studies are included to illustrate the practical application of the principles presented. Chemical Engineering World
Mastering Risk and Procurement in Project Management: A Guide to Planning, Controlling, and Resolving Unexpected Problems Author : Price : Pages : Publisher :
Randal Wilson USD 59.99 288 (Hardcover) Pearson FT Press
About the Book: Master the crucial risk management and procurement tasks that are indispensable to project success! In Mastering Risk and Procurement in Project Management, expert project manager and seasoned professor Wilson addresses every stage of the project where risk management and procurement are relevant, especially planning, monitoring, and control. Teaching through relevant examples and case studies, Wilson explains: • Why risk management and procurement are so crucial to achieving your project’s goals • The deep and surprising linkages that exist across risk management and procurement • How to avoid common pitfalls • How to integrate best-practice risk management and procurement throughout your PMBOK processes. Drawing on his own extensive experience, he offers in-depth coverage of topics ranging from contracting and risk monitoring to project close-out, and gives readers practical knowledge of critical processes and tasks in project management. June 2015 • 85
CEW Interview
Interview CEW
New Fertiliser Policy... A Welcome Shot in the Arm to Revitalise the Industry Fertiliser industry has finally taken a breather after the announcement of the revised Fertiliser policy which envisages setting up a common gas pool mechanism and the policy encourages revamps of existing plants and capacity building through new projects to meet the growing fertiliser demand. In an exclusive interaction with Mittravinda Ranjan, R G Rajan, Chairman & Managing Director, RCF Ltd admires the Government for finally forming a concrete policy and setting a clear roadmap for the next four years to put the growth of fertiliser industry back on track. On a lighter note, he says, “Now that we have a policy in place, the industry is going to be on its toes to meet the project and production targets.” 86 • June 2015 Chemical Engineering World
June 2015 • 86
Interview CEW Now that our government has finally chalked out a clear cut fertiliser industry policy for the next four years, what is the reaction of the industry? Revision of policy for fertiliser industry was long overdue, since 2010, when the old policy had expired. However, there were no concrete announcements from the government as the policy was only getting extended yearon-year, which was practically of no help, since the industry needed a clear cut long term policy which would enable them to set their short and long term goals. There was uncertainty in the policy environment and our industry has not seen any new projects over the last 10-15 years. Many of the fertiliser manufacturing units have been performing below the capacities and our margins have been adversely affected due to inconsistency in feedstock supplies, ie, gas and subsidies. The industry is very upbeat now after the government has overhauled the existing policy in the recent past and not only resolved the issues hampering the growth but also defined a clear cut roadmap for the next four years, which will rule out any hiccups for the existing as well as new projects that may be planned for building urea capacity in the country. Current policy has mandated setting up a pooling mechanism to streamline gas supplies for the fertiliser industry and all the manufacturers will get the gas at the same price of around USD 10.5 per MMBTU which will help the plant owners to establish long term linkages for fuel supplies and operate plants at full capacity. GAIL has been designated as the nodal agency for the same. Availability of shale gas has already pushed down LNG prices globally which also favours the industry and will help us increase the profit margins. Under the new policy, the government has also drawn incentive schemes to encourage the industry to conserve energy through energy efficient technologies, reduce environmental impact by minimising carbon footprint for new projects which is a winwin situation for the industry as well as the other industry stakeholders. We are planning two major brownfield projects - Thal III in Chemical Engineering World
Maharashtra, which is a gas based project and Talcher coal gasification based joint venture project of RCF, GAIL, Coal India and FCIL under this scheme.
gasification involving investments of around ` 8000 – 9000 crore. Entire syn-gas produced by coal gasification will be used to set up the plant for producing Ammonia/ Urea.
The decision to allow the industry to produce 100 per cent neem coated urea from the earlier cap of 30 per cent is again a very positive step as this will help fertiliser manufacturers improve the profits by almost 3 per cent. Moreover, use of neem coated urea offers added benefits in agriculture, which includes better absorption of fertiliser in soil and reduction in use of pesticides as neem is a natural insect repellent. One of the indirect benefits to the people at large would be reduction in the malpractice of using urea for adulteration of milk and other chemical industries since neem coated urea imparts natural brown colour to the liquid it is dissolved in, unlike normal urea which causes no colour change.
We have already zeroed down on the coal gasification technology supplier and will announce the technology partner after receiving formal consent from the respective Boards of the JV partners. RCF has already floated tenders for downstream plants of ammonia and urea. Action has also been initiated to get a coal block allocated for the project. We are hoping to receive the necessary clearances and approvals within one year. Talcher project is targeted for commissioning by 2019.
