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ACHEMA 2015 SPECIAL Filtration & Separation

MAY 2015 VOL. 50 ISSUE 5 Mumbai ` 150

South 2015 10-12, December 2015 Chennai, India

Gujarat 2016 10-12, February 2016 Ahmedabad, India

WHEN CONDITIONS HEAT UP DON’T LET CORROSION SHUT YOU DOWN Whether it’s higher temperatures, rising pressures or more acidic media, conditions in oil refineries have never been more extreme. Tube and pipe corrosion are a constant threat, causing as many as half of all major shutdowns. This is why hundreds of the world’s most demanding petrochemicals refiners are turning to the next generation of corrosion resistant alloys. Like one German oil refinery, which used Sandvik SAF 2707 HD hyper-duplex heat exchanger tubes to reduce the number of shutdowns from 8 to 1 over a period of four years. The result was massive savings on material replacement.

So as your tubes’ performance is pushed to new heights, find out how we can help keep corrosion from shutting you down.

SMT.SANDVIK.COM

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CEW Contents CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLD RNI REGISTRATION NO. 11403/66 Chairman Publisher & Printer Chief Executive Officer

EDITORIAL

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Jasu Shah Maulik Jasubhai Shah Hemant Shetty Mittravinda Ranjan (mittra_ranjan@jasubhai.com) D P Misra, N G Ashar, Prof. M C Dwivedi P V Satyanarayana, Dr S R Srinivasan, R B Darji, R P Sharma Harshal Y Desai (harshal_desai@jasubhai.com) Bernard Rapose (bernard_rapose@jasubhai.com) Girija Dalvi (girija_dalvi@jasubhai.com) Arun Parab, Umesh Chougule Abhijeet Mirashi Dilip Parab Brenda Fernandes V Raj Misquitta (Head), Arun Madye

VOL. 50 | ISSUE NO. 5 | MAY 2015 | MUMBAI | ` 150 NEWS ► Industry News/ 6 Technology News / 18

NEWS FEATURES ► Membrane Filtration Technology: An Insight Into The Market With Dr B Chakravorthy/ 24 Forging Partnership in the Field of Chemical Engineering / 26

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4 • May 2015

– Shanti Bhushan, Department - GEA Filtration, GEA Process Engineering Candle Pressure Filter - Design & Scale-up / 38 – Ramesh Bhujade, Rajaram Ghadge & Somesh Gupta, RIL A New Standard in Coupling Safety

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46

– David Gibble, Product Manager, OPW Engineered Systems Ways to Improve Your Biobased Chemicals / 50 – Alfa Laval Filter Media: An Overview

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58

– Nitin Nageshwar, Managing Director, YoKu Filters Pvt Ltd,

LEADERSPEAK ► The Outlook for India is Promising: Laudenbach

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66

Need to Educate the People about the Benefits of Chemicals

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70

Innovation: An Idea Replicable at an Economical Cost / 72 Indian Downstream Sector To Leapfrog into New Phase of Growth Automating the Refining Business for a Greener Future

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MARKET INSIGHTS ► Indian EPC Sector Poised for Greater Success / 84

MARKETING INITIATIVE ► Resilient Spring Energised Metallic Sealing Technology / 87 A Key Player in Valve Industries for More Than 35 Years / 88

PRODUCTS ► / 89 EVENTS ► / 93 PROJECT UPDATE ► /94 BACK OF BOOK ► Ad Index / 96 Book Shelf / 98

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Editor: Ms Mittravinda Ranjan, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Press Releases from Ministries Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita Programme Launched

Ground Water in 20 States Contaminated: CGWB

The Government has launched ‘Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita’ a sustainable initiative with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) located on the banks of the river Ganga for achieving the objective of Clean Ganga.

Ground water quality data generated during various scientific s t u d i e s a n d gr o u n d wa t e r q u a l i t y m o n i t o r i n g by C e n t ra l Ground Water Board (CGWB) indicates that the ground water in parts of 20 States is contaminated by Fluoride and in 21 States by Nitrate in excess of Wor ld Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

The initiative aims at sensitising the ULBs about the pollution in river Ganga arising primarily due to dumping of solid waste in the river/nallas and to involve them in a long term engagement in stoppage of the solid waste flow from nallas/drains to the river.

Apart from this ULBs can perform certain activities for achieving the shared objective of rejuvenating the river Ganga. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) intends to enter in to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ULBs for effective and fruitful engagement in this regard.

New Ammonia-Urea Complex to Come Up in Gujarat; Sindri Unit to Be Revived The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra M o d i , h a s g i v e n i t s a p p r o v a l fo r s e t t i n g u p o f a n e w Ammonia-Urea Complex of 8.64 Lakh Metric Tonnes annual capacity with an estimated investment of ` 4500 crore at Namrup in Assam on Public Private Partnership (PPP) route by a Joint Venture (JV).

According to guideline, values for contaminants recommended

by WHO (2011) for drinking water standards, Fluoride should not be more than 1.5 mg/l and nitrate should not be more than 50 mg/l. BIS limit for Fluoride is same and for Nitrate it is 45 mg/l as against 50 mg/l prescribed by WHO.

ONGC to Acquire More Fracking Units The Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has informed that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), which carries out frack jobs in nearly 120-140 wells per year by utilising their existing equipment, is in the process of acquiring more fracking units for enhancing its in-house fracturing capacity to meet the additional work plan.

ONGC has organised road show at Calgary in April 2015 to attract foreign companies to India to meet immediate additional fracking demand.

In the proposed JV, a PSU of Department of Fertilizers namely Brahmaputra Valley Fer tilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Government of Assam and Oil India Limited (another PSU) shall have 11 per cent, 11 per cent and 26 per cent equity holding respectively and balance 52 per cent by private or public sector entities) which would be inducted through a competitive bidding process. The setting up of a new Ammonia-Urea Complex will meet the growing demand of urea of Nor th-East, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. It will also ease the pressure on infrastructure due to long distance transportation of Urea from Western and Central Regions and thereby saving in govt. subsidy on freight. It will accelerate the economic development of the region. The proposed plant will open new avenues for the people of the North-East.

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation have constituted a ‘Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers’ to look into issues relating to interlinking of Rivers (ILR). The force shall Take-up all issues for expediting the work on Interlinking of River as per National Perspective Plan for Interlinking of Himalayan and Peninsular rivers. They would also facilitate interlinking of intra-state, intra-basin rivers. Briefly the Task Force would review the time schedules for completion of remaining feasibility studies and DPRs, implementation schedule of the ILR project and innovative funding mechanisms for ILR Projects.

The government has also given its approval for the revival of closed urea unit of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FCIL) at Sindri (Jharkhand) with an investment of ` 6000 crore.

G ov e r n m e n t A l l ow s t o M a n u f a c t u r e N e e m Coated Urea

Government has also approved a comprehensive New Urea Policy 2015 for the next four financial y e a r s . T h e Po l i c y h a s m u l t i p l e o b j e c t i v e s o f maximising indigenous urea production and promoting energy efficiency in urea units to reduce the subsidy burden on the Government. Read the press release on www.PIB.nic.in

Indigenous manufactures and producers of urea are allowed to produce Neem Coated Urea (NCU) upto maximum of their total production of subsidised urea and to restrict the extra MRP to be charged by the companies selling Neem Coated Urea to the extent of 5 per cent of the existing MRP of urea ie, ` 5360 per MT. Further, it has been made mandatory for all the indigenous producers of urea to produce minimum 75 per cent of their total production of subsidised urea as NCU for the year 2015-16.

6 • May 2015

Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers

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CEW Press Releases from Ministries ` 20,000 Crore for Namami Gange Programme The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has approved the flagship ‘Namami Gange’ Programme which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. The program has a budget outlay of ` 20,000 crore for the next 5 years. This is a significant four-fold increase over the expenditure in the past 30 years (Government of India incurred an overall expenditure of approximately ` 4000 crore on this task since 1985).

Marking a major shift in implementation, the Government is focusing on involving people living on the banks of the river to attain sustainable results. Drawing from the lessons learnt from previous implementation, the program also focuses on involving the States and grassroots level institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation. The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organisations ie, State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary. In order to improve implementation, a three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring comprising of a) High level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at national level, b) State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at state level and c) District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.

Government to Prepare Hydrocarbon Vision Document for 2050

Dharmendra Pradhan (2nd from L) at Mumbai High Offshore

Dharmendra Pradhan visited Mumbai High Offshore operations of ONGC during which he visited a rig (Virtue-1). Pradhan dedicated a Floating Crude & Gas Processing Unit (FPSO), stayed overnight at Mumbai High North (MHN) processing platform and visited Uran gas processing plant as well. Pradhan said that a Hydrocarbon vision document for 2050 would be prepared for the E&P activities in Indian Offshore in order to tide over the challenges and maximise production. “Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has already set a target to reduce 10 per cent crude import dependence by 2022 through various initiatives including the increase of domestic production. This is certainly a daunting task, but we have to think differently to accomplish this mission,” he said.

Government to Cut Import of Crude Oil Pradhan Visits Mexico The Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan led an Indian delegation to Mexico on May 18-19, 2015.

During the two-day official visit he held bilateral talks with his counterpart Minister of Energy of Mexico. Pedro Joaquín Caldwell.

He also met Minister of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villareal and CEO of national oil company of Mexico PEMEX Mr. Emilio Lozoya Austin. Mexico has recently in 2014 opened up the energy sector for private and foreign participation. This has offered opportunity for enhancing and diversifying bilateral energy cooperation.

Presently, IOC, RIL and ESSAR buy about 6 MMT of crude oil from Mexico. The energy reforms in Mexico provide a window to transform the relationship from ‘buyer – seller ‘relationship to that of an ‘energy partnership’.

During the meetings, Shri Pradhan stressed upon the resolve of the Government under leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to develop energy partnership with key energy producing countries of the world. He added that India is trying to diversify its import sources of energy and more than 20 per cent of crude import of India is presently sourced from Latin America.

He mentioned that Mexico figures high on the priority of India to enhance bilateral energy ties. ONGC Videsh has decided to open its office in Mexico City to pursue opportunities in upstream sector. It has also signed a MoU with PEMEX for cooperation in upstream sector.

8 • May 2015

Dharmendra Pradhan, The Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas, said that the requirement of crude oil imports is an inter-play of several factors like success in new production of crude oil, successful acquisition of assets or equity oil abroad, success in conservation efforts, etc. The country’s crude oil import dependence based on domestic consumption of petroleum products was 78.4 per cent during 2014-15. The production of State run oil companies stagnated during the last few years. However, in order to accelerate the pace of exploration and production of oil and gas in the country, the Government has taken various policy initiatives which are as under: A project to reassess hydrocarbon resources in all sedimentary basins of India; Appraisal of un-appraised areas of all sedimentary basins of India; Policy on non-exclusive multi-client speculative survey for assessment of unexplored sedimentary basins; Improved Oil Recovery (IOR)/Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)-new techniques are adopted by National Oil Companies (NOCs) to enhance oil recovery from fields; Policy framework for relaxations, extensions and clarifications at the development and production stage under the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) regime for early monetization of hydrocarbon discoveries; Policy for exploration in the Mining Lease (ML) areas after the expiry of exploration period; Encouraging exploration and exploitation of alternative energy sources, such as Coal Bed Methane(CBM), Shale Gas/Shale Oil and Gas Hydrates etc; Policy for exploration and exploitation of Shale Gas/Shale Oil resources by NOCs under the nomination Regime. During the year 2013-14 the production of crude oil was 37.788 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) and during the year 2014-15 it was 37.460MMT. Chemical Engineering World

CEW Industry News Uralkali Signed Potash Delivery Contract With IPL

Honeywell Opens an Industrial Cyber Security Lab

New Delhi, India: Uralkali has announced that Uralkali Trading SA has concluded a contract with Indian Potash Limited (IPL), for potash deliveries between May 2015 and March 2016. The contract delivery price for potash fertiliser has been set at an increase of USD 10 per tonne on a CFR basis to the last year’s contract price. Uralkali’s volumes under the contract will total 800,000 metric tonnes of KCl, including optional deliveries. Dmitry Osipov, CEO, Uralkali, commented, “This agreement represents a compromise, reflecting the current situation on the global potash market. The contract will undoubtedly become one of the major drivers for industry development, stimulating potash demand.”

Bangalore, India: Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced the opening of the Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security Lab to advance its development and testing of new technologies and software to defend industrial facilities and operations such as refineries and manufacturing plants from cyber-attacks.

Godavari Biorefineries Raises USD 15 million Mumbai, India: Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, has raised USD 15 million (Rs 90 Crore) in equity, from funds managed by Mandala Capital. This investment in research and innovation to address the global needs for green products and chemicals is part of Godavari’s strategy to enhance returns by strengthening the portfolio of higher-margin products to address the significant and growing demand for chemical products made from renewable feedstock. In recent years, Godavari has been following a strategy focused on creating higher value than its peers globally from every unit of its feedstock, be it sugarcane, molasses, ethyl alcohol, bagasse, or, in the future, any other biomass. In pursuit of its vision to increase the current level of extracted value, Godavari has been investing heavily in innovation, research and collaboration in the production of sugar, power and ethanol and in the manufacture of value added, complex chemicals derived from ethanol as well as the waste products of the sugar refining process. The funds invested by Mandala Capital will be used for Phase I of this strategy, which involves a new manufacturing plant for specialty chemicals, an increased capacity for ethanol production, debottlenecking of existing plants and strengthening the company’s utility infrastructure. It will also fund an expanded facility for research and development.

Wacker Expands Technical Centre in Moscow Mumbai, India: Munich-based chemicals group WACKER has expanded its technical centre in Moscow, Russia. Auguste Willems of WACKER’s Executive Board and Dr Christian Hartel, head of Wacker Silicones, dedicated the new service lab today in the presence of several customers.

The facility will serve as a test lab for silicone elastomers and ready-to-use silicone compounds and will cater to the energy, electrical and automotive industries. This investment aims at further enhancing services to key customers in Russia and Eastern Europe and spurring Wacker’s silicone business in the region.

The lab is located south of downtown Moscow, right next to the technical centre, which has supported customers of polymeric binders for construction and dry-mortar applications since 2003. The new lab, which opened today, is entirely geared to silicones customers. It will formulate and test high- and room-temperature-curing silicone rubber and ready-to-use silicone compounds.

10 • May 2015

For more than a decade, Honeywell has developed and provided proprietary cyber protection software and technology for its leading process automation solutions, including Exper ion process controls, which are used at hundreds of industrial sites such as refineries, chemical plants, gas processing units, power plants, mines and mills around the world.

During that time, the Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security group has delivered more than 1,000 industrial cyber security projects globally.The new Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security Lab, located in Duluth, Georgia, includes a model of a complete process control network that Honeywell cyber security experts will leverage for proprietary research, hands-on training, and to develop, test and certify industrial cyber security solutions.

This lab will help accelerate development time of new cyber protection technologies and speed availability to customers. In addition to its new lab, Honeywell’s Industrial Cyber Security group has also added a number of cyber security exper ts t o i n c r e a s e t h e b e n c h s t r e n g t h o f i t s d eve l o p m e n t a n d business teams.

HRS Eyes Faster Growth in Power Sector Pune, India: HRS Process Systems Ltd, (HRS) participated in the 14th POWER-GEN India & Central Asia - 2015 from 14-16 May, 2015 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The company underlined the role of energy efficiency while displaying HRS Funke Plate Heat Exchangers and Ecoflux Corrugated Tube Heat Exchangers variants.

HRS products are used for steam condensation in turbines, water cooling, hydraulic oil cooling and heat recovery. A global presence and technical expertise ensure high level of product quality that avoid potentially costly defects Speaking on this occasion V Gokuldas, Managing Director, HRS Process Systems Ltd said, “Power sector is poised to grow in India to meet the country’s growing energy needs for faster economic growth. HRS has been operating in India for over a decade. Our products stand out in the industry as they offer low investments, operating and maintenance costs, easy capacity upgrade, customised and compact design while maintaining the highest global quality benchmarks. These factors assume higher significance in growing and competitive markets like India. We expect a lot more traction in the power sector in the near as well as long term future” Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Industry News Jacobs Awarded EPCM Contract for Sadara California, USA: Jacobs Engineering Group Inc, was awarded a four-year contract by Sadara Chemical Company for Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) services. Sadara is currently building the world’s largest chemical complex to ever be constructed in a single phase, with 26 world scale manufacturing plants, in Jubail Industrial City II, Saudi Arabia. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing both In-Kingdom and Out-of-Kingdom EPCM services to Sadara. The In-Kingdom services are being delivered from Jacobs’ local operations in Saudi Arabia with support from its extensive global network.

Established in October 2011, Sadara is a joint venture developed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow). With a total investment of about USD 20 billion, Sadara is building a world scale integrated chemical complex with 26 manufacturing plants and over three million metric tons of capacity per year.

Sadara’s differentiated product portfolio, employing cutting-edge technologies, will add downstream value chains to expand and transform the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s existing chemicals landscape.

Sadara will introduce many new products to Saudi Arabia, including the first isocyanate and polyol (polyurethane) plants, enabling many industries that either do not currently exist in the Kingdom or only exist through imports of raw materials.

Hexion and Shchekinoazot to Construct a 2 nd Resin Reactor Ohio, USA: Hexion Inc, in partnership with OAO Shchekinoazot announced the opening of a second reactor as part of their Joint Venture (JV) manufacturing facility located near Tula, Russia. “Since we first announced our partnership with OAO Shchekinoazot in 2007 at the Ligna Trade Show, we have been working collectively to successfully grow the joint venture,” said Dale Plante, Executive Vice President and President – Forest Products Division, Hexion. The JV commissioned a second reactor in the Tula region of Russia, directly at the Shchekinoazot industrial site. Construction began in 2014 with commissioning completed at the end of the year. Production volumes are steadily increasing and are expected to continue to grow in 2015 and beyond.

The joint venture company, Hexion-Shchekinoazot, produces a wide range of resin systems used for both construction and nonconstruction markets, including mineral wool insulation, wood panels and a range of specialty applications. With the addition of this reactor, the JV provides a full range of phenol formaldehyde applications to a diversified customer base while continuing to develop future product and geographic expansion plans, added Plante.

12 • May 2015

BASF to Acquire New Technology for Polyisobutene Production from Lanxess Ludwigshafen, Germany: BASF and Lanxess have signed an agreement on BASF’s purchase of the polyisobutene business consisting mainly of intellectual property for a new, innovative technology to produce high molecular weight polyisobutene (HM PIB).

On behalf of BASF, Lanxess will exclusively manufacture the new HM PIB for BASF in existing assets under a long term toll manufacturing agreement. BASF will market the products under the product name Oppanol N. “The acquired technology provides an excellent opportunity for BASF to jointly grow together with our customers. The transaction will result in enhanced security of HM PIB supply, and it provides the basis for a long term oriented sustainable growth with high quality products for a broad range of applications,” said Martin Widmann, Senior Vice President of BASF’s global business unit Fuel and Lubricant Solutions. The transaction is related to HM PIB only; other PIB offerings

by BASF including medium molecular weight PIB (MM PIB) and highly reactive PIB (HR PIB) will not be affected.

DSM & NHU Form JV for PPS Plastics Production Singapore: Royal DSM and NHU have announcd the formation of a new joint venture company for the market development and manufacturing of high performance plastics compounds based on polyphenylene sulphide, PPS. The compounds will further enhance DSM’s offering in the high performance engineering plastics space, adding to its leadership positions with Stanyl polyamide 46 and Stanyl ForTii polyamide 4T. The joint venture, DSM NHU Engineering Plastics (Zhejiang) Co Ltd, in which DSM will hold a 60 per cent share and NHU 40 per cent, will be located at Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China. It will produce a range of high performance engineering plastic compounds based on PPS polymer produced by NHU. Products will be targeted principally at Automotive, as well as in Electrical and Electronics, and Industrial markets.

Frutarom Acquires 60% Share in Sonarome Herzliya, Israel: Frutarom Industries Ltd has acquired 60 per cent of the share capital of the flavours and fragrances company Sonarome Private Ltd, in exchange for a cash payment of USD 17.2 million (reflecting a company value of USD 28.6 million). The purchase agreement includes an option for Frutarom to acquire the remaining balance of shares starting two years from now at a price conditional on the company’s business performance. The transaction is being financed using bank debt. Sonarome, which was founded in 1981, engages in the development, production and marketing of flavours and fragrances. Sales for Sonarome have grown quickly in recent years at a double-digit annual rate, reaching USD 12 million in 2014. Sonarome’s manufacturing, marketing, and research and development are based in Bangalore, India where it has additional production capacity. In addition to its activities in India, Sonarome has extensive activity in about 20 African markets, particularly in Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique, which also constitute key growing target markets in Frutarom’s growth strategy.

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CEW Industry News Dangote’s Petrochemical Plant to Use UOP’s Process Technology Illinois, 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.

“UOP has been designing state-of-the-ar t refiner ies and petrochemical plants for more than a century, so we are wellequipped to help Nigeria develop a massive new installation to meet its domestic needs,” said Pete Piotrowski, Senior Vice President and General Manager, UOP’s Process, Technology and Equipment Business. “This project will enable Dangote to improve Nigeria’s oil refining capabilities, reduce the country’s dependence on imports, and work to revive and transform the Nigerian economy.

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. In addition to technology licensing and design services, the UOP organisation is working with Dangote Oil Refining Company to provide catalysts, adsorbents and proprietary equipment for the project.

UBE Develops High-Dispersion Strontium Carbonate Nano Particles Tokyo, Japan: Ube Industries Ltd has succeeded in synthesising the world’s first high-dispersion strontium carbonate nano particles for optical applications. Retardation films used today for optical film applications such as LCDs and organic electroluminescent (EL) displays are made from multiple layers of resin films. The drawback to these films is their complex manufacturing process and high cost. To address these issues, single-layer retardation films are being developed using resins formulated with inorganic filler additives. Strontium carbonate is a promising inorganic filler, due to its controllable optical properties. However, synthesising nano-size particles was difficult until now using existing techniques, as was achieving adequate dispersion in solvents.

Ube Industries has developed a proprietary gas-liquid reaction method that enables the synthesis of nano-size (20-30 nm) acicular strontium carbonate particles. In addition, Ube Industries has achieved a high dispersity with greater than 90 per cent transmittance in organic solvents by applying a new surface treatment process.

Application of strontium carbonate nano particles for optical films used in LCDs and organic EL displays will improve performance, by delivering wider viewing angles and enhanced image clarity.

14 • May 2015

Dow Completes Acquisition of Univation Technologies Michigan, USA: The Dow Chemical Company has closed on the acquisition of ExxonMobil Chemical Company’s ownership share of Univation Technologies, LLC, previously a 50/50 joint venture with Dow. In October 2014, Dow and ExxonMobil announced jointly the signing of a definitive agreement to restructure the ownership of Univation Technologies, LLC. This transaction was a collaborative decision between Dow and ExxonMobil and aligns to Dow’s strategic focus on investing in businesses with strong competitive positions in attractive markets.

“Univation Technologies will add significant value to Dow’s plastics portfolio, as the leading technology licensor to the worldwide PE industry.”,” said James Fitterling, Vice Chairma – Business Operations, Dow Univation Technologies is the licensor of UNIPOL PE Process Technology and the leader in the development, manufacture and sales of PE catalysts for the UNIPOL PE Process.

Univation Technologies will continue to license its UNIPOL PE Process Technology, including swing capability for linear low density polyethylene and high density polyethylene. Additionally, Univation Technologies will continue to develop and supply all catalysts, including: UCAT Conventional, ACCLAIM Advanced Unimodal, XCAT Metallocene and PRODIGY Bimodal Catalysts.

Univation Technologies will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow, led by President Steve Stanley.

Chemetall Acquired Chemal GmbH’s Aluminium Finishing Business Baton Rouge, USA: Chemetall, a global business unit of Albemarle has acquired the business of Chemal GmbH & Co, KG, based in Hamm, Germany. This transaction will enhance the integrated por tfolio for the Aluminium Finishing industry.

Founded in 1975, Chemal GmbH & Co. KG specialises in research and development of surface finishing chemicals for aluminium and its alloys with emphasis on anodising and pretreatment technologies. With an extensive history of success, Chemal has become a reference point for the surface finishing of aluminium.

With chrome-free pretreatment technologies, such as the zirconium-titanium Gardobond X and the silane-based, multimetal Oxsilan technology, the company has taken a leading role in launching innovative and high quality processes to the market. “Our customers expect us to deliver a full por tfolio of solutions to meet upcoming environmental legislation and achieve process cost savings.

With the completion of this acquisition we can offer differentiated products and services to bring true value for our customers with minimal investments”, says Mar tin Ings, Global Segment Manager Aluminium Finishing.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Industry News Airgas to Start New Specialty Facility

Victrex Begins Production at Their PAEK Plant

Radnor, USA: Airgas, Inc, celebrated the opening of its new 20,000 square foot specialty gas facility in Tooele, Utah with a ribbon cutting ceremony and guided tours of the building. The state-of-the-art facility will provide a critical link in the supply chain for high-purity and precisionblended specialty gases used in research and commercial laboratories, environmental monitoring, and manufacturing. Made possible in part by a post-performance Economic Development Tax Increment Finance (EDTIF) incentive awarded by the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the new facility will contribute to the economic vitality of the region by bringing 25 full-time jobs to Tooele County and strengthening the manufacturing industry within the state. “By expanding our specialty gas footprint in Utah, we are able to increase our capacity to serve our customers throughout the Western states, while also investing in and bringing jobs to the region,” said Michael L Molinini, President and Chief Executive Officer, Airgas.

Thornton Cleveleys, UK: Victrex has successfully commissioned the first production stream of its £90 million third Polyaryletherketone (PAEK) manufacturing plant as it focuses on offering even greater security of supply to customers, as well as delivering complete solutions. The capacity increase is also a further foundation to progress Victrex’s pipeline of future opportunities, including seven mega programmes, which will help grow the company over the coming years. Recent investments increase Victrex´s production capacity by 70 per cent to over 7,000 tonnes per year.The new PAEK plant serves as the backbone to develop core growth and future opportunities. With long term megatrends being supportive across Victrex’s markets of automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics and medical, the company has focused its pipeline on a smaller number of larger opportunities. These include for example aerospace brackets, applications for mobile devices, orthopaedic knees and oil & gas pipes through its partnership with Magma. Victrex recently identified the overall market potential for the high-performing thermoplastic PAEK as being over 80,000 tonnes.

Songwon Forms JV with Qingdao Long Fortune Chemical & Auxiliary Ulsan, Korea: Songwon Industrial Group has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Qingdao Long Fortune Chemical & Auxiliary Co, Ltd, (QLF) for the production and sale of its One Pack Systems (OPS) and the sale of polymer stabilisers in China. The JV will be based in the Qingdao area of Eastern China. The agreement also includes investment into a state-of-the-art OPS plant which will be located in the Pingdu County industrial park. Construction is estimated to start at the end of Q2 in 2015 and the plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of Q1 in 2016.

The establishment of a manufacturing facility that provides customers with innovative additive formulations in customised, dust free and easy disposable product forms, positions the JV to become a preferred supplier to the polymer industry in China. “We are pleased to be teaming up with a competent partner that has such a superb reputation among all the major Chinese polyolefin manufacturers,” said Jongho Park, Chairman and CEO, Songwon.

Evonik Expands Methacrylic Anhydride Capacity in Germany Worms, Germany: Evonik Industries, one of the world’s leading suppliers of methacrylate chemistry products, has doubled its production capacity for Visiomer methacrylic anhydride (MAAH) at its site in Worms, Germany, in 2015.

Visiomer MAAH is an important building block in the production o f s p e c i a l t y m e t h a c r y l a t e s, w h i c h a r e u s e d i n c o n c r e t e additives, paints and colorants, electronics applications, and plastics.

In addition to MAAH, Evonik Industries produces and markets a wide range of specialty methacr ylates as well as MMA, GMAA, n-BMA, i-BMA, and hydroxy methacrylates under the Visiomer brand.

16 • May 2015

Zoltek to Expand Carbon Fibre Production Missouri, USA: Zoltek Companies, Inc, will double production capacity at the Zoltek de Mexico facility (located in Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX) to 5,000 tons per year, beginning in April 2016.

Currently, Zoltek is producing its large tow carbon fibre at its plants in both Hungary and Mexico. This fibre is ideal for large scale commercial applications such as those in the growing wind energy and automotive industries. In anticipation of a tremendous increase in demand for large tow carbon fibre, Zoltek has a plan to double its current global production by 2020 from the current capacity of 13,000 tons per year. To support this growth, Zoltek will begin phased enhancements to the Mexican plant. Zoltek acquired a textile acrylic fibre plant in Mexico in 2007 and had made an investment to convert the plant to carbon fibre production. The facility has the existing infrastructure needed for expansion and will prove vital for fulfilling the demand of carbon fibre, including future supply to the growing Mexican automobile industry.

Songwon Forms JV with Qingdao Long Fortune Chemical & Auxiliary Ulsan, Korea: Songwon Industrial Group has signed a Joint Venture (JV) agreement with Qingdao Long Fortune Chemical & Auxiliary Co Ltd, (QLF) for the production and sale of its One Pack Systems (OPS) and the sale of polymer stabilisers in China.

The JV will be based in the Qingdao area of Eastern China.

The agreement also includes investment into a state-of-the-art OPS plant which will be located in the Pingdu County industrial park. The establishment of a manufacturing facility that provides customers with innovative additive formulations in customised, dust free and easy disposable product forms, positions the JV to become a preferred supplier to the polymer industry in China.

Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Technology News A Superhydrophobic Glass Coating With Clear Benefits Oak Ridge, USA: A moth’s eye and lotus leaf were the inspirations for an antireflective water-repelling, or superhydrophobic, glass coating that holds significant potential for solar panels, lenses, detectors, windows, weapons systems and many other products.

Schematic representation of the coated product and applications.

The discovery by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, detailed in a paper published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, is based on a mechanically robust nanostructured layer of porous glass film.

The coating can be customised to be superhydrophobic, fog-resistant and antireflective.

“While lotus leaves repel water and self-clean when it rains, a moth’s eyes are antireflective because of naturally covered tapered nanostructures where the refractive index gradually increases as light travels to the moth’s cornea,” said Tolga Aytug, lead author of the paper and a member of ORNL’s Materials Chemistry Group. “Combined, these features provide truly game-changing ability to design coatings for specific properties and performance.” To be superhydrophobic, a surface must achieve a water droplet contact angle exceeding 150 degrees. ORNL’s coating has a contact angle of between 155 and 165 degrees, so water literally bounces off, carrying away dust and dirt. Read more about the research on http://www.ornl.gov/ornl/news

Location is Important for Biofuels Schloss Laxenburg, Austria: A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that, when looking at the production site alone, growing biofuel crops can have a significant impact on climate depending on location and crop type.

The study is the first geographically explicit life cycle assessment to consider the full range of greenhouse gases emissions from vegetation and soil carbon stock to nitrogen fertiliser emissions in all locations in the world. In the last couple of years, research has begun to raise questions about the sustainability of biofuels. Life cycle assessments—a method that calculates the environmental impact of a product through its entire production and use cycle—have returned uncertain results on biofuels, and new research has also begun to consider carbon emissions caused by land use change.

“When you convert wetlands or forests for biofuel production you lose a major carbon sink, so even if you are saving emissions by reducing fossil fuel use, in the short term you are increasing total emissions,” says IIASA Ecosystems Services and Management Program Director Michael Obersteiner, who co-authored the study along with researchers from IIASA, Radboud University in the Netherlands, and other partners.

Read more about this research on http://www.iiasa.ac.at/ 18 • May 2015

How to Make Continuous Rolls of Graphene Massachusetts, USA: Graphene is a material with a host of potential applications, including in flexible light sources, solar panels that could be integrated into windows, and membranes to desalinate and purify water. But all these possible uses face the same big hurdle: the need for a scalable and cost-effective method for continuous manufacturing of graphene films. That could finally change with a new process described this week in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at MIT and the University of Michigan. MIT mechanical engineering Associate Professor A John Hart, the paper’s senior author, says the new roll-to-roll manufacturing process described by his team addresses the fact that for many proposed applications of graphene and other 2-D materials to be practical, you’re going to need to make acres of it, repeatedly and in a cost-effective manner.’

Making such quantities of graphene would represent a big leap from present approaches, where researchers struggle to produce small quantities of graphene — often pulling these sheets from a lump of graphite using adhesive tape, or producing a film the size of a postage stamp using a laboratory furnace. But the new method promises to enable continuous production, using a thin metal foil as a substrate, in an industrial process where the material would be deposited onto the foil as it smoothly moves from one spool to another. The resulting sheets would be limited in size only by the width of the rolls of foil and the size of the chamber where the deposition would take place. Read more about this research on http://newsoffice.mit.edu/

New Metrics Toolkit to Evaluate Green Chemistry London, UK: Developed within the CHEM21 project, a consortium of academics, pharmaceutical companies and enterprises working together to develop sustainable technologies for green chemical manufacture, the free metrics toolkit is available to researchers and chemistry students worldwide. Designed to enable a consistent, universal measurement of sustainability for reactions in both laboratory and industrial settings, a range of criteria is assessed. These include new calculations for measuring a reaction’s Optimum Efficiency (OE), Renewable Percentage (RP) and Waste Percentage (WP), in addition to a wide range of key parameters including health, safety, environment, energy and lifecycle considerations. Using a colour coded system, the metric toolkit assesses each of these criteria and assigns a coloured flag, where green denotes ‘preferred’, amber implies ‘acceptable with some issues’, and red means ‘undesirable’. The toolkit allows researchers and students to compare their reactions with existing methods, highlighting where their research is performing well in terms of its ‘greenness’ and suggesting areas where improvements could be made.

Available as an excel spreadsheet, the toolkit allows anyone to assess the sustainability of their own reactions using both quantitative and qualitative data. It is hoped the toolkit will also be an important educational tool, promoting the use of greener and more sustainable techniques for a new generation of chemists. Read the complete news on www.york.ac.uk Chemical Engineering World

CEW Technology News

New Shortcut to Solar Cells

Separating Rare Earth Metals with UV Light

Houston, USA: Rice University scientists have found a way to simplify the manufacture of solar cells by using the top electrode as the catalyst that turns plain silicon into valuable black silicon.

Leuven, Belgium: Researchers from the KU Leuven Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered a method to separate two rare earth elements – europium and yttrium – with UV light instead of with traditional solvents. Their findings offer new opportunities for the recycling of fluorescent lamps and lowenergy light bulbs. Europium and yttrium are two rare earth metals that are commonly used in sustainable technology and high-tech applications. As these rare earth metals are difficult to mine, there is a great interest in recycling them. Europium and yttrium can be recovered from red lamp phosphor, a powder that is used in fluorescent lamps such as neon tubes.

The Rice lab of chemist Andrew Barron disclosed the research in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.Black silicon is silicon with a highly textured surface of nanoscale spikes or pores that are smaller than the wavelength of light. The texture allows the efficient collection of light from any angle, at any time of day.

Barron and his team have been fine-tuning the creation of black silicon for some time, but an advance in the manufacturing technique should push it closer to commercialisation, he said.

Read more about the research on http://news.rice.edu/

Graphene can be Fabricated on Large-scale for the 1st time Oak Ridge, USA: One of the barriers to using graphene at a commercial scale could be overcome using a method demonstrated by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Graphene, a m a t e r i a l s t r o n g e r a n d s t i f fe r than carbon fiber, has enor mous commercial potential but has been impractical to employ on a large scale, with researchers limited to using small flakes of the material. Now, ORNL’s ultrastrong graphene using chemical vapour deposition, a features layers of graphene and team led by ORNL’s Ivan Vlassiouk polymers and is an effective has fabricated polymer composites conductor of electricity. containing 2-inch-by-2-inch sheets of the one-atom thick hexagonally arranged carbon atoms.

The findings, repor ted in the jour nal Applied Materials & Interfaces, could help usher in a new era in flexible electronics and change the way this reinforcing material is viewed and ultimately used.

In early 2015, KU Leuven chemists developed ionic liquid technology to recycle europium and yttrium from collected fluorescent lamps and low-energy light bulbs. Their method recycles the red lamp phosphor as a whole to reuse the powder in lamps. For other applications, however, it is necessary to separate europium and yttrium from the rare-earth mixture.

Separating the two rare earth elements is a complicated process.

Professor Tom Van Gerven from the Department of Chemical Engineer ing explains, “The traditional method dissolves europium and yttrium in aqueous acid. An extractant and a solvent are then added to the aqueous liquid, leading to two separate layers known as ‘phases’: an aqueous layer containing the rare earth metals and a solvent layer with the extractant.

When the two layers come into contact, one of the two rare earth metals is extracted to the solvent, while the other rare earth metal remains in the aqueous layer.”

How Microbes Acquire Electricity in Making Methane Stanford, USA: New findings by Stanford engineering Professor Alfred Spormann and colleagues could pave the way for microbial ‘factories’ that produce renewable biofuels and chemicals.

Stanford University scientists have solved a long-standing myster y about methanogens, unique microorganisms that transform electricity and carbon dioxide into methane.

“Before our work, superb mechanical properties of graphene were shown at a micro scale,” said Vlassiouk, a member of ORNL’s Energy and Transportation Science Division. “We have extended this to a larger scale, which considerably extends the potential applications and market for graphene.”

In a new study, the Stanford team demonstrates for the first time how methanogens obtain electrons from solid surfaces. The discovery could help scientists design electrodes for microbial ‘factories’ that produce methane gas and other compounds sustainably. “There are several hypotheses to explain how electrons get from an electrode into a methanogen cell.

While most approaches for polymer nanocomposition construction employ tiny flakes of graphene or other carbon nanomaterials that are difficult to disperse in the polymer, Vlassiouk’s team used larger sheets of graphene. This eliminates the flake dispersion and agglomeration problems and allows the material to better conduct electricity with less actual graphene in the polymer.

We are the first group to identify the actual mechanism,” said Stanford postdoctoral scholar Jörg Deutzmann, lead author of the study. The study also provided new insights on microbially influenced corrosion, a biological process that threatens the long-term stability of structures made of iron and steel. Read more about the research on http://news.stanford.edu/

22 • May 2015

Chemical Engineering World

CEW News Features

Membrane Filtration Technology: An Insight into the Market with Dr B Chakravorty “Our market has enough potential and if we consider 30 per cent of Indians to be reasonably well placed in terms of purchase power and if they opt for safe drinking water, there is better business for the entire water based industry at large,” states Dr B Chakravorty, Managing Director, Genesis Membrane and President, Indian Membrane Society while elucidating the membrane market in India.

M

embrane filtration technology offers the flexibility to adjust the pore size and get the desired level of water purity and is widely used in a bevy of Indian industries. CEW asked Dr B Chakravorty to gain better insight about the membrane market in India. He stated that membranes used in India are all imported from countries like the US, Japan and Korea. The Indian membrane market is approximately ` 450-500 crores; there is, however, no reliable way to know the precise estimate of the entire market.

Membrane is a replaceable commodity which means that when a system is sold once, the membrane could be replaced again after 3 years or 5 years. The membrane replacement market is about USD 60 million.

Market Growth Rate According to some estimate and market research, this industry is growing at a rate of 25-30 per cent and in a few years, is expected to hit the ` 1000 crore mark.

This is because of the emergence of new markets and the unhindered continuation of the existing one. Our market has enough potential as we are a population of 1.25 billion and we can safely consider 30 per cent of Indians to be reasonably well placed in terms of purchase power.

If they opt for safe drinking water, this immediately translates to better business for bottled water, increased usage of RO machines and for the entire water based industry at large elucidates Dr Charkravorthy. Currently, the market of membrane is mostly concentrated in water viz. for domestic purposes, drinking water, bottled water and RO processes.

24 • May 2015

Market Challenges Dr Chakravorty said that though the market shows potential for growth, the lack of innovation in our country has compelled many Indian manufacturers to import membrane technology. Even simple equipment like dozing pumps, flow-metre etc, is imported from China because of cost and unfair government system where the bulk of benefits are passed to big business groups, making survival of small business groups and MSMEs difficult.

Membrane for Water Pollution He further stated that we need to be conscious about water pollution and adopt ways to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. The main issue plaguing our ecosystem is over exploitation of ground water. In land locked states, the effects could be reversible but such an occurrence can spell disaster for coastal regions.

Once ground water is brought to the earth’s surface under pressure, the horizontal migration of water facilitates the sea water to enter the water system. Ground water reserves need to be replenished either by effectively treating sewage water or by artificially pumping natural water bodies with excess oxygen. With adequate research and capital investment, membrane technology can be applied on a wide scale to reduce the problem of ground water pollution and slowly restore semblance in the ecosystem.

Global Trends and Opportunities The membrane industry is extremely secretive in its research and the main focus rests on material science that helps in the production of newer, improved membrane materials. The new class of

membranes are extremely thin yet robust and exhibit high levels of stability in terms of chemicals, temperature and mechanical stability. This enables the deliverance of high productivity at low energy.

Apart from the widely used polymer membranes, the inorganic variant – ceramic membranes have a bright future in industrial application. Being a very stable material, it can withstand high temperature and pH levels. It is employed in microfiltration, ultra-filtration, nano filtration and reverse osmosis and even finds applicability in membrane bio-reactors.

Even though there is less membrane manufacturing activity in India, Dr Chakravorty opines that manufacturers can focus on other aspects like new process development, cheaper machines, energy efficient models, newer applications. If we can add value to membranes purchased from foreign countries, India can supply 30 – 40 per cent membrane components and almost 70 per cent equipment and paraphernalia to the Middle Eastern countries which are the biggest consumers of membrane systems.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW News Features

Forging Partnerships in the field of Chemical Processing Equipment manufacture India with its growing demographics is a land of opportunities. The country has a lot to offer to those who seek partnerships, be it creating a conducive atmosphere for the manufacturing industry to grow or an English speaking, technically sound talent pool. Kevin M Shah, Managing Director, Kevin Enterprises Pvt Ltd, discusses these in this article and much more.

I

n today’s globalised and competitive world, the external factors of a country’s economy assume critical importance. In their efforts to garner a fair share of world trade, countries are adopting newer policies and strategies to promote their exports, while at the same time, attempting to protect their own industry from foreign imports.

The correct path is somewhere in the middle, that of forging interdependent partnerships.

Before we get into the reasons and advantages of working in partnerships, it would be appropriate for us to asses the kind of world that we all now live in.

The few things that are undoing the business predictability are: 1) De-globalization ie, due to the global bust in 2008 & subsequent recession, once again the self-centric trade agreements, imposition of non-tariff barriers and political

and ideological alignments (or sanctions) among nations is undermining institutions like WTO and even the relatively newly formed G20.

2) Partisan political stalemate and acrimony is preventing even basic progress in many democratic nations, making other forms of systems like that in China, to be more agile and adaptive to the needs of the hour.

3) Innovation in finance and monetary policy like Quantitative Easing (dubbed ‘currency wars’ by some) in developed nations and artificially kept low interest rates, brings with it an expected long term volatility in the equity and foreign exchange markets, bank behaviour and thus project planning and funding.

4) China slowly becoming a leader with no followers, rise of the Wahabi brand of terrorism and its asymmetrical ways of war and the American political fatigue gives no

Kevin M Shah real direction to the community of nations at large.

5) Last and the one with direct relevance to process industry – viability of planned new projects especially in the oil and gas sectors has become very difficult. The reactionary oil price movements due to shale drilling (and intermittent stopping) vis-à-vis oil producing nations’ output strategy is adding to a new dimension to the earlier predictable traditional 7 year cycle of ‘feast and famine’.

Projects are seen to be starting, only to be soon halted, some even half way.

No wonder, just before the ‘global financial meltdown’, 114 countries were growing at a GDP growth rate of 5 per cent or higher. Today, even after much effort, less than 10 nations are!

In such a scenario, no manufacturing company especially that in the process engineering field is fully protected from some or other form of shock at all times. No matter how low the cost and innovative the products offered by a process equipment vendor, there can be no impulse buying, as the buyers’ vision is blurred.

Exhibit (A) shows the likely shortage/ excess of manpower in the world ( by 2020 ) and the abundance of same in India by 47 million ( even China will run out of manpower )

26 • May 2015

Thus, it is time that all ambitious process equipment manufacturers wake up to the fact - old paradigms for doing future business may be deemed as redundant and obsolete. In order to traverse through the turbulent times and mitigate ones’ risk, all will have to learn to work with partners.

Chemical Engineering World

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CEW News Features With advent of the internet - distance is indeed dead! Indians are now able to converge with the world in English - a common business language even within India. Communication costs too are at an historic low.

It may be appropriate to caution here that while emails are a boon, one cannot email a handshake. Regular visits between partners is a must to bridge the cultural barriers.

Exhibit (B) shows the skill factor among competing nations and again puts India at the very top. This makes India a prime destination for partnering.

The need for a partner is not the real question - where in the wild and wide world, is! Welcome to India - the right global partner.

Why India?

To state the obvious, beside India having to offer its own large market to the world, exports from it have been recognised as a prime mover of economic growth, hence occupies a significant place in its economic reforms. The same has been addressed at the highest level, by the new Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi himself, who unveiled to the world the ‘Make in India’ initiative, an invitation to the world to come to India.

Having said that, conducting business in India still remains rather cumbersome and time consuming. To that effect, penetrating into India by a foreign entity without a sound local partner may prove difficult and time consuming.

By the same token, Indians venturing overseas without a deep knowledge of finer expectations of the developed world, may prove disastrous.

Further, unlike the relatively larger corporations of the west (maybe German Mittelstand being the exception), India is a country of family controlled entrepreneurial run SMEs, especially in manufacture of technology products, who like in any emerging economy, are aspiration driven. In it is an inherent advantage of speed in the decision making, with a natural hunger to excel.

28 • May 2015

As explained earlier, one anyway is in no control of the erratic commodity prices, the volatility of exchange rates and geopolitical churns. With the vision in project industry that has now turned so blurred, making huge investment into land, building and marketing network may at the moment not be deemed as very wise by any party. Sure, one can attempt to do it all alone, but times are such, that it is better to bend than to break. The era of control freaks, that of the tangible assets is over. The period of cooperative relationships to somewhat get a grip on the intangible variable has begun.

Partnering therefore, is not a matter of ambition or growth, but is a must for long term survival.

2) India is a Democracy Democracy with all its pains is still considered as the least evil form of Government and India is the largest Democracy on this planet. China continues to be a tight fisted ‘commie’ offering a psychological unease in the minds of almost every nation and business. With level playing field, including the robust law of the land especially under the new government and its unleashed reform process; India now offers an added comfort to the business community at large. Contrasting this, India, is a ‘natural ally’ of the free world.

3) The world does not perceive India as a threat.

The most guarded area of technology in the world is perhaps that of the field of manufacture of nuclear technology. India is a declared Nuclear State and yet it is among the handful few who have not signed the NPT. It was witnessed by the world, with some amount of disbelief, that very recently, the French government has agreed to partner with India and given it the rights to co-manufacture nuclear reactor (including fighter planes). Both Australia and Canada have agreed for unfettered supply of uranium.

The 3 fundamental differences, uniqueness and strengths that India offers are:

It is time that the private sectors in both, the west and in India take a clue and emulate their respective governments.

India has abundant number of young English speaking technical persons.

1) The answer is EASY or ‘English and Analytically Speaking Young’ Indians. Today, more than half the world speaks English (will continue to grow) and human resource especially technical persons are relatively hard to find in most countries especially in the ageing western economies. India also has one of the youngest populations in the world. With the GDP per capita of just USD 1,500, there is a zeal found among the educated young Indian engineers to improve their standard of living.

Conclusion As the time passes, energetic and talented man power as a resource takes unprecedented significance. India has an abundance of the same and demographics shows that India has the largest pool of young graduates, possibly brimming with ideas if well groomed. The new government has also set up a program of ‘Skill India’ to direct them appropriately, make them more employable. The west already has very skilled man power but that strength would soon be dwindling. Both should take advantage of each other for mutual benefit.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features Technical Article

Recovering & Reusing Caustic using Membrane Filtration Recovering and reusing of caustic in process industries is a crucial process which can not only help organisations reduce process cost, but also allow them ‘to go clean and green’ This article explains how Membrane Filtration Technology can be used to attain the objective.

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austic is one of the most common cleaning agents used across various industries. It is also used as an integral process chemical in many industries. Often, it has been found that contaminated caustic effluent is discharged after use. Reuse of the caustic after purification not only minimise the cleaning and process cost but also show that there is increasing effort by the industries to go clean and green. Tightening regulation for effluent discharge has also led to the growing consciousness for purification before discharge or for reuse.

Membrane filtration is a unit operation that is being increasingly used for numerous applications in different industries.

Amongst the four categories into which the membrane filtration has been divided into, the Microfiltration (MF) process separates using the most open membranes followed

by Ultrafiltration (UF), then Nanofiltration

(NF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) operates using the tightest membrane. MF and UF are primarily size based separation processes such that the solutes bigger in size are retained by these membranes and the smaller solutes permeate through these membranes. NF and RO also separate largely on the principle of size but these membranes also possess charge. NF and RO membranes used by water industries are mainly made up of cellulose acetate materials and therefore possess neutral charge.

However, the NF and RO membranes used by the process industries are primarily called ‘Thin Film Composite’ and these membranes possess negative charge and therefore, affect the separation of charged and ionic components.

Spiral-wound, flat sheet, hollow fiber and tubular are the most common configurations in which different membranes are available.

Tubular membrane because of the wide

Figure 1a: Ceramic Inorganic Tubular Membrane Filtration System ( Designed and manufactured by GEA Filtration)

30 • May 2015

channels finds its use for the separation of streams containing suspended and precipitated solids. Spiral-wound membrane is made by folding few layers of flat sheet membranes and therefore, possesses a high density of membrane area making it the most economical. Spiral membranes have narrow channel spacer and can be used only for streams free of suspended solids.

Tubular membranes can be made of inorganic or organic materials. Inorganic tubular membranes made up of titania, zirconia or alpha-alumina are robust membranes capable of handling extremes of pH and temperature. These properties of the inorganic tubular membranes make them useful for purification of variety of effluent streams. The cleaning of these membranes is also eased because of the high temperature and pH that can be used during CIP (clean-in-place). However, while several MF and UF membranes of different molecular weight cut-offs have

Figure 1b: Ceramic Inorganic Module and Membrane (Picture Courtesy of GEA Westfalia Separator)

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features been successfully cast into the inorganic tubular modules, the same is not true for the NF and RO membranes. As a result, the use of the inorganic tubular membranes is still primarily restricted to the MF and UF operations. A picture of a ceramic inorganic tubular plant is shown in Figure 1a and that of a ceramic module and membranes are displayed in Figure 1b. (on previous page) Spiral membranes used in the process industries are normally available as either normal membrane or specialised membrane. The former work in the pH range of 3-10 during production and 2-11 during CIP. 50 degree°C is the maximum temperature that can be handled by the normal membranes. On the other hand, the specialised membranes can work in extremes of pH (0-14) and also at temperature as high as 70 degree C. Because of specialised chemistry, the latter is very expensive as compared to the normal membranes. Nevertheless, the specialised membranes are still very cheap as compared to the tubular inorganic membranes. Picture of a spiral filtration system can be viewed in Figure 2a and that of a spiral membrane in Figure 2b.

We know that caustic permeates through all the MF, UF, NF and RO membranes.

If the effluent caustic stream contains suspended solids, the first step often employs using the inorganic tubular MF or UF membranes for the rejection of those materials. Sometimes, the MF/UF permeate is clean enough to be reused as process caustic. However, a number of times this permeate requires further cleaning using NF spiral membranes.

The caustic present in the NF permeate is normally pure enough to be reused as process and primary cleaning caustic for a number of applications.

can be used to make end products such as towels, tissue, high quality printing, writing and book papers. After the end of the bleaching process, the waste stream which contains about 8-10 per cent caustic is sent to the waste treatment facility for further treatment before discharge. With the introduction of special NF (in some cases special spiral UF) membranes, the caustic in the waste stream can be purified and then concentrated by evaporators before being reused again in the bleaching process.

Spiral NF step can be directly inserted for the concentration of the caustic effluent if the stream is free of suspended solids. Irrespective of whether the NF is used alone or after MF/UF, the NF spiral membranes that are used for caustic applications are specialised NF membranes. For some applications, caustic purified by membrane filtration is concentrated by evaporators to generate concentrated caustic for proper reuse.

During the manufacturing of the rayon using the rayon-viscose process, cellulose pulp is immersed in 17-20 per cent aqueous caustic in order to swell the cellulosic fibers and to convert cellulose to alkali cellulose. This step is called steeping. The swollen alkali cellulose is then pressed to a wet weight and the caustic is discharged. As stated in the above paragraph, we can use specialised NF membrane to purify the caustic and then recycle it for the steeping step.

In the paper industry, caustic is used in a number of steps during the manufacturing of the sheets of Kraft pulp. One of the most important steps is the bleaching process in which the cellulose fibres are washed and bleached using caustic, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen to produce a white product which

Figure 2a: Spiral Membrane Filtration System (Designed and manufactured by GEA Filtration)

34 • May 2015

Caustic also finds its use in the mercerisation of textiles, particularly cotton to improve fibre strength, shrinkage resistance, luster and dye affinity resulting into a high quality fibre. Caustic rearranges the cellulose molecules in the fibre to effect these changes. A 25 per cent caustic strength is used for the mercerisation bath of the

Figure 2b: Spiral Membrane(Picture Cour tesy of GEA Filtration)

Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features One such example is use of caustic for cleaning of evaporators across various industries. Another example is using caustic for bottle washing in the beverage industry. Depending upon the presence of suspended solids or not, such cleaning caustic effluent can also be recovered and reused using MF, NF or a combination of both.

Figure 3: Cane Sugar Process (Picture Adapted from- Hinkova et al. Reference: Hinkova A, Bubnik Z, Kadlec P, Pridal J. 2002. Potentials of Separation Membranes in the Sugar Industry. Separation and Purification Technology 26: 101-110)

cotton fibers. After the reaction is over, the cotton is washed with warm water thereby discharging the caustic. The contaminated stream containing about 6 per cent caustic can be purified using the specialised NF membranes and then evaporated to 25 per cent caustic before reused for the mercerisation process.

One of the steps in the process of purification of cane sugar is the decolorisation of the sugar using the anion exchange resin. The decolorisation happens due to the adsorption of the high molecular weight colorants on the resin. Alkaline sodium chloride is then used to elute the color molecules.

The spent brine is a highly saline waste stream full of colored organic matter and consequently possessing high COD value.

Specialised NF membranes have been used to purify this stream by retaining the color molecules and permeating the sodium chloride and caustic. The purified stream is then recycled for further decolorisation of cane sugar (Figure 3).

In the citrus juice industry, caustic is used for peeling of the fruits and also

for cleaning of the several process equipments such as evaporators. By using tubular inorganic MF membranes, the caustic can be purified to the extent that it can be reused for primary cleaning of the equipment. The concentrate of the MF can be used for the peeling process.

Thus MF process leads to zero discharge of the caustic effluent.

If the MF permeate does not generate pure enough caustic for reuse, then specialised NF is used on MF permeate to produce caustic that is acceptable for reuse in the process. For example, in the tomato processing industries the caustic is first purified by MF and then treated by special NF to generate caustic which is then concentrated by the evaporators and sent for reuse. Alternatively, the effluent is also treated directly by the specialised NF membranes if it is devoid of suspended solids.

Last but not the least, caustic is simply used as primary cleaning chemical in a number of industries for the cleaning of equipments and process lines and piping.

The contaminated stream containing about 6 per cent caustic can be purified using the specialised NF membranes and then evaporated to 25 per cent caustic before reused for the mercerisation process.

36 • May 2015

In conclusion, membrane filtration has a substantial role to play in the purification of caustic used in the process industries.

Recovery and reuse of caustic by purification can not only reduce the cost of buying fresh caustic but it can also minimise the cost of further treatment before discharge. Presently only a small percentage of the used caustic is purified and reused. Mostly, the used caustic is discharged and drained causing environmental problems. Ignorance on the part of the industries about purification is one of the primary reasons for discharge.

Another reason is relaxed regulation in many parts of the world which ultimately does not help in enforcing a sense of green technology. However, we have seen that in the recent years, there has been a growing effort by people and industries to keep their environment clean and with this hope we sense that it is the right time to increase further awareness in whatever way we all can do. The present article has been written with this outlook.

This article was published in October 2014 issue of CEW

Author’s Details Shanti Bhushan Department - GEA Filtration GEA Process Engineering A/S shanti.bhushan@gea.com Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features Technical Article

Candle Pressure Filter - Design and Scale-up Most of the process industries in which particulate slurries are handled use some form of solid-liquid separation.

In this article a simplistic approach and method for the design and scale-up of commonly used candle pressure filter is presented.

I

n most of the chemical process industry like petrochemical, oil and gas, biorefineries, specialty chemicals, etc, reaction and/or recovery operations are performed at high pressure and/or high temperature conditions. Conventionally batch filters like leaf filter, nutsche filter and filter press are used in the purification and recovery of desired products. These filters require a holding vessel and/or a feed tank to release the energy content of the upstream process. These severe operating parameters results into higher processing cost. With the advancement of technology, most of the chemical industries are moving from batch to continuous mode of operation providing an opportunity for throughput enhancement and less human interference. This can be fulfilled by selecting the right pressure filter like candle pressure filter which can be operated in continuous mode of operation. Moreover these pressure filters can utilise the reaction energy to perform the separation operation more efficiently.

Therefore an attempt has been made to document the design methodology of candle filter and the scale-up strategy.

Solid-Liquid Separation The separation of mixture and solution downstream of chemical reaction process accounts for 70-90 per cent of both capital and operating cost (Humprey & Keller, 1997). This of course includes separation of chemical species and that of phases, with solid-liquid separation being a major part of later but mostly commonly associated with the former.

Most of the process industries in which particulate slurries are handled use some form of solid-liquid separation within their flow-sheet with the aim of either (i) recovery of valuable solids with minimum

38 • May 2015

moisture content, or (ii) recovery of liquid with minimum suspended solid.

Separation efficiencies of both the solid and liquid are both considered separately because different application demands different outcome.

There are several processes in chemical process industry and aspect of solid-liquid separation which, due to their special role, require special attention. One such process is solid-liquid separation by particle size, particle shape, particle density, or affinity to liquid. There are different type of Separators/Separation processes present in the literature according to the process suitability and individual need like decantation, filtration, centrifugal separation, cyclones, rotary vacuum filtration etc. Candle filters are commonly used by the user over the years as it allows one to separate solids from process fluid without reducing the pressure of the system and thus saving one unit operation in the upstream.

Overview of Candle Filtration System The separation of solids from a liquid by means of porous medium or screen which retains the solids and allows the liquid to pass through it is called as filtration.

In filtration cake gradually builds up on the medium and the resistance to flow progressively increases. During the initial period of flow, particles are deposited in the surface layers of the cloths to form the true filtering medium. Two types of resistances offered to the flow are the cake resistance and medium resistance.

Based on this filtration is classified into three main categories, namely (i) constant pressure filtration, (ii) constant rate filtration, and, (iii) variable pressure and rate filtration. In constant pressure

filtration, cake is built-up in the available volume and filtration cycle terminates at given cake thickness. The filtration rate decreases with time due to the increase of the cake resistance since the filtration pressure is maintained constant, eg, rotary pressure filter. In contrast, in constant rate filtration, solid deposits fasten onto the surface and filtration terminates at permissible pressure drop.

The applied pressure increases with time because the filtration rate is maintained constant, eg, rotary disc filter. In variable-pressure, variable-rate filtration, neither pressure nor filtration rate are maintained constant. The compressibility of the filter cake can be obtained from monitoring the time variations of both pressure and filtration rate in a single variable-pressure, variable-rate filtration.

The best example of this type is candle pressure filter.

Candle filters are pressure filters operating on a batch cycle and are mainly seen in process lines handling brine clarification, fine chemicals and many other applications that require efficient low moisture cake filtration or high degree of polishing. Another feature of candle filters is the cylindrical shape of the elements that retain the formed cake. This shape increases the filtration area as cakes grow thicker and compensate to some extent to the decrease in filtration rates. Due to its compact structure and high filtration area (~ as high as 120 m 2) this is preferred over any other pressure filter device. However these filters are not feasible for the slurry concentration more than 10 per cent.

Filtration Model Accurate knowledge of specific cake resistance and medium resistance and Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features

dt dV

=

µR m µα av C V+ A ∆P A2

(1)

=

µR m µα av C V+ A ∆P 2 ∆P A2

(5)

Rearranging equation (5) yields: t

=

µα av C 2 µ R m V + V 2 ∆P A2 A ∆P

(6)

The pressure dependence on the cake compressibility can be estimated by conducting various filtration trials at different filtration pressure.

In variable-pressure, variable- rate filtration, neither pressure nor filtration rate are maintained constant. The compressibility of the filter cake can be obtained from monitoring the time variations of both pressure and filtration rate in a single variable-pressure, variable-rate filtration test. Rearranging equation (1) yields: ∆ ∆P

dt dV

=

µ α av C A2

V+

µ Rm A

(7)

Rearranging equation (1): ∆P

µα

= ∆ av2 A

µRm dV C dV V+ A dt dt

(2)

For constant rate filtration, dV/dt is a constant. Only variables are pressure drop and volume. Rearranging the equation (2) we get: ∆ ∆P

or

∆P

=

=

µα av C µR m q qV + A A2

µq A

(

(3)

(

α av C V + Rm A

(4)

As filtration rate (q) is maintained constant the applied pressure increases with time. The pressure dependence of the average specific cake resistance can be determined from monitoring the variation of pressure with time.

For constant pressure filtration, ∆P=constant. The integration of equation (1) yields: 40 • May 2015

The candle filter design requires to perform preliminary laboratory or pilot scale trials to estimate the filtration area for the given feed conditions.

Experiment variable parameters such as filtration time, filtrate rate, and pressure difference are recorded with respect to time. The cake deposited on the candle and the filtrate rate was measured during experimental trials.

Filter Design Procedure Filtration trials are needed to study the separation behaviour of the particulate slurry. There are two different types of filter elements used in candle filtration system, sintered candle and cloth lined candle. Filter media is selected suitable for the process based on the temperature and PSD of the slurry. Filtration is performed as per operating procedure.

Clear liquid passes through the candle and solids continue deposition over the filter cloth. The operating pressure of the filter went on increasing as the cake thickness over the candle builds-up. Clear liquid passes through the candle and collects into filtration storage tank. Once

clear filtrate starts coming out of the filter the filtration time was starts recording.

The initial rate of filtration was fast however as the cake thickness building up the filtration rate become slower and filters pressure increases. Once the cake thickness or pressure drop reaches its critical vale, filtration is stopped. Air or nitrogen is passed in the reverse direction to remove cake from the filter surface.

Model Parameter Estimation and Scale-up Once the desired result was achieved the filter design parameters were estimated using the filter model equation.

The average specific cake resistance in filtration plays an important role in designing the equipment of cake filtration and also in the cake filtration theory (Aroussi et al., 2001). A filtration model equation (7) is represented in Figure 1.

The linear increase at the left hand side of the line represent the filtration period.

The average specific cake resistance can be obtained from the slope of this line and the filter media resistance can be obtained from the intercept of this line on the x-axis.

Filter scale-up is required to perform filtration

µα av C A2

dt

Filtration is commonly the mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from liquids by interposing a medium through which only the liquid can pass. Oversize solids in the fluid are retained on the filter media. The phenomenon of flow through the porous medium is well described by Darcy Law. Darcy’s law is a simple proportional relationship between the instantaneous discharge rate through a porous medium, the viscosity of the fluid and the pressure drop over a given distance. The basic filtration equation derived from Darcy Law is as follows:

t V

∆ P dV (PaS/m3)

its dependence on the slurry type and its concentration, cake compressive and cracking test, medium permeability and the MOC of filter medium is crucial to the proper design and scale-up of cake filtration system (Smith et al., 1997).

µR m A

V(m 3) Figure 1: Filtration Model Equation

trials at laboratory, pilot, and plant scale. The specific cake resistance and the filter media resistance estimated from the lab scale will be substituted in filter model equation (7) to estimate the ∆P dV/dt of the scale up version of the filtration area. The model predicted ∆P dV/dt can be validated in the data obtained in the scaled-up trials.

Candle Filter Design Methodology Step 1: For any given feed slurry, conduct filtration trials using known filtration area to achieve the desired quality of filtrate and or Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features cake by selecting the proper filter media and/or filter cloth.

Step 2: Optimize the filter operating parameters like filtration time, cake drying time, solvent or wash water ratio, cake thickness, cake dislodging time, etc.

Step 3: Record the operating parameter like filtration time, filtrate volume, and operating pressure, etc and plot the filter model equation using laboratory data of repetitive filtration trials.

Step 4: Estimate the filter design parameters like specific cake resistance and filter media resistance from the filter model equation.

Step 5: Using the same cake resistance and media resistance back calculate the filtration are required for the desired feed rate and slurry concentration.

Step 6: Estimate the mechanical design parameters like candle orientation, candle diameter, housing size, etc.

Application in Chemical Process Industry In sea water gas exploration industries, anti freezing chemicals for hydrate inhibition in gas production lines is a well-established technique as long as salinity is not increasing. In recent years increasing amounts of saline formation water are typically present in produced hydrocarbon fluids. The salts in formation water cover a variety of species but are generally categorised into monovalent salts (typically Na+, and K+), and divalent salts (typically Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+). These two different types of salts affect the solubility behaviour of the slurry in the solvent recovery section resulting into inefficient solid separation. These salt and other solid contaminants get concentrated and promote fouling of the re-boiler tubes, pump and column leading to solvent degradation in recovery section. This causes operational problem and needs frequent shutdowns for clean-out and repairs. Therefore it is recommended to use candle filter separation unit to separate solids and/or salts before pre-treatment section for separation of low solubility precipitates.

A variety of the chemical reactions are performed at supercritical conditions using sea water as reaction solvent. The salts of sulphates, phosphates, bicarbonates, etc, present in sea water precipitates out due to decrease in their solubility in aqueous medium at supercritical water conditions (Dell’Orco et al., 1993). This is mainly because change in solvent properties from polar to apolar nature in the vicinity of critical point. As a consequence of this scaling, blocking and erosion can occur in the downstream process equipment. Moreover, presence of these solids decreases the conversion efficiency of the downstream process and degrades the quality of the desired product. A separation of these compounds from the bulk liquid stream due to the precipitation is possible using candle filter. Also these compounds are necessary to recover as they have major application in other areas like phosphates can be reused as nutrient for plants. Therefore, it becomes absolutely necessary to remove these precipitates before it can damage the integrity of the process. The candle filter separation unit is the ideal candidate to remove the precipitates from the process stream while maintaining the system conditions like pressure and temperature at par.

Multiphase chemical reactions like hydrogenation, oxidation wherein the product of reaction is solid or the catalyst used is in solid form are performed in high pressure stirred tank reactor. For example during multiphase oxidation reaction lots of by-products and/or intermediates 42 • May 2015

are formed and are present in solid state. These by-products need to be removed to obtain pure product stream. Sometimes this products stream is further purified by hydrogenation process. This results into loss of valuable by-products into the waste stream and in turn loss of revenue. However they can be overcome by deploying candle pressure filter to recover these by-products from the waste stream. On similar line the catalyst from continuous hydrogenation process can be trapped using candle filter and send it back to the reactor.

Concluding Remark A systematic approach for the scale-up and design of candle pressure filter using laboratory scale data and/or pilot scale data has been presented in this article. The methodology deduced can be used to estimate the filter design parameters like cake resistance, media resistance, filtration area, filtrate rate, numbers of filter element, etc, required for the desired feed rate in commercial scale of operation.

Notation V filtrate volume (m3) µ filtrate viscosity (PaS) A filter area (m2) ∆P pressure drop over cake and filter medium Rm filter medium resistance (1/m) average specific cake resistance (m/kg) α av (c) average dry cake mass per unit volume of filtrate (kg/ m3) References • Humphery, J. L. & Keller, II., (1997). Separation Process Technology, McGraw Hill, New York.

• Dell’Orco, P.C., Gloyna, E.F., Buelow, S. (1993). Oxidation processes in the separation of solids from supercritical water, in : Kiran, E., Brennecke, J.F. (Eds), Supercritical Engineering Science, ACS Symposium Series 514, pp-314-326.

• Aroussi, A., Simmons, K., Pickering, S.J. (2001). Particulate deposition on candle filters. Fuel 80, 335- 343.

• Smith, D. H., Powell ,V., Ahmadi, G., Ibrahim, E. (1997). Analysis of operational filtration data Part I. Ideal candle filter behaviour.

Powder Technology 94, 15-21.

Authors’ Details Reliance Technology Group, Reliance Research & Development Centre, Reliance Industries Limited, Navi Mumbai, INDIA

Ramesh Bhujade Vice President (Process Engineering)

Rajaram Ghadge General Manager (Process Engineering)

Somesh Gupta Manager (Process Engineering) Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features Technical Article

A New Standard In Coupling Safety Locking Quick Connect (LQC) technology helps establish a higher level of safety in high-pressure liquid-transfer applications. LQC is an ideal solution in manufacturing facilities, refineries or storage terminals where handling of critical and potentially dangerous or hazardous petroleum products or industrial chemicals is required on a daily basis.

W

hether at home, at work or out in public, there is inherent risk every day in everyone’s life. Even the simple act of crossing a busy street carries its own assumed risk. This risk is mitigated, however, by traffic laws that are designed to protect both drivers and pedestrians, while traffic-control devices such as traffic lights or stop signs help moderate traffic flow and years of first-hand knowledge and experience that has been accumulated by both drivers and pedestrians helps them know how to act in an appropriate manner that will ensure both theirs and the other person’s safety.

But when we perform the same task thousands of times with no adverse effects, a bit of complacency can creep in. Sure, thousands of cars pass through a busy intersection in downtown Chicago every day, while a similar number of people cross that intersection at some point, but all it takes is that one time when the driver is distracted or the pedestrian does not see the flashing ‘Don’t Walk’ sign, and then disaster can strike.

The same analogy can be made in industrial workplace environments, as well. Take, for example, manufacturing facilities, refineries or storage terminals where thousands of gallons of critical and potentially dangerous or hazardous petroleum products or industrial chemicals are handled, stored, transferred and transported on a daily basis.

deliveries or transfers are completed. Facilitating the transfers are loading-arm systems or hoses, which must be connected to the delivery vessel in order for the product transfer to take place.

Equipment manufacturers and suppliers over the years have done an excellent job of identifying where safety is of the utmost importance when handling critical or hazardous fluids and have worked diligently to create the equipment that can help ensure product-transfer safety.

Most commonly, the equipment that links the hose or loading arm to the delivery or storage vessel is a quick or dry disconnect coupling.

Quick and dry-disconnect technology has evolved over the years and is at the point where its operation provides a reliable level of product containment and safety at thousands of installations worldwide.

Still, there can always be room for further improvement. Much like the basic design of gasoline fuelling nozzles has remained unchanged over decades, small tweaks in their construction— things such as the incorporation of breakaway valves or automaticshutoff devices—have helped improve their level of safety during operation.

The same theory holds in applications that require the handling of hazardous chemicals or liquids. Many of these products, by necessity, are transferred at high temperatures through lines that are under high pressure. This combination of high temperature and high pressure raises the safety stakes for the operator. For

The employees tasked with ensuring the safe handling of these products are extremely well-trained and oftentimes have decades of experience that helps them perform their jobs with the highest level of both personal and environmental safety in mind. In conjunction, equipment suppliers have taken great pains and spent many hours and research dollars to design, engineer and develop pieces of equipment, such as loading systems, hoses and couplers that help attain the safest levels of operation. But all it takes is that one time…

Making A Connection A petroleum refinery or chemical-processing facility is a daily beehive of activity. Trucks are constantly arriving to be loaded so they can make deliveries to end-user customers. Trains with dozens of railcars filled with raw products arrive to be unloaded. Newly refined products are transferred to storage tanks. Crisscrossing this landscape is a network of pipes through which the product 46 • May 2015

The patented Twister Locking Quick Disconnect (LQC) from OPW Engineered Systems represents the next generation in the design of quick couplings for use in handling critical or hazardous fluids in extreme pressure or temperature conditions.

Chemical Engineering World

Chemical Engineering World

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December 2013 • 117

24-01-2014 10:39:53

CEW Features example, if a distracted employee who has performed a specific loading or unloading operation hundreds of times just one time does not recognise that a line is actually pressurised and opens it, bad things can happen.

A New Level Of Safety While knowing that the vast majority of hazardous-product handling or transfer operations are performed flawlessly, a prominent developer and manufacturer of disconnect technology has recognised that the performance of the admittedly safe, reliable quick or dry disconnect had the potential to be taken to an even higher level. With that thought in mind, the company began the process of designing and engineering a groundbreaking new disconnect coupling that would be impossible to disengage—whether intentionally or by accident—when used in the transfer of fluids that are under high-temperature or highpressure conditions.

The result of this development effort was the invention of what has been named ‘Locking Quick Connect’, or LQC, technology. The design and operation of LQC technology (see Sidebar) is similar to that of a car radiator. It ensures that when the LQC is attached to a loading arm or hose, the locking mechanism cannot be disengaged until the line pressure is below 5 pounds per square inch (psi), much like a radiator cap cannot be removed when a vehicle’s cooling system is under pressure.

LQC technology is ideal for use in any number of applications where petroleum products of potentially hazardous chemicals are being handled, including tank-truck/railcar loading/unloading, maritime vessel loading/unloading, terminal-storage connections and in-plant processing.

LQCs are also versatile enough to handle any number of fluids, such as oil, LPG, acids, lubricants, ammonia, paints, oilfield fracking chemicals and metal alkyls and can be used in steam processes.

The LQC’s benefits also extend well beyond providing the highest level of safety for site personnel and the environment. For instance, the ultra-secure connection prevents high-value fluids from leaking, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not allowed to enter the atmosphere, accident or incident reduction helps lower insurance premiums and administrative costs, and easy and quick connection reduces downtime, is another area of cost savings.

Conclusion No one crosses the street hoping to get hit by a car or goes to work at a refinery or chemical-storage facility planning that a release of hazardous materials will occur. Still, accidents will occasionally happen. In the realm of dangerous-liquid handling, which has benefited from a long list of technological advancements over the years, the chances of an accident occurring have been lessened further with the invention and availability of next-generation Locking Quick Connect.

Operators with loading systems and hoses that incorporate an LQC coupler in their fluid-transfer applications can be assured that they are using the safest, most reliable coupling technology available to the market today.

48 • May 2015

Connecting With A “Twist”

Step 1

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

The patented Twister Locking Quick Disconnect (LQC) represents the next generation in the design of quick couplings for use in handling critical or hazardous fluids in extreme pressure or temperature conditions. It has been engineered to be used in place of conventional cam-and-groove couplers and in conjunction with transfer systems that use either hoses or loading arms.

The ingenuousness of the Twister design is found in not only how it connects, but also how it stays connected. A fail-safe connection is achieved through four simple actions: 1. Align the hose or loading arm with the Twister LQC 2. A one-quarter turn of the Twister engages it with the hose/ loading arm 3. The pressure or vacuum within the hose/loading arm energises the seal 4. The pressure locks the Twister to the hose/loading arm and prevents uncoupling if the pressure is 5 psi or higher The Twister LQC can only be uncoupled when all line pressure is removed. Simply rotate the Twister one-quarter turn until the nipple disengages from the adaptor’s hook-shaped design.

Disengagement is also achieved without the need of special tools or equipment, which results in time- and cost-savings benefits for the operator. The Twister LQC is available in a variety of materials of construction that help enable its use in numerous severe-duty applications, including stainless steel, cold-temperature carbon steel and aluminum. It is available in six sizes—3/4”, 1”, 2”, 3”, 4” and 6”—that are all rated for use at pressure ratings equivalent to ANSI 150/300.

Author’s Details David Gibble Product Manager, Chemical & Industrial Business Unit OPW Engineered Systems Chemical Engineering World

Chemical Products Finder | November 2013 | 57

CEW Features Whitepaper

Improving Your Bio-based Chemical Plant Bio-based chemicals production is a rapidly growing field in the processing industry. As with most new technologies, there are both great opportunities and many pitfalls. To be successful, it is imperative to make the process work in a lab environment and then scale up to commercial production and make the process financially viable. The challenges faced in these two stages are very different, and to be profitable one needs to overcome all of them.

A

Reliable Partner To make the most of the investments, it is essential to partner up with an experienced equipment supplier that helps find the optimum solutions for the plant. All plants are different, and seemingly small details can have a big impact on plant profitability.

Plant owner needs to tailor each process step to their specific plant, and there are no general, one-size-fits-all solutions.

Further, they also need to find equipment for feedstock preparation, sugar solution pre-treatment, fermentation, microbial cell removal, concentration, purification and further processing downstream.

In this whitepaper, Alfa Laval outlines some of the advice that must be useful for the plant owners.

High-speed (HSS)

Look at the Big Picture When Designing Individual Process Steps Having a broad view of the entire production process and how the different process steps interconnect lets you find new ways to improve operations.

It is first when you start looking at how the individual process steps affect each other that you can optimise the whole.

Sometimes taking a step back inspires new, smarter ways to combine equipment, as shown in Figure 1.

Scaling Up Production, Not Cost: When a producer of organic acids was scaling up from demo plant to full-scale production, Alfa Laval’s engineers designed a cellremoval system that improved yield and cut both installation and operating costs.

The obvious choice would be to scale up

Separators Traditional Process with Separate Steps

New Process with Combined Steps

Required Number of HSS

10

2

HSS Energy Consumption

100%

20%

HSS Service Cost

100%

20%

HSS Price

100%

22%

Number of Loops in the System

7

8

UF Area

100%

110%

UF Energy

100%

80%

UF Service Cost

100%

90%

the process used in the demo setup where the broth was processed in two steps.

First it passed through a high-speed separator where the cells were removed, and then it was purified in a second step using cross-flow membrane filtration. Just scaling up the existing design would have resulted in major investments and high operating costs.

Combining Process Steps to Cut Costs: Our engineers proposed a solution where the two steps are combined into one.

Since the amount of cells in the broth is relatively low, it is possible to first run it through a membrane filtration stage where the product is recovered.

The concentrate (cells and fluid) then passes through a high-speed separator where the cells are removed. The high-speed separator in this setup is specially designed for handling liquids with a high concentration of cells.

Ultrafiltration System (UF)

UF CIP Cost

100%

100%

UF Price

100%

100%

Overall Yield

≈ 97,5%

≈ 98,4%

Table 1

50 • May 2015

Figure 1: Under the right conditions, the microbial cell removal and purification steps can be combined, resulting in higher yield and lower operating and investment costs.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features The clear fluid from the separator is led back to the membrane stage where the product is recovered. To avoid the build-up of accumulated fines that have not been removed by the high-speed separation step, the membrane stage has a unique design and an automatic control system that regulates its operation.

The key benefits of this design are significantly lower investment costs and energy consumption as well as improved yield. The highly concentrated biomass resulting from centrifugation also minimises the amount of water used for diafiltration and the need to remove additional water later in the process.

Remove Impurities at the Right Stage Fermentable sugar is a major cost item in the budget for all manufacturers of biobased chemicals. Cheaper sugar contains more impurities, such as fibres or proteins, than more expensive grades and requires plant owners to invest in equipment that removes them.

Since all processes are unique, one must analyse the feedstock and process to find the optimum setup for removing impurities.

Some impurities are best removed before fermentation and some after, depending on the type of impurities, feedstock, product and process.

All plants are different, and seemingly small details can have a big impact on plant profitability. Plant owner needs to tailor each process step to their specific plant, and there are no general, one-size-fits-all solutions.

Some of the factors you need to take into consideration are investment costs, if the impurities are dissolved or suspended, separability, raw material and/or product loss. Often the optimum solution is to remove different types of impurities at different stages in your production process.

Investment Costs: The most common way by far of removing suspended impurities from the sugar solution is to do it before the fermentation stage. But this requires investments in expensive equipment, and it is therefore generally cheaper to remove suspended impurities after fermentation. Alfa Laval decanter centrifuges are perfect for separating out suspended impurities and can be used either before or after fermentation.

Their high separation efficiency leads to high product yield and a very dry cake.

Decanter centrifuges are also often used in combination with high-speed separators and/ or membrane filtration equipment to reach optimum results.

Product Loss: The downside to removing impurities after the fermentation stage is that you lose a small percentage of the

product. This means you have to take the price of the chemical you are producing into consideration. If the price is high, it is probably preferable to remove impurities before fermentation despite the higher investment costs (if the type of impurity, the product’s physical properties and the purification process allow it). If you are producing a low-price chemical, it is worth investigating whether the impurities can be removed after the fermentation stage instead. The efficiency of this type of solution depends on the properties of the produced chemical and the impurities.

By-products: If the impurities can be sold as a by-product, for example as feed for livestock, this will influence where you separate them out. The product is most likely not something you want in the by-product so you should therefore remove the impurities before the fermentation stage.

Separation Efficiency: Suspended impurities, such as fibres, sometimes support the sedimentation process when separating out cells from the broth, and it may therefore be beneficial not to remove them before this stage. Removing suspended impurities is easier when the viscosity of the mixture is low. It is therefore a good idea to compare the viscosities of the sugar solution and the broth before deciding where the impurities will be removed.

Removing Dissolved Impurities: The fermentation broth will always contain dissolved impurities such as proteins, carbohydrates and colour bodies. They either come from the raw material or are by-products of the fermentation process.

Figure 2: Membrane filtration systems based on microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis technologies are widely used by owners

52 • May 2015

These impurities are best removed at an early stage after fermentation. This will Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features increase overall yield, lower operating costs and increase efficiency further downstream compared to removing them later in the process.

Removing dissolved impurities early reduces the load on, and fouling in, ion exchange resins and chromatography separation equipment, resulting in significantly lower operating cost and improved overall yield thanks to longer service cycles. If a solvent extraction step is used, early removal of dissolved impurities typically means no wetting agent is required.

For some products, higher purity will improve efficiency in crystallisation processes and reduce the mother liquids volume. The easiest way to remove dissolved impurities is to add a membrane filtration stage after fermentation.

Ultrafiltration is good for removing proteins, carbohydrates and colour bodies, and is sometimes combined with a centrifugation stage. Nanofiltration is typically used for simultaneous concentration and desalting. For some products, nanofiltration is used for final purification and for reducing concentrations of sugars, polypeptides, amino acids and salts.

(See figure 2) Membrane processes usually operate continuously and with a sequential cleaning system set-up, depending on the flow rate and buffer tank system.

Cross-flow membrane filtration is widely used and has proven to be an effective way to achieve high yields and low energy costs in bio-based chemical production.

plates. All our gasketed plate heat exchangers and spiral heat exchangers can be opened when necessary, giving maintenance personnel full access to all heat-transfer surfaces.

Ensure Accurate Fermentor Temperature Control Production yield is very dependent on accurate temperature control during the fermentation process. Keeping the microorganisms at a precise temperature is crucial for a high production rate and a minimum of unwanted by-products.

There are two ways of cooling the broth: either by running cooling water through an internal loop in the fermentation tank, or by running the broth through an external heat exchanger where it is cooled off.

Fibrous Media: When processing fibrous media, it is important that the equipment does not clog up and cause costly downtime and cleaning. WideGap plate heat exchangers are designed for media with high contents of fibres and coarse particles. The channels are much wider than in a normal plate heat exchanger, and depending on the configuration the plates have average gap widths of 5, 8, 11 or 17 mm (0.20, 0.31, 0.43 or 0.67 in). The specially designed, corrugated plates create a highly turbulent flow that helps reduce fouling and sedimentation. WideGaps are easy to service thanks to the design of the plates and frames. For example, the herring-bone pattern of the plates increases the cleaning effect during back flushing.

High Yield and Minimum Contamination: The best choice is an external, compact heat exchanger. Thanks to their small hold-up volumes they offer very accurate temperature control, thereby maximising production yield. A compact heat exchanger can work with a ∆∆T as low as 2 0C (3.6 0F). In many cases, this means you can cool the broth using normal water instead of chilled water and save on both energy and investment costs.

Using an external heat exchanger instead of an internal cooling loop also makes the tank easier to clean and minimises the risk of contamination.

Alfa Laval heat exchangers are designed for compact performance and easy cleaning. Most often it is sufficient to use Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) equipment, which minimises downtime and wear on gaskets and

Figure 3: Accurate temperature control of the fermentation process results in high production yield and a minimum of unwanted by-products.

54 • May 2015

Our spiral heat exchangers excel at handling long fibres. The fluids flow through two concentric, spiralling channels in opposite directions. This design provides optimal flow conditions for a wide variety of fluids, ensures high heat transfer and keeps the overall size of the unit to a minimum. When fouling starts to build up, the pressure behind the deposit increases (thanks to the single-channel design) and when the pressure gets high enough the fouling is flushed out.

Download the complete whitepaper from www. cewindia.com Courtesy: Alfa Laval

Figure 4: WideGap heat exchangers are designed for handling fibrous media without clogging

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features Technical Article

Filter Media: An Overview Today’s filtration market is driven by the need for filter media that delivers higher purity, greater efficiency and lower energy consumption. From simple wire-mesh to non-woven to membranes, the filter media companies are innovating new technologies to meet the demands of the end users. This article provides the non-technical overview of the filter media and its associated technology for general audience.

F

iltration involves separation of one or more components without any change in phase (to be precise).

The retained components may be particles of solid, droplets of liquid, colloidal material, or molecular species in solution, while the permeate or filtrate will normally be the suspending fluid or solvent, possibly together with some of the other components. The heart of any filter is the filter medium.

It is very important to select the right filter medium to get the desired results.

Choosing the right filter media will improve the overall function of the filter, reduce maintenance, improve fluid-flow, lower costs and improve fluid quality in the working environment. The filter media is made in various shape and size formats, with or without support and is housed in some suitable vessel or holding device.

Filtration is almost entirely a characteristic of the size of the particle, droplet or molecule being separated.

Filtration process involves the removal of particles, droplets or molecules from a fluid, by means of a physical barrier ie, the filter medium, through which they will not pass by virtue of their size. A

particular form of filter may be able to use a wide variety of filter media, to achieve the same separations. Also, filtration is used either for removing impurities or recovering valuable material from the fluid and it is important to decide which part is useful ie, upstream or downstream of the filter medium.

The choice of filtration equipment involves selection of both, right filter media and the best type of filter to mount the media. The distinctive characteristics of the filter media are: • Surface Straining: The particles larger than the pores sizes are deposited on the surface and those particles smaller in size than the pores pass through the media • Depth Straining: Here particles will travel along the pore until they reach a point where the pore narrows down to a size too small for the particle to go any further • Depth Filtration: - Particle can also be trapped in the depth of the media, even though it is smaller in diameter than the pore at that point • Cake Formation: Here a thick layer

Distinctive Characteristics of Filter Media • Surface Straining: The particles larger than the pores sizes are deposited on the surface and those particles smaller in size than the pores pass through the media • Depth Straining: Here particles will travel along the pore until they reach a point where the pore narrows down to a size too small for the particle to go any further • Depth Filtration: Particle can also be trapped in the depth of the media, even though it is smaller in diameter than the pore at that point • Cake Formation: Here a thick layer or cake of particles accumulates on the surface of the media, which subsequently acts as the filter medium 58 • May 2015

or cake of particles accumulates on the surface of the media, which subsequently acts as the filter medium However, in real filtration process, there will be a combination of two or more of the above characteristics.

For a given filter media, the filter performance varies for different fluids because of the variation in the fluid properties. The format of the filter media, addition of filter aids, direction of fluid flow with respect to the medium ie, cross flow, etc, also influence the filter’s performance. It is also significant to understand the spectrum of filter media with reference to the complete range of filters used.

All filters exist for the ‘simple’ purpose of holding a piece of filter medium firmly across or parallel to a flow of fluid, but the way in which they perform this task can be very different from one type to another. Accordingly, filters differ widely in complexity, from the simple tubular housing of a cartridge filter or strainer, to the complex machine.

It is quite obvious that one porous medium could not offer solution to all the filtration. Each media has different functional capabilities and properties.

The number and variety of materials used for filter medium is truly vast, ranging from metal plates with pore size from 1000 microns to molecular size porous membranes, and from porous sheets to beds of sand. Filter media may be made from any material which is Chemical Engineering World

CEW Features permeable in nature or can be shaped suitably to take the required form. The filter media material commonly used includes inorganic minerals, carbon, glass, metals, ceramic materials, natural organic fibres, synthetic organic fibres, etc. Moreover, there are variants or combinations of above categories. The list is endless including new entrants in recent years.

Classification of Filter Media • Metals: Wedge-wire screens, Woven Wire, Stacked discs, Perforated, etc, • Rigid Porous Media: Ceramics, Sintered metal powder/fibre, Carbon, Sintered Plastic powder • Cartridge: Yarn wound, bonded fibre or Granules, Pleated sheet, etc, • Plastic Sheet: Perforated, Sintered, Woven, etc, • Membrane: Ceramics, Metallic, Polymeric, etc, • Woven Media: Staple Fibre, etc, • Non-woven Media: Felts, Papers, Sheets, Spun bonds, etc, • Loose Media: Fibres, Powders, etc, It is not necessary that a particular form of a material would be suitable as a filter medium in its original shape or format eg, a loosely formed yarn of fibrous material or glass fibre is of no use as a filter medium unless it is wound around a supporting core with

For a given filter media, the filter performance varies for different fluids because of the variation in the fluid properties. The format of the filter media, addition of filter aids, direction of fluid flow with respect to the medium ie, cross flow, etc also influence the filter performance. successive layers, then it becomes an excellent form of filter medium. Such a construction represents one form of filter cartridge, and the medium only exists as such because of its particular format.

The filter media is made from basic material such as metal wire, a natural or synthetic fibre, ceramic powder and granules, etc. The second step is to convert this basic materials into a form which can be used to make filter media ie, the spinning of fibres, twisting of filaments into a yarn, the crimping of a wire, weaving of a cloth or monofilament mesh, the moulding and sintering of a plastic or metal fibre or powder, the production of paper, the preparation and processing of a sheet of membrane, etc. Finally conversion of these media materials into pieces of the particular size and shape required for the filter medium to fit the filter eg, making pleats or cartridges. Filter media companies tend to specialise in manufacturing one or two distinct types of filter media and rarely supply complete range. The majority tend to concentrate on one

or two categories of media because the cost of the production machinery to produce each media is expensive and the variations of media are so numerous that it is difficult to cover complete range. In some cases such as sand or activated carbon granules, the manufacturer directly or through agents supplies it to the end filter maker.

Properties of Filter Media The filter media should have properties such as filtration characteristics, strength, chemical compatibility, wettability, availability in required shape and size, etc. Some of the significant properties as identified by D B Purchas are divided into three major categories: Machine-Orientated Properties: The filter media should be rigid or stiff enough to take the required pressure. Media should have sufficient strength such as tensile strength or resistance to tearing or burst strength. Other important factor is to predict cloth extension at loads or resistance to stretch. The edge stability helps in making dimensionally perfect filter element. The ability of a filter

Properties of Filter Media Application Oriented Properties • • • • • • • • • • •

Chemical Stability Thermal Stability Suitability for Reuse Biological Stability Dynamic Stability Absorptive Characteristics Adsorptive Characteristics Wettability Health & Safety Aspects Electrostatic Characteristics Disposability

60 • May 2015

Machine Oriented Properties

Filtration Specific Properties

• • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

Sealing/Gasket Availability Rigidity Strength Resistance to Stretch Stability of Edges Resistance to Abrasion Stability to Vibration Dimensions Availability Ability to fabricate

Smallest Particle Retained Retention Efficiency Filter media Structure Particle Shape Filtration Mechanism Resistance to flow Porosity of media Permeability Dirt Holding Capacity Tendency to blind Cake Discharge Characteristics Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features media to resist abrasion depends primarily on the hardness of the material from which the media is formed. Also, the fibres should not get distorted because of vibration. The media should be available in required or standard dimensions. Ease of fabrication ie, cutting, bending, welding, adhesive bonding or stitching to get required shape and size. Media should be capable of sealing at the end portion or at the joints, sealing of end caps, fitting of gaskets, etc.

References 1. D B Purchas, K Sutherland (2002) ‘Handbook of Filter Media’, Elsevier Science & Technology Books 2. P Lennox-Carr (1972) ‘The World Fibres Handbook’, Textile Trade Press 3. D B Purchas (1980) ‘Art, Science and Filter Media’, Filtration & Separation.

Application Oriented Properties: Some of the important properties of the filter media are to withstand a specified chemical environment, its compatibility to operate at specific temperature, minimise biological degradation, minimum shedding of fibres or the migration of fragments of filter media, absorptive characteristics of the media as per required, adsorption characteristics of the media to minimise blind and correct wettability property. Some filter media can only be used once, and then must be discarded and replaced, while others have an indefinite life.

Filtration Specific Properties: These properties control the filtration process. It is important to know the smallest particle the filter media can retain. Also, the particle shape factor is crucial ie, whether the shape is a sphere, elongated, etc.

In this case it is significant to check the retention efficiency against particles of a standard test powder. It is important to check the retention efficiency with respect to particle size. The resistance to flow of a filter medium depends both upon the size of the individual pores and the number of pores per unit area. A high dirt-holding capacity indicates a proportionally long on-stream time between either cleaning or replacing the filter element. A medium is said to be blinded when cleaning fails to remove residual solids, which are adhering to it or embedded in it so that its resistance to flow remains unacceptably high and finally the ability of a medium to discharge its cake depends very much upon the smoothness of the surface upon which the cake is residing.

62 • May 2015

Author’s Details Nitin Nageshwar Director YoKu Filters Pvt Ltd nitin.nageshwar@yokufilters.com

Chemical Engineering World

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Chemical Engineering World

May 2012 • 47

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CEW

LeaderSpeak

The Outlook for India Is Promising: Laudenbach Speaking at the inauguration of Chemtech Specialty Chemicals World Expo 2015 in Mumbai, Martin Laudenbach, President, Solvay Asia expressed his thoughts especially the optimism about India in the global industry through initiatives such as the ‘Make in India’ campaign.

I

ndia has been a high priority destination for a long time now, given its size and population, yet in the past we were left with the impression, the actual development remained well below the potential of the country. With the arrival of the new government, the hope is back that India will tackle some of the limiting factors and finally unleash its true economic potential. We welcome the ‘Make in India’ initiative to encourage local production. What we see is encouraging and the optimism you can sense is an important success factor in itself.

Being active in India has its own specific set of challenges. Yet, I would like to focus on the context this development in India is taking place in. While India has launched major steps to leverage its potential, the global chemical industry is facing disruptive changes that will impact the evolution in this country.

Shale-Gas Distorting Competitiveness of Upstream Petrochemicals Shale-gas has massively shifted the competitive landscape of the petrochemical upstream. For decades, the balance of power between oil producing and oil importing countries seemed established. And then the unimaginable happened and the balance of power changed. Although the current oil price may cast some doubts about this new era, history tells us, markets rarely fall back into their prior state. The transformation is under way and will lead to a new equilibrium.

Overcapacity Driven by Chinese Investment The impressive growth of the Chinese chemical

66 • May 2015

market was accompanied by an emergence of local producers. These producers frequently see size as a key factor to remain competitive.

In segments with limited technical hurdles, we have seen a race for leadership in scale, supported by the abundance of cheap money.

The result: markets with huge overcapacity, low capacity utilisation, low margins and unsustainable profitability.

Pilgrimage towards Specialties Both forces, the shale-gas revolution and the margin squeeze in parts of the chemical industry, are forcing companies to seek new opportunities. The result is what you could call the ‘Pilgrimage towards Specialties’. To many companies, multinationals and regional players alike, specialties promise stable and higher margins. With so many actors moving into the same space, competition will be intense and you need to build superior capabilities to succeed.

What is a specialty in chemicals? For Solvay, specialties are characterised by a ‘relevant differentiation in product performance creating a strong and lasting customer preference’.

Such a differentiated product performance may include unique production technology, but product performance above all links the fit of a product to the specific application.

Driving a business on a specialty portfolio requires a specific set-up combining chemical capabilities with an in-depth understanding of the requirements of each application.

Proximity to customers is obviously key. The Solvay strategy is built on two growth engines: Advanced Formulations and Advanced

Materials. Both have developed the necessary footprint in India to drive specialty growth.

We have high hopes the Indian demand will increase as downstream industries evolve. Our capability to provide the Indian market with adapted solutions is there today.

A strategy built on specialties ultimately requires a constant flow of innovation. Building innovation capability close to customers is an essential factor. India represents a major opportunity for specialties, in the mid-term, and - with the new dynamic - hopefully also in the short-term. Yet, India’s future does not only depend on the development of its economy, but also on the efficiency and sustainability of such growth. Ensuring clean water, clean air and efficient energy supply requires innovative chemistry. Advanced materials used in membranes for filtration or advanced formulations reducing the loss of fertiliser from wind drift represent opportunities to make our way of life more sustainable. All this taken together, the outlook for India is promising. If the government helps set the right framework, overcoming some of the factors that have historically slowed development, the specialty chemical industry can provide the solutions necessary to tackle important challenges that come with economic development, creating lasting jobs at the same time. For chemical companies, India represents a significant opportunity. But with the disruptive shifts we are seeing in the upstream markets and many companies targeting specialties, competition will be intense. Securing sustained profitable growth will require clear focus, constant efforts and a steady hand.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW

LeaderSpeak

Educate People about Benefits of Chemicals During the Chemtech + Speciality Chemicals World Expo 2015, Frank Lelek, President, India Region, Evonik India, spoke on three crucial points, which are very important for the growth spurt of the Indian chemical industry and to carry out the vision of ‘Make in India’. Lelek believes that India might be a complicated country to do business in at the moment, but with the new government’s untiring efforts to boost the investment, the scenario is changing now. Extracts.

L

et me focus on just three out of the many points that are very important to the Indian chemical industry’s growth spurt.

These, I feel are relevant not only to MNCs, but Indian companies as well.

India is (at the moment) Still a Complicated Country to Do Business in The new government has ambitious targets to improve India’s position as far as ease of doing business is concerned. But, still, there are challenges for setting up new plants and running our existing factories. Let me just focus on a few of them that - I believe - are very important: Quick Government Approvals: Delay will cause the attractiveness of the project to go down, to the point where some finalised projects were abandoned by the investors.

Clarity on Policy: MNCs and Indian companies need certainty and clarity around the policy environment. Of course, we look for the best location for our projects worldwide and there are very good examples of countries that do everything they can to make themselves attractive for investors. Any retrospective changes put the credibility of any country at risk.

Corruption: It is simply not acceptable that officials try to extort money for granting something that a person or company is anyway entitled to. It also puts the

70 • May 2015

internal approval for future projects at risk.

Predictability and ease-of-implementation are a major factor when we decide where to put our money; first into which country and then into which region in that country. We simply hate negative surprises.

Image of the Chemical Industry and of the Country as a Whole From the food we eat and clothes we wear to the cars we drive, life without chemicals is inconceivable. Still, the word ‘chemical’ denotes a negative connotation. We need to educate the people about the benefits of chemicals and work on our image.

Responsible Care, Nicer Globe and Chemistry & You are just three of the initiatives that try to address this issue. On top of that, the whole industry needs to commit to meeting all the legal requirements for environmental protection – this is non-negotiable. Swachh Bharat and Clean Ganga are certainly also very important initiatives.

across India as well. It will be a cost factor for the companies in the beginning, in the longrun this will become a basic requirement for the industry (similar to ISO 9000 standards).

Competition for Investments from Other Countries It is encouraging to hear our Prime Minister in the recent Vibrant Gujarat Summit that his vision is to make India one of the easiest destinations to do business in - combining a stable tax regime with a predictable, transparent and fair policy environment. We see that the new government is making all efforts to ensure a business climate in India that is free from bureaucracy and corruption.

Also, we hope to see some tangible financial incentives for investments in the Union Budget, because that is what some other countries are providing.

For the government, it is a challenge to set and enforce environmental norms that adequately protect the environment while also keeping economic development in mind.

I am very much encouraged by the attitude and approach of the new government, I believe they have realised that there are other countries out there that are competing for the same projects and that they need to make the country as attractive as possible for investors (Indian and MNC) to ‘Make in India.’

Therefore I suggest that the government studies the environmental norms from countries such as Germany, US, Japan and some others and implements those worldclass standards (not even tighter ones)

We have a long way to go, but we have the potential to make India the next big destination for investments by the chemical industry, creating millions of jobs and contributing to the positive development of the nation.

Chemical Engineering World

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Innovation: An Idea Replicable at an Economical Cost Addressing the industry personnel at the PVF Workshop 2015 during Chemtech World Expo 2015, Arun Dev, Vice-President, L&T Valves, spoke about the market size of the pumps and valves industry in India and how innovation can facilitate its growth.

P

umps, valves and fittings are traditional industries and have existed even before the industrial revolution. One of my readings of the earliest valves used in the industry goes back to the Roman civilisation where they had plug valves for the channel water systems that they had in Rome. Being such an old and mature industry, it is common to think about pumps, valves and fittings as resistant to change and very traditional. Those of us who are in that industry clearly know that that is not the case.

We have progressed significantly over the last century, progressed significantly over the last 10 years in India, over what we address probably at the beginning of 2000.

As oil and gas customers move deeper offshore, they need products that will be suitable to those applications to improve efficiencies. In power plants and super critical boilers, you will need valves and pumps and fittings that are suitable for those higher

applications. Pumps, valves and fittings industry has actually worked on implementing inputs that would yield that performance.

The pump industry in India is projected to be about ` 9000 crores. It has a great depth with about 500-700 suppliers of a range of pumps. Over the years, the calibre and the range of products that have been manufactured in this industry has extended deeply; from simple reciprocating pumps to centrifugal pumps to different multi axel pumps.

The pump industry is a fortunate segment to be in because it addresses all three segments of the GDP; whether it is agriculture, the industry or services. And therefore, if the economy is progressing at 5 to 7 per cent, it is reasonable to expect that the pump industry would also be expanding at a minimum as per that or even better.

This industry has grown rapidly over the past few years and some of the

more leading brands have taken it upon themselves to establish this brand India in the international market. These companies have done this on the strength of their own products which they manufacture in India. They have also done this by a series of mergers and acquisitions, in overseas locations to fill in product gaps, market segments that they did not address.

The valves industry has a similar setting. The market is estimated to be something close to about ` 12,000 crores in India. A significant chunk of this is also exported from India to many Western European countries or the developed countries apart from the Middle East or the Asia Pacific region.

Much like the pumps industry, the valves industry is also a deep rooted one and has a number of players.

When we checked about 2 - 3 months ago about the number of API monogram holders for valve industry, we found about 220 vendors who have the API monogram for valves in India.

The valves industry has a similar setting. The market is estimated to be something close to about ` 12,000 crores in India... Much like the pumps industry, the valves industry is also a deep rooted one and has a number of players.

72 • May 2015

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CEW The pump industry in India is projected to be about ` 9000 crores. It has a great depth with about 500-700 suppliers of a range of pumps. The pump industry is a fortunate segment to be in because it addresses all three segments of the GDP; whether it is agriculture, the industry or services.

It shows the depth of commitment from a range of manufacturers to meet international standards and progress.

Much like the pumps industry has progressed in terms of range of products manufactured, segments or the market addressed, the valves market has also progressed from the simple plug valve or gate valve to bit more high technology items that are required in the oil and gas industry like the metal heated ball valves or the off-set butterfly valves that are increasingly used in the industry.

Innovation is something that is prone to misconception, misinterpretation.

To get an unbiased view, what I did was refer to the Webster’s dictionary to understand what they mean by innovation. And that dictionary says Innovation is a process of translating an idea or invention into good a service that creates value for which a customer will pay.

The underlying fact of all this innovation is primarily to derive value that has got something for the manufacturer or for the customer who pays for it. To be called an innovation, an idea must be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need. Innovation involves deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving a better value from the resources used.

In business, innovation often results from a drive from the customer’s side and that has been what the valves industry or the pumps industry has followed.

Innovations are of two types. It is primarily the evolutionary innovation,

74 • May 2015

innovation that happens in small stages and small steps and then you have the revolutionary innovation which is a big jump from what is the current practice or the current manufacturing technologies etc.

Innovation is synonyms with risk taking and this has got to be understood because as an organisation we need to be able to withstand that risk taking ability if we need to do innovation in a more comprehensive or methodical fashion. Having said that, there are certain conditions which are necessary for innovation to succeed.

If we do a bit of research on innovation, we find that necessary conditions for innovation to succeed would be to have a stable legal system, tight IPR regulations, risk management and risk capital availability, etc; but I think it is far more than that.

Innovation is something down to earth and for that I go back to something that Peter Drucker said probably two or three decades ago. He said one of the conditions for success in innovation is ‘innovation as work’, no matter what the ingenuity, no matter the knowledge; the talent that is used to create an innovative item.

Ultimately, innovation becomes hard, focused, purposeful work with great demand on diligence, persistence and commitment; that is what drives innovation.

The other important factor in innovation is that manufacturers have to play to their strengths. But at the end of the day, you need to be the considered choice for the strength that you can utilise to develop an

innovative solution that would meet the customer’s expectation.

It is very important to make that selection. You cannot attend to all the innovative opportunities you will identify. It is important for innovation to build on a particular strength and the last important factor of innovation is that it has an effect on the economy and society to the extent that it has to be close to the market; focused on the market and it is driven by the market.

A lot of the innovation that is driven by customers happens because of globalisation. Customers need reliable suppliers who would be able to meet their requirements on a global scale and would be prepared to give them inputs and support. That is where the whole process of innovation helps different companies in stepping up and meeting those challenges.

The engine that makes innovation happen is our ability to apply human ingenuity to the problems and opportunities that emerge. The education system is critical in nurturing human ingenuity by establishing a foundation for critical and creative thinking skills. Education gives us the skills for creative thinking, logical thinking, and methodical thinking.

That is necessary to make innovation a sustainable exercise.

Given the democratic advantages we have in India, I think we are very well in a position to contribute in a sustainable manner. New challenges certainly lie ahead and they will be overcome with the same ingenuity and perseverance that this industry has done in the past.

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Indian Downstream Sector to Leapfrog into New Phase of Growth From net importer to net exporter of petrochemicals, India’s refining industry has come a long way since the beginning of the century and is ranked fourth largest refiner globally. On one hand the low per capita consumption offers ample opportunity for petrochemical products in the domestic market but at the same time the industry needs to leverage upon the strengths to stay competitive in the global market.

D

espite the very many challenges over the last 15-17 years, Indian refining sector has seen phenomenal growth and the refining companies have been able to build refining capabilities as per the targets of planning commission to meet the growing demand of diesel, gasoline and LPG Currently India is ranked as the fourth largest global refiner after USA, China and Japan.

There has been progressive dilution in the capacities in USA, Europe and even Australia, primarily because of decreasing product demand and lack of cost efficiency as most of refineries are old and cannot compete with the new generation refineries which have the ability to maintain high GRMs are most cost competitive.

From 60 MTPA in 1998 to current capacity of around 240 MTPA, India’s refining sector has been on an expansion spree to cater to the growing petrochemicals and fuel demand in the country and above all the position of India from net importer at the beginning of the millennial to the net exporter of petrochemical products now. India exported 60 MT of finished products in the year 2014 which has also resulted in offsetting the import bill from USD 160 billion to USD 100 billion.

State owned companies and private sectors account for an almost equal share of the country’s refining sector, however the private players, like Reliance Industries Ltd

76 • May 2015

and Essar account for maximum exports of petrochemical products. Private refiners have invested heavily in setting up massive capacities and complex refineries which enable them to be more cost competitive.

Reliance, for example has the capacity of over 60 MTPA and has been one of the major exporters of petrochemicals to the Middle East. The company has always had a vision and set up huge capacity and higher complexity has enabled them to achieve higher GRMs. Huge crude storage capacities further offer cost advantage for buying hydrocarbon in high volumes which further adds to the improvement in GRMs. After the financial collapse, the state owned refiners had to go through tough times due

to sharp increase in oil process, increased subsidy burden and non-availability of state funds to carry out the required expansions.

Nevertheless, the refiners continued expanding capacities and achieving planned targeted capacities at the end of each subsequent five year plan.

State owned refiners have gone ahead with capacity additions and are setting up facilities with higher complexities and adding units like cokers and slurry hydrocrackers to add value to the existing refineries and improve GRMs. Going forward, Indian state owned refiners have worked out the economics of integrating refineries with petrochemical facilities and undertaken projects for value addition with

Petrochemical Projects in India • • • • • • • • • • •

Styrosolution (Nandesari- Gujarat) AS 15 OPAL - ONGC (Dahej) - HDPE -340; LLDPE – 720; PP-340 RIL (Dahej) – Polyester Polymer – 700; Terephthalic acid – 575 RIL (Jamnagar) - EO – 550; LDPE -400; LLDPE – 550; Ethylene Glycol- 700 RIL Sibur Elastomers (Jamnagar) - Butyl rubber – 100 RIL (Silvasa, Dadar & Nagar Haveli) – Polyester polymer – 190 RIL (Panipat) - Polyisoprene – 80 Indian Synthetic Rubber (Panipat) – SBR -80 GAIL (Pata- UP) – HDPE – 200; LLDPE – 200 Bhansali Engineering Polymers (Satnoor-MP) – ABS 72 Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Ltd (Assam) HDPE – 20, LLDPE -20; PP-55; Acetic Acid -60

*As on Q4 2014

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CEW a strong focus on the growing petrochemical demand and import substitution. BPCL’s Kochi Refinery upgrading and expansion is one of the ambitious projects which will have C3 chain based integrated petrochemical complex which will significantly account for imports substitution in the country. The GRMs could be in the range of USD 9-10 as there are no logistics constraints. According to information in public domain, IOCL too is planning to go for second phase of downstream expansion of Paradeep refinery.

However, the capacity expansion in Middle East will continue to be a major challenge for the Indian refiners will be compelled to continuously improve operational excellence to stay competitive.

India has much lower per capita petrochemical consumption as compared to the countries like USA or China and there is ample scope for increasing the petrochemical demand in the country driven by energy dependent the lifestyle products. Indian petrochemical manufacturers are also ramping up the capacities and there are number of projects underway that are going to further add to the domestic production (refer to the fact box for some of the projects underway).

Specialty Chemicals One needs to take cognizance from massive shift that is specifically being witnessed in the Indian chemical industry. While in the last few years, industrial growth has not been smooth sailing –, but things are differently upbeat and improving. Industry reports predict that from 7 per cent the industry is poised to grow show double digit growth of 10 per cent in coming years.

Indian specialty chemical industry has the potential to grow to USD 70-90 billion by 2021. India is poised for this growth today, given the rise of the end user segments and both government and industry’s interest in manufacturing. India has significant competitive advantage in the global market and there is an opportunity to leverage the cost efficient manufacturing and research strengths to augment the speciality chemicals industry and possibly even become an export hub for the world.

78 • May 2015

More importantly, specialty chemical as a segment is playing pivotal role in the growth. From a decade ago – the scenario has changed both in terms of demand pattern and chemical output in India. As the result, value added specialty chemicals have transitioned from being niche segment to growth drivers of the industry. Specialty chemicals have higher knowledge quotient and are less susceptible to the price vagaries – this poses huge challenge and enormous opportunity for the Indian chemical industry.

Developing a knowledge based chemical industry to address the global market in an effective manner would be the key strategy for success. Next few years are going to witness major growth in the sectors supporting infrastructure creation, consumer products, healthcare, energy distribution and water supply which will drive the growth of specialty chemicals industry.

The efforts on the part of new central and state Governments to provide supportive policy framework will culminate in more and better manufacturing facilities. For specialty chemicals companies – this is an encouraging scenario to grow in. The challenges that we face in India are not unprecedented. In fact these challenges are common in most of the developing economies.

Getting the Energy Molecule Past 5-7 years have seen a lull in the number of projects – as the industry was faced with the challenges of availability of indigenous energy - unlike shale gas in the USA and oil & gas rich Middle East, lower product demand (as compared to China). Government has rightfully thought of importing LNG in the country and planned 11 new terminals at each costing approximately USD 600 million which would suffice for the energy requirements in the industry. Though this announcement is a positive development, but one needs to look at the bigger picture when it comes to realising the projects which would include development of logistics and transportation infrastructure across the LNG value chain.

Typical nature of LNG business which differentiates it from its sister – crude oil is the challenge of successful implementation of LNG projects which is not confined to a

terminal but mandates a series of activities to be completed in time. This includes timely commissioning of liquefaction terminals at the source, logistics arrangements for shipping LNG across oceans to receiving point, regasification units at the destination where the liquefied gas is converted to gas and the pipeline network to evacuate the receiving terminal through transportation of gas to the end user. While the 5MTPA terminal may cost around USD 600 million, but from starting point to end user, the project pipeline involves investments of the order of USD 6-8 billion. Moreover, it is critical to find the market for the gas for successful realisation of project to keep the cash flowing. Low price of gas as compared to crude already makes it a better option for the industry but the lack of evacuation pipelines is a challenge, as in Kochi, where the terminal to receive the LNG is ready but the pipeline network to end consumer is not ready!

Direct linkages between downstream chemical industry and LNG suppliers may sound as an easy option but in reality it is fraught with many difficulties due to complex nature of oil and gas industry, which would also drive the cost of imported gas in the market. Though there is significant market potential in India, but many industries face the limitation of signing long term contracts which mandates the need of integrator, market aggregators or transporters. Linkages through aggregators like GAIL, GSPC or Shell make more sense for the downstream industry to have continuous supplies as they will be able to strike better deals for molecule from the suppliers.

India’s aim to increase the gas share from the current 9 percent to 25 per cent will require implementation of parallel projects at the same time to keep the cash flowing. These projects, once on track, will certainly provide the positive momentum to the growth of the downstream chemical industry and would put India’s downstream chemical industry in a much stronger position to leap frog into the new growth phase.

Based on the discussions CHEMTECH World Expo 2015

during

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CEW

LeaderSpeak

‘Automating the Refining Business for a Greener Future’ The refining industry has seen a number of advancements in the automation technologies in recent few years. In fact, process automation/ instrumentation, control and monitoring technologies are getting smarter every year. But are they actually improving the business? Are they helping in addressing the impending workforce crisis the industry is facing? Are they helping providing the flexibility to change the production strategies to deal with varying crude slates? In the backdrop of ‘IAC and Refinery World Conference 2015’, R K Ghosh, Former Director (Refineries), IOCL and President, RIL, addresses all these queries and elucidates on the factors that will decide the future of refining. Excerpt

L

ooking at the theme of the conference – Smart Refining & Automation for Green Future – two important things come to mind. One is ‘Smart Refining’ and the question arises whether are we doing smart refining today and if not, then how will we do it in the future. The other one is how to automate the refining business to get a greener future. As a refining man, I would say that it is a very daunting task to be greener while doing business with particular object in mind.

If we look back 30-40 years, refining units only had the analog instruments like - pressure gauges, temperature gauges, strip charts, etc, for getting the information or data to run the units.

Being a Chemical Engineer, I was very skeptical about the data that we got from the instruments. For example, if there was a missing ink in the strip charts, it was difficult to know what is happening inside the unit or what the history was. It was a general practice of matter at that time that if there is a problem affecting the plant performance - the blame went

80 • May 2015

to instrumentation. Also there was no catalytic system in refining units and all the process units were physical separation processes.

But things have changed dramatically in last few years and now refineries have advanced in leaps and bounds.

Today’s refinery has almost 35-40 units and catalytic systems are the heart of any refinery. Previously, refiners were looking for commodity products, produced commodity products, but today’s refineries are looking at molecular management, producing molecules as in petrochemicals unit. I would say that today’s petrochemicals are a step ahead of refining when it comes to instrumentation, control and automation because of the type of portfolio of products, the types of units they control and the type of emergencies they have to control. The amount of

emergency shut-downs in petrochemical units encountered daily is mind-boggling.

Management of refining and petrochemical looking at maximising the EBITDAs, improving refinery GRMs, and also they want to know the Solomon Benchmarking position. While the middle management is interested in throughputs, actual vs planned cost, and energy cost - the teams at operations level are interested in temperature, pressure, catalyst flow and other parameters. Today, the challenge is to interpret the real time data for improving the top and bottom line margins of refining and petrochemical.

In refining and petrochemical business, automation/instrumentation has four different levels – field instrumentation, distributed control system (DCS), total advanced process control, and refinery-

Being in an industry as intensive as ours, if a failure takes place, we lose crores of rupees every day and to improve bottom lines and gain a competitive advantage, it is very important to practice integration asset management.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW wide optimisation then enterprise-wide optimisation. As of today, refineries are looking at molecular management. It is vital for the operator to know what is happening inside the component to observe temperature pressure, flow level measurement, etc.

Future Refineries There are many distinct things that determine the future of refining. One is safety and reliability – how to operate plant/ system/facility safely with reliability, without interruption at the same time accord with international standard. Other important aspects are integration of fire and gas system, integration of the public address system in case of emergencies, the alarm management system. But beyond that the important factor is to prevent any abnormal situation from occurring inside the unit.

Operator efficiency and effectiveness is another aspect.

Advances in automation may be enabling the smart refiners to achieve efficiency and improve the overall performance of the plant, but getting efficient operators may be a major future hurdle as the whole industry is facing the depletion of talent right now. More than 45 per cent of people, who are working in the industry, are over the age of 57. So in future, there will be a lot of talent attrition within the industry. So it is imperative to focus on the talent management aspect. Also, it is important to empower the operators by giving them the right gadgets and equipments.

Technology and innovation also play an important role; a lot of innovation is taking place these days, mainly wireless technology which is seeing advancements in a big way now.

In the same vein, asset management also moulds the future of refining. Refiners are under constant pressure to operate continuously to improve productivity, so asset management is another area that the industry should consider on a serious level.

The operator should know how to mange the assets efficiently, and evaluate its performance and productivity. Being in an industry as intensive as ours, if a failure takes place, we lose crores of rupees every day and to improve bottom lines and gain a competitive advantage, it is very important to practice integration asset management.

Last but not the least determinant is process control and optimisation, and I personally believe that the future of refining does not just depend on optimisation through EPC, but on realtime optimisation. Real-time optimisation has to be not only for any particular process unit or system, it has to be for the entire refinery/enterprise. For real-time optimisation, the industry needs to think beyond automation, beyond instrumentation.

For automation, we need to integrate Information Technology (IT) as well as instrumentation to get the final result.

82 • May 2015

Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Market Insights

Indian EPC Sector Poised for Greater Success In the Indian chemical industry, demands have been rocketing and multinationals are keen to set up facilities to meet domestic consumption and international requirements. Over the last 2 decades, this trend has nurtured the growth of the EPC sector in India. Indian technicians are good at engineering; however, the safety and credibility of the equipment to meet the core compliance are some of the credentials most of the companies doubt, says Ketan Patel, Chief Executive Officer, Dipesh Engineering Works.

I

ndia- A Viable Manufacturing Alternative Most EPC manufacturers are conversant with international requirements, barring the minor finishing. Indian IT services industry has demonstrated good international leadership and biotechnology is picking up, manufacturing is moving at a good rate but constitutes only 16 per cent of the total GDP. This GDP is fairly low for a country like ours that has a massive population and available talent. However, the country is poised for greater manufacturing growth in the near future.

India has already emerged as a manufacturing alternative in other sectors like the auto components, the apparel industry and now it is time for the skilled and manufacturing sectors to come to the fore.

Productivity challenges were significant in the past and India has always lived under the shadow of being viewed as a less productive, unorganised sector but the scenario is rapidly changing. Most of the industry players now have international offices, the SME and EPC sector are aware of the requirement of the international demands The government’s focus has benefited the sector in terms of transport availability and change in infrastructure has facilitated fast and easy access to international supply chains. Port and jetty based facilities have also arrived in India due to which the capital equipment sector can meet the demands of the international companies and EPCs. The government’s announcement to revive the investment structure in order to increase growth percentage works in favour of the infrastructure sector. A significant rise in investment - ` 70,000 crore - in infrastructure is expected in the current financial year 2015-16. The proposed budget is aimed to fortify the bond market and promote investment in infrastructure. This revised budget will surely address key issues that have slowed the progress rate of the infrastructure sector.

To further bridge the infrastructure gap and reduce the impact of challenges, the Indian government has announced USD 1 trillion in infrastructure in the coming five years. The Ministry of Road Transport has proposed USD 120 billion worth of road-widening projects to

84 • May 2015

improve overall in-road infrastructure facilities. The government has also planned an investment of USD 60 billion in Indian ports by 2020 to make the vast Indian coastline more efficient and accessible to the global market.

Why Choose India?

India already has world class quality with proven track record in fulfilling certain domestic and international equipment requirements.

India also has strong legal and IP framework as compared to other countries, quick turnaround of the packages, abundant and trained pool of manpower. For instance, proven past record of several executed projects from the oil and gas sector and a few other sectors where equipment failure has been virtually absent. This is a strong reason why India can be considered as a partner. Indian manufacturers work on strong work values like integrity, punctuality, use of material as promised which further adds on the reasons why international players must choose Indian partners.

The process and equipment manufacturing involves lot of human intervention – at the engineering level, procurement, project scheduling, project planning, manufacturing, welding, etc which makes it a human intensive business. Approximately 20 million individuals become a part of the talent pool every year. This means that for the next 15-20 years we have high availability of manpower that can further add value to the manufacturing process. We now have good basic material supply.

Steel and stainless steel producers are reasonably good as they offer internationally acceptable materials. Apart from this, manufacturers have greater access to specialised materials that may be required for fulfilling the specific requirements of their clients.

India being a democratic, secular and stable country has a world evolved legal system, mature financial mechanisms and laws that are compliant with intellectual property. Indian manufacturers are also aware of the international codes, requirements and standards which further fortify the role of Indian players as partners to the global market requirements. With regards to ASME, India has a Chemical Engineering World

CEW Market Insights high percentage of capable ASMEs; second only to the US. Indian manufacturers strive hard to establish long-term partnership with customers so as to promote business and growth for both parties.

There is a large availability of manufactures in various capacity brackets which makes wider options available to the global market players to choose and partner. As the availability of manpower is quite abundant, Indian products will continue to remain cost effective while ensuring international quality standard compliance.

Criteria for a Right Partner Once a project is underway, it does not involve the manufacture of handful bulky equipment. Rather, it is a continuous association that runs into months and thousands of small pieces of support equipment and paraphernalia are required. This clearly indicates that association with a particular partner is likely to continue for a few years if the requirement is large and therefore, it is necessary to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the partner. EPC manufacturers act as pillars that will help their partners grow and flourish. It is therefore essential to ensure that the supplier is able to deliver products that will satisfy the cause and requirement of the customer. Another area that requires adequate attention during the selection process is the engineering prowess. This will directly impact the viability and the quality of the product. Time is yet another factor that must be taken into consideration when picking out a supplier as delay in deliverance will negatively impact the entire process.

VOL. 49 NO. 3 March 2014 US $ 10

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` 150

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EPCM Special ChemTECH World Expo 2015 28-31 January 2015, Mumbai, India

28-31 January 2015, Mumbai, India

Steps to Mitigate Challenges Coordination and communication during the project development is important between the supplier and the consumer, especially when dealing with a particular supplier for the first time. As every industry has a specific requirement, it is essential to explain the codes and process specifications to manufacturers as it will help to improve the overall execution of the manufacturing process. Performance benchmarks need to be specified to the suppliers and monitoring of the work progress will keep both parties informed and ensure unhindered manufacturing. Cost, delivery and other essential parametres must be clearly specified as discrepancies can hinder the smooth flow of the manufacturing process.

Global players, when partnering with Indian suppliers, must avoid making Indian manufacturers project financers. As the Indian interest rate is very high, the capital cost is bound to increase and the supplier will expect high returns to cover the interest rate. It is always advisable to keep a positive cash-flow so that the interest cost does not add up and are able to derive good value on the cost. A strategic alignment of the requirements and expectations will greatly help local as well as global entrepreneurs find a supplier that will deliver to meet the expectations.

In view of the ongoing progress in the Indian EPC sector and the recent remedial measures adopted by the Government to increase investment in infrastructure, the EPC sector is poised to taste greater success and add to the GDP rate in the near future.

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Marketing Initiative

Resilient Spring Energised Metallic Sealing Technology As vital tool in achieving Emission reduction, Safety and ProďŹ tability

P

lant engineers often have to overcome the leaky joints in the Valves, Pumps, Process equipments etc., and it no more considered as only a maintenance problem! Leaking joints are also root cause for Emissions, Safety hazard apart from achieving profitability. In order to achieve Zero leak working level, proper selection and application of right SEALING PRODUCTS & TECHNIQUES becomes necessary either at design stage or during retrofits.

Basic parameters to be considered in selection right seal are (1) Temperature (2) Application (3) Media to be sealed (4) Pressure (5) Size (6) Speed.

These inputs are essential to select a proper seal for the better performance and life time. Latest process technologies and equipments aims at more output and environmental friendly operations, which calls for high technology sealing solutions to meet the most demanding critical applications. Widely used Graphite gaskets/PTFE gaskets/ Spiral wound gaskets/Graphite & PTFE packing has its limitations over high temperatures & pressure and needs to upgrade with next generation sealing technologies like 'Resilient Spring Energised Metallic Seals'.

Resilient Spring energised metallic seals for static application and Metallic lip seals are developed and proven to be high performers to meet the critical parameters like Temperature variations from – 272 deg C to + 1200 deg C. Pressures from Ultra high vacuum to 6900 bar. All kind of corrosive and radiation media in liquid, gas and slurry conditions can be handled. Customised design and sizes are also possible. Industries aiming zero leaks and responsible towards environments and Safety should relook at their process equipments for possible retrofit with latest sealing technology available today!

S M Kanakaraj Technical Consultant Mark TechPro & Consultants Pvt Ltd raj@mark-consultancy.com Chemical Engineering World

May 2015 • 87

Marketing Initiative

A Key Player in Valve Industries for More Than 35 Years

R

asaii Flow Lines Private Limited is a key player in Valve Industries for more than 35 years. Our product range includes Sleeved Plug Valve, PFA/ FEP Lined Ball Valves, PFA/FEP Lined Plug valves, PFA/FEP Lined Check valves, V-Notch Control Ball valves and Butterfly valves. We procure PFA and FEP material from DuPont. We are offering valves with high performance, cost effective, reliability and long life.

Introduction of Non Lubricated Sleeved plug valves replaces the existing ball valves and gate valves. A non-lubricated sleeved plug valve has its own benefits when compared to the ball and gate valves.

Some of the benefits are competitive price, light weight, virtually maintenance free and self-cleaning. Also the torque required for its actuator operation is minimal when compared to the gate valves. We manufacture 3-way, 4-way sleeved plug valves and fully/partially jacketed valves to meet the customer demands.

Our valves meet all the international standards like JIS, DIN, ANSI and BS. As a special case we offer non-standard valves to meet customer specifications.

We are CE certified to meet the European requirements and have CRN for selling our valves in all provinces of Canada. We manufacture valves with materials such as CI, DI, WCB, CF8M, CF8, CG8M, CN7M, CF3M, Hastalloy B and C, 904L, CZ100, Monel and Inconel etc.

Mr Ravi Director, Rasaii Flow Lines 88 • May 2015

Over the years our company has established and proved as a recognised specialist for corrosive and erosive application like HCl, H 2S0 4, Chlorine and Mixed Acids for Chemical Industries, Paper and Pulp Industries, Fertilisers, Petrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Heavy Water Plants, Atomic and Nuclear Power Plants and Mining Industries.

Most of our business is from repetitive customers worldwide and our products are also known for aesthetic appearance and it is majorly done by Investment Castings.

We are approved by key consultants like EIL, Ficthner, Saipem, Mecon, SNC Lavlin, IEPC, Technip, Eriks, etc, and our approval under consideration in Jacobs, Thyssen Krup (Udhe India) and Toyo Engineering and supply with TPI based on customer request. Also we got approval in MAADEN Phospates, SABIC, CPCL, HPCL, SAIL, Salem Steel plant, Vizag Steel Plant, Department of Atomic Energy etc.

We have 450+ domestic customers and 44+ International Customers. We have our representatives all over the world like Provaltec in Chile, Enerfest Inc in Canada, Dar Al-Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, NCDIT in Jordan, Valuline traders in Bahrain, Chemvalve in USA, Delta2 in Italy and P T Dayaesa in Indonesia. We are maintaining stocks in Dar Al-Riyadh representative office to meet the immediate needs of customers in Middle East. Also we have a global ware house and customer support office in United States of America. Other than this we are regularly supplying to Even Joint in Taiwan, Europe, Africa, South America, Middle Asia and Australia.

Address: TS No.: 93/3, Poonamalle Road, Ekkatuthangal, Chennai – 600032 Ph.: +91-44-22252021;22252022 Fax : +91-44-22252023 Mobile : +91 9840412537 Email : admin@rflvalves.com Web : www.rflvalves.com and rflvalve.com Chemical Engineering World

Products CEW Ultrasonic Flaw Detector The new Krautkramer USM Vision+ from GE Measurement & Control is an ultrasonic flaw detector that combines high quality images with easy operation. The instrument can be used both in phased array and in conventional modes. The logical and intuitive parameter set-up makes on-site set up, calibration and inspection simplicity itself. The 16/128 configuration allows USM Vision+ to be used in a wide variety of applications while complying with global inspection codes and standards. Inspection data is displayed on the instrument’s large, high resolution screen and also instant reports can be created using the on-board jpg function either on the instrument’s hard drive or on a connected USB flash drive. Developed to perform in harsh environments, the USM Vision+ has a certified and tested operating range of 0 0C to +45 0C. It even comes with an integrated stylus to support inspections where gloves are required. Its weight of just 4.5 kg (9.9 lbs) with batteries included makes it a truly portable instrument, while being also dust and humidity proof.

For details contact: GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies Gmbh Robert-Bosch-Str 3, Hürth, 50354, Germany E-mail: chris.janssens@ge.com Website: www.gemeasurement.com / www.ge.com. or Circle Readers’ Service Card 1

Hybrid Powder Mixer Mixing and pumping both wet and dry ingredients into a homogenous blend can - depending on viscosity - require up to four separate electric motors, consuming a lot of energy. The Alfa Laval hybrid powder mixer can accomplish the same using only a single motor drive, including efficient mixing in the associated production vessel, when used in combination with the Alfa Laval rotary jet mixer.

The hybrid powder mixer combines pump and powder dissolving technologies in a single versatile unit. It is the only hygienic powder mixer capable of drawing powder into the unit while simultaneously pumping the resulting process liquid at pressures up to 4 bar, making the need for a separate discharge pump obsolete. It effectively pre-blends the powder and liquid before the mixture enters the high-shear stage, which contributes to faster and more effective dissolution.

While other inline powder mixers create the vacuum through the suction of an impeller and create mechanical shear with multi-shear rings in a small area, the hybrid powder mixer creates the vacuum through the pressure of an impeller and a dynamic shear in different shear steps, which require less energy to ensure complete dissolution of the powder. The hybrid powder mixer can also be used as part of an efficient CIP system.

For details contact: Alfa Laval Kolding A/S 31, Albuen - DK-6000 Kolding Tel: +45 79 32 22 00 | Fax: +45 79 32 25 80 E-mail: info.dk@alfalaval.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 2

Chemical Engineering World

May 2015 • 89

CEW Products Roots Vacuum Pumps

ROOTS VACUUM PUMPS The Roots Type pumps belong to the group of positive The Roots-type pumpsdisplacement belong the group of symmetrical deliveryto pumps.

Two positive displacement pistons having eight feature, delivery pumps. an Two symmetrical housed in the pistons pump body, rotate having an eight in opposite with no feature, housed directions in the pump rotate between in contactbody, neither each opposite directions with other nor with the pump body, no contact neither between each other nor with the meshing continuously.

The pump body, meshing continuously.

The pistons are driven are by driven a set ofbygears synchronised rotation, pistons a setwith of gears with synchronised rotation, which guarantees frictionfree movement. During which guarantees friction-free During rotation, a progressively growing movement. space is created wich rotation, a corresponds to the suction stage: 1 and 2, being progressively growing space isphases created, which corresponds to decreased phases 3 and 4, compressing the thegradually suction stage: Phases 1 and 2, being gradually decreased volume of gas. This cycle is repeated four times per each complete of the drive Phases 3 and 4,rotation compressing theshaft. volume of gas. This cycle is repeated four times per each complete rotation of the drive shaft.

For details contact: Toshniwal Instruments (Madras) Pvt Ltd Toshniwal Instruments (Madras) Pvt. Ltd. 267 Kilpauk Garden Road, Chennai 600 010 Tel: 044-26448983, 26448558 | Fax: 91-044-26441820 E-mail: sales@toshniwal.net For Details contact:

267 Kilpauk Garden Road, Chennai - 600 010. India / Tel: +91(0)44 26448983 / 8558 Fax: +91(0)44 - 26441820 / Email: sales@toshniwal.net Web : www.toshniwal.net

or Circle Readers’ Service Card 3

Energy-efficient Pumping Solutions Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd (Grundfos India) offers Hydro MPC booster systems and SE pump range. The Grundfos Hydro MPC booster system can be used at locations where additional pressure is required. Designed to meet specific customer demands for capacity and control, this unique booster system combined with multi-pump controller and highly energy efficient motors is a proven solution for meeting variable demands in commercial buildings and industrial applications. The SE range of pumps are designed to handle wastewater, process water and unscreened raw sewage in municipal, utility and industrial applications. These pumps can be installed in submerged or dry locations without motor cooling. In both the situations, the SE pumps are extremely reliable and very easy to service. The patented S-tube impeller in SE/SL pumps offers hydraulic efficiency up to 84 per cent.

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 4

Vacuum Drying Italvacuum the leading European manufacturer of vacuum dryers and vacuum pumps for the chemical, pharma and cosmetics industry offers cutting-edge equipment for production processes under controlled atmosphere. A reliability guaranteed by an established presence all over the world, with a constantly growing number of installations, and by a prestigious collection of international patents.

Italvacuum products includes: Saurus939 vacuum pump with continuous recovery of the solvents extracted, particularly suitable for the most demanding applications, with lower operating costs than any other vacuum technology; Planex System multi-patented paddle vacuum dryer with ZeroFriction planetary movement eccentric agitator; CRIOX System rotary vacuum dryer/pulverizer with motor-driven lump breakers; MULTISPRAY Cabinet Dryer the vacuum tray dryer with MULTISPRAY automatic washing system for fast cleaning of all internal parts; CosmoDry System the new horizontal paddle vacuum dryer with concentric agitator fitted with a shaft that can be disassembled in sections; and LaboDry laboratory-scale vacuum tray drying oven designed for glove box installation. All the above equipments will be exhibited at ACHEMA 2015, Germany in Booth B44 in Hall 4.0.

Italvacuum can design and produce internally all the auxiliary units – vacuum system included – ensuring that they are sized to meet any processing requirements. Italvacuum also offers pilot trials, engineering and after sales services.

For details contact: Italvacuum Srl Via Stroppiana, 3 10071 Borgaro T.se (Turin), Italy E-mail: marketing@italvacuum.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 5

90 • May 2015

Chemical Engineering World

Products CEW Canned Motor Pumps KSB Aktiengesellschaft, Germany offers canned motor pumps from the Ecochem Non-Seal range to transport hazardous fluids.

The pumps are also capable of handling toxic and hot or cold media as well as volatile or valuable liquids. This series combines KSB’s MegaCPK with canned motors built by Nikkiso. The pumps’ dimensions comply with ISO 2858 and meet the requirements of the DIN/EN/ISO 15783 and API 685 Standards, via a new energy-optimised electric motor design. Available in four standard variants each for standard chemical applications, heat transfer fluids, polymerising or ferrite-containing fluids and a special variant for low-boiling fluids and liquefied gases. The pump sets meet the requirements of explosion protection class II 2 G c Ex de IIC to ATEX, TR and IEC Ex and temperature classes T1 to T5, and can handle fluids from – 40°C to + 400°C as standard. The max head is 236 m and the max flow rate 690 m3/h.

An E-Monitor available on option monitors the axial and radial condition of the bearings, and its integrated direction-of-rotation indicator eliminates the need for phase rotation measurements during commissioning.

For details contact: KSB Pumps Ltd Mumbai Pune Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411 018 Tel: 020-27101000 | Fax: 91-020-27426000 E-mail: shekhar.karale@ksb.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 6

Rotary Vacuum Dryer/Pulverizer CRIOX System the unique multi-product rotary vacuum dryer/ pulverizer is to perform the complete extraction of the solvents from the wet powders coming from filtering. CRIOX System can be used as an effective fast blender or homogenizer, as well as a granulator, limiting the subsequent use of the mill as much as possible. It minimizes time required to re-establish the line, wash, clean and inspect the plant and it permits to shift rapidly from a product campaign to another. CRIOX System has been designed and built in compliance with the ever more severe safety regulations and with cGMP and ATEX Standards. CRIOX System, thanks to the bi-conical rotating drying chamber, allows the total and continuous revolution of the mass to be dried and an extremely homogeneous mixing. The chamber rotation speed is adjustable so that the agitation can be controlled from very gentle to moderate. This permits to treat even products with weak bonds. During the drying process, the CRIOX System crushes the possible blocks inside the mass and breaks the lumps that could be formed, permitting to obtain at the end of the process dry powders, with a controlled final particle size distribution, ready to be riddled and packed. The bi-conical shape of the rotating chamber by itself could not lead to the desired results if it was not for two powerful electrical lump-breaking blade sets, that are the peculiar characteristic of the CRIOX System, permitting to increase the surface of the product exposed to evaporation and the mixing effectiveness.

For details contact: Italvacuum Srl Via Stroppiana, 3, 10071 Borgaro T.se (Turin), Italy E-mail: marketing@italvacuum.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 7

Chemical Engineering World

May 2015 • 91

CEW Products Continuous Agitated Fluid Bed Dryer Excellence Consultants offers services for Continuous Agitated Fluid Bed Dryer – CAFBD. A Dryer based on reliable turbulent mixer system in conjunction with fluidized beds. The bed contents are continuously agitated by agitator in addition to the fluidization by air, avoiding lump formation in the bed.

CAFBD has many advantages over the conventional continuous FBD. It eliminates bed caking, lump formation and channeling addressing variations of feed quantity and moisture content. It eliminates dead zones formed due to agglomeration of material on the fluidizing screen. It can be cold started without replacing the bed material.

CAFBD eliminates need for bed vibratory system. Excellent option for low temperature drying and heat sensitive products. Replaceable fluidizing screens and agitator provides flexibility to capacity. Enhances efficiency with optimum use of energies; provides greater operational flexibility providing energy efficient operation. Product cooling is integral part of the operation. CAFBD is ideally suited for crystalline solids/salts, hygroscopic products, seeds, flakes drying with recovery of solvents; and for critical duties. Many CAFBDs are operating successfully.

For details contact: Excellence Consultants 508 Hermes Atrium Plot No: 57, Sec-11, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai 400 614 Tel: 022-27576052, 27576007 E-mail: ktijareexcellence@vsnl.net / ktijare@excellencetijare.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 8

Vacuum Pump Saurus939 a vacuum pump from Italvacuum guarantees unrivalled performance in all the main chemical and pharma processes, ensuring total recovery of extracted solvents, even in severe operating conditions. Resistance, strength and consumption of oil virtually eliminated thanks to the innovative LubriZero system, that guarantees perfect operation and optimum results. Saurus939 has no fear of aggressive and corrosive solvents (hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, chlorobenzene, dimethylformamide, acrylonitrile, dichloroethane, cyclohexane, pyridine, dimethyl sulfoxide, dichloromethane), powders and condensates, nor distillation by-products. It is designed and manufactured to work 24 hours a day with a constant excellent performance and minimum operating costs, thanks to low-energy motor, negligible oil consumption and easy, immediate maintenance. The Saurus939 vacuum pump can be used in chemicals, pharma, cosmetics, oil and gas, plastic and rubber, bio-science and waste management.

The LubriZero system combines the metered injection of oil with a kit of new materials in PTFE with special charges that are not only resistant to corrosion, but require virtually no lubrication. This also allows for the use of synthetic FDA approved oils.

The metered flow of a few drops of fresh oil (about 10 g/h) guarantees an effective barrier from even the most aggressive solvents, considerably increasing the working life of the vacuum pump.

For details contact: Italvacuum Srl Via Stroppiana, 3 10071 Borgaro T.se (Turin), Italy E-mail: marketing@italvacuum.com or Circle Readers’ Service Card 9

92 • May 2015

Chemical Engineering World

ChemTECH Chennai 2015

Plant Automation & APC Congress ’15

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

Dates: 30 June - 1 July, 2015 Venue: Houston, Texas Details: The Only Chemical Specific, Vendor Neutral Forum Examining Automation and APC Strategies Organiser: American Business Conferences Contact: +180 721 3915 Email: info@americanbusinessconferences.com Website: www.chemicals-automationcontrols.com

ChemTECH Gujarat 2016

POWTEX OSAKA 2015

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

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

GRPC Dates: 1-3 July, 2015 Venue: India Expo Centre & Mart, Delhi (NCR) Details: Global Refining & Petrochemicals Congress Organiser: ITEN Media Contact: +91 11 43013474 Email: manoj@itenmedia.in, ravi@ itenmedia.in Website: www.refpet.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 May 2015 • 93

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 Consultant. 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, ie, 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. Eighty per cent of civil work has been completed. Remaining 20 per cent civil work is in progress. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2015.

Adi Finechem is planning a 40-TPA specialty products manufacturing project at an estimated cost of ` 400-million on a 2-acre of land in Chekhala, district: Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The project is waiting for environmental clearance.

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. Civil work is in progress. The project is scheduled for completion in H2 2015.

Stellar Chemical Laboratories is planning an expansion of its organic chemical manufacturing project from 7.1-TPM to 84.1TPM in village: Derol, district: Panchmahals, Gujarat. Machinery is yet to be ordered. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. Work on the project is expected to commence after receipt of environmental clearance and the completion date is yet to be finalized.

Shimoga Life Sciences is planning a 300-400-TPA synthetic organic chemicals and herbal products manufacturing project at a cost of ` 50-million in village: Attivaram, district: Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. The project is waiting for environmental clearance. Work on the project will start after receipt of environmental clearance.

DCM Shriram is planning an expansion of its chlor-alkali manufacturing project from initial 450-TPD to 915-TPD in Jhagadia, district: Bharuch, Gujarat. The project will come up along with an expansion of its power project at a total cost of ` 5,340-million. The Board of Directors of the company at its Special meeting in October 2014 have approved of the project.

India GCI Resitop, a subsidiary of Gun Ei Chemical Industry Company, is planning a resin-coated sand and phenolic resin manufacturing project in Oragadam, district: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. Land acquisition is in progress. The project is planned for completion in 3 years from zero date.

Bhuruka Gases, belonging to the Bhuruka Group, is planning a compressed oxygen project in district: Pune, Maharashtra.

The project is in initial stage. Land is yet to be acquired.

Vasudha Pharma Chem is planning a chemical manufacturing project on a 16-acre of acquired land in village: Atchutapuram, district: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Work on the project commenced in August 2014 and is planned for completion in 2016.

RSPL is planning a 1,500-TPD soda ash plant and 50-MW of captive power project in village: Kuranga, district: Jamnagar, Gujarat. 85 per cent of land has been acquired and awaiting environmental clearance. The entire project is planned for completion in 5 years from zero date.

Sayona Colors, belonging to the Sayona Group, is planning an expansion of its dyes and colours manufacturing project in Navrangpura, district: Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The project will involve capacity expansion of products like synthetic organic dyes, food and cosmetic colours. The project is waiting for international collaboration.

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.

Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection is planning a thiamethoxam manufacturing project in villages: Kolimajra and Samalheri, district: Mohali, Punjab. The project will come up at the company’s existing plant premises. The project is in planning stage.

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Chemical Engineering World

Project Update CEW S K Solvochem Private Limited is planning 1,500-TPA synthetic organic chemicals manufacturing project - dye and dye intermediates, bulk drug and intermediates excluding drug formulations, synthetic rubbers, basic organic chemicals, other synthetic organic chemicals and chemical intermediates at a cost of ` 20-million in village: Nimbua, district: Mohali, Punjab.

Public hearing was held in January 2014. The project is waiting for environmental clearance.

• MINING Barmer Lignite Mining Company, a JV between Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals and 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 at an estimated cost of ` 18,000-million inclusive of a new lignite mining project at Jalipa mines in Kapurdi, district: Barmer, Rajasthan.

The project is waiting for environmental clearance.

• NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY Shri Shivsagar Sugar & Agro Products is planning an 18-MW bagasse-based co-generation power project in village: Udpudi, district: Belgaum, Karnataka The project will come up in the existing 150 - acre sugar plant premises. The project is planned for completion in 12 months from zero date.

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam is planning a solar photovoltaic grid connected power project in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Andhra Pradesh. Expression of Interest invited for setting up of floating/fixed solar PV-based grid connected power plant on Build, Own and Operate (BOO)/Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) on Kanithi Balancing Reservoir (KBR) at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. According to reports, at the Visakhapatnam steel plant, the company is expanding the capacity of the unit from the existing 5.2-million TPA to 10-million TPA. The company is investing ` 198-billion in the project. In March 2014, the company had invited EoIs for prospective joint venture partners for installation of a seamless tube mill for the steel plant project.

Siddheshwari Paper Udyog is implementing a 6-MW rice husk-based captive power project in Kashipur, district: Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. The project is coming up with an expansion of its kraft paper-manufacturing unit. Civil work is nearing completion and machinery has been ordered.

The Jeypore Sugar Company Limited is planning an expansion of its bagasse-based co-generation power plant from initial 0.5-MW to 8.5-MW in village: Chagallu, district: West Godavari. Andhra Pradesh. As of January 2014, the project will come up along with a new 120-KLD grain-based distillery. The project is waiting for environmental clearance.

• THERMAL POWER Rain Cements is planning a 7-MW waste heat recovery-based power plant in village: Boincheruvupalli, Peapully Mandal, district: Kurnool, 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 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 27th February, 2015.

Seven Star Steels is planning an expansion of its coal-based captive power project from initial 8-MW to 12-MW at an estimated 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 in H1 2015.

Chemical Engineering World

May 2015 • 95

CEW Ad Index Sr. No.

Client’s Name

Page No

Sr. No.

Client’s Name

Page No

9

17

Hi-tech Applicator

27

18

Horizon Polymer Engineering Pvt Ltd

Inside Cover I

19

ImageGrafix Engineering Services Pvt Ltd 89, 91, 93, 95

Avcon Controls Pvt Ltd

77

20

Integral Process Controls India (P) Ltd

55

5

BHS-Sonthofen (India) Pvt Ltd

87

21

Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd

19

6

Busch Vacuum India Pvt Ltd

47

22

Kevin Enterprise Pvt Ltd

29

7

Chemtech World Expo

81

23

Khosla Profil Pvt Ltd

73

8

Cole-Parmer India

71

24

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd

9

Confederation of Indian Industry

83

25

KPC Filtech Pvt Ltd

97

10

Dalal Engineering Pvt Ltd

17

26

Mist Resonance Engg Pvt Ltd

67

11

Emjay Engineers

39

27

Omega Kemix Pvt Ltd

63

12

Excellence Consultants

77

28

Oriental Enterprise Pvt Ltd

25

13

Fluorotech Engineering Works

71

29

Paharpur Cooling Tower

43

14

Goodie Internatioal Pvt Ltd

61

30

PolyPlast Chemie Plants (I) Pvt Ltd

51

15

Gopani Product Systems

Back Cover

31

Pressure Vessels (India)

65

16

GRPC

85

32

R K Dutt Concerns

79

1

Ace Industries India (Pvt) Ltd

2

Aimil Ltd

3

Atomic Vacuum Company (Exports)

4

96 • May 2015

7

23

Inside Cover II

Chemical Engineering World

Ad Index CEW 33

Rajdeep Engineering Systems (Pune) Pvt Ltd

75

41

Shanbhag & Associates

53

34

Rasaii Flow Lines Pvt Ltd

41

42

Steelfur System Pvt Ltd

31

35

Rathi Transpower Pvt Ltd

37

43

Suraj Ltd

79

36

Rotex Manufacturers Engineering Pvt Ltd

13

44

SYP Engineering Company Pvt Ltd

35

37

Sachi Engineering Pvt Ltd

15

45

Time Technoplast Ltd

38

Samarth Engineers

75

46

Tinita Engineering Pvt Ltd

11

39

Sandvik Materials Technology

3

47

Uni Klinger Ltd

59

40

Seal Excel (India) Pvt Ltd

73

48

UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd

49

Chemical Engineering World

5

May 2015 • 97

CEW Book Shelf Solid/ Liquid Separation: Principles of Industrial Filtration Author Price Pages Publisher

: Stephen Tarleton and Richard Wakeman : USD 308.28 : 340 (Hardcover) : Elsevier Science

About the Book: Solid/fluid separation is a major element in the processes performed in pharmaceutical, food, beverage, water, pulp and paper industries. Several books now exist on the more esoteric aspects of the techniques, but accounts of the fundamental principles involved are few. Written by two well-known chemical engineers, this book reviews the scientific and engineering bases for solid/fluid separation processes in an approachable style. Coverage focuses on fluid dynamics, gravity, centrifugal and membrane separations, filter cake formation, de-liquoring and washing. Complete with an extensive bibliography to allow readers to pursue topics in greater depth.

Membrane Filtration: A Problem Solving Approach with MATLAB Author Price Pages Publisher

: Greg Foley : USD 61.07 : 341 (Paperback) : Cambridge University Press

About the Book: Focusing on the application of membranes in an engineering context, this hands-on computational guide makes previously challenging problems routine. It formulates problems as systems of equations solved with MATLAB, encouraging active learning through worked examples and end-of-chapter problems. The detailed treatments of dead-end filtration include novel approaches to constant rate filtration and filtration with a centrifugal pump. The discussion of crossflow microfiltration includes the use of kinetic and force balance models. Comprehensive coverage of ultrafiltration and diafiltration processes employs both limiting flux and osmotic pressure models. The effect of fluid viscosity on the mass transfer coefficient is explored in detail, the effects of incomplete rejection on the design and analysis of ultrafiltration and diafiltration are analysed, and quantitative treatments of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration process analysis and design are explored. Includes a chapter dedicated to the modelling of membrane fouling.

Separation Processes: Second Edition Authors Price Pages Publisher

: C Judson King : USD 28.93 : 880 (Paperback) : Dover Publications

About the Book: Suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level chemical engineering courses, this classic text is intended for classes focusing on separation processes, mass-transfer operations, unit operations, and distillations. Used in conjunction with a transport phenomena text, Separation Processes will satisfy the unit operations or momentum, heat, and mass transfer core requirements of the chemical engineering curriculum. Professional engineers concerned with the selection and evaluation of alternative separation processes or with the development of computational algorithms will also find this book useful.Topics include simple equilibrium processes, factors influencing product purities, multistage separation processes, patterns of change, group methods, limiting flows and stage requirements, and empirical correlations.

98 • May 2015

Separation and Purification Technologies in Biorefineries Editors

Price Pages Publisher

: Shri Ramaswamy, Hua-Jiang Huang and Bandaru V. Ramarao : USD 188.16 : 608 (Hardcover) : Wiley

About the Book: Separation and purification processes play a critical role in biorefineries and their optimal selection, design and operation to maximise product yields and improve overall process efficiency. Separations and purifications are necessary for upstream processes as well as in maximising and improving product recovery in downstream processes. These processes account for a significant fraction of the total capital and operating costs and also are highly energy intensive. Consequently, a better understanding of separation and purification processes, current and possible alternative and novel advanced methods is essential for achieving the overall technoeconomic feasibility and commercial success of sustainable biorefineries. This book presents a comprehensive overview focused specifically on the present state, future challenges and opportunities for separation and purification methods and technologies in biorefineries. For each of these processes, the fundamental principles and design aspects are presented, followed by a detailed discussion and specific examples of applications in biorefineries.

Each chapter also considers the market needs, industrial challenges, future opportunities, and economic importance of the separation and purification methods.

The book concludes with a series of detailed case studies including cellulosic bioethanol production, extraction of algae oil from microalgae, and production of biopolymers.

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.:100