Chemical World - December 2012

Page 1

Disclaimer: This visual is for representational purpose only

Also available in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, China & Hong Kong

INDUSTRY WATCH - Chemical World

December 2012





EDITORIAL

A seamless blending

T

o predict the prices of oil (even on a short- to medium-term basis) is certainly becoming more uncertain these days! Thanks to numerous global geo-political factors apart from the fundamental demand-supply trade-offs, the science of forecasting oil price is getting increasingly complicated with a higher probability of missing out the real numbers. The bad news is this editorial piece is not going to inform you either about a magic formula to get it right! However, one thing is certain. The pulsating oil prices along with global warming are driving the industry and users alike to actively explore non-conventional fuels as viable alternatives, sooner than later. Although various alternatives such as ethanol, biodiesel, fuel cells, biomass, photovoltaic etc are currently available in the market, several critical questions related to their development, supply and price remain convincingly unanswered today. While there is no denying that the need of the hour is to migrate fast to eco-friendly fuels, the real challenge facing the policy makers and technocrats today is how to make this transition seamless and comprehensive. In this backdrop, the government’s recent decision to have mandatory 5 per cent ethanol blended in petrol before being sold across India, can escalate the prices of this basic raw material of the chemical industry (among other industries such as agrochemicals, dyes, pigments, paints, additives and pharmaceuticals) to new heights. The reason being current yearly availability of ethanol is rather limited in the country and is insufficient to meet the requirements of different user-industries. Here’s a sneak peek into some statistics on the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and its progress card. The EBP programme, introduced in 2006, has included 13 States with reportedly moderate success so far. As a matter of fact, oil companies used 44 crore litre of ethanol for blending in FY12. With India’s ethanol production in FY13 expected to drop down to 200-220 crore litre from its previous year’s figure of about 230 crore litre and given the rising demand, it may be required to be imported for meeting petrol blending requirements. Worse, it may even result in increased price of molasses, as almost the entire ethanol production in India comes from sugarcane molasses.

Editorial Advisory Board PothenP aul Former Chairman, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

D P Misra

While it may not be that difficult for the potable alcohol industry to pass on this rise in input cost to the consumer, the chemical industry will find it hard to do so. As further clarity on implementation of this policy is awaited, hopefully these concerns will be addressed well in time so that the fundamental objectives of providing greener fuel and reducing India’s ever-rising oil import bill are not overlooked.

Director, TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd and Former Director General, ICC

P D Samudra Executive Director (Sales) & Member of the Board, Uhde India Pvt Ltd

Manas R Bastia manas@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

5



Disclaimer: This visual is for representational purpose only

Insight & Outlook: Asset Optimisation Asset optimisation ............................................................. 38 Asset management ............................................................. 40 Roundtable .......................................................................... 42 Accident reduction .............................................................. 44

38

Oil price volatility ............................................................... 46

Cover visual: Mahendra Varpe

Special Focus: Filtration & Separation

Automation Trends

Ultrafiltration technology ................................................... 24

Wireless technology: Redefining asset management process ........................................................... 48

Centrifugal method ............................................................ 26

Energy Management

Membrane separation ......................................................... 28

Cold pilger process: A cool solution to tube forming ....... 50

Pleated bag filters ............................................................... 30

Policies & Regulations

Filter media ......................................................................... 32

REACH impact: Cascading effect on the global regulatory framework.......................................................... 52

In Conversation With

Strategy

Chaitanya Koranne, Chief Executive Officer, CRI Pumps Pvt Ltd .................................. 20

Tapping human resources: Capitalising on intelligent quotient ........................................................... 54

Tips & Tricks Control system migration: Effective ways to upgrade automation capabilities ......................................... 56

Event Preview

Facility Visit: Dow Corning India Pvt Ltd ‘Lean’ing on efficiency for better productivity ................. 34

Regular Sections Editorial ........................................................................ 5 News, Views & Analysis .............................................. 10 Technology & Innovation ............................................ 17 Technology Transfer .................................................... 18 Projects ........................................................................ 58 Tenders ........................................................................ 63 Event List .................................................................... 64 Book Review ................................................................ 74 Products ...................................................................... 76 List of Products .......................................................... 86 List of Advertisers ...................................................... 87

o Engineering Expo Ludhiana 2012: Making manufacturing-friendly North accessible ..................... 66 o Engineering Expo Indore 2013: Tapping India’s central vantage point......................................... 68