What kind of opportunities would open up in the Indian fertiliser sector for the allied services and equipment providing sectors for the new projects and the revamp of existing plants? Speaking in terms of numbers, minimum cost of putting up a fertiliser plant comes to around ` 5500 crore. Presently, 6 such plants in the country are likely to be implemented which would create market opportunity of around ` 35,000 crore across the capital equipment, EPC, automation and process control, environment and water management sectors. As far as revival of old closed plants is concerned, they will have to be rebuilt from scratch using new generation technologies since most of them are based on obsolete technologies that are no longer efficient. While one cannot rule out the possibility of use of some of the old equipment for storage and water facilities etc, that would still leave huge scope for the allied equipment and services providers in India. If you add up the costs of new projects and revamps of the existing operating plants, in my view total investment should come to around ` 40,000 crore. Tell us about RCF’s ambitious projects at Thal III and Talcher. Talcher project is a joint venture of RCF, Coal India, GAIL and FCIL based on coal
Thal –III is the third phase of expansion project of our facility at Thal in Maharashtra and would incur investment of around ` 5500 crore. We have already prepared the detailed project report and it will take us three years to commission the project after receiving the pending approvals which we expect to come through by September or October this year. Tell us about RCF’s international projects. RCF is planning a joint venture project in Iran along with GNFC and GSFC, and appointed SBICAP to select a JV partner from Iran, which would be selected shortly. Following this we will sign the agreement and complete rest of the formalities. We plan to bring a major portion of the urea production from this plant to the Indian market and sell the balance in the local market, but it is too early to make a comment on this. As we all are aware that India is completely dependent on imports for potash requirement, RCF has entered into a joint venture agreement with NMDC, NFL, FACT and KRIBHCO and is exploring the possibility of picking up stakes in a potash based project being developed by Acron in Russia. Currently, feasibility studies are going on to consider whether Indian consortium should have a 30 per cent stake in the project. The production will be targeted for the Indian market. Besides, RCF is also exploring possibilities of entering into long term off-take agreements for potash with suppliers in Canada. The company is also prospecting Rock Phosphate Assets and June 2015 • 87
CEW Interview Presently, 6 such plants in the country are likely to be implemented which would create market opportunity of around ` 35,000 crore across the capital equipment, EPC, automation and process control, environment and water management sectors. Phosphatic Joint Venture Projects in resource rich countries of Africa and Middle-east.
the world average, which is something that needs to be addressed.
Few years back we were exploring the possibility of setting up a urea project in Ghana, however we are not pursuing that project at present due to lack of assurance from the Ghanaian side for gas allocation for the project.
But as far as industrial urea is concerned, chemical industry will have to continue to rely on imports.
Globally, many countries are in the process of setting up greenfield urea projects which are likely to be commissioned around the same time as that of Talcher and Thal III. What kind of competition do you foresee from the international market? At present, there is a deficit of 7-8 MMTPA of indigenously produced urea in meeting India’s total requirement which is being met through imports. The fact is that when we enter the world market to buy urea, market prices shoot up. The whole rationale of Make in India for the fertiliser sector is to reach the levels of indigenous production to cater to 95-100 per cent of demand in the domestic market. Once the new projects are commissioned, overall indigenous production will increase by around 8 MMTPA, which will benefit both the industry and farming fraternity. Globally, many fertiliser manufacturers are revamping and upgrading old plants, and there are many plants still which need to be completely replaced with new generation plants from the techno commercial feasibility point of view. I do agree that globally many new urea units are being set up which are likely to come on-stream around 2018 -19 but all this is not going to impact our business in the domestic market, since government will give first preference to domestic urea and imports will only be to the extent to meet the shortfall if any. Moreover it has been seen that farmers prefer indigenous urea. Amidst land constraints and continuously increasing food demand, urea demand is growing at 2- 3 per cent year on year. Despite growing food demand, per capita consumption of urea in India is still far below 88 • June 2015
Let us talk about the market dynamics of the sector and if there is much more that industry expects from the Government? As I have already said, urea demand is growing but we need to increase the per capita consumption to produce more to meet the growing food demand. There have been talks about decontrolling of urea sector in the past, but I think ultimately Nutrient Based Subsidy policy will also be implemented for Urea. Of course this may take 3 to 4 years to be implemented. The NBS will help control the subsidy burden of the Government and at the same time will also help in promoting balanced use of fertilisers. The industry expects import of urea to be allowed under OGL as in the case of P&K fertilisers. As of now, only three companies viz, IPL, MMTC and STC enjoy the privilege to import fertiliser grade urea. Permission to import urea will help companies like RCF leverage the potential to have greater market share and improve top as well as bottom lines. In a nutshell, which global trends need to be emulated in India? Government is on the right track and moving ahead with the aim to sustainably increase productivity and production of crops to ensure food security. Increasing per capita consumption of fertilisers in a balanced way is the foremost and the basic challenge that needs to be addressed. It is critical to train farmers to use the ‘Right fertiliser’ at the ‘Right time’ in ‘Right dose’ and with ‘Right method of application’ and acquaint them with the techniques such as Integrated Nutrient Management for balanced fertilisation. However, such practices
mandate the need of understanding the nutrient balance in the soil. Many countries have introduced the revolutionary concept of issuing soil health cards to the farmers to make them aware about the mineral content in soil for sustainable farming practices. Indian government has already started emulating this and within next three years, it is expected that the farmers across India will be issued these cards. Taking a scientific approach above conventional farming practices, such as on-site production of organic fertilisers from bio-waste and use of bio-fertilisers along with chemical fertilisers to improve nutrient efficiency and soil health are some of the novel concepts that can be easily implemented through proper training to farmers. Using advanced water soluble fertilisers along with drip irrigation to realise the mission of ‘Each Drop More Crop’ is a proven technique for crop production in water stressed areas and should be popularised in India. At RCF, we have 8000 MTPA plant for water soluble fertilisers. There is enough scope for enhancing use of these fertilisers. Translating global best practices in India would deem it necessary for the fertiliser industry to have a closer engagement with the farming community. What are your plans for future and the challenges that you foresee? At RCF, Thal III and Talcher are at the top of our priority list. We will kick off the planned international projects in Iran and Russia once we do the due diligence and find them to be attractive. Though we had deferred pursuing the project in Ghana in the past, we are very much open to alliances in African countries which have rich phosphate and natural gas reserves. The industry has already gone through a phase of uncertainty and turbulence in the past due to lack of conducive and persistent policy for new investments as well as for sustaining operations of the existing plants. With the new policy in place, the only challenge in my view is to stay on our toes to deliver the planned projects as faster commissioning would mean faster returns on investments. Chemical Engineering World
R.N.I. No. 11403/1966 Date of Publication: 29 th of every month. Postal Registration No: MCS/095/2015-17 Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai 400001, on 29th & 30th of every month. Total Page No.:90