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CEW Industry News Modi Suggests Focus on R&D for C h emi c a l I n d u s tr y

Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat

Ahmedabad, India: During the inauguration of India Chem Gujarat, 2013, held at Gandhinagar, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi encouraged the chemical industry to upsurge the Indian share in the global chemical sector from present 3 per cent, and urged the user industry to be sensitive towards the environmental concerns as well as society at large and thus utilise suitable good environmental technologies and research.

In continuation to the situation, he explained by giving example of age old practice of using vegetable based environment friendly dyes in Patola sarees and suggested that for the growth and development of this sector, it is essential to focus on the research and development segment which will eventually lead to innovations. Along with this, Modi advised the industries to concentrate on industries based on waste recycling as they will be of value addition; since products such as castor oil accounts for 85 per cent of national production and is getting exported for value addition. He highlighted the critical role being played by the chemical industry in national development and thus promised the sector complete help from his Government in Gujarat.

Specialty Chemicals is the fastest growing segment in the chemical industry. These are high value, low volume chemicals known for their end-use applications and has performance enhancing properties.

There is immense potential for increasing consumption within the country and make India a reliable exporter of quality chemicals.

Feedstock, Scale Hold Key to Industry Growth New Delhi, India: Restrictions in feedstock sourcing and squeaking infrastructure has limited the growth of the Indian chemical industry, in spite of rising urbanisation boosting demand. Naphtha, which is derived while refining crude oil, is the major feedstock for the chemical industry. Though India is a leading producer of a few chemicals, they are not cost effective due to lack of scale. This has led to large-scale imports, particularly from China.

India is one of the largest manufacturers of phthalic anhydride, which is used as a chemical intermediary in the plastic industry. But a huge quantity of this chemical is imported from Taiwan, South Korea and Israel as they yield phthalic anhydride at a much lower cost. To cover the drawback, India has chosen for anti-dumping duties to guard the domestic industry. As per the Planning Commission, the Indian chemical industry accounts for three per cent of the global chemical industry. To boost investment in the chemical industry, the Government announced plans in 2007 to set up committed petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals investment regions (PCPIR ) on 250 sq km close to major oil refineries. Based on the Government policy, Dahej in Gujarat has emerged as a major chemical investment region, housing more than 50 per cent of the industry. Reliance Industries is one of the major suppliers of feedstock to the chemical industry at Dahej.

8 • November 2013

H o n ey w e l l N a m e s N ew P r e s i d e n t S E A s i a , President India New Delhi, India: Honeywell announced the appointment of Jim Bujold as President, Southeast Asia, and Anant Maheshwari as President, Honeywell India. The appointments reflect the organisation’s continued evolution, growth and depth of leadership talent in the country. Maheshwari, who has been the Managing Director of Honeywell Automation India Limited since Jim Bujold, President, HPS March 2010, will succeed Bujold who is currently President, Honeywell India. Both Bujold and Maheshwari will transition into their new roles from January 1, 2014.

Shane Tedjarati, President, Global High Growth Regions, Honeywell, said, “These senior leadership changes reflect not only a robust leadership talent pipeline, but also our relentless focus on achieving an outstanding growth trajectory in our High Growth Regions (HGRs).”

As President, Honeywell, Southeast Asia, Bujold will oversee Honeywell’s operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. During his three-year tenure, Bujold has groomed Honeywell India into a global outlook, strategy and vision, with a rich and diverse experience spanning more than three decades.

Maheshwari has spent close to a decade in Honeywell in a number of leadership roles of increasing responsibilities. His new role builds upon his successes in leveraging the region’s growth potential, building strategic relationships and driving a one Honeywell approach to create a powerful customer value proposition. Both Bujold and Maheshwari will partner with Honeywell’s businesses to seek new growth opportunities and identify potential synergies in the region.

Clariant Chemical India to Divest Businesses Mumbai, India: Clariant Chemicals (India) has confirmed their plans to disinvest its textile chemicals, paper specialties and emulsion business approximate estimating to ` 209.15 crores, substance to the approval by the shareholders as required under the Companies Act, 1956.According to the company officials, the divestment of the above business comprises a textile chemical plant situated at Roha, which runs multi-business, multi-product production facilities and the textile chemical plant occupies a minor proportion in the overall site.

R A Shah, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Clariant Chemicals (India), said, “We are excited to continue cr ystallising our businesses and are putting a strong emphasis on advancing our stakeholders' interests."

Dr Deepak Parikh, Managing Director, Clariant Chemicals (India) mentioned, "Repositioning the company's portfolio is an essential part of Clariant's 2015 profitable growth strategy. This move has been designed to focus on our key businesses to ensure that Clariant in India provides maximum value to all our stakeholders."

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CEW Industry News CRI Pumps Opens its Sixth Subsidiary in China

Dow Adds Polyether Polyols Facility at Thailand Site

Chennai, India: The leading pump manufacturer, CRI Pump has opened their sixth foreign subsidiary company CRI Pumps Shanghai Co, Ltd’, in China. The new company has estimated to be fully operational from December, 2014 and is planning to invest around USD 6 million in China. According to the company officials, The acceleration of China’s industrialisation process along with the introduction of its new water, electricity a n d i n d u s t r y r e l a t e d p o l i c i e s, a s p e r M c i l va i n e e s t i m a t e s t h e p u m p m a r ke t i n C h i n a w i l l b e w o r t h U S D 8 . 4 b i l l i o n by 2015.

Mumbai, India: Dow Polyurethanes, a business of The Dow Chemical Company will add a polyether polyols facility at the Company’s Map Ta Phut, Thailand site to further address regional customer needs.

Due to penetration of international pump companies, the Chinese pump mar ket is undergoing a major transition as a result.

Conversely majority of Chinese customers still focus more on the pump’s initial cost than its long-term energy-savings potential.

Never theless international players are having high efficiency products and thus will be well positioned to increase their share in China Hence to grab the oppor tunity, CRI Pumps would manufacture and market its select range of products in China and aim for a considerable market share.

CRI is the first pump manufacturer from India to have its 100 per cent wholly owned subsidiary company in China intended for manufacturing and marketing specific products. CRI will manufacture few select ranges of High end energy efficient pumps in its China Facility.

G Soundararajan, Vice Chair man CRI Pumps said, “CRI is planning to do an investment of about USD 6 million in China in near future. CRI China would mainly focus on Industrial, Mining, Process Industries, Pressure boosting Systems, Building Services segments and Projects in the first phase.”

Deepak Nitrite Reforms Business Units Vadodara, India: Deepak Nitrate Ltd has declared a strategy w h e r e i n t h ey h ave o r g a n i s e d i t s o p e ra t i o n s i n t o s t ra t e g i c business units to strengthen focus on individual businesses to drive accelerated growth in top and bottom line. Deepak Nitrite’s business segments of organic intermediates, inorganic i n t e r m e d i a t e s a n d f i n e & s p e c i a l t y c h e m i c a l s h ave b e e n reorganised into three SBUs - Bulk Specialty Chemicals, Fine Chemicals and Fluorescent Whitening Agent. Thus this will permit the company to categorise products which are synergistic in nature within common business units that are reflective of the nature of product, supply economics and customer end use applications.

Deepak Nitrite will undertake activities of quality management, procurement & logistics, inventor y management, technical up-gradation, sales & mar keting in a focussed manner for e a c h S B U e n a b l i n g t h e c o m p a n y t o o p t i m i s e i t s o ve r a l l operations. Each SBU will be headed by a President (SBU Head) who will be responsible for the overall operational and financial performance.

10 • November 2013

The facility’s 165 kilotons per annum of capacity will reduce logistical costs and transportation risks by minimising the amount of transportation across different assets in the region. Utilising state-ofthe-art DMC catalyst technology, the facility will deliver local, reliable supply of polyether polyols for flex slab applications that present a variety of unique opportunities, and especially address customer demand in Coating, Adhesive, Sealant and Elastomer applications.

Mark Bassett, Global Business Director, Dow Polyurethanes said, “This expansion is directly aligned to our long-term strategy for Dow’s Thailand Growth Project. We are committed to listening and responding to market dynamics with technologies that benefit our customers and contribute to their growth plans.”

Announced in 2006, the project began with cracker and polyethylene chain developments and has expanded to include the Company’s most recent advancements which have further positioned Dow as a committed business partner and innovative industry leader. Aligning with Dow’s commitment to helping customers grow their businesses, the Map Ta Phut production site is positioned to serve customers in Southeast Asia, China and India, providing regional clients with increased flexibility.

AkzoNobel Opens New Coatings Plant G w a l i o r, I n d i a : A k z o N o b e l h a s strengthened its manufacturing footprint in India by opening a new 140 crores, decorative paints plant in Gwalior, which will have an annual capacity of 55 million liters.The eco-efficient Greenfield facility of AkzoNobel which is its sixth factory in India , will supply a range of decorative paints, and create improved distribution Ton Buchner CEO, AkzoNobel channels for the popular Dulux brand. The new site will also help speed up transportation time and reduce the cost of logistics. On the official inauguration, Ton Büchner, CEO, AkzoNobel said, “India plays an extremely important role in our growth strategy and the new Gwalior site underlines our commitment to creating a leading coatings powerhouse in India.

As a global leader in sustainability, I’m also pleased that the plant has focused so heavily on energy, water and resource conservation, which will be vital in helping us to create more value from fewer resources.”

Amit Jain, Managing Director of AkzoNobel India further added that the Gwalior plant will provide cost effective access to key markets in the northern and central areas of India. This will greatly reinforce our strategy of expanding Dulux distribution, as well as improving customer service in these high growth regions.

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CEW Industry News Goa Carbon Begins Production at Paradeep

Gas Price Benchmarking in India, 2013

Jagatsinghpur, India: Goa Carbon’s operations at Paradeep Plant at Village Udayabata, Paradeepgarh, Dist Jagatsinghpur, Odisha has commenced from November 10, 2013. The company had been temporarily closed down its operations at the plant for maintenance.

Goa Carbon, a public limited company is into the business of manufacturing and marketing Calcined Petroleum Coke. Goa Carbon is firmly established as a leading manufacturer of Indian petcoke calciner. Goa Carbon Limited is part of the DEMPO GROUP, a reputed business house in Goa with offices in the metro cities of India and a turnover exceeding USD 100 million. They are regular supplier to aluminium smelters, graphite electrode and Titanium Dioxide manufacturers, as well as other users in the metallurgical and chemical industries.

The company’s calcination plant of 75,000 tpa capacity is located in southern Goa, 40 kms away from the Mormugao port. It has a we l l - e q u i p p e d l a b o ra t o r y a n d q u a l i t y c o n t r o l s y s t e m s a n d procedures. The plant is ISO 9001:2008 certified by Bureau Veritas.

It is also 14001:2004 certified. The Goa plant has the largest mechanical sieving and screening facilities for petcoke in India.

The Company also has two other plants, at Bilaspur in Chattisgarh and at Paradeep in Odisha.

Henkel Inaugurates Indian Innovation Centre

Jeremy Hunter, President, Henkel

Pune, India: Reiterating its commitment to the Indian market, Henkel Adhesive Technologies India, a subsidiar y of H e n ke l AG & C o. K G a A , G e r m a ny, inaugurated its first Innovation Centre in the country. The launch marks the company’s most important investment in the region and further strengthens its focus on emerging markets.

The centre will focus on innovative technologies and solutions that will cater to customers across the automotive and transportation industry in South Asia, Middle East and Africa. Located in Pune, it is designed to become a one stop solution provider to Henkel’s strong customer base in the region.

A dedicated team of product and application experts at the centre will be devising adhesive solutions, optimal application procedures and demonstrating assembly performance under simulated work conditions. More than 800 automotive suppliers and more than 20 companies in manufacturing will directly benefit from the centre.

Jeremy Hunter, President, Henkel India on the occasion of inaugural said, “This strategic investment will help strengthen our footprint in India and will provide our wide customer base an access to global innovation and better solutions. By 2016, Henkel expects to grow sales to EUR 20 billion, of which EUR 10 billion is expected from emerging markets like India. This Innovation centre will nurture a strong mix of global expertise and local know how to benefit customers across the whole region.”

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C Rangarajan, Chair man , Pr ime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council

New Delhi, India: The huge difference in gas pricing across European countries, USA and Asian market shows that pricing does not follow a set pattern. Generally gas as a source for oil substitution is used for pricing formation. LNG prices which is hovering around USD 16 to USD 18 for Asian market, makes it sourcing to Indian destination unmanageable for price savvy Indian consumers.

According to C Rangrajan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, there is no standard gas pricing in India and no formula which can justify the gas pricing in India. The different pricing based on cost plus, profit petroleum, NELP and Pre NELP have not been able to solve the anomalies in the sector. Eventhough the pricing is driven by the consuming sectors it’s time to come up with a market driven pricing benchmarked to Indian conditions and demand supply situation. The recent decision of CCEA to upsurge the price to USD 8.4 per mmbtu for all sources pricing formula lacks any sound logic.

Stakeholders are confused at this stage amid contradicting statements from different ministries. In the current situation, India should look for some set standards and benchmarks to do gas pricing in India taking into all other sources such as LNG, CBM and shale gas options both from domestic sources and international sources. The sourcing and development of these futuristic options would decide the future course of gas pricing in India.

Fertiliser Subsidy May be Rolled Over New Delhi, India: The battle between the government and the fertiliser industry over postponed release of the dole reached court rooms this year, but that won’t avert a fiscally-stressed finance ministry from its plan to defer a record ` 34,000 crore payment to the coming years. So far in this fiscal year, as against the budgeted fertiliser subsidy S a t i s h C h a n d e r, D i r e c t o r of ` 65,791 crore for FY14, the government General, Fertiliser Association has disbursed `31, 500 crore to the fertiliser of India manufacturers. The government would stick to the budgeted subsidy amount for this fiscal.

Finance ministry guesstimates the payment commitment for the first half of this fiscal would cover the entire budgeted amount after paying arrears. The ministry reckons that the second-half subsidy bill would be a bit higher than in H1, considering the industry’s production pattern and import costs. This amount of ` 34,000-35,000 crore would be rolled over. Satish Chander, Director General, Fertiliser Association of India said, “The industry has been in a severe liquidity crisis in the last 3-4 years primarily due to inadequate budget provisions year on year. The roll-over takes place every year. After a lot of requests, the finance ministry sometimes makes a special banking arrangement for paying subsidy. The delay in subsidy payments has huge implications on the operations of urea firms. Due to rupee devaluation, this has a cascading effect on production, import, availability of fertilisers and erodes margins.”

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CEW Industry News Fertiliser Ministry: Drop Urea Buyback Clause

EU Dissent Penal Import Duties in India

New Delhi, India: The fertiliser ministry has moved a proposal to the Cabinet to remove the definite buyback clause in the urea investment policy and adopt a bidding process to shortlist c o m p a n i e s a f t e r t h e p r o f i t a bl e i n c e n t i ve l e d t o a f l o o d o f applications for expanding capacities.

New Delhi, India: The European Union has blamed India of imposing higher penal duties on imports of certain products such as steel and rubber chemicals than what the situation may warrant to protect its domestic industry. While claiming that its penal duties were in reply to belligerent exports by some countries, India approved that it would look into complaints made on the initiation of safeguard investigation on steel pipes and tubes. EU pointed in WTO’s meeting that India has initiated the highest number of safeguard investigations in 2013 and half the products being investigated are already subject to anti-dumping duties.

In Januar y, the ministr y notified the New Investment Policy (NIP), 2012, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in December to incentivise manufacturers for raising domestic urea output. Policy guaranteed buy back of urea fo r e i g h t y e a r s f r o m s t a r t o f p r o d u c t i o n . E n c o u r a g e d b y this clause almost 13 fer tiliser fir ms applied for setting up new plants or expanding capacity of plants by about 16 mt.

Nevertheless, India needs an additional capacity of only 8 mt of urea to become self-sufficient. The domestic output stands at about 22 mt.

The ministry has moved a proposal before the CCEA to remove the buyback clause and present bidding process for shortlisting four or five applicants from the 13 fertiliser firms. In the inter-ministerial consultation, the finance ministry suggested the bidding process, sources said.

Thakur Demands Renewal of Barauni Fertiliser Unit

Dr C P Thakur, BJP, Rajya Sabha Member

Barauni, India: Dr C P Thakur, Rajya Sabha Member stated that party MPs from the state will promote the issue of revival of Barauni fertiliser unit and also setting up of a petrochemical complex at Barauni in the coming session of Parliament. Thakur said the demand will be to first start the work on the Halidia-Jagdishpur gas pipeline project to provide natural gas to these projects as feedstock.

Thakur mentioned that Bihar has been deprived of industrial development and a three-pronged approach needs to be taken to remove this disparity. He said the first step the Union government should take is to revive the closed units like the Barauni fertiliser and strengthen the existing units like Barauni refinery by expanding its capacity.

He also stressed that since the state mainly comprises agricultural land as its natural resource, a big enhancement needs to be given to food and other agro-based industries for its development. Industry-based human resource development is the third area to lay focus on in this regard, he further added.

The MP informed that delegation of party MPs plans to meet Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Veerappa Mioly besides the secretary, natural gas and petroleum department, to press the demand. If required, the MPs would even go to the extent of staging dharna before the parliament, he further added.

14 • November 2013

Recently, India notified four safeguard investigations – on seamless pipes, tubes and hollow profiles of iron or non-alloy steel, on sodium nitrate, on methyl acetoacetate, on phthalic anhydride, and on PX-13 (a rubber chemical).The safeguard initiation on steel products has led to protests from a number of WTO members including the EU, Russia and the US.The EU said that they were concerned in the steel case since imports had decreased and that there was no evidence of injury caused by imports on the domestic industry. Russia shared EU’s concerns in the steel case, and jagged out that the upsurge in imports was caused by just one country – China. Japan has also expressed their concern.On the other hand, India’s representative said that the concerns would be transmitted to the Capital.

TCL Wins FICCI Chemical and Petrochemical Award Mumbai, India: Tata Chemicals Mithapur plant in Gujarat bagged the esteemed FICCI Chemical and Petrochemical Award for Efficiency in Water usage in Chemical sector.

The award was conferred for Mithapur plant’s commitment to Sustainability for revamping the entire technology of water usage by conserving fresh water & by substituting fresh water with sea water and reusing the same Zar ir Langrana, COO, C h e m i c a l s ( I n d i a ) , TATA water for different purposes thereby reducing Chemical Limited the fresh water requirement significantly.

Mithapur chemical complex has successfully eradicated dependence on ground water as water conservation, reuse and recycling is the key to TCL’s sustainability manufacturing over the years.

Zarir Langrana, COO – Chemicals, (India), Chemicals Business, TATA Chemicals on the achievement said, “Tata Chemicals has a clear and focused strand of business strategy of `avoid, reduce and reuse’ that governs its business operations, with a strong emphasis on resource optimisation. The operations at Mithapur have been revamped to enable substitution of fresh water with sea water for operational purposes and further optimised for reduction and recycling. This has significantly reduced water stress in the region and decreased our water footprint. This award is recognition of our team’s efforts at the Mithapur plant and reinforces our philosophy of ‘serving society through science’. Receiving the prestigious FICCI Award strengthens our commitment towards water conservation and its embedded goal of sustainability.” The award was received by MSS Rao, Paresh Tank, Najmul Hasan and CM Dwivedi.

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CEW Industry News LSB Industries, Inc. Updates Status of Oklahoma Preem to Upgrade Swedish Refinery Chemical Facility Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish oil producer Preem will provide its Oklahoma, US: LSB Industries, Inc. announced that its chemical plant facility in Pryor, Oklahoma (“Pryor Facility”) was taken out of service since October, 2013 to achieve unplanned maintenance which was specified by our newly installed diagnostics equipment to improve equipment reliability. The scope of the unplanned maintenance activities has increased since the Pryor Facility was taken out of service as mechanical issues, and chances for plant performance improvements, were identified. The Company anticipates that the unplanned maintenance and performance improvement work will be completed and the Pryor Facility will be returned to production by the middle of November, 2013.

LSB is a manufacturing and marketing company. LSB’s principal business activities consist of the manufacture and sale of chemical products for the agricultural, mining, and industrial markets, and the manufacture and sale of commercial and residential climate control products, such as geothermal and water source heat pumps, hydronic fan coils and modular geothermal chillers, and large custom air handlers.

Eastman, Davy Tie Up for MEG Production Tennessee, US: Eastman Chemical, along with UK-based Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies, has developed a d va n c e d p a t e n t e d t e c h n o l o g y t o produce ethylene glycol from synthesis gas-based feedstock.

Dr Gregor y Nelson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Eastman

Commonly referred to as mono ethylene glycol (MEG), ethylene glycol are an industrial chemical and a building block in the production of polyesters for fibre and packaging applications.

The process, based on new Eastman and JM Davy-developed catalysts and process design, facilitates MEG production from a wide range of raw materials, including coal, natural gas or biomass.

The technology does not go through oxalate intermediates, in contrast to other recent syngas-based processes.

Dr Gregory Nelson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Eastman said, “the world-class technology is well positioned to enable global growth for ethylene glycol. The combined expertise of Eastman and JM Davy in synthesis gas chemistry enabled our best process and catalyst scientists to create a superior technology and bring it to market for licensing,” Nelson further added.

According to the US-based chemical company Extensive pilot plant demonstration of the process is nearing completion and dialogue is underway for the first demonstration.

16 • November 2013

European refinery Preemraf Lysekil with Honeywell’s Enhanced High Performance Process Manager (EHPM) industrial process controllers as part of the refinery’s modernisation programme. The EHPM is expected to triple the capacity of the current controllers at the refinery in southern Sweden, while improving their life. The new advanced control system will also enhance efficiency and increase clean fuel production at Lysekil Refinery.

John Rudolph, Vice President Business, Honeywell Process Solutions Lifecycle Solutions and Services said, “Honeywell’s Enhanced High Performance Process Manager enables Preem to modernise their refinery and increase through-put while maximising legacy investments and intellectual property.” EHPM will also allow Preem to comprise other technologies from Honeywell, to deliver an integrated solution that can include continuous and batch processing controls, such as Experion C300, safer operations with Safety Manager and Honeywell’s fault tolerant ethernet FTE technology.

Lars Andersson, Preem Automation Manager said, “The investment builds on Lysekil’s position as the region’s leading refinery and will deliver real benefits for decades. It also means we can maintain and improve on a safe, efficient operation, without the disruption and cost of ripping out and replacing the entire control system,” Andersson fur ther added. Scheduled to be completed before the end of the year, the upgrade will not require any additional downtime as it will be completed during planned maintenance at the refinery.

Mitsubishi’s New Compressor Manufacturing Unit Tokyo, Japan: Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor (MCO), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will set up a new company, MHI Compressor Manufacturing, in Pearland, Texas, US. The manufacturing unit is scheduled to be established by the end of 2013. The company will eventually manufacture and service compressors in the US to respond to package orders of compressors and gas-turbine power generation systems for petrochemical plants. The proposed company, which will upsurge the company’s long-term service agreement (LTSA) capabilities, will offer comprehensive, one-stop support, along with emergency repair and on-site construction work.

T h e n ew c o m p a ny w i l l s y n c h r o n i s e w i t h Tex a s - b a s e d M H I Compressor International (MCO-I) and Florida’s Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas (MPSA) to demeanour compressor business operations in the US. The manufacturing unit is likely to procure material and process parts through local suppliers, as well as to become a full-scale production and testing centre on a par with Japanese facilities in the future. The production plant is slated to commence operations in the autumn of 2014. MCO said it had received a record number of orders for equipment to be used at US ethylene, fertiliser and propane dehydrogenation facilities.

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CEW Industry News Celanese to Shut European Production Facilities

Tasneea and Flotek Signed Omani Energy Venture

Dallas, US: Celanese Technology and Specialty Materials Company have planned to shut down the acetic anhydride production unit in Roussillon, France, and the Tarragona vinyl acetate monomer manufacturing facility, in Spain.

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman: Tasneea Oil and Flotek Industries have signed shareholder agreements to establish an oil field chemistry manufacturing company and a chemical research company in Oman.Flotek Gulf and Flotek Gulf Research will mature market and produce specialty chemistries for the drilling, completion and production of oil and natural gas. The Omani-registered John Chisholm, Chair man, companies are expected to help the parties President and CEO serve markets in the Middle East and Africa.

An affiliate of Gulf Energy and Oman based integrated oil field service company, Tasneea and Flotek will be partners in Flotek Gulf and Flotek Gulf Research upon acceptance by Omani commercial officials.

According to the company officials, the move is been explained as a step to safeguard the competitiveness of the Celanese acetyl business. The French and Spanish subsidiaries have informed their employee delegates in Roussillon, France, and the work council in Tarragona, Spain, of their intention to begin an information and consultation process on the planned closure of both facilities.

Celanese announced on 22nd May, 2013 that they have begun the search for credible buyer so that the future operations of the VAM production unit in Tarragona and the acetic anhydride plant in Roussillon are successful. The US-based company, however, confirmed that till date no credible buyers have been identified and no offers for acquiring these facilities were made.

Closure of both facilities has emerged from Celanese’s overall corporate strategy assessment, which involved the evaluation of company’s global manufacturing facilities. The manufacturing footprint strategy favours integrated production facilities that offer critical economies of scale, specifically, in support of Celanese’s acetyl portfolio, according to the US-based company.

Innospec Acquires Bachman Services Colorado, US: Innospec, a specialty chemical firm has acquired Bachman Services and its affiliated companies from their private owners. Located in Oklahoma City, Bachman is a chemical firm that offer services for the oil and gas industries. The Bachman Companies, with offices in Grand Junction, have combined annual sales of about USD 80m. As per the pact, the company will join Strata Control as part of Innospec’s oil field specialties division.

Angela Bachman, President and CEO, Bachman Services said, “Finding the right partner to help the company grow in the future was a tough job. It was important to find a company with the same values and culture, so that we can integrate the two organisations and have them operating together effectively and quickly,” Bachman further added.

The purchase price was not disclosed nevertheless, Innospec said the acquisition has been funded through the successful negotiation of an amendment and increase in its existing revolving-credit-facility up to USD 200m.

Patrick Williams, President and CEO, Innospec said, “ Since its low key entry into the oil field chemicals market, the company has been running a dual growth strategy, growing sales organically using its existing technologies and seeking to make targeted acquisitions.

We are delighted with the acquisition of Bachman, which moves us towards critical mass, and brings both good technology and market positioning,” Williams further added.

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John Chisholm, Chairman, President and CEO, Flotek Industries said, “The creation of Flotek Gulf and Flotek Gulf Research is a seminal step in the company’s continued growth into international markets.

The predicted rapid growth of unconventional resource development in the Middle East and North Africa makes this venture even more compelling, especially given accelerated growth in Oman and the location as a central point to serve this very important region,” Flotek will own 55 per cent whereas Tasneea will have 45 per cent of each enterprise. Tasneea will offer a site in Oman to Flotek Gulf, which will feature a manufacturing and blending plant.

Johnson Matthey Expands Emission Control Catalyst Plant Skopje, Macedonia: Johnson Matthey, a specialty chemical firm has opened a facility in Macedonia, eventually expanding its European emission control catalyst production plant.

The EUR 60m facility will produce a new generation of catalysts for both heavy duty J o h n W a l k e r , E x e c u t i v e and light duty diesel applications along Director, Emission Control with additional capacity for catalysts.

Technologies The new plant is believed to be utilising world class design and manufacturing equipment which will help the organisation to meet the increased demand from the introduction of tighter emissions legislation.

This rule will come into effect from January 2014 in the European Union. The expansion is expected to add an additional 200 jobs at the site that currently employs 450 people. The UK Company said its initial investment in the Macedonian facility has been a great success and this, together with the projected increase in catalyst demand, is the main driver for the expansion at the Bunardzik site.

John Walker, Executive Director, Emission Control Technologies, Johnson Matthey said, “Our facility here in Macedonia is seen as a benchmark of manufacturing excellence within Johnson Matthey and is recognised by our customers for its world class manufacturing design, technology and employees.”

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CEW Industry News PCG to Sell Vietnam Unit

Showa Denko, KH Neochem to Close JV

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG) has decided to sell its entire 93.11 per cent stake in Phu My Plastics and Chemical Company (PMPC) to Asahi Glass and Mitsubishi.

Based in Vietnam, PMPC has a production capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes per annum of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Tokyo, Japan: R Stahl’s KH Neochem (KHNC) and Showa Denko (SDK) have decided to liquefy their joint venture (JV), Japan Ethyl Acetate (JEA). JEA was established in August 2003 at SDK’s Oita site and was known as Kyowa Hakko Kirin.

PMPC’s market share is more than 30 per cent in the Vietnam’s PVC market, which is expected to upsurge by 50 per cent by 2020. After the completion of acquisition procedure, Asahi Glass’s global PVC production capacity will be more than double to 650,000 tonnes a year from the current level, coupled with the capacity expansion in Indonesia announced earlier.

JEA was launched to fortify the ethyl acetate businesses of the parent firms and thus started commercial production in April 2004.

S h o w a D e n k o s a i d t h a t w h i l e d e m a n d fo r e t hy l a c e t a t e h a s i n c r e a s e d i n s i d e a n d o u t s i d e Ja p a n s i n c e t h e n , t h e b u s i n e s s e n v i r o n m e n t c h a n g e d i n t e n s e l y, r e f l e c t i n g t h e r ise in raw mater ial costs and capacity expansions in neighbouring countries.

Asahi Glass said to encounter strong demand in the region and they will considerably increase the production capacity of caustic soda and PVC in Indonesia by the end of 2015 whereas Petronas Chemicals mentioned that this divestment is part of its plan to discontinue its vinyl business as revealed in 2012, in line with its ‘portfolio optimisation strategy’.

SDK and KHNC have decided after mutual consultation that it is difficult to continue JEA’s operations. JEA had a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of ethyl acetate per year and thus both firms intend to stop production by the end of 2014 and upon demolition and removal of the facility, JEA will be dissolved and liquidated without delay.

Versalis, Lotte Chemical Form Elastomers JV

Solvay to Construct Alkoxylation Facility

Milan, Italy: Versalis, a subsidiar y of Eni’s Chemical has established a 50-50 joint venture with Lotte Chemical, a South Korean Petrochemical firm to target Asia’s e la st o m e rs m a r ke t . Th e jo in t venture dubbed as Lotte Versalis Elastomers, will be headquartered in Yeosu, South Korea.

Lotte Versalis Elastomers will manage the production of streams for premium application segments for the tyre and automotive industries, and within styrenics modification and technical goods. The venture establishment follows the primary terms and conditions agreement signed in October 2012 for development of an elastomers production plant in Yeosu.

Daniele Ferrari, CEO, Versalis

The industrial complex will be designed to produce 200 kty of elastomers based on butadiene and ethylene propylene-derived products. Daniele Ferrari, CEO, Versalis said, “As par t of a globally-oriented strategy, the company intends to gain a leading role in countries which are experiencing high rates of development and Asia represents a better growth outlook for its product portfolio.

Lotte Chemical is our trusted partner in our effort to establish production facilities close to our target markets facilitating a greater ease of access and a more competitive structure,” Ferrari further added.

Versalis said the Lotte Versalis Elastomers joint venutre adds to other such collaborations in the region, such as the joint ventures with Petronas for the development and combined use of a production plant in Malaysia. The company is already present in the Asia-Pacific region via its subsidiaries Eni Chemicals Trading and Versalis Pacific Trading, which are based in Shanghai, China.

20 • November 2013

Emmanuel Butstraen, President, Solvay Novecare

Brussels, Belgium: Solvay, a Belgium company will construct and operate a new alkoxylation facility in Pasadena, Texas, US, to safeguard greater security of alkoxylate supply for North American customers. The proposed US unit monitors close on the heels of Solvay’s announcement in April that it would build an on-pipe alkoxylation plant in Singapore.

Built at an integrated industrial facility of LyondellBasell’s Equistar Chemicals affiliate, the EUR40m unit will bring to eight Novecare’s global alkoxylation plants, upon its completion.

Emmanuel Butstraen, President, Solvay Novecare said, “This is the latest strategic investment, the group has made to organise capacity and product development assets to serve customers in dynamic market segments. Spurred by a rebounding housing market and a dynamic manufacturing sector, the new facility will enable us to help our North America customers meet growing business opportunities in many markets.”

The alkoxylation facility will obtain the ethylene oxide raw material from Equistar and is scheduled to go on-stream in 2015. Pat Quarles, Senior Vice President, Intermediates and Derivatives, LyondellBasell said, “Co-locating the Solvay Novecare facility at our Bayport site and linking to our ethylene oxide unit by pipeline offers new opportunities and benefits for each of our companies to grow our businesses.”

Used as emulsifiers, detergents and wetting agents, alkoxylates are the chemical foundation for a range of Solvay Novecare specialty surfactants.

Chemical Engineering World

CEW Technology News Ethanol Producers Keen for New Technology Agilent Technologies Inaugurates CrossLab Manesar, India: Agilent Te c h n o l o g i e s , a w o r l d l e a d e r i n test and measurement launched, Agilent CrossLab Laboratory at its Manesar campus. This initiate will fur ther strengthen the companyÊs CrossLab Enter prise Ser vices, a s y n c h r o n i s e d l a b o ra t o r y s o l u t i o n Dr Siva Kumar Pasupathi, by Agilent Technologies, a ser vice Country Head, Life Sciences model for all instruments regardless and Chemical Analysis Unit, of the brand. CrossLab Laboratory Agilent Technologies is an Investment done by Agilent Technologies to further strengthen the CrossLab Services i n i t i a t i ve s t a r t e d i n I n d i a 3 ye a r s b a ck fo r p r ov i d i n g comprehensive service support to analytical instrumentÊs from various manufacturersÊ which is used in Pharma, Biotech, Food, Environmental industries across India. This Laboratory will help increasing the capability of Agilent Service Engineering Team with hands on training on Analytical instruments from various manufacturers and there by developing service protocol to provide comprehensive solution to their customers.

Dr Siva Kumar Pasupathi, Country Head, Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis Unit, Agilent Technologies said „We are extremely proud of our CrossLab Laboratory which offers industryÊs best facilities to our customers. We understand and recognise that laboratories are often equipped with instruments from a range of vendors. Agilent CrossLab will enable simplification product selections and purchase for our customer. Apart from that, this initiative will also streamline their workday, and improve their overall productivity‰.

Agilent CrossLab Enterprise Services delivers solutions that help improve results, reduce costs, and raise productivity. non- Agilent instruments.

Honeywell Displays Innovations M u m b a i , I n d i a : H o n ey w e l l , a g l o b a l leader in automation and process control, introduced several innovative technology solutions to attendees of the Honeywell India Users Summit, October 21-22, in Mumbai. These new solutions address critical plant operations and can be customised to a plantÊs individual needs.

Themed as „Safe. Reliable. Profitable.,‰ A m i t ava B i sw a s , G e n e r a l Manager, Honeywell Process the summit introduced par ticipants to Solutions India the latest trends, technologies and best-practices in process control and automation to improve business performance, including cyber security assessments, plant audit services and a premium platform for Experion Virtualisation Solutions.

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Franklinton, North Carolina: After just one year on the market, the enzyme Novozymes Avantec now produces over 20 per cent of total corn ethanol volumes in the U.S. Another enzyme, Novozymes Spirizyme Achieve, is used to produce over 10 per cent of U.S. corn ethanol after being on the market for only four months. The two enzymes enable producers to squeeze more ethanol out of the corn while saving on energy and chemicals, improving profit margins and efficiency, and reducing their environmental footprint.

Niels Miles Frandsen, Marketing Director for Biofuel, Novozymes, „Avantec and Spirizyme Achieve are doing even better than we could have hoped. Ethanol producers run a tight operation and are constantly looking for ways to improve their production. This technology allows our customers to save a lot of corn and still produce the same amount of ethanol‰.

Avantec and Spirizyme Achieve convert starch to sugar more efficiently than any other enzyme product on the market. On average, Avantec increases ethanol yield by 2.5 per cent while reducing energy usage by 2 per cent. Spirizyme Achieve increases yield by 1.5 per cent while reducing energy usage by 3 per cent.

NGR, Leistritz Launch Recycling Compounder Nuremberg, Germany: Next Generation Recycling (NGR) maschinen GmbH and Leistritz Extrusionstechnik GmbH have partnered to market pioneering recycling compounding technology. The new lines will be named A:COMP, S:COMP, X:COMP and F:COMP. The uniquely wide range of equipment available from NGR enables its clients to process virtually any form of plastic waste into highquality plastic. This includes films, fibers and even thick-walled thermoplastic components. High-quality filtration technology and efficient processing provide first-class melt.

Josef Hochreiter, CEO, NGR, said, „The new lines will expand the NGR product portfolio, providing us with important building blocks on the road to becoming a full-range recycling provider. The partnership with Leistritz is a logical step after working together successfully for many years, and it further strengthens both technology leaders.‰ Sven Wolf, CEO of Leistritz extrusion technology, confirmed, „Our twin screw extruder technology and our knowh ow i n t h e c o m p o u n d e r f i e l d i s i d e a l fo r 2 4 / 7 u s e i n t h e recycling sector.‰ The melt is refined using the advanced and pioneering twin screw extruder technology from Leistritz. Additives, fillers and reinforcing materials can be added here to the melt and significantly shape the proper ty profile of the plastic. The results are customtailored materials for virtually any requested application area.

The lines can also produce cost-optimised pellets. Sustainable o p e r a t i o n s w i t h p r o f i t - g e n e r a t i n g t e c h n o l o g y a r e ke e p i n g valuable materials in circulation are a basic requirement of sustainable operations.

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CEW Technology News B ay e r Ês Two E n t r i e s i n F i n a l s fo r G e r m a n Innovation Prize Berlin, Germany: Two Bayer processes are among the finalists for the German Innovation Prize for Climate and the Environment. The first nominee is a technology that needs vastly less energy for the manufacturing of chlorine, and significant basic chemical. The other finalist is a method for using carbon dioxide for the production of plastics, thus preserving petroleum.

The German Ministry for Education and Research and the Federation of German Industry (BDI) are presenting the prize for the fourth time. The awards in five categories will be presented in Berlin on December 3. A total of 15 sustainable product and process innovations have made it to the final round. They were chosen from among 97 entries by a jury of experts from industry, academia, the media and government chaired by Klaus Töpfer, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and German Environment Minister.

According to the organisers, the objectives of the competition are twofold which comprises to expand on GermanyÊs leading role in the areas of climate protection, environmental protection and resource conservation, and to strengthen and homer industryÊs commitment thereto. On the other hand the prize is also planned to heighten public awareness of pressing climate and environmental protection issues.

N e w Te c h n o l o g i e s fo r E t hy l e n e , A c e t i c Acid Production London, United Kingdom: Br itish energy company, Br itish Petroleum (BP) has developed two new technologies for production of key petrochemical feedstock. SaaBre, the first technology will produce acetic acid from synthesis gas (syngas), whereas the other technology Hummingbird will directly conver t ethanol to ethylene through dehydration.

IFPEN, Axens and Michelin Partner for BioButadiene Technology Paris, France: Axens, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and Michelin have launched a plant chemistry research partnership, BioButterfly, to advance a new process for manufacturing biosourced butadiene. The BioButterfly process was launched in reply to the essential to find sustainable alternative sourcing channels for elastomers with an intention to yield cost-effective, more eco-friendly synthetic rubber.

The partners are also dedicated to laying the groundwork for the future of the French bio-sourced synthetic rubber industry, along with developing a new bio-butadiene production technology. BioButterfly will cover all research and development phases in the process, from scientific concepts, to the pilot phase and validation on an industrial demonstrator.

Jean-Luc Nocca, Vice-President In- Charge for Technological Development and Innovation, Axens, said, „For Axens, this collaboration is an opportunity to strengthen its expertise and presence in the biomass transformation processes market in the field of biofuels and bio-based chemistry.‰ The project will influence IFPENÊs ability to behaviour research on industrial processes and catalysers, as well as AxensÊ experience in the process engineering and marketing of new technologies for transforming renewable materials. Michelin will subsidise its materials development expertise to the project, which is supported by a EUR 52m budget across eight years.

LyondellBasellÊs Technologies for New Chinese Plants Shanghai, China: China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) has licensed LyondellBasellÊs polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) technologies for four new plants.

SaaBre technology that will eradicate the need to purify carbon monoxide (CO) or purchase methanol, is likely to decrease variable manufacturing costs and develop capital efficiencies.

Nick Elmslie, Business Chief Executive, BP Global Petrochemicals said, „SaaBre is the most significant development for acetic acid production in 40 years and adds to the companyÊs portfolio of leading technologies. The principle advantages of SaaBre are that it eliminates the need to pur ify carbon monoxide, does not require the purchase of methanol and contains no i o d i d e s, r e d u c i n g t h e n e e d fo r ex o t i c m e t a l l u r g y,‰ E l m s l i e further added.

According to the company officials, the new technology Hummingbird has a condensed cost and is simpler compared to current ethanol to ethylene technologies. Acetic acid is an intermediate chemical, used in a variety of products, such as paints, adhesives and solvents, as well as in production of PTA, used in polyester manufacturing.

Ethylene is a fundamental building block for the plastics and other petrochemical industries.

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Bob Patel, Vice President, International and Technology, LyondellBasell

The state-owned oil refining and petrochemical enter prise will organise the LyondellBasellÊs Spherizone PP and Lupotech PE process technologies at facilities planned in Zhanjiang, Dachang and Jinshan, China.

B o b Pa t e l , V i c e P r e s i d e n t , I n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d Te c h n o l o g y, LyondellBasell Olefins and Polyolefins - Europe, Asia, said the companyÊs polyolefin technologies are among the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective in the world. „SinopecÊs selection of one Spherizone PP license and three Lupotech A PE/EVA [ethylene vinyl acetate] process technology licenses, for their four new facilities in China, attests to the trust customers place in our technology portfolio for innovation and performance,‰ Patel further added.

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CEW Technology News ClariantÊs German Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Secures ISCC certification Straubing, Germany:Swiss specialty chemicals firm Clariant has secured International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for its sunliquid demonstration plant in Straubing, Germany.

The plant, which was opened in July 2012, manufactures cellulosic ethanol using sunliquid technology.The certification confirms the cellulosic ethanol produced from agricultural residues is compliant with the sustainability criteria set out in the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED).Hariolf Kottmann, CEO, Clariant said, „ securing certification for the plant is a milestone in the commercialisation of the sunliquid technology. The biofuel produced in Straubing fulfils and exceeds the sustainability criteria defined in the RED and can be counted toward the climate targets - this is an important prerequisite for establishing the process in the European market,‰ Kottmann added.

Markus Rarbach, Project Head Biofuels and Derivatives, Clariant, said, „The ISCC certificate allows the company to demonstrate even more clearly to potential partners the efficiency of its technology and quality of products from the Straubing plant. Thanks to the 95 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions enabled by the sunliquid technology, we can offer an almost carbon-neutral process solution.‰

Wa t s o n - M a r l ow P u m p s A i d t h e R e c ov e r y o f Rare Mineral Pune, India: It is a great help that Watson- Marlow Pumps Group have helped in recovering one of the rarest mineral, fluorspar. In early 2013, Watson-Marlow Pumps Group supplied no less than 21 positive displacement pumps to British Fluorspar Ltd, the UKÊs sole fluorspar producer. The pumps, which include 12 of the latest Qdos no-valve metering pumps, have all been set to work on vital flotation duties at the companyÊs Peak District facility. The mine reopened in May 2012 following closure 18 months beforehand.

With the help of Watson-Marlow pump technology, the site is now responsible for producing 60,000 tonnes of fluorite every year.

Acid grade fluorspar (fluorite) is a relatively rare industrial mineral. The UKÊs main reserves are now found solely within the Southern Pennine ore field in the Peak District National Park. Extraction can be by open cast methods, often to considerable depths, or by underground mining. Following acquisition and investment by the Italian Fluoride SpA group last year, British Fluorspar Ltd is now prospering with 45 people working across two shifts. The company today comprises an underground operation at Milldam Mine, open pit extraction at Tearsall Quarry, and processing operations at Cavendish Mill. Today, all 21 Watson-Marlow pumps have been deployed successfully in the flotation process at British Fluorspar. Reagents are pumped up from mixing tanks into the head tank, from where they follow plastic pipes down into flotation. Among the chemical reagents handled by the pumps include methyl isobutyl carbinol, sodium isopropyl xanthate, sodium carbonate, sodium sulphide, caustic soda pearl and sodium silicate. In total, British Fluorspar produces 60,000 tonnes of fluorite ore every year, which is extracted from 300,000 of crude product.

As a by-product, limestone is discharged from the mineral and sold.

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Secar-Evonik JV to Generate Lightweight Composite Materials B e r l i n , G e r m a ny : C a r b o n - f i b r e r e i n fo r c e d c o m p o s i t e materials and components manufacturer Secar Technologie and Germany-based Evonik Industries have set up a new j o i n t ve n t u r e ( J V ) c o m p a ny, c a l l e d L i t e C o n A d va n c e d Composite Products.

Headquartered in Hönigsberg, Austria, the JV Company will mass-produce fibre-reinforced composite components for the automotive and aviation industries.

Evonik will provide LiteCon with its materials development expertise, while Secar will offer its expertise in mass producing lightweight parts. Austria-based Secar will own 51 per cent of the shares in the JV, while specialty chemical manufacturer Evonik holds the remaining shares.

Evonik Performance Polymers Business Unit president Gregor Hetzke said for years now the companyÊs products have supported efforts within the automotive and aviation industries to move toward lightweight construction, and LiteCon is the next step in partnership with those industries. „LiteCon unites our polymer expertise with SECARÊs prowess in composite development and manufacturing, so that our customers can use these synergies to their greatest possible advantage,‰ Hetzke added.

Dow to Produce Polyolefin Elastomers Tarragona, Spain: Dow ChemicalÊs subsidiary Dow Elastomers will, for the first time, manufacture its Affinity GA polyolefin elastomers (POEs) for hot melt adhesives in Tarragona, Spain, and expand its current capacity to better ser ve its global customer base.

Dow Elastomers, Electrical and Telecommunications business president Kim Ann Mink said „This investment in Tarragona along with the flexibility offered at our new, previously announced High Melt Index (HMI) elastomers train on the US Gulf Coast will help ensure Dow keeps pace with demands for HMAs in end-of-line packaging and non-woven for health and hygiene applications.‰ The facility is scheduled to come on-line in the first quarter of 2014. „This Tarragona train is a direct investment in our ability to meet growing demand for truly differentiated products, and in the continued growth of our customers and our business around the world.‰ Mitchell added.

Specifically developed for HMA for mulations and a range of polymer modification applications, Affinity GA POEs feature novel chemistry that integrates high flow, low crystallinity and low molecular weight, according to Dow. Chemical Engineering World

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CEW News Features

High Hopes on UCG Policy In the patient hope of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Policy, Badrinath Prasad, General Manager, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Department, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI), shares with us the scope, challenges and expectation from the UCG policy that is soaring around energy sector.

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n the midst of speculations and scandals surrounding the coal industry, many companies are eyeing the coal blocks to capitalise the yet unexplored area of underground coal gasification. Taking cues from attributes, the government has declared to bring out policy for underground coal gasification. The technology has shaped destinies of many countries especially South Africa, who are flourishing in this arena with hi-tech equipment and advanced technology. Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister for Coal Industry had earlier sought cooperation from South Africa for UCG technologies.

Being a nation with high coal reserves, India does stand a good chance to meet the energy demand to a significant extent by utilising the available reserves using advanced technologies. Coal is available in abundance in the country and plays a very critical role in IndiaÊs energy mix accounting for 55 per cent of primary energy supplies and 70 per cent of electricity generation.

Our domestic coal production is not keeping pace with the steep demand for energy, and driven by the escalating energy demand and difficulties to go for open cast mining, the Government is not left with any choice but to come up with the Underground Coal Gasification Policy.

B N Prasad, General Manager CBM Dept, CMPDI

UCG policy will open up new vistas for the participation of foreign experts in this field and its contribution will help in monetising the untouched coal resources.

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The World Coal Association defines UCG as the method to convert unworked coal into a combustible gas that can be used for industrial heating, power generation or manufacture of hydrogen, synthetic natural gas (syngas) or diesel fuel. The process involves drilling of two wells wherein the coal at the base of the first well is heated to temperature that results in its combustion. However , with careful

regulation of the oxidant flow instead of burning the coal , syngas can be produced which is then drawn from the second well and can be used for power generation and even as the substitute for natural gas as feedstock for various industrial applications thus providing an alternate route for downstream chemicals manufacturing. China would be a great example which is using indigenously available coal to produce syngas as an alternate to natural gas in chemical manufacturing.

Prasad emphasises that UCG offers great potential of extracting the energy from deep seated isolated coal deposits which so far could not be mined due to techno economic reasons. Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) forayed into this field during the mid-80s. Around the same time, CMPDI took up the science & technology project at Merta Road Road lignite deposit with technical support from the then Russia (USSR). The data were generated and the area was found suitable for pilot scale study. The project however could not be pursued further on apprehension of contamination of ground water. In recent years, advancement on technological front and compliance with environmental norms, has generated confidence in UCG techniques and coal rich countries are including this as a part of their energy programs India has been dominated by increasing demand for energy and coal being one of the indigenously available resources, contributes for majority of the energy demand in the country. He is confident that the announcement of policy for underground coal gasification will certainly provide a boost to the countryÊs energy sector.

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November 2013 • 31

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CEW News Features The decision by the Government on announcement of the underground coal gasification policy has attracted much attention of the private energy players who have already submitted bids and also looking at technology alliances with international companies to equip themselves for the future.

Prasad notes that several areas in the country where coal/lignite deposits, isolated in nature and lying deep where mining is not feasible due to techno economic consideration will be very much relevant in such areas provided the technology is perfected for Indian geological conditions.

He remarks that the Government has been inclined to have the UCG policy in place and came up with the issuing of Gazette Notification on July 2007, specifying production of syngas obtained through coal gasification (underground and surface) and coal liquefaction to be end uses for the purpose of Coal Mines Nationalisation Act, 1973. This notification has paved the way for taking up UCG by public/private entrepreneurs.

Further, the Ministry of Coal (MoC) has also subsequently issued guidelines for commercial exploitation of UCG. Now that the Government is taking greater interest in formulating the policy, after announcement of the policy it is expected that much interest will be generated in taking up UCG projects and the policy will open up new vistas for the participation of foreign experts in this field and its

contribution will help in utilising coal/ lignite resources which are not amenable at present. The energy thus harnessed will supplement the energy requirement of the nation.

CMPDI, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, contemplates commercial development of UCG and has already identified two prospective UCG blocks within CIL leasehold areas, Prasad informs. They are scouting for technical expertise to pursue the projects and then emulate the success at other sites as well. Further, CIL is also contemplating to take pilot scale demonstration project with ONGC in one of the identified areas under NCEF sources.

According to the media reports, due to certain issues, UCG policy was postponed but since now open cast mining is becoming difficult, it has become essential to bring out policy for UCG. It is planned that after the finalisation of the policy, the blocks for coal gasification will be identified and interested companies will be invited for bidding blocks, However the Government has set annual turnover of ` 200 crore as the minimum eligibility criteria for bidding for coal blocks

UCG could be highly beneficial as this enables in-situ energy generation without extraction of coal from underground thus eliminating the need of coal mining, transportation and ash disposal. But on the other hand, the mitigation of contamination of ground water is a great challenge that UCG operators continue facing.

Constant updating in UCG technology like implementation of CRIP technology etc. will minimise the risk of ground water contamination.

With the induction and implementation of UCG Policy in India, it will definitely aid to tackle the energy crisis that the country is currently facing and to a significant extent, be a part of the IndiaÊs energy basket. Challenges walk hand in hand with innovations which eventually lead to advancements in the existing technologies. Although there are very positive signs of announcement of UCG policy by the Indian Government but the execution of projects would require detailed geological studies for successful implementation of technologies.

- Namrata Tanna

With the declaration of policy, several sectors are patiently waiting for the policy to come out and fulfil everyoneÊs expectation. Along with end user companies and manufacturing units, even government bodies hope the policy comes with the best deals.

Source: Ergo Energy Technologies

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CEW Features

CONTRACTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Foreign Contracts to Drive the Growth of Indian EPC Players?

Indian EPC players have certainly come of an age, but ‘timely delivery of project’ is still a big challenge. Harshal Y Desai sought views of project contractors and owners on various facets, where Indian EPC players are lagging behind unlike their foreign counterparts.

Their views may be dissimilar, but one thing they have in common is their concern over the ‘lack of efficiency of Indian EPC players to execute the projects efficiently and timely.’

How has the industry grown over the last 10 years?

Neil Iyer Independent Project Management Consultant (Former President & CEO Chemtex Global Engineers Pvt Ltd)

I do not think there has been much growth in the EPC sector in the country in the last ten years especially in terms of large EPC projects in the petrochemical, refining and fertiliser sectors.

34 • November 2013

Dr Pratap Nair: The EPC industry in India has grown over the past 10 years mainly in the engineering consulting area, fuelled to a great extent by the multinational EPC firms setting up their engineering centers in India to support work on projects in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and of late new projects getting kicked off in the USA on account of the shale gas initiative. Local investments in green field as well as brown field projects in India have been limited in the chemical process industry, but the fraction of the work done on overseas projects has increased several-fold. Another sign that the EPC industry has come of age is the higher number of LSTK projects being executed.

Neil Iyer: I do not think there has been much growth in the EPC sector in the country in the last ten years, especially in terms of large EPC projects in the petrochemical, refining and fertiliser sectors. The few projects that were in the picture were the ones from the

public sector undertakings which have all reached their completion. The only project worth mentioning at present is the Reliance J3 expansion.

What differentiates foreign EPC players from their Indian counterparts? How do you rate the current capabilities of Indian EPC players? What are the real challenges they face?

Dr Pratap Nair: Most of the foreign EPC players have been in business for a longer time. The established foreign EPCs have a more diverse and longer track record to show, based on which they are often preferred on larger global projects. Their presence in multiple geographies helps them offset a downturn in one region with an upturn in another.

In terms of technical and managerial capabilities, Indian EPC players are at par with their foreign counterparts. Most of them already have proper systems and procedures in place, and with the increasing Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features

Dr Pratap Nair President & CEO Ingenero

Having a global presence and going out to win jobs around the globe will be a key to the sustenance of Indian EPC companies.

The recent focus on shale gas has revived investments in the hydrocarbon processing industry in USA. Indian EPC companies should vie for a share of this pie.

use of cutting-edge software, they are able to match the productivity levels of their global peers. While this may be the reality, there is still a perception in the West that the quality delivered by Indian engineering firms is not on par with those in the West. This was partly created by issues faced with quality The Real Challenges Faced by the Indian EPC Contractors at Present • Variation and volatility in the costs of steel structure, materials and labor • Lack of specialised manpower for certain tasks and employee turnover • Acceptance of jobs by the contractor without complete clarity on the scope of services and supplies, in order to win a job • Competing with global EPC on track record and breadth, while also having to worry about the new entrants, especially from China and Korea, offering more attractive rates and terms • Frequent changes to scope by the owner mid-way through the project and/ or unreasonable demands, throwing the cost and schedules out of control - this is especially true in the Middle East.

This is on account of the project not being thought through up front.

• Lack of good project management skills with the contractors and/or sub-contractor • Overcoming the quality perception Dr Pratap Nair

36 • November 2013

delivered by engineering centers of larger companies in the early days when they were set up. These quality gaps arise partly due to the differences in quality expectations locally vs globally (the level of tolerance to quality gaps is much higher in India, as evidenced by the tolerance to the general state of infrastructure and the slow change) and partly on account of communication gaps across countries and cultures. Companies, which have been delivering to global clients, have been able to transcend these issues and meet the expectations.

Neil Iyer: Having spent twenty years in Europe and executing projects in and around Europe and the Middle East as well as more than twenty years in India, I can assure you that there is still a large gap between the two in the way the projects are executed.

First and foremost is the attention or lack of it given to health and safety both during process design and construction phases. Secondly, the project schedule is something that gets the least attention in India as most of the projects - including the ones being executed by large organisations like Reliance - are inevitably completed many months later than the original project schedule. In Europe and in the US, the Project Manager or the Project Director is the overall responsible person for the project and has the full authority to make decisions. In India, he has no powers and the decisions are made by the various Managers in the organisation whose interests encompass much more than the project and are least interested in the project schedule. Thirdly, hardly any systematic project procedures exist or are followed by many of the contractors executing the project. Fourthly, the change procedure on the project is hardly given any attention or importance and the EPC contractor is at the mercy of the clients to get some legitimate extras approved at the end of the project.

Most of the suppliers and vendors also do not give any importance to the schedule they have committed to and need extensive expediting to get the stuff you have ordered. To the extent that clients prefer to even order small vessels out of the Far East rather than depend on the Indian suppliers.

Finally the competition to secure a project by the EPC contractors is so stiff that invariably you have to quote at less than cost to win the project and then obviously the project suffers.

What will drive the growth of the industry in future?

Dr Pratap Nair: Having a global presence and going out to win jobs around the globe will be a key to the sustenance of Indian EPC companies. The recent focus on shale gas has revived investments in the hydrocarbon processing industry in USA. Indian EPC companies should vie for a share of this pie. Individual companies may have their own strengths and limitations (eg one may have an excellent process engineering team with a track record of having executed several process simulations and modeling assignments in refining and petrochemicals, while another company may have reputed mechanical and piping engineering departments with several projects to show in tank-farms and utilities areas).

Process and conceptual engineering work is now within the ambit of work that can be done in India, with the rise of firms like Ingenero who have developed an expertise in high-end process engineering work.

The capability to handle end-to-end work, starting with conceptual work and FEED now exists in the country. Development of process technologies and packages to license by such companies, will fuel growth of EPC activity as well. For Indian EPC to be able to compete and win some of these jobs, formation of consortiums to complement each other’s strengths and bid jointly in order to be able to take on foreign EPCs through competitive pricing may be an immediate way to participate in the global economy, instead of having to weather the peaks and troughs by just relying on the local economy. This will also help sustain the talent and expertise in this area to be well equipped to handle peaks in local requirements as and when they occur.

Neil Iyer: In my opinion the growth of the industry in the coming years will be driven by projects in the US, Middle East and Africa where large investments are taking place.

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CEW Features

USER’S PERSPECTIVE

Traditional Contracting Models are “Tried and Tested” The relative slower adoption of the EPC-LSTK concept is largely due to the reluctance of companies to try new concepts and undertaking higher risk, says B Ramakrishnan, Managing Director Protective Coatings, Akzo Nobel India. He further illustrates how combination of traditional and lumpsum turnkey projects can be used to overcome the project execution challenges.

How do you evaluate the current capabilities of EPC players in the country?

Do you agree that the country does not have enough “real EPC players”?

While the EPC model in India is still evolving, we also have large players like L&T, Gammon, Punj Lloyd etc who are pioneers in EPC contracting in India, and have been working on the model for a long time. These players have managed to develop the capabilities required to compete on a global front and have successfully managed to secure large and prestigious projects.

The midsize and smaller engineering or construction companies are in process of developing themselves as large EPC contractors. They are taking multiple routes, with engineering companies, equipment suppliers, construction companies and project developers morphing in to EPC service providers by developing other capabilities, either by JVs or in-house development. Currently, their capabilities are fragmented, and they are working closely with big EPC players of India as well as global players in order to develop these capabilities on a sub-contracting basis.

Because of the smaller size, these players face various challenges on pricing and cost volatility, cash flow concern and complications in labor contracts as EPC is a highly labor intensive model.

The general perception among the EPC players in india is to opt for traditional contracting modes rather than LSTK mode of contracting which actually transfers all the risks on the contractors. May we have your comments on this?

The basic value proposition offered by the EPC players is a one stop shop for 38 • November 2013

engineering, design, procurement and construction based on the concept of risk sharing or risk transfer from the project developer to the EPC Company.

In India, the traditional contracting model is preferred as this kind of a model is being used since a long time, and this is tried and tested and such a model has been continuously evolving. The relative slower adoption of the EPC-LSTK concept is largely due to the reluctance of companies to try new concepts and undertaking higher risk, especially large public sector companies with in-house teams, and large private sector developers that have significant in-house project management capabilities. Also, companies will start adopting LSTK mode if there is more flexibility in the contract clause.

Volatility and uncertainty in cost base and the risk of stringent and non-negotiable processes in the contracts tends to be a hindrance in the adoption of LSTK mode.

The traditional contracting models are also preferred as most of the companies do not have sufficient in-house capacity.

While some of the ‘Big’ EPC players have managed to develop capabilities over the years, the smaller players and new entrants are still undergoing the process of development. In such cases, outsourcing becomes a preferred option as it ensures job completion through experts and also provides the company an opportunity to learn and evolve.

How far is your organisation comfortable with the EPC model? Which mode of contracting is being used by you so far?

For our projects we use a combination of EPC and contracting method. With the EPC

method we have managed to get our projects scheduled and completed on time without compromising on quality and HSE standards.

The benefits in terms of managing it through the large EPC players have been meeting global construction standards, quality, world class safety and sustainability and ease of managing the project schedule.

Many EPC companies are now looking at generating revenue from international markets due to lack of interest among the indian project owners. May we have your views?

International expansion for growth has really not been a focus area for most Indian EPC companies, considering the growth in the domestic sector, and the stiff competition posed internationally by the global majors. However, over the last two years the domestic projects have slowed down and to mitigate the risk, the Indian EPC companies are now competing for global orders. We have also seen a trend where small players are aiming for international geographies and generating better revenues. While markets such as Africa and Middle East are offering great opportunities for business, they are also providing great opportunities for the local players to build their capabilities in order to compete on a global scale.

Our relationship with the EPC contractors is based on a vendor-client working relationship and has proved to be mutually productive. We have managed to offer our global products and services to these large EPC players and at the same time mutually benefitted from the services offered by them in terms of new construction projects.

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CEW Features

Role of Project Management Consultant In today’s environment, the role of the Project Management Consultant (PMC) in project execution can be critical to project success and has become increasingly challenging. This article seeks to examine the latest trends in the role of the PMC in the industry, various PMC models, challenges faced by PMCs and considerations for a project to be successful. Partha Purkayastha, Managing Director, Foster Wheeler India Private Limited, writes.

T

he key role of the PMC is to provide resource and expertise unavailable to the client, to assist the client in project implementation. The role can include some or all of the following activities: • Supporting clients in the development of clearly defined business objectives/ drivers and targets for the project • Participating in techno/economic studies, market analysis, etc • Assisting clients with project financing • Supporting clients in securing the required permits • Provision of HSSE consultancy services • Pre-front-end engineering design (FEED) activities/conceptual studies, • Selection of process licensors and process integration • Value improvement services • Development of project technical standards, philosophies and procedures • FEED and engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contracting strategy development • Early engineering (selected activities that are considered to bring benefits to the EPC project) in advance of the EPC final investment decision (FID) • Early procurement activities, including ordering of long lead equipment items, and placement of construction enabling or fabrication contracts to reduce or safeguard the EPC project schedule • Development of the FEED and EPC invitation(s) to bid (ITB) • Contractor prequalification as well as bidders lists • Responding to bidder clarifications 42 • November 2013

• Evaluating contractors bids against pre-agreed criteria, and making recommendations to client • Satisfying client project assurance and gate review processes • Monitoring of FEED and EPC contractor(s) scope, schedule, cost, quality and safety performance • Interface management • Provision of inspection services • Provision of project control, schedule and risk management services • Provision of commissioning, operations, maintenance & training services • Engagement of specialist consultants • Reporting consolidated project status, cost and schedule forecast for Clients consideration • Review and recommendations in respect of contractor variations

• Attendance of key reviews and review/ approval of key documents (technical governance) • Provision of site management services • Management of key interfaces on behalf of the client • Technology transfer & training of client project teams, where appropriate In practice, the actual scope assigned to the PMC may take many forms depending on the complexity of the project and the client’s own in-house resource availability and preferences.

Furthermore, the PMC can be involved in self-performing larger elements/phases of the project which can complement the PMC role and bring synergies, for example: • FEED development. The PMC is then well placed to handle the follow-on EPC ITB, enquiry, evaluation, and contractor

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CEW Features Types of PMC models

The following are representative of the range of PMC models prevalent today including self-perform elements Standard PMC Model

Self-perform FEED/PMC Model

Self-perform FEED & EPC Elements/PMC Model (Major Projects)

selection on behalf of the client, and act in a traditional PMC role for any subsequent EPC release • For major, complex projects, the PMC can also self-perform elements of the project. For example, FEED and/or EPC of the offsites & utilities (O&U) to ensure effective overall coordination and management of the O&U interfaces across the various project packages. The opportunities for this are many and varied.

44 • November 2013

The PMC Landscape So what does the PMC landscape look like today? PMC-only companies are becoming rarer as projects become larger and more complex; and current knowledge of (and skills in) FEED and EPC execution become more important to clients and with it the ability to manage contractors. Clients often look to FEED and EPC contractors to take on the role of the PMC due to their proven ability to manage large scale

and complex projects, coupled with the PMCs in-depth technical expertise and resource. In addition, client’s expectations of increased accountability, so far as the PMC is concerned, is taking on a whole new dimension, with the PMC sometimes being expected to take on unreasonable liabilities in respect of the performance of the execution contractors themselves. Consequently, the challenges faced by the PMC have increased significantly.

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CEW Features Key Challenges Resourcing • Clients have reduced their engineering/ technical resources over the past 10 -15 years to the point, where some have difficulty fully resourcing client teams, and have to rely on PMCs as separate teams or to provide selected resource for integration in to their own teams • PMCs need to have access to suitably qualified and experienced personnel and have the human resource capacity to ensure rapid mobilisation to any location globally. The expectations of clients in this regard can be unreasonably high, but need to be pragmatic • Client requirements to operate as an integrated team whereby the client wishes to incorporate its own personnel into the PMC organisation, whilst the PMC retains overall responsibility for providing the service. Careful consideration needs to be given to the overall impact on the performance of the PMC team and associated liabilities, however selective integration should be seen in a positive light in terms of building a joint client/ PMC team with the associated increased credibility in the eyes of the contractor(s), and efficiency benefits • The global approach to project execution makes it difficult to identify the specific location(s) for the PMC, until the execution contractor(s) have been selected. This presents difficulties for the client and PMC teams in terms of preparation for mobilisation and demands great flexibility on behalf of the assigned personnel. Contingency planning is useful in this context to identify and address critical issues, such as visa and work permit requirements Major/Complex project • The large scale and multiple unit/plant nature of some projects, coupled with the different phasing requirements, often requires the release of multiple FEED and EPC packages to several contractors or consortia. This in turn requires a coordinated PMC approach, consolidated reporting across the entire project and the need to manage complex interfaces between the different contractors • Multiple FEED and EPC contracts each with their respective services, 46 • November 2013

materials and fabrication contracts generally requires the management of many different work fronts, in different world-wide locations, across different time zones and using different languages. This brings a level of logistical complexity that the client and PMC teams have had to respond to and requiring the development of multi centre execution plans and coordination/interface procedures with the IT systems and infrastructure to facilitate proper control and coordination Liabilities • A lack of clarity in the responsibilities and associated liabilities on the PMC relative to FEED, and especially EPC, contractors can lead to accountability issues with regards to schedule and total installed cost (TIC). The PMC can only use its best endeavours to get execution contractors to perform and whilst some clients try to extend FEED or EPC contractor liabilities to PMC, this is generally recognised as inappropriate • A lack of clarity with regard to PMC responsibilities and liabilities in respect of third parties, ie vendors and sub-contractors, relating to expediting of equipment supplies as well as verification and validation of third party documents, etc. These aspects need to be clearly defined in the separate client/PMC and client/ contractor contracts. There should be no overlap in terms of responsibilities and associated liabilities between the various contracting parties Forms of contract • Depending on the region and business sector, contracting is moving towards a greater element of fixed pricing, in the form of lump sum services or G-Max. These types of contract can be very challenging for PMCs, since the schedule, among other things, is not under the direct control of the PMC. As a consequence the PMC contract is usually tied to the contractor(s) schedule and variations accepted in the PMC contract for any changes in duration • Clients could allocate more time to the consideration of non-compliant and/ or alternative bids where there is a

clear benefit to the project and client.

PMC recommendations in this regard can be over-ridden which can result in disqualification of the most suitable contractor for the project • Requirements for self-perform elements of work are increasingly becoming an essential feature of many PMC contracts, typically in the areas of residual engineering, process and systems integration, and managing interfaces.

All of the above challenges can be exacerbated where the PMC is acting for and on behalf of a client which is a joint venture or consortium, and where the constituent parties have very different expectations and experience in respect of the PMC role.

Considerations Given the many challenges summarised above, there are a number of key considerations for clients to optimise the PMC role and make it more effective in terms of delivering benefit to the project and client. These include: • Endeavour to select the PMC in advance of the execution contractor (not always possible) • Select a PMC model appropriate to the project, especially for major projects • Clearly define the role of the PMC • Agree liabilities appropriate to the role and authority of the PMC • Ensure that the authority bestowed upon the PMC by the client is clearly aligned with the responsibilities and liabilities the PMC is expecting.

• Determine the most appropriate form of contract, and for which work scopes • Ensure clarity in role delineation between client (and within the client team, especially where the client is a joint venture or consortium), PMC, execution contractor(s) and other third parties • Ensure that all levels of the client organisation understand the role and authority of the PMC In summary therefore, the client and the PMC must endeavour to work on an integrated basis, thus paving the way to drive the project in a collaborative manner to meet the client’s project objectives.

This can mean members of the PMC being integrated in to the client team (or vice versa), or the distinct client and PMC teams working closely together.

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CEW Features

Delivering Capacity – Project Delays in Indian Chemical & Petrochemical Sector Delays and cost overruns in projects create strain on financial resources – which is a huge challenge in today’s business environment. To ensure maximum productivity for financial resources and to achieve the desired competitive advantage, these projects need to be completed on time and within cost, for which a robust project management process infrastructure should be set up before starting a project, say Shripad Ranade and Mittal Shah of Tata Strategic Management Group.

T

he most magnificent structure of all times - the Taj Mahal was the result of a stupendous effort, with an army of twenty thousand workmen working tirelessly for about 22 years, and the kingdom arranging for building material from far and wide along with a boundless supply of resources. Unfortunately for project developers and contractors today, time, money and other resources are scarce and project managers struggle to deliver projects within budget and deadlines.

For players in the chemical and petrochemical sectors, a rapid shift in the mix and geographic spread of resources, fluctuating crude oil prices and advent of new consumption centres for bulk chemical and petrochemical products has made capital expansion an unavoidable component of the business plans of most players. Economic uncertainties have increased pressure on companies to complete these capital expenditure projects within very challenging cost and time targets. Global sourcing of 48 • November 2013

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technology, equipment and specialised services along with increasing awareness and business risk emanating from environmental regulations have put additional constraints on the project manager.

There have been some success stories of course. One of the oft-cited examples is RelianceÊs Jamnagar complex, where a 33 MTPA refinery and associated petrochemical plants, a total of 50 process units, was built in less than 3 years despite global sourcing, multiple international vendors, and a construction workforce of 75,000, and now operates at near 100 per cent capacity utilisation. This example showcases the fact that bringing capacity on-stream without delay and cost overruns creates competitive advantage in this sector.

Key Issues in Project Management for Chemical and Petrochemical Sector In addition to the delivery challenges faced by industrial and infrastructure sector

projects, chemical and petrochemical industry projects face their additional set of issues. The technology intensive nature of the capex, requirement of highly skilled personnel across the value chain and increasing safety and environment governance add to the complexity in implementation of projects. The key project challenges are: Risk Management: Complex commercial arrangements, global sourcing of technology and equipment, increasing technological complexities and safety & environment requirements have increased risk of schedule and cost overruns. Despite increasing complexity, there is pressure to complete projects quicker, which creates more risks.

Increased competition has worsened the business risk created by a delay in adding capacity. Elaborate risk management is therefore very important for projects.

Multiple Agencies: In the Indian scenario, the project is executed with the help Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features of a global technology provider, who works along with ownerÊs engineers.

The facility is constructed by multiple contractors based on designs from technology providers and the ownerÊs design engineers. Equipment are usually procured from other global suppliers.

With multiple specialists executing various pieces, time and cost overruns occur due to interdependencies and integration issues.

Vendor Management: While the projects are executed by multiple vendors, each one is required to customise the approach for the project depending on the respective scope. The construction contractor at site has to work on the inputs provided by technology provider and equipment suppliers. The team responsible for detailed design has to understand site requirement and work with technology providers for required customisation. This leads to a lot of delay in completion of work and often results in costly overdesign of some systems to accommodate variations in other systems.

Resource Management: Chemical and petrochemical sector projects are not only competing for project resources like construction equipment, specialised construction technology and site infrastructure with peers but also with overall infrastructure sector. The government thrust in infrastructure creation has led to diversion of major construction resources like machines and specialised technology providers to the projects for power generation, roads and ports, leading to scarcity of good quality resources for projects in the chemical and petrochemical sector. This reduces the flexibility available to project managers to take resource decisions to expedite projects.

Human Resource Management: For some time now, the Indian technical talent pool is heavily in demand from the growing IT enabled services sector, which has created scarcity of experienced technical personnel who stay on to become project managers with an in depth understanding of the sector and capability to bring innovative solution in project execution. Companies also look at projects as a one-time affair and 50 • November 2013

TATA ARTICLE.indd 50

hence do not provide long term career opportunities to the engineers working on projects, resulting in high attrition. On the other hand, there is a scarcity of good quality labour, with seasonal availability of workmen and demand from the rest of the infrastructure sector having slowed down some projects due to unavailability of required labour workforce at site.

Strategic Initiatives Necessary to Address Project Delays Having acknowledged the many issues that chemical and petrochemical companies grapple with while completing capital projects, we believe several strategic initiatives, if implemented, can help companies derive competitive advantage in the market place by reducing uncertainties in the outcome of their projects. The key interventions available are: Project Planning and Monitoring Office (PMO): For the projects in Chemical & Petrochemical sector, the project evaluation and selection is carried out by the developer, while execution happens through multiple agencies across different locations. To ensure success in such environment, a detailed project planning and robust project monitoring infrastructure is a must. An elaborate Project Planning and Monitoring office (PMO) is a prerequisite in such projects to proactively identify issues and their solutions.

Portfolio View for Projects: Typically projects are managed as standalone and one-time activities by companies, even though multiple capex projects are taken up in different parts of the country at different points in time. The „one-time‰ view causes companies to outsource critical project activities such as project evaluation, basic design and strategic sourcing. Companies must take a portfolio view of their medium term capex plans and build in house capabilities and processes for basic and review engineering, strategic sourcing, risk management etc.

Project Processes - Scope and Integration Management: Companies have to build key processes for project delivery within their organization. While the project team can be created as a temporary team from the organisation, evolved processes help the team to deliver within the constraints. Chemical and petrochemical companies have to give a special emphasis on Scope Management and Integration Management processes to handle multiple stake holders and vendors. These processes come in handy to seamlessly divide the project scope into different contracts and then to integrate those deliverables during project execution.

Collaboration with Stakeholders: Given the high degree of outsourcing involved in project delivery, the outsourcing partners need to be engaged in a collaborative manner.

Incentives for investing resources/ efforts for timely completion of work and to identify cost saving opportunities need to be developed.

Collaboration will also avoid delays and rework due to delayed and incorrect data exchange between the vendors. It will also avoid extra claims by vendors due to discrepancies in scope definition and due to scope creep.

Resource Management and Productivity enhancement: Scarcity of Tools and Tackles should not slow down construction work. For this, innovative methods should be employed to plan deployment and increase overall productivity of construction equipment.

Creating a common pool of resources at site, developing and adhering to a proactive maintenance schedule and taking a collaborative approach with equipment and spares vendors are some of the ways that can help improve availability and reliability of construction T&P. Human Resource Management: Chemical and petrochemical companies aspiring to take strategic advantage from their

Companies must take a portfolio view of their medium term capex plans and build in house capabilities and processes for basic and review engineering, strategic sourcing, risk management etc.

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40

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CEW Features projects need to put retaining good quality a clear career path to projects based on their by project hiring.

in substantial efforts in recruiting and manpower. Companies have to provide the engineers who are deployed on the interest and thus move away from project

Labour Workforce Management: Innovative methods must be implemented at site to attract and retain construction labour force at site. Better working conditions, timely compensation payment by the petty contractors and skill development opportunities are some such ways that can avoid movement of construction labour out of the site. Companies have to factor in crop and festive movement of workforce into the project plan and take proactive steps so that a minimum level of workforce is always maintained at site to support the required pace of construction work.

Conclusion Chemical & Petrochemical companies should view their capital expenditure projects as an opportunity to derive competitive advantage by commissioning the facility in time and at competitive cost. Developing processes for elaborate risk management, planning and monitoring and project execution can help companies succeed in doing so. By starting such projects without developing the required project management process infrastructure, companies carry the risk of blocking precious financial resources unproductively and being late to market with new capacity.

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52 • November 2013

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CEW Features

Modern Construction Techniques This paper looks into some of the new strategies or methods which have evolved over the years in the field of industrial construction, and has changed the face of the industry for better.

C

onstruction industry is the second largest industry in India after agriculture. The industry continues to face multiple challenges ranging from macroeconomic factors viz volatile economic growth, governance issues, capital market worries etc to lack of talent viz relevant skillset. While Innovation and improvement in technology is the key to tide over such times, one of the charges leveled at the construction industry, as at the beginning of the 21 st century, is that it has a poor record on innovation, when compared with manufacturing industries such as aerospace or electronics.

Every new strategy or method is compared with existing one in terms of cost, time and effort by the stakeholders before being adopted. A company, which can successfully use modern techniques to deliver projects within time and cost without compromising on safety and quality, will stay ahead of competition.

Ć Skill Enablers ă Identify the critical skills for these technologies and put in place systems for acquiring these skills Technological Enablers These enablers predominately focus on innovations in the field of science and technology: Self-compacting Concrete: S e l f - consolidating Concrete or Self-compacting Concrete (SCC) is characterised by a low yield, high deformability, and moderate viscosity necessary to ensure uniform suspension of solid particles during transportation, placement (without external compaction), and thereafter until the concrete sets.

This concrete can be used for casting heavily reinforced sections, places, where there can be no access to vibrators for compaction and in complex shapes of formwork which may otherwise be impossible to cast, giving a far superior surface than conventional concrete.

Although costly, the productivity economics of the material makes it a favorite of Âprecast industry.Ê Advanced Welding Processes & Nondestructive Techniques (NDT): Construction companies constantly endeavor for improvement in welding technologies and non-destructive technique used for construction in oil and gas industry.

Figure 1: The three crucial factors

Modern Construction Techniques Various modern construction techniques can be mapped into three major categories ie Ć Technological Enablers ă New viable technologies Ć O p e ra t i o n a l (m e t h o d s/ p ro ce sse s) Enablers ă Integration of Technology to define the process/method 54 • November 2013

LARSEN & TOUBRO.indd 54

Welding is a major activity in the construction of plants. All pipes and most of the structure connection are joined by welding technique. Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is being widely used; however, this method suffers from irregular arc and poor weld quality.

With development in technology, high speed welding processes with capability to produce superior quality welds have

replaced the SMAW process. Some such processes are semi-automatic FCAW, orbital welding, Surface Tension Transfer (STT), Submerged Arc Welding (SAW).

Another area where construction industry lacked speed and safe operation was radiography. Radiography was done by taking x-ray of the weld joint - the images were then developed on the films and reviewed for weld defects.

The key concern in this process from safety point of view is the source used to take radiography films; the source is radioactive and requires separate bunker.

Also, the method suffers from various lacunas viz: Ć Time taken in the process Ć Quality of films which is dependent on the skill of radiography person Ć Poor quality films requiring lot of retakes Ć Post radiography separate records of joint has to be maintained for approval, this further increase the time for checking and approving welded joints The introduction of close proximity radiography and phased array ultrasonic testing which is completely safe for operation has dramatically improved the cycle time for radiography and data management. The technology is also reliable in determining the type and position of weld defect. This method can be used for wide range of material making it suitable for construction industry. (Refer Figure 2) Slip-form and System Form Work: This technology is used for concreting work. This type of formwork has higher production rate by enabling mass concreting at single point of time. In the construction industry these are considered pillars of modern day architecture as Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features

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Close Proximity Device

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Figure 2: The introduction of close proximity radiography and phased array ultrasonic testing has dramatically improved the cycle time for radiography and data management.

far as product quality and finishing goes.

Apart from that, it provides huge saving on manpower requirement along with improved HSE performance.

Pre-cast construction: Over the years, pre-cast construction has come a long way due to its key benefit of time-saving.

With focus on fast project execution, without compromising on safety and quality, pre-cast construction has become norm of the day.

Operational Enablers Continuous pressure to comply with international standards (HSE, Construction Methods etc) coupled with increasing complexity of plants over decreasing plot sizes and aggressive project schedules is making construction companies to constantly invest in various process improvement initiatives. Lack of sufficient area for executing various activities like bar bending and cutting, mechanical fabrication works, etc, have led to the idea of executing various works on a shop-floor mode i e doing it off line with a manufacturing set-up.

Some of such operational enablers are: Rebar Processing Plant: Modern day rebar processing plants are as good as movable factories bringing the best of both worlds viz project construction management and manufacturing onto one plane. These methods offer wide variety of advantages over the conventional methods. Some of them are: Ć Faster production rates Ć Fewer number of defects resulting in better quality Ć Optimised use of material resulting in less wastage Ć Last but not the least, an improved HSE performance Automated Pipe Spool Fabrication Process plant piping is considered the nervous system of a plant. Plant piping helps transport various fluids viz oil, water 56 • November 2013

LARSEN & TOUBRO.indd 56

etc from one end of plant to other. This maze of piping across the plant is formed by welding various spools (typically a combination of one pipe with welded fittings viz bends, valves etc at either end).

An automated pipe spool shop is another step in the direction of bringing best of manufacturing practices to construction sector. It typically consists of machines like fit-up, profile cutting, blasting and painting to speed up the production of spools.

Combined with modern-day welding methods like orbital welding machines etc, this sort of manufacturing setup provides a good degree of flexibility in handling pipes of various diameters and thickness over different material range. Some of the key benefits are: Ć Higher productivity and reduced wastages Ć Improved safety and quality performance Ć Consideration for supply side constraints viz. delivery of raw materials on time Modularisation of Structure: The early construction methods followed stick approach for completing the structures.

In this method individual members were lifted in sequence and placed on the existing member. This method is slow and requires considerable effort and resources. Nowadays using software tools structure is broken into modules and support members are provided at required level in the module. The whole module is assembled on ground and erected as a single equipment using cranes.

This execution methodology offers the flexibility to outsource the fabrication of structure member to manufacturing shop.

This is now a widely adopted practice by construction companies.

Information Technology: IT serves as a thread running thru beads (various construction activities), enabling exchange of information and providing a birdÊs eye view to top management. It makes

the system transparent and systematic.

Further, it eliminates need for depending on any key person carrying for information thereby establishing process flow for each activity. This will offer scope for continuous improvement and improve overall operational efficiency.

Skill Enablers With an existing demand and supply constraint for skilled manpower, ever-increasing wages, use of newer technology and processes, increased complexity of work, the need to enhance various skills are of prime importance.

In order to bring awareness and enhance skills of various levels, dedicated training systems should be implemented.

Safe working practices and a safe working environment are the first and foremost requirements at any construction site. Any kind of loss towards men or material will eventually harm the project progress. It is the responsibility of the employer to establish safe work methods and to create a safe working place. In order to achieve excellence and successfully complete the project it is important for the industry as a whole to institutionalise strong safety practices in day-to-day work.

Conclusion In the construction business, opportunities are abound, but capitalising on them has never been more challenging. In a constantly changing business environment, we must continually find new ways to respond to challenges. In the recent times, India has stepped up its development agenda. One explicit indicator of this is the aggressive pace of construction activity in the country. Use of various new technologies and deployment of project management strategies has made it possible to undertake projects of mega scale. Technocrats associated with the Indian construction industry need to employ innovative technologies and skilled project handling strategies to stay competitive and be the market leader.

AuthorÊs Details P Nageswara Rao GM - Operations Process Plant Construction Business, L&T Email Address: pnrao@lntecc.com

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CEW Features

Transforming 3D Data into Information The design, construction, operation and maintenance of process plants all call for the sharing of 3D plant data between a number of parties.

Unfortunately, there is a wide range of incompatible data formats, which makes data sharing difficult and costly. Furthermore, there is also a need to protect confidential data and ensure information security.

Appropriate software tools can support 3D interoperability, saving time and costs, while allowing each party to continue using their familiar software.

Figure 1: Using SmartPlant Review Publisher to create Smart 3D data from a range of referenced source files

M

ost process plant design and construction projects involve a range of parties, such as the owner or operator, the engineering, procurement and construction contractor(s), as well as subcontractors and consultants. All produce large volumes of 3D data using a wide range of software solutions which are often incompatible. The diverse range of file formats can also increase the cost to the owner or operator during the lifetime of the plant, when the 3D data is essential for maintenance, modification, and eventually decommissioning. There is also the potential to reuse this data when constructing another plant of a similar design.

Hence, there is a clear need for software tools which can reference a wide range of external data sources in different formats, support entity properties, and check for clashes between referenced models.

Preferably, such a tool would eliminate the need for synchronising catalogs, specifications and models.

Facilitating Multi-party Interoperability Enhanced interoperability will improve cooperation and communications between 58 • November 2013

Interop new.indd 58

the different teams and disciplines working on a project. A clear understanding by all parties in a project of how their work relates to that of the others will reduce the effort needed to ensure that all project components are compatible and correctly interfaced. It will also reduce the need to modify designs to fit in with parts of the plant provided by others. This form of interoperability has the potential to increase productivity while shortening project schedules. Finally, it can safeguard access to essential data during the full plant lifecycle through to decommissioning.

Although multiparty interoperability can be obtained by requiring all parties to a project to use the same software can be difficult or impossible. Firstly, it may require some parties to invest in new software and staff training. Secondly, unfamiliarity with ÂnewÊ software is likely to reduce staff efficiency and increase the risk of mistakes.

Improved interoperability between a range software packages and their data formats is therefore preferable. It also means that a client can choose from a larger range of suppliers and it facilitates splitting a project up into packages.

However, extensive interoperability also has potential disadvantages. For example, it is often undesirable to share sensitive data. Similarly, interoperability solutions, which require permanent connectivity, may be unattractive in terms of information security. Hence, data owners need to have control over the data they share and security needs to be considered. When working at remote plant sites, network and Internet access may be intermittent or slow and interoperability tools need to accommodate these limitations.

What is Possible Today?

There are several options in the market today, improving their interoperability in each new implemented project. One of the solutions, IntergraphsÊs 3D Interop achieves interoperability with a range of third-party products. This interoperability capability is built on the SmartPlant Review function.

It supports numerous file formats used by Intergraph and third-party software (e.g.

PDMS, PDS, Tekla, CADWorx, AutoCAD, MicroStation, CIS/2, XMplant, etc.). This solution brings intelligence to data and is aware of the business class of components (piping, equipment, etc.). The mapping Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Features

Figure 2: Plant model based on a range of data sources

Figure 3: Clash checking in a multi-vendor environment

of classes and properties from external data to those used by 3D Interop is defined in a straightforward spreadsheet.

maintenance and operations. Using 3D Interop the user can define rules for this process which can cover all or selected object models.

(See Figure 3 )

The input from external models is received in the form of sets of matching graphics and data files. However, it does not need catalog and specification information from the systems feeding it and therefore avoids the problems associated with the replication of these databases. (See Figure 1 on previous page) Improving Clash Detection Good interoperability between models and 3D objects enables the user to see how plant modules designed or supplied by different parties fit together, and makes it possible to identify any clashes between them and to manage the interfaces. Users can also inspect the referenced model objects and properties and view them using property dialogs, labels and ToolTips. The Smart 3D filter tool operates on object types and properties, independently of the software used to create them. This makes object management much more efficient. 3D Interop can also generate general arrangement drawings based on all the referenced models.

A good interoperability tool also reduces the effort needed to work with 3D data in a variety of formats. Scott Hendrickson, CAE Support Manager at Burns and McDonnell, commented: „All projects have the requirement to pull in external data. Prior to 3D Interop, I had to deal with „reference model issues‰ every two or three weeks. With 3D Interop, this type of thing is effectively eliminated.‰ Basically, the 3D Interop methodology based on SmartPlant Review leads to far fewer support issues than other solutions for dealing with multiple 3D file formats. Additionally the single data format greatly lowers the administrative burden and reduces the chance of mistakes.

The design, construction and operation of a modern process plant in a multiparty environment can easily lead to reduced efficiency and delays due to incompatible 3D data. An intelligent interoperability solution such as IntergraphÊs 3D Interop can help avoid many of these issues. Furthermore, it will benefit the owner or operator during the lifetime of the plant through to decommissioning.

This solution does not require live connections to data sources.

Instead, the sources periodically publish and update the referenced models. This facilitates multiparty projects while allaying concerns about information security and the protection of intellectual property.

One of the challenges when using data from a range of sources is that they may all present similar objects with different appearances.

One of the strengths of 3D Interop is that the user can create filters to apply styles and colors to present objects with a unified appearance. This makes it much easier to view the resulting models. Filters are also used to generate object reports which are exported as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. (See Figure 2) Comprehensive clash checking (interference checking) is a key feature of an effective interoperability solution. It ensures that components do not interfere with each other, and that there is enough space around them for installation and removal, 60 • November 2013

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AuthorÊs Details David Whittle 3D Business Development Manager EMIA Intergraph Email: David.whittle@intergraph.com

Chemical Engineering World

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CEW Market Insights

Early Finders could Become Inventors and IP Owners

P

atent literature is a rich source of technological information relating products and processes. According to Thompson Reuters, „80 per cent of all available technical information is published in patents and often nowhere else‰. Scientists, researchers, lawyers and students do conduct search for various reasons which are highlighted herein. Lately, searches have become highly relevant, not only for scientific pursuits but also for due diligence to avoid potential litigations, Dr Gopakumar Nair, CEO & Andreya Fernandes, Legal and Patent Law Associate of Gopakumar Nair Associates write.

Most searches are known as Prior Art Searches. ÂPrior ArtÊ is any Âbody of knowledgeÊ relating to the research that existed prior (same or similar) to the completion of the research or the filing of a patent application. It includes, knowledge, oral or otherwise in printed publications, e g books, journals, technical reports, patents, or public discussions anywhere in the world.

Researchers and process development chemists and engineers carry out searches most often for deciding cost-effective, ecofriendly, non-infringing or work-around routes and steps processes.

Post Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) searches are being done more often for patentability determination through search for anticipatory prior art documents (for arriving are novelty), and general searches for obviousness to arrive at potential inventiveness in the invention on hand.

Searches are also done to find competitors, potential alliance partners, potential clients for product on offer and to conclude

Patent literature is a rich source of technological information relating products and processes.

licensing opportunities (in-licensing as well as out-licensing). Prior art search before commencing a project helps prevent Âreinventing the wheel.Ê A single exact prior art document if found on search, destroys novelty of the invention, while multiple prior art documents in mosaic form, if it teaches, suggests or motivates the invention, kills the Âinventiveness‰.

Patent searches are done in many ways.

Most often Âkey wordÊ search is employed.

Name search or classification (IPC) search as well as legal status search (for patent validity, maintenance, expiry etc) are the other modes of search. Patent number or patent application number based searchers are often done using country codes with numbers. Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) searches are mostly done on the WIPO search site (http://patentscope.wipo.int/ search/en/structuredSearch.jsf). The PCT applications are published on WIPO site as ÂWO/xxxx/xxxxxxÊ (Ex. WO/2013/057735).

The most popular site for general patent search for all countries, including WO (WIPO) is ÂEspacenetÊ (worldwide.espacenet.com).

Patent searches are done in many ways . Most often ‘key word’ search is employed. Name search or classification (IPC) search as well as legal status search (for patent validity, maintenance, expiry etc) are the other modes of search.

62 • November 2013

gopakumar market insight.indd 62

While there are free sites such as USPTO (http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/ search/index.jsp), WIPO, Indian Patent Database- IPAIRS (http://ipindiaservices. gov.in/patentsearch/search/index.aspx), free patents on-line, Google Patent search etc.

Further, there are also very large numbers of paid or subscribed patent databases such as Delphion, Patentweb, Derwent, Aureka MicroPatent, etc.

Chemicals often land up becoming pharmaceuticals, pesticides or food additives. Once an New Chemical Entity (NCE) is found to be pharmacologically and clinically active, World Health Organization (WHO) gives a name to it, which is called International Nonproprietary Name (INN).

This is the generic name of a new drug.

However, since patent applications are filed with the chemical name and often under ÂMarkush structureÊ, it is difficult for these chemical-based patents or patent applications to come up when searched by generic name of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or dosage form thereof. To overcome this problem, the Indian Patent Office has made a proposal that all patent applications/specifications must indicate or use the INN (generic name) of the molecule to enable effective searching. Opinion/ views of the users/stakeholders were invited by the Indian Patent Office.

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 18:01:07

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CEW Market Insights

Solar Projects can Give Good IRRs

T

he Solar Power will become one of the biggest contributors to IndiaÊs huge appetite for power which is must for an ever-growing shinning India. „Countries like India which are blessed with very good sun light should aggressively develop solar power plants, which is one of the very good forms of clean & green Energy,‰ says Vikalp Mundra, Joint Managing Director, Ujaas Energy Limited.

In an interaction with CEW, Mundra illustrates the benefits of solar plants and informed that it is very scalable, modular, and easy to replace and shift. He further explains that the smallest plant can be of 0.5 KW capacity and the largest plant can be up to 500 MW (+). „Solar Power Plants can be designed in such a way that the capacity of the plant can be increased or decreased any time. Being modular replacement cost of faulty parts is very low when compared to other power generating plants,‰ he adds.

It is very difficult for one to go into the nitty-gritty of putting up a small capacity of solar plant on a stand-alone basis, and Ujaas Energy Ltd, a BSE/NSE listed company, has found this gap and developed concept of putting up of solar parks conveniently for the users.

The company develops solar parks with a minimum capacity of 15 MW. „For each park, we get pool-in investors who wish to put up their solar power plants, with a minimum capacity of 0.5 MW and can go upto any capacity that they want for small investors looking at 1-5 MW

64 • November 2013

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capacity plant. Hence, we develop a park and put up the necessary infrastructure.

After this, we sell the solar power plant along with the land. Since the land is privately owned, we take it upon us to transfer the ownership title to the investor. We also do all the government liasoning and regulation work involved. We also tie up to sell power from these solar power plants directly to third parties (industries),‰ Mundra adds.

All the works till issuance of REC is undertaken by the company. It undertakeS 20-years O&M contracts and do the needful for operation and maintenance of the plant on a month-on-month and year-on-year basis.

Benefits to Investors of Solar Power Plants Basically there are 2 types of investors in solar power plants. 1 st Corporates which are having big tax liability; and owning a Solar Plant allows 100 per cent depreciation, which is a very good option for Tax Planning.

2 nd HNIs as an Energy asset class - Income from solar plants are eligible for Tax Free income under sec. 80(I)A, which give a very good return which is almost fixed in nature and gives IRR of almost 15-16 per cent, which is very good comparing with bank FD. Tentative Irr For Above Investors HNI

Corporate

Investment in lacs* 811.0

811.00

Debt

65%

65%

Equity

35%

35%

Equity IRR

15.92%

38.73%

* Indicative for 1 MW

Vikalp Mundra Joint Managing Director Ujaas Energy Limited.

As on date Ujaas Energy Ltd has commissioned more than 60 MW in 4 Solar Parks. Almost 30 companies have already taken benefits and more are joining as awareness is spreading very fast about this model. 65-70 per cent funding from Banks and FIs are easily available on solar projects as Ujaas also assist for the same.

The company is the first to generate and sell solar REC in the county from its solar power plant of 2 MW commissioned in March 2012 at Rajgarh (Madhy Pradesh).

Mundra claimed that by the end of financial year 2014 the company will become largest umbrella of Solar Power Plants in India under REC mechanism, „Ujaas embodies focus and passion for sustainability and care for the environment and moves us closer to our commitment to sustainability and lighting up lives. And returning something back to mother earth by generating environment friendly power and to leave a legacy of green power to future generation. We are just doing our bit to fulfill your dream to - OWN YOUR SUN,‰ he concludes.

It is the first company to install a solar power plant under Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism in March 2012.

The Company has started setting up an innovative offering called as ÂUjaas ParkÊ that provides complete plug & play solution to the investor for putting up a solar power plant at an affordable cost in time. The services include land identification, registration, EPC, O&M, power sale, identifying third party buyer, REC trading etc.

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 18:47:58

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Marketing Initiative

DIP-FLON Engineering & CO

I

ndustry leader since 1987, a company with primary objective of implementing hi-tech engineered polymer processing, throughout 26 years, Dip-Flon has gained specialisation in its target of achieving polymer processing.

Certifications: Dip-Flon is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company and a member of DuPontÊs PPN Network. It is approved by various TPI like EIL, UHDE, TATA Project, CE Certificate etc.

The Plant: CompanyÊs manufacturing plant based in Chattral GIDC, Gujarat, spreads to about 3000 sq yards and employ about 100 people.

The Journey: Over the years, the company has learnt and strived hard to excel in quality of the products that it manufactures. Dip-Flon has emerged as one of the leading processors and fabricators of PTFE Moulded & Lined Components Like Spool Pipes & Fittings, Ball Valves, Plug Valves, Diaphragm Valves, Flush Bottom Tank Valves, Ball Check Valves, Dip Pipes, Spargers, Feed Pipes, Spindles, Sight glass and Spares For Glass ă Lined Vessels and Reactors/Equipment.

The Clients: Its products are used in various industries across the globe including chemicals, petrochemicals, refineries, food and beverages, textile, pharmaceutical, pulp & paper, fertilisers, mining industry and allied industries.

Contact Details:

Mukesh Parikh Partner Dip-Flon Engineering & Company B-413, B.G. Tower,Outside Delhi Gate, Shahibaug Road,Ahmedabad380004, Gujarat, India Phone : (O) +91 079 2562 4003, 25624169, 25620554 Fax : +91 079 2562 5665 E-mail : dipflon@dify.com, info@dipflon.com website: www. dipflon.com 66 • November 2013

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Equipped With Modern Machineries Dip-Flon, equipped with modern machineries & HI-TECH processing equipment, is backed by highly qualified team of technocrats & technical experts, after constant research & development efforts supported by world best technical guidance of M/s DUPONT, the company has perfected wide range of PTFE components of superior quality with excellent result oriented performance for ensuring cost reduction both in production & maintenance.

Great in Achievments - Dip-FlonÊs business achievements are based on its continuous efforts to up date & improve high innovation rate in processing PTFE moulded & lined products.

Great Processors - the company is processing all grades of fluorocarbon resins as per ASTM

F-1545. Dip-Flon gives prime importance to quality and follows all the requisite quality standards starting from level of procurement of raw material till the final stage of production under the strict supervision of experts and inspections by qualified technical personnel to ensure that customer is served with best quality products and meet international standards.

PTFE Lined Products - The company is serving Indian industries since last 26 years.

Dip-Flon has also launched PTFE Transfer moulding Technology with full indigenous efforts backed by in house research and development facility. It manufactures and supplies vide variety of Lined Pipes, Pipe Fittings & complete range of lining system processed with hi-tech advance technology & experience. Its various processing plastics are as ă FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) - FEP is a co-polymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexaflouro propylene. It is suitable for continuous service temperature up to 180 0C to 200 0C & retains the chemical resistance with dielectric strength of PTFE. PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy) - PFA is newly developed fluoropolymer, which is a Co-polymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxy monomer. It has excellent mechanical strength and outstanding dielectric properties. It is unaffected by virtually all solvents & chemicals even at high temperature of 2400C to 2600C. According to the company: Safety-CompanyÊs products come with a guarantee of safety. „Dipflon believes in manufacturing products that are safe in nature.‰ Innovation-„We innovate. We Build. We discover. We at Dip-Flon believes in doing things with brilliance.‰ Quality-„Nothing can match a good quality. So do we believe, here at Dip-Flon.‰ Service-„Good service is the only mantra of modern day markets. How can we remain backwards from modern trends.‰ Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 17:59:07

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Marketing Initiative

R. STAHL (P) Ltd.

Inaugurates of R. Stahl’s manufacturing facility

R

. STAHL, is a world leader in the manufacturing of explosion proof electrical and instrumentation equipment.

It has set up its new plant in India, in Tamil Nadu, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of R. STAHL AG, Germany, and is operational since Q2 - 2013. The grand Inauguration of the plant was held on the 25 th of September, 2013.

Contact Details: Joerg Fitzek Managing Director

R. STAHL (P) Limited H O & Factory Plot No. 5 Malrosapuram Main Rd,Sengundram Indl Area Malrosapuram Post Singaperumal Koil Kanchipuram Dist.,PIN 603 204 Tel: +91 44 3060 0600 Fax: +91 44 3060 0700 M (India): +91 99 403 99 463 Email: ashwini.bondale@rstahl.net Website: www.rstahl.net; www.stahl.de 68 • November 2013

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It all began in the year 1988 when R. STAHL AG put up a subsidiary in India. Since then R. STAHL has travelled a long way through to shape up into a full-fledged manufacturing unit, one of the biggest of the subsidiaries of R. STAHL AG. Dr Stefan Weckback (Consul General, Germany) obliged to be the Chief Guest. There were about 40 dignitaries from various leading Indian and overseas companies like Larsen and Toubro, Reliance India, Petronas, S.K. Engineering, etc. There was also the new product launch that was hosted parallel to the Inauguration.

Several new lighting and switchgear products were developed and released completely from the R. STAHL India R&D centre. The facility is not only ISO 9001:2008 certified but also ATEX approved.

The technology of manufacturing is completely in line with worldwide, benchmarked German standards. Latest updated standards are

followed while manufacturing with no compromise on quality. The investment made in the Indian plant is basically to cater to the market requirements of the Indian as well as the Asia Pacific countries.

The geographical position of India in Asia as a whole and the abundance of resources available in India in terms of space, skilled work force, good, technically qualified professionals and support from the Government were some of the reasons why the parent company finalised the Indian plant to be the manufacturing hub for Asia Pacific in addition to the Technical competence centre for the R. STAHL groupÊs Aluminium products.

The big step thrust forward by the management will definitely yield good results. The explosion protection technology that is evolved by R. STAHL is one of the most reckoned, worldwide. Being a market leader in Europe by way of technologically advanced designs of products, long life, reliability and value for money, the group as a whole now is expanding its reach to customers worldwide. „We do hope that this is a new beginning in the field of explosion protection equipment manufacturing in India.‰ the company states.

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 17:57:08

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CEW Products Sorption Microbalance Hiden Isochema offers XEMIS, a new sorption microbalance for precision weighing in extreme environments.

The XEMIS allows the analysis of gas and vapour sorption by materials at pressures as high as 200 bar and at temp between 77 K and 500 C. It can also handle aggressive species. This combination of conditions was not previously achievable with commercial gravimetric sorption analyzers. Featuring Hiden IsochemaÊs new exosensing technology, the unique design of the XEMIS removes the sensing and control mechanisms from the microbalance chamber and so out of the wetted zone. This allows sorption analysis with hazardous and aggressive species without compromising measurement accuracy or resolution. Furthermore, unparalleled weight measurement stability is provided by the symmetric geometry beam balance design. The intrinsic long-term stability of the XEMIS, with no need to re-zero or re-calibrate the balance, thus ensures the capture of true sorption behaviour and provides the ability to record full kinetic data over extended timescales. It also allows microgram resolution weight measurement for milligram to gram sample sizes and can thus offer high accuracy sorption measurements on the range of sample sizes required by todayÊs researchers.

For details contact: Hiden Isochema Ltd 422 Europa Boulevard, Warrington WA5 7TS, U.K. Tel: +44 (0) 1925 244678 | Fax: +44 (0) 1925 244664 E-mail: dbroom@hidenisochema.com / info@hidenisochema.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 1

Thermic Fluid Heaters Aero Therm offers thermic fluid heater/hot water generator in capacity range of 30,000 to 20,00,000 kcal/hr with max operating temp 300oC fo r t h e r m i c f l u i d a n d 1 3 0 o C for hot water.

The concentric coil is made from MS seamless tube of ASTHMA 106 GR-B. The unit will be equipped with high efficiency oil/gas burner with air pre-heater arrangement gives high thermal efficiency 87 μ2% on NCV. The unit will be outside the purview of IBR. For details contact: Aero Therm Systems Pvt Ltd Plot No: 1517 Phase III, GIDC Vatva Ahmedabad Gujarat 382 445 Tel: 079-25890158, 25834987 E-mail: contact@aerothermsystems.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 2

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Water Ring Vacuum Pump & Compressor Vacunair Engg Co Pvt Ltd offers water ring vacuum pump and compressor in nonpulsating vacuum and pressure. Energy saving pump design by operating at low periphery speed and offered for specific power of 60 to 65 m3/hr per kW. Pumps are available in wide selection for any requirement range from 20 to 15,000 m3/hr, vacuum up to 700 mm Hg and pressure up to 3.5 kg/cm2. The vacuum pump with air ejector is available in capacity from 50 to 2,000 m3/hr and vacuum up to 25 mm Hg abs. No lubrication is required and can handle air/gas/air with water comfortably.

Standard pumps are available with stuffing box type gland seal arrangement and can offer with mechanical seal. Easy to maintain the pump as axial clearance are in mm size. Impellers are duly dynamically balanced as per ISO 1940-1973 (E) Class G 6.3.

Vacuum pumps are available in CIFG-260, gunmetal, phosphor bronze, aluminium bronze, SS-304, SS-316 and other alloy steel material as per the requirements. It finds application in industries like chemical, pharma, fertilizers, paper, sugar, coal mines, power, steel, refinery, dairy, plastic, food processing, textile, etc.

For details contact: Vacunair Engg Co Pvt Ltd Nr Gujarat Bottling, Rakhial, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380 023 Tel: 079-22910771 | Fax: 91-079-22910770 E-mail: info@vacunair.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 3

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 18:42:02

Who’s Who th 14 Edition

Who’s Who is an exhaustive listing & fact book on CHEMICAL PROCESS, PHARMA BIOTECH, HYDROCARBON INDUSTRY & INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

AN ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED COMPANY

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CEW Products Single Use pressure Sensors Sensors measure static and dynamic process pressure and are perfect components for disposable systems requiring sterilization but also minimal downtime. Sensors feature an integral flow sensor with no dead legs and no fluid path obstructions. All pressure sensors are manufactured in a FDA registered, ISO 13485 certified facility; in an ISO Class 8 (formerly Class 100,000) cleanroom. Sensors are made from USP Class VI compliant polycarbonate or caustic resistant polysulfone. Both materials are gamma stable. Sensors are 100% tested for accuracy and leaks during the manufacturing process. Connect sensor to PressureMAT monitor with 3.6 m reusable cable. Sensors are designed for use up to a maximum pressure of 5.3 bar. Available in either process scale or small scale sizes. Process scale sensors connect directly as a barbed fitting to the tubing line and are available in 1/4ô‰, 3/8‰, ó‰, 3/4‰ or 1‰ hose barb. Small-scale sensors are available with luer connections and may connect directly to the fluid line with luer adapters or indirectly by using a ô‰ or 3/8‰ barbed adapter tee.

For details contact: Cole-Parmer India Pvt Ltd 403-404, B-Wing, Delphi,Hiranandani Business Park, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 Tel: 022-67162222 | Fax: 91-022-67162211 E-mail: info@coleparmer.in or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 4

Heat Exchangers

Bottom Outlet Valve with Integrated PAT

From its APV brand, SPX provides range of plate heat exchanger technologies for oil and gas production in both onshore and offshore locations. It plays an important role in applications ranging from cooling and heating to condensing and evaporation of process fluids in crude oil stabilization, gas dehydration, gas sweetening, regasification and utility cooling. They are based on a complete range of plate-type heat exchangers including gasketed, semiwelded and welded plate options. These range from high capacity, heavy duty units to small, compact designs available as standard solutions or as customized units based on ground-breaking designs and materials. In higher temp and pressure applications, the APV Hybrid series of welded plate heat exchangers stand out as an obvious choice for operation in areas such as wet crude heaters, lean-rich interchangers, sour gas coolers, amine re-boilers and acid condensers covering processes including crude stabilization, gas dehydration and gas sweetening. The APV ParaWeld Series semi-welded plate heat exchangers are designed with welded channels to allow handling of aggressive fluids and are available with either conventional or special gaskets to match specific duty requirements. The units are highly suitable, functioning as main propane pre-heaters and propane evaporators.

SensoTech developed in collaboration with valve manufacturer SchuF an innovative solution: MultiProbe. Featuring the bottom outlet valve with the SensoTech LiquiSonic sensor enables the process analysis even in low volume batches and without additional process adapters.

The LiquiSonic systems provide precise data about the concentration and density in liquids like solvents, nutrient solutions, emulsions or suspensions. Furthermore, LiquiSonic detects phase transitions to control exactly phase separation processes. Another focus is the reaction monitoring in crystallization processes, eg, in cases of active substances or nutrient solutions. A LiquiSonic analyzer consists of one or multiple sensors and one controller. The sensors are robust as well as corrosion-resistant and work maintenance-free. The controller works as evaluation unit visualizing and recording the measuring results and transferring them to the process control system. SchuF combines its usual bottom outlet valve with the LiquiSonic process analytical technology. Therefore, the LiquiSonic sensor is incorporated into the bottom outlet valve. Through the built-in concept it is possible to measure directly in the reactor without any process adapters.

For details contact: SPX Flow Technology 13320 Ballantyne Corp Place, Charlotte, N Carolina 28277, U.S.A. Tel: +44 (0) 1604 889921 E-mail: Maryanne.Johnson@spx.com

For details contact: SensoTech GmbH Steinfeldstr 1, D-39179 Magdeburg-Barleben, Germany Tel: +49 39203 514100 | Fax: +49 39203 514109 E-mail: info@sensotech.com

or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 5

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or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 6

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22-11-2013 18:42:23

When The Others Are Stopped… SAURUS Vacuum Pump Continues!

Main featu features

EM JAY ENGINEERS Mr. Jayant Joshi 5GNO -NXM@ %*5 5G@MSHU@M $NQHU@KH '@RS /TLA@H 6DK /NAHKD DKDBSQNLDBG DMFF DMSO"FL@HK BNL

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CEW Products Particle Sizing NSL provides physical material testing to multiple verticals including the aerospace, ceramics and powder metallurgy industries. Particle size and particle size distribution are critical, performance-defining variables for many. The Mastersizer 3000 was the newest laser diffraction system assessed by the NSL Analytical Services team, a factor that was most evident from the software interface. The instrument sets the standard for laser diffraction particle sizing. With a small footprint and dynamic range of 0.01 to 3500 microns it efficiently delivers precise and robust wet and dry particle sizing for the broad selection of sample types. The innovative software was designed to ease the analytical burden and ensure that users of all levels could achieve reliable measurement. It includes features that inform method development and transfer as well as making it straightforward to verify measurement stability in real time.

For details contact: Malvern Aimil Instruments Pvt Ltd Naimex House, BSEL Tech Park B Wing ă 906 Sector 30A Opp: Vashi Railway Station, Vashi ,Navi Mumbai 400 705 Tel: 022 39183596 | Fax: 91-022-39183562 E-mail: Stuart.Wakefield@malvern.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 7

High-pressure Water Jetting Pumps

Linear Rails

UT Pumps and Systems Pvt Ltd offers wide range of high-pressure triplex plunger water jetting pumps. These are highly efficient pumps designed to achieve high standards of performance and reliability in terms of enviro-friendly operation and safety. UTPSL pumps are manufactured with special materials suited for extremely tough conditions and least wear and tear of moving parts thus ensuring long life of equipment as well as least consumption of spares.

These pumps find application for cleaning - turbine blades, heat exchangers, evaporators, condensers, pipelines, air filters, ladles, pre heaters, pressure Vessels, tanks, ship hulls, sewage pipes; descaling - billets, blooms, plates; water onjections, accumulator charging, concrete cutting, runway cleaning, paint stripping and many more in industries like automobiles, chemical and petrochemicals, foundries, pil refineries, paper and pulp, cement, sugar, milk and food processing, thermal power plants, steel plants, municipalities, etc. The pumps are available in different sizes and specifications to meet specific applications requirements. The pumps are available in pressure range up to 1,500 bars and discharge capacity up to 500 LPM.

Rollon Bearings offers these standard rails for mulitiple sliding applications covering light medium and heavy load industrial applications. SS linear slide rails are simple functional solution for linear motion with optimum load capacity and corrosion resistance. Rails are roll formed in SS-304; has no coatings that could flake or ship. Slider consists of rollers, which are lubricated for life and sealed against contamination.

Rollers have eccentric pivots that allow adjusting the preload when mounted inside the rail. Radial load bearing capacity is 40 kg/slider and speed is 1.5 m/s Heavy-duty rail is a robust linear bearing system that is easy to mount on all surfaces.

The system consists of slider with radial bearings, which slide on the internal raceways of the carbon steel rail profile, which is cold drawn zinc plated. The system is recommended for high processing speeds and noiseless running and are available in two sizes - RB28 (220 kg/slider, speed 5 m/s) and RB43 (550 kg/slider, speed 7 m/s). It finds pplication in machine tools, transportation, automation, packing machinery, material handling, robotics, etc.

For details contact: UT Pumps & Systems Pvt Ltd 14/7 Mathura Road, Faridabad. Haryana 121 003 Tel: 0129-4045831, 2274861, Fax: 91-0129-2258584 E-mail: sales@utpsl.in or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 8

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For details contact: Rollon Bearings Pvt Ltd Shah Sultan Complex, Cunningham Road Bengaluru, Karnataka 560 052 Tel: 080 22266928. 2225028 | Fax: 91 080 22250319 E-mail: rollon@rollonbearings.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 9

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 18:42:23

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CEW Products A i r - o pLight e r a t eScattering d A R O DTechnology ose Static Laboratory Devices for Process Technology Pumps

Ingersoll Rand offers new ARO airoperated diaphragm dose pumps.

The new product line expands Ingersoll RandÊs existing ARO positive displacement pump portfolio that includes peristaltic hose pumps and piston pumps enabling high level of reliability, efficiency and productivity.

The new PD01 Series 1/4 pump is designed for dosing a p p lica t io n s i n t h e c o m m e rcia l laundr y, car wash, wastewater treatment, paint, inks and packaging markets, and many other applications where accurate and repeatable dosing is integral to the process being performed.

The new 1/4 series pump comes with a solenoid-actuated valve option to electronically control the volume of fluid dispensed which allows the 1/4 diaphragm pump to operate with accuracy. Designed for clogfree operation, the 1/4 pump allows solids up to 1/16 in diameter to pass through the pump. This feature meets or exceeds competitive dosing pump capacities and offers suction lift capabilities of up to 31.7 feet and 15 feet of dry lift.The pumps are available in a variety of non-metallic materials, including groundableacetal, kynar and polypropylene with santoprene, hytrel, nitrile and PTFE elastomer options.

For details contact: Ingersoll Rand (India) Ltd 21-30 GIDC Estate Naroda Ahmedabad Gujarat 382 330 Tel: 079-22820123, 22820323 Fax: 91-079-22821003 or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 10

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Bosch Packaging Technology offers laboratory devices for solid dosage forms from the product brands Huttlin and Manesty. Huttlin GmbH presents its high shear mixer granulator Huttlin Mycromix, Manesty offers customized and highly flexible tablet presses and coaters. Together, Huttlin and Manesty display the laboratory device Solidlab 2. The machine combines several process steps in a small space: drying, granulating and coating in the fluid bed, as well as tablet coating in the coater. The modules can be used individually and contain the entire periphery such as inlet and exhaust air handling sensor technology and control system. Huttlin Mycronix is the smallest high shear mixer granulator in the laboratory equipment range. It handles batches from 0.05 to 4 kg. The bottom drive unit Huttlin Gentlewing ensures highly homogenous mixing qualities for granulates. All processing can be easily transferred to production equipment via scale-up. With the Manesty Xpress range of tablet presses, The Manesty Xpress product range consists of both single and double sided rotary tablet presses as well as a WiP option allowing for flexible tablet production of small, medium and large bath sizes. The machines feature an ergonomic design, short product changeover times, high product yield and OEE. For details contact: Robert Bosch GmbH Postfach 10 60 60, D-70049 Stuttgart, Germany Tel: +49 711 811-58502, Fax: +49 711 811-58509 E-mail: christen.poenisch@bosch.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 11

Heat Rate Reduction Kit Magnetrol International offers heat rate reduction kit, aimed at helping power companies manage controllable losses through effective, accurate feedwater heater level control. The heat rate reduction kit addresses the mission-critical need to increase the efficiency of power plants in todayÊs challenging economic and regulatory environment.

The heat rate reduction kit, an industry first, provides solutions that will help reduce fuel expenditures, which can account for 70-80% of production costs, by minimizing heat rate. Included in the Magnetrol heat rate reduction kit are several useful guides to reducing heat rate, why it is important and how the process will help reduce costs.

For details contact: Magnetrol International, NV Heikensstraat 6 - 9240 Zele - Belgium Tel: +32 (0) 52 45 11 11 Fax: +32 (0)52 45 09 93<br> E-mail: kgeerinckx@magnetrol.be or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 12

Chemical Engineering World

22-11-2013 18:42:24

SAMARTH ENGINEERS

Manufacturers & Fabricators of: Industrial Pressure Vessels Process Vessel & Heat Exchanger Our Products: Chemical Process Equipments Process Vessels Chemical Process Equipment Parts Fabrication Unit I : J-415, M. I. D. C., Bhosari, Pune - 411026. Maharashtra, India.

Tel. No. : +91 20 66300305, 66146033 Mobile: +91 98600 98706 / 97663 26240 Email: sanjayraut21@hotmail.com Website: www.samarthengineers.com

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CEW Products Energy-efficient Centrifugal Compressors

The new Atlas CopcoÊs ZH 355+ - 900+ oil-free centrifugal compressor range employs advanced aerodynamics to reduce energy consumption in the core.

Coupled with this, all the components are designed based on computational flow dynamic analysis to drastically reduce pressure drops in the package.

The result is a reduction of specific energy up to 7% at full load. Inlet guide vanes, further reduce energy cost by 9% at part loads as compared to a throttle valve control. As energy consumption constitutes about 80% of the life cycle cost of a compressor, users will benefit from day one, reducing the overall total cost of ownership. ZH centrifugal compressors employ high-end features to ensure maximum uptime. Milled impellers and servo controlled inlet guide vanes are only two examples of the entire list that contributes to a trouble-free performance. The third aspect is the Class 0 certified quality of air. A fail-safe and unique sealing system prevents the possibility of contamination of the air with oil, without the need of any external buffer air. Oil fumes from the gearbox are captured by a motorized demister, thus eliminating the risk of ingestion of oil fumes along with the intake air. This safeguards the end product of the customers against oil contamination.

For details contact: Atlas Copco Airpower NV Business Area Compressor Technique PO Box 101, Boomsesteenweg 957 B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)3 750.80.88 Fax: +32 (0)3 870.20.44 E-mail: michael.gaar@be.atlascopco.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 13

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Power Meter Schneider Electric today offers the PowerLogic PM5000 Series power meter. This newest addition to the PowerLogic portfolio of power and energy meters is engineered on a compact and high performance platform. A range of models cover the full spectrum of buildings and industrial applications, within a wide range of value propositions. The highly-accurate, reliable meters are compliant with IEC 61557-12, IEC 62052/53 and IEC 61053-22 metering standards: PM5100 and PM5300 models are Class 0.5S while PM5500 models are Class 0.2S. Each meter in the PowerLogic PM5000 Series offers combinations of features intended to fully complement the requirements of energy cost management applications. Essential features such as different communication and I/O options, a battery-backed real-time clock, alarms, multiple tariff schedules, MID compliance and data and event logging ensure the PM5000 Series has the capabilities to perform energy cost allocation and tenant metering/sub-billing. These meters directly connect to networks rated up to 690 V L-L without potential transformers. Internal memory stores key information and data logging capacities enable energy management dashboards. The range-topping PM5500 models provide a fourth current input, onboard web pages for viewing realtime and stored information, enhanced harmonics capabilities and dual Ethernet ports to daisy chain meters together without the need for an additional hub.

For details contact: Schneider Electric India Pvt Ltd DLF Building No: 10, Tower C, DLF Cyber City, Phase II, Gurgaon, Haryana 122 002 Tel: 0124-3940 400 | Fax: 91-0124-4222 036 or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 14

Zero-leakage Refinery Pump KSB Ak tienges ells c haft, Frankenthal, G e r ma ny o ffe r s zero-leakage mag-drive pump series in back-pull out design: RPHmdp. The horizontal, radially split volute casing pump to US standard API 685 has been developed to reduce maintenance costs. The pumps are primarily used for handling harmful fluids.

They are also suited for the transport of clean, explosive, toxic and valuable fluids in petrochemical plants and refineries. Depending on requirements concerning eddy current loss and efficiency, various material options for containment shrouds are available. One being a containment shroud of carbon fibre reinforced PEEK, ensuring a high level of corrosion resistance and zero eddy current losses.

The pumps feature very low vibration levels during operation as each pump rotor is subject to static and dynamic balancing in the manufacturing process. Patented plain bearings ensure that the heat is well dissipated and particles which have penetrated the magnetic coupling chamber are expelled. The type series is designed for flow rates of up to 300 m 3/h and a max head of 270 m. The permissible operating temperature ranges from -40ĈC to +300ĈC. For details contact: KSB Aktiengesellschaft Johann-Klein-Str. 9, 67227 Frankenthal ,Germany Tel: +49 6233 86 - 3702, Fax: +49 6233 86 - 3456 E-mail: christoph.pauly@ksb.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 15

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Products CEW Analytical Instrument Coriolis Pharma, Germany has become the first pharma contract research organization to u s e A r c h i m e d e s, a n ew analytical instrument supplied by Malvern Instruments. Coriolis Pharma specializes in formulation development for biopharmas such as proteins, peptides and vaccines offers wide variety of services to suppor t product development. Archimedes uses the technique of resonant mass measurement (RMM) to detect and accurately count particles from 50 nm to 5 øm in dia and to measure their buoyant mass, dry mass and size. It has applications in the quantitative characterization of protein aggregates in the size range currently of new regulatory interest, from 0.2 to 2 øm dia, where aggregates are considered to have a high likelihood of eliciting an unwanted immune response.

For details contact: w Malvern Aimil Instruments Pvt Ltd Naimex House ,BSEL Tech Park B Wing ă 906 Sector 30A, Vashi,Navi Mumbai 400 705 Tel: 022-39183596 | Fax: 91-022-39183562 E-mail: Stuart.Wakefield@malvern.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 16

Sliding Vane Pump (TXD Series) BlackmerÊs TXD Series sliding vane pumps make them ideal for use in truckmounted applications. TXD pumps can be configured to efficiently handle many types of products, such as fuel oil, diesel, kerosene, gasoline, avgas, jet fuel, biofuels, ethanol, petrochemicals, light lube oils and solvents. TXD Series pumps provide fast, quiet, troublefree operation in transport applications and have excellent self-priming and dry run capabilities. TXD Series pumps are available in 1.5-, 2-, 2.5-, 3- and 4-inch port sizes with flow rates from 10 to 500 gpm and pressures up to 125 psi. An optional air-operated piston relief valve is available For details contact: Dover India Pvt Ltd ă PSG 40 Poonamallee By-pass Sameerkuppam, Chennai 600 056 Tel: 044-26271020 E-mail: sales.psgindia@pasgdover.com or Circle ReadersÊ Service Card 17

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Petroleum Istanbul Dates: 10-13 April 2014 Venue: Tuyap Fair Convention & Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey Details: Trade fair for Petroleum Upstream and Downstream Equipment, Technology and Services Organiser: Hannover Messe International Istanbul Limited Contact: +90 212 334 69 48; +90 216 466 74 96 Email: info@petroleumistanbul.com.tr Website: www.petroleumistanbul.com.tr TECHNICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;14

Global Petroleum Show

Dates: 17-19 January 2014 Venue: NIT Jamshedpur Details: The annual national symposium fest of Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, NIT Jamshedpur Organiser: NIT Jamshedpur Contact: 91 947 171 7150; +91 89875 72982 Email: shubham@technica.net.in Website: www.technica.net.in

Dates: 10-12 June 2014 Venue: Big Four Building, Calgary, Canada Details: Global Petroleum Show presents a world throbbing with power - the world of oil & gas Organiser: DMG World Media Contact: +1 403 209 3555 (Toll-free: 888 799-2545) Email: paulaarnold@dmgevents.com Website: www.globalpetroleumshow.com

ICON-NANO 2013

Chemspec Europe

Dates: 10-12 December 2013 Venue: Dharmsinh Desai University, Nadiad, Gujarat Details: International Conference on Surface Science and Nanotechnology Organiser: Dharmsinh Desai University Contact: 91 268 2520 504; +91 268 2900 470 Email: icon.nano2013@gmail.com; deanpharmacy@ddu.ac.in Website: www.ddu.ac.in

Dates: 18-19 June 2014 Venue: HUNGEXPO Budapest Fair Center, Budapest, Hungary Details: Exhibition of fine and speciality chemicals Organiser: Quartz Business Media Limited Contact: +44 1737 855 076; +44 1737 855 000 Email: johnlane@quartzltd.com Website: www.chemspecevents.com Saudi Plastics and Petrochem Dates: 17-20 February 2014 Venue: RICEC, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Details: Saudi Plastics and Petrochem is dedicated to the plastics and petrochemical industry Organiser: Riyadh Exhibitions Co Limited Contact: +966 1 4541448 Email: kamil.jawhari@recexpo.com Website: www.saudipp.com Dye+Chem Sri Lanka International Expo Dates: 6 - 8 March 2014 Venue: Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre, Colombo Det ails: The 18 th Dye+Chem Sr i Lank a 201 4 In te r n a tio n a l Expo Organiser: Conference & Exhibition Management Services Contact: +91 11 2410 4724/2410 5201; +1 212 634 4833 Email: cems@cemsonline.com Website: www.dyechemonline.org

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CEW Book Shelf Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants: Vol 3 Author Price Pages Publisher

: Ernest E Ludwig : INR 20,377.50 : 712 : Gulf Publishing

About the Book: The third edition is completely revised and updated throughout to make this standard reference more valuable than ever. It has been expanded by more than 200 pages to include the latest technological and process developments in heat transfer, refrigeration, compression and compression surge drums, and mechanical drivers.

Like other volumes in this classic series, this one emphasises how to apply techniques of process design and interpret results into mechanical equipment details. The book focuses on the applied aspects of chemical engineering design to aid the design and/or project engineers in rating process requirements, specifying for purchasing purposes, and interpreting and selecting the mechanical equipment needed to satisfy the process functions.

: Howard B. Cary, Scott Helzer : INR 10,679.00 : 736 : Prentice Hall

About the Book : This well-respected, introductory welding text contains coverage of the latest codes, materials, and processes necessary to become proficient in an ever more complex industry. The technology of welding is growing and the bookĂ&#x160;s focus on arc welding processes and the use of steel in construction reflect those changes, while continuing to provide a comprehensive coverage of basic principles and theory.

Simultaneous Design and Control of Chemical Plants Author Price Pages Publisher

: Luis Ricardez-Sandoval : INR 7,215.00 : 284 : VDM Verlag

About the Book : This book presents a set of methods proposed for the simultaneous design and control of chemical processes under the effect of external perturbations and parametric uncertainties. The proposed methodologies borrow tools from robust control theory to test the process stability and to calculate bounds on the worst-case process output variability and the process constraints. Thus, the proposed methods avoid the solution of dynamic optimisation problems which are computationally expensive and even prohibitive for the design and control of processes with several process units. The proposed methods were applied to a mixing tank process and to the Tennessee Eastman process. Due to the robust approach, the final design obtained by these methods may be conservative. However, the computational demand required by the present approach is several orders of magnitude lower than that required by a dynamic optimisation-based methodology. Therefore, the present approach is a practical and computationally efficient tool that can be used for the simultaneous design and control of chemical plants.

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Author Price Pages Publisher

Modern Welding Technology Author Price Pages Publisher

S uccessf ul Pa r tn e r in g : Fundamentals for Project Owners and Contractors : Henry J Schultzel, V Paul Unruh : INR 6,015.00 : 180 : John Wiley & Sons

About the Book : This book shows project owners, construction professionals, and others how to implement the recently developed practice of partnering as a more efficient, cost-effective, and far less stressful way of planning, organising, and completing construction projects.

Adopted by such organisations as the Army Corps of Engineers, its growing number of converts have reported fewer delays and lawsuits and other benefits, including a more cooperative and focused work atmosphere. With this new book practicing professionals will gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of partnering and how to apply them to their construction projects. Successful Partnering It is a sad fact that as many as 70 per cent of all construction projects will result in some kind of litigious action and this, in turn, will result in enormous losses of money, time, and energy for all parties involved. In the hope of avoiding this debilitating drain on resources, many construction-related firms have adopted the recently developed practice of partnering. In partnering, all participants work together and accept joint responsibility for the completion of a project. Successful Partnering shows you how to initiate and build partnering relationships in your projects, and how, a construction team can focus on problem solving instead of fault finding.

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CEW Interview

“Scaling Up will Give us the Competitive Edge”

Cetex Petrochemicals has the privilege of being the only manufacturer of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) and Secondary Butyl Alcohol (SBA) in the Indian market.

Its Chairman & Managing Director, S Ilanahi, talks to Mittravinda Ranjan about the ambitious ` 300 crore investment by the company on brown-field expansion of production unit in Manali which will catapult the growth of the company manifolds and increase the turnover from the current ` 150 crore to ` 1000 crore by 2015.

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Interview CEW Current demand for MEK in the Indian market hovers around 30,000 tonnes per year, and our entire production of MEK is currently targeted for the Indian market. The demand deficit of rest 10,000 tonnes is presently being met through imports from countries such as Taiwan, Japan and China in South East Asia, and the USA. How has the market developed for MEK and SBA in India over the last 10 years?

What is the current demand and supply situation in the country for these speciality chemicals?

Phenomenally, I must say. We have witnessed double digit growth for both Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) and Secondary Butyl Alcohol (SBA) over the last decade.

The growth has been driven by a strong demand from paints and coatings, aroma chemicals, printing inks, adhesives coatings, specialty intermediates in pharmaceutical industry and lube additives.

We enjoy the privilege of being the only manufacturers of MEK and SBA in India and in entire South East Asia. We are confident about the positive growth pattern for both these products in the future.

How big is Indian market for MEK? Current demand for MEK in the Indian market hovers around 30,000 tonnes per year, and our entire production of MEK is currently targeted for the Indian market. The demand deficit of rest 10,000 tonnes is presently being met through imports from countries such as Taiwan,

Japan and China in South East Asia, and the USA. Despite having the monopoly in Indian market, why has Cetex taken so much time to decide on expanding?

Was there any technology or funding issue involved?

No. We have developed our own technology to produce MEK, and there were no issues regarding the same. We were waiting for the nod from Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, which has actually caused some delay.

As far as funding is concerned, Cetex is funding the project through equity along with the loan from State Bank of India (SBI). Now that everything is in place, we are hopeful of commissioning of the project as planned.

In line with our growth plans, we are also actively engaged in setting up a Methyl Iso Butyl Ketone (MIBK) unit with a capacity of 30000 MT per annum. This unit will have the facility to co-produce Methyl Iso Butyl Carbinol (MIBC).

Will you please tell us about the total ` 300 crore investment plans earmarked for expansions by Cetex, and the targeted market for the production?

We have undertaken brown-field expansion of our existing SBA -MEK plant in Manali, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and have targeted reaching production capacity of 20,000 tonnes by the first quarter of 2014-15.

We plan to add another 10,000 tonne capacity of MEK by the end of 2015 which will further consolidate our market position in MEK. As I have already mentioned, we are targeting to capture the entire Indian market for MEK, but we will continue exporting SBA. The MIBK unit will be in operational by end of 2015 and will cater to Indian Market as well as Overseas Markets.

While MIBK is used in rubber chemicals, as a solvent in industrial applications, in metal extraction and dewaxing of mineral oil etc, MIBC is used in the ore beneficiation process and lube oil additive manufacturing etc.

May we have your comments on the increase in annual turnover and market positioning after commissioning of project?

Although, we are ramping up the production capacity, the market demand is also going to increase in the years to come.

Demand-supply gap will continue to prevail, thus creating room for other players. But, we are very confident about this project as we are the only manufacturer of these products in the Indian market, and we have been in this market for the last 25 years.

Scaling up will certainly provide us an edge amongst the other players by enabling us to become further cost competitive.

We envisage commissioning of SBA/MEK facility by Q-1 of 2014-15 and expect the current turnover of ` 150 Crore to go to ` 300 Crore by 2014. We are confident of touching ` 1000 crore mark by 2015 after the completion of second MEK facility in 2015 and the MIBK project.

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