Event Report o Engineering Expo Pune 2012: Generating high volume of opportunities .............................................. 70 o Engineering Expo Chennai 2012: Showcasing Southern manufacturing strengths .............................. 72

Highlights of Next Edition Special Focus: Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Insight & Outlook: Industrial Gases

Details on page no. 59-62, 64

Note: ` stands for Indian rupee, $ stands for US dollar and £ stands for UK pound, unless mentioned otherwise December 2012 | Chemical World

7



Business Insights Technologies Opportunities

FOUNDER & EDITOR, NETWORK 18 Raghav Bahl PRESIDENT & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, TV 18 Senthil Chengalvarayan SENIOR EDITOR Manas R Bastia ASSISTANT EDITOR Rakesh Rao EDITORIAL TEAM Prasenjit Chakraborty, Mahua Roy, Marcilin Madathil, Avinash Pandey, Rishab Kothari, Dharitri Dalvi, Avani Jain (Ahmedabad) ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Varuna Naik DESIGN Mahendra Varpe CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Mexy Xavier PHOTOGRAPHY Neha Mithbawkar, Joshua Navalkar BUSINESS CONTROLLERS Lovey Fernandes, Akshata Rane, Deepak Bhatia, Ashish Kukreti, Shwetha ME, Jayashree N, Shefali Mahant

PRINTING EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Ananth R. Iyer ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER - PPC Shekhar Khot

PRODUCTION TEAM Surekha Karmarkar, Ravikumar Potdar, Ravi Salian, Sanjay Shelar

OVERSEAS CONTACT CHINA 1001 Tower 3, Donghai Plaza, 1486 Nanjing Road, West, Shanghai 200040, China Tel: +86-21 6289 – 5533 Ext. 368, Fax: +86-21 6247 – 4855 (Craig Shibinsky) Email: craig@ringier.com.hk Ringier Trade Media Ltd HONG KONG 9/F, Cheong Sun Tower, 118 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2369 – 8788 Ext. 21, Fax: +852 2869 – 5919 (Octavia Au-Yeung) Email: octavia@ringier.com.hk Ringier Trade Media Ltd TAIWAN Room 3, Fl. 12, No. 303, Chung Ming S. Rd., Taichung, Taiwan Tel: +886-4 2329 – 7318 Ext. 16, Fax: +886-4 2310 – 7167 (Sydney La) Email: sydneylai@ringier.com.hk Ringier Trade Media Ltd SINGAPORE Tel: +65 9625 7863; Fax: +65 6841 5273 (Annie Chin) Email: annie@janianmedia.com Ringier Trade Media Ltd GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Tel: +41-44 734 0472, Fax: +41 44 734 0680 Email: info@islerannoncen.ch USA Tel: (513) 527-8800 Fax: (513) 527-8801 Email: dhight@gardnerweb.com USA Alfredo Domador, 6505 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 430 Miami, FL. 33126, USA Tel: (305) 448-6875 Fax: (305) 448-9942 Ringier Trade Media Ltd

GROUP CEO, NETWORK 18 B Sai Kumar CEO-NETWORK 18 PUBLISHING Sandeep Khosla EVP-HUMAN RESOURCES Sanjeev Kumar Singh ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT Sudhanva Jategaonkar ADVERTISING SALES Shashin Bhagat (Ahmedabad) shashin.bhagat@network18publishing.com

Mahadev B (Bengaluru) mahadev.b@network18publishing.com

Hari Hara Subramaniam (Chennai) hari.s@network18publishing.com

Balakrishnan.S (Coimbatore) balakrishnan.s@network18publishing.com

Surendra Kumar Agrawal (Delhi) surendra.a@network18publishing.com

Dominic Dsouza (Hyderabad) dominic.dsouza@network18publishing.com

Ameya Gokhale (Indore) ameya.gokhale@network18publishing.com

Sandeep Arora ( Jaipur) sandeep.arora@network18publishing.com

Abhik Ghosal (Kolkata) abhik.ghosal@network18publishing.com

Inder Dhingra (Ludhiana) inder.dhingra@network18publishing.com

Olwin Dsouza (Mumbai) olwin.dsouza@network18publishing.com

Rohit Dass (Pune) rohit.dass@network18publishing.com

Vipul Modha (Rajkot) vipul.modha@network18publishing.com

Chirag Pathak (Vadodara) chirag.pathak@network18publishing.com

MARKETING TEAM Ganesh Mahale, Akshaya Jadhav

NEWSSTAND AND SUBSCRIPTIONS DISTRIBUTION HEAD Sunil Nair DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER Manoj Palsay SENIOR MANAGER - SUBSCRIPTIONS Sheetal Kotawdekar CO-ORDINATORS Rahul Mankar, Anant Shirke, Sarita Quadros, Chaitali Parkar, Kamlesh Mathkar, Vaibhav Ghavale

SERVICES SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES For subscription queries, write to chaitali.parkar@network18publishing.com or call +91 22 30034631-34 or toll free 1800 200 1021 PERMISSIONS For subscription to copy or reuse material from Chemical World, Write to chemedit@network18publishing.com • Monthly Issue Price: `100 • Annual Subscription: `799

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Network18 Media & Investments Ltd (Network18)*, its publisher and/or editors. We at Network18 do our best to verify the information published but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. Network18 does not accept the responsibility for any investment or other decision taken by readers on the basis of information provided herein. Network18 does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without due postal stamps for return postage. No part of this magazine can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. Network18 reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever. Printed by Mohan Gajria and published by Lakshmi Narasimhan on behalf of Network18. Senior Editor: Manas R Bastia Printed at Infomedia 18 Ltd, Plot no.3, Sector 7, off Sion-Panvel Road, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400 706, and published at Network18, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028. Chemical World is registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India under No. 79856. Network18 does not take any responsibility for loss or damage incurred or suffered by any subscriber of this magazine as a result of his/her accepting any invitation/offer published in this edition. *Ownership of this magazine stands transferred from Infomedia18 Ltd (Infomedia18) to Network18 Media & Investments Ltd (Network18) in pursuance of the scheme of arrangement between Network18 and Infomedia18 and their respective shareholders and creditors, as approved by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi and the necessary approval of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is being obtained.

December 2012 | Chemical World

9


NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

LANXESS creates new benchmark at Nagda

Inauguration of the new wastewater post-treatment plant

LANXESS, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has inaugurated a new wastewater post-treatment plant at its manufacturing site in Nagda, Madhya Pradesh. With an investment of nearly ` 35 crore in this project, this plant aims at making the site virtually free from any effluents and also recovering water for reuse in its production processes. The inauguration event was graced by the presence of senior government officials, representatives from the local administration and LANXESS employees among other dignitaries. Present on this occasion

were Michael Siebert, Consul General, Federal Republic of Germany; Kailash Vijayvargiya, Minister of Industries and Employment, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Dr Hubert Fink, Head, Business Unit Advanced Industrial Intermediates (AII), LANXESS AG; Dr Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director and Country Representative, LANXESS India; Neelanjan Banerjee, Head, Business Unit AII India, and Senior Executive Director, LANXESS India; and Bappa Bandyopadhyay, Vice President – Manufacturing, Nagda site. In his address, Siebert highlighted the long-term investment approach and sustainable development of the eco-system by German companies. Vijayvargiya while welcoming this investment in Madhya Pradesh appreciated LANXESS’ achievement in this project, especially as it can bridge the gap in availability of water, given its scarcity during the summer months in this central part of India. Explaining the significance of this plant, Dr Fink said, “We are not only

producing world-class products at this plant in Nagda but are also reaching new levels of sustainable development.” Dr Strassburger informed the audience of his organisation’s commitment to continue to invest in further improving the levels of safety and sustainability at LANXESS’ manufacturing facilities in India. In the words of Banerjee, “We have used some of the best technologies available in the world and have partnered with some of the best-known suppliers in the industry for this plant.” LANXESS’ Nagda site has a fullfledged effluent treatment plant and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant, which treats sewage water from the nearby colonies and renders it fit for use in the production processes. The company has zeroed in on a concept for wastewater post-treatment that involves a reverse osmosis process followed by an evaporation step. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainable indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and FTSE4Good. Manas R Bastia

PERIPHERAL PRODUCTS

DRUG FORMULATION

Home and personal care industry witnessing robust demand

Dow eyes major gains in India’s pharma sector

Peripheral product categories are seeing an unsurpassed rise in the Home & Personal Care (HPC) industry, as per research by Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG). Peripheral categories comprise those products that are specific to certain functionality. “Handwash and facewash product categories, for eg, fall under peripheral categories as they are replacing the functionality of a bar soap. These are the days of specificity and customisation. This is a mega trend and we see it percolating down the society,” said Rajiv Subramaniam, Principal – Consumer & Retail, TSMG. This spells huge opportunities for the specialty chemicals industry to offer functional solutions to the HPC industry. Another macro trend is that of premiumisation. This has thus seen the rise of niche products in the fabric care segment, such as after wash, fabric softener/conditioner, stain remover. “This is a significant opportunity for suppliers to cash upon. HPC sector is poised to grow as seen by the market trends. Individualism is an observation, which is seen in this industry, ie designing products catering to different people,” added Subramaniam.

Dow Wolff Cellulosics (DWC), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, is eyeing to tap the burgeoning pharmaceutical market to boost its business in India. “Healthcare is one of the mega trends the company is focussing on globally, and India, of course, is one of the most strategic Dago Caceres regions for pharmaceuticals. That is why we have established a scientifically-advanced Customer Application Development Centre at Mumbai in 2011. The centre provides all technical support and expert guidance to customer needs in the areas of hot melt extrusion technology, extrusion-spheronisation, enhanced granulation & particle coating, high performance tablet coating and tablet compression with CFC system,” said Dago Caceres, Global Pharmaceutical Marketing Leader, The Dow Chemical Company. As a part of its growth strategy, DWC recently launched a new product in India, especially designed to meet one of the most pressing needs of the pharmaceutical industry, the solubilisation of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Mahua Roy

Rakesh Rao

10

Chemical World | December 2012



NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

NEW FACILIT Y RARE METALS

CRI Pumps setting up new manufacturing unit at Coimbatore

Bulk gallium nitride price to witness steep fall by 2020 Gallium nitride (GaN), used for its energy saving properties in electronics industry, will become more competitive compared to traditional silicon by 2020 due to drop in prices, according to a Lux Research report. Bulk GaN is expensive today, costing about $ 1,900 or more for a two-inch substrate, compared with $ 25-50 for a larger six-inch silicon substrate. But GaN materials offer higher efficiencies than silicon, leading to better energy savings in devices such as power electronics, laser diodes, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These gains can offset cost disadvantages – the price-to-performance ratio is the key to adoption. “The future of bulk GaN is going to come down to how it faces off against silicon substrates. Bulk GaN wins in laser diodes and it can become relevant in LEDs and power electronics by boosting yield and performance,” said Pallavi Madakasira, Lux Research Analyst, and the lead author of the report titled, ‘Price or performance: Bulk GaN vies with silicon for value in LEDs, power electronics and laser diodes’. The report added that bulk GaN can overcome high cost by boosting performance in terms of lumen (lm) output in LEDs or volt-amp (V-A) capacity in power electronics.

Chaitanya Korrane

CRI Pumps, one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of pumps from India, is setting up a new manufacturing unit in Coimbatore. This announcement comes soon after the business transfer agreement with UK-based Pumps and Process Systems Ltd (PPSL). The entire manufacturing of

pumps from the PPSL product portfolio has now been transferred to India, post the non-competitive agreement with PPSL that has been in operations for more than 20 years now and has well-established global clients. The new facility is 45,000 sq ft with a test bed. The greenfield unit is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2013. “The arena of slurry pumps is relatively new, which we identified as an opportunity area. We will have two portfolios in India – the hard line, which is the metal line, and the rubber line, thus enabling the process industries to handle different degrees of corrosiveness,” said Chaitanya Korrane, Chief Executive Officer, CRI Pumps. Mahua Roy

PLANT SAFETY

Dow Corning’s Pune site wins DCCIA Award for best practices in safety Dow Corning’s Ranjangaon site has been recognised by the Deccan Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (DCCIA) Pune for best practices in safety under the chemicals category. David Longo, Manager, Pune site, Dow Corning, said, “Safety is one of our seven core values at Dow Corning and our team is committed to an injury-free work environment. While this is an important recognition for all our employees’ efforts, we should continue our journey into safety.” Suneel Joshi, Dow Corning’s Employee Safety and Security Manager, Pune site, stated, “The safety award from DCCIA is a significant acknowledgement and a strategic step forward to showcase our commitment to safety and safe practices to the external world.”

CREDIT RATING

Moody’s affirms stable outlook for Tata Chemicals Moody’s Investors Service, one of the leading providers of credit ratings, research, and risk analysis affirmed Tata Chemicals Ltd’s (TCL) Ba2 corporate family rating and maintains the stable outlook. Moody’s acknowledged that TCL’s performance in recent years has benefited from steady growth derived from both acquisitions and organic expansion while maintaining an adjusted EBITDA margin of more than 17 per cent. While this level of margin

12

Chemical World | December 2012

is strong for its rating category, its balance sheet and liquidity profile are commensurate with a Ba range rating. P K Ghose, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer, Tata Chemicals Ltd, said, “We respect Moody’s rating of our company and are happy that it has been recognised despite adverse market conditions. Going forward too, we expect the Indian market to continue the growth momentum. We are also positive that our diversity in product portfolio will help

reduce volatility and balance our earnings in the future.” TCL has considered large-scale expansion of its existing urea plant in India, which would help to reduce the country’s imports of the fertiliser, but the supply of natural gas has been a stumbling block. Moody’s expects TCL to continue at its current brisk rate of growth with further small investments to bolster existing activities and continuing cost reduction and productivity improvements.



NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

RECOGNITION NEW PRODUCT

Balaji Amines bags ECGC’s export award

INPEX Corporation to use SCADA and PKS from Honeywell Japan’s INPEX Corporation will implement Honeywell’s Experion Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) in its new pipeline control centre, which will process natural gas from domestic and overseas sources for local distribution and consumption. Experion SCADA will be used to integrate and manage data coming from more than 160 monitoring and control stations along a 1,400 km gas distribution network, spanning nine prefectures, and also manage the delivery of gas to homes and businesses in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The software’s ability to handle multiple servers and switch over to a standby server in case of failures will enable INPEX to continue operations safely and without disruption in the event of equipment or system failures. INPEX manages the production of natural gas from MinamiNagaoka, the field which accounts for about 40 per cent of Japan’s total natural gas production. With the growing demand for natural gas in Japan ranging between 2.5 and 3 billion cubic meters annually, INPEX plans to tap gas from overseas to supplement the domestic demand. The company’s new liquefied natural gas terminal and Pipeline Control Centre in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture will support this plan and become operational in 2014.

A Prathap Reddy receiving the award from M S Rao, Secretary, Commerce and Industry, Government of India, during the function

Balaji Amines Ltd has been awarded for the category of ‘Best Manufacturer – Exporter (Medium)’ at the Indian Exporter Excellence Awards 2012 instituted by the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd (ECGC), in association with Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), which seeks to recognise leading

exporters for their excellence in their respective fields. A Prathap Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director, Balaji Amines Ltd, appreciated and congratulated the efforts of his team members in achieving this Award. He stated, “Recognition on such a huge platform will encourage and boost them for further achievements.” Most of the products of Balaji Amines Ltd are developed via in-house R&D for which the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, has given ‘In-house R&D Recognition’. Also, its recent facility for manufacturing PVPK-30 at Chincholi MIDC area, Maharashtra, was awarded Certificate of Suitability (COS) from European Directorate for the Quality Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM), in addition to WHO-GMP certification.

SPECIALTY CHEMICALS

AkzoNobel honours Ashland Specialty Ingredients with Best Service Award Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc, recently received the 2012 Best Service Award from AkzoNobel, one of the largest coatings manufacturers in the world. The award recognised Ashland’s outstanding achievements as a top global supplier in delivering high-quality coating additives solutions while fulfilling application requirements. The Best Service honour is awarded annually to suppliers in recognition of worldclass performance in the areas of product quality, technical service and supply reliability. Ashland is among the top seven winners this year. “We are proud to receive AkzoNobel’s highest award for suppliers, as it drives us to continue contributing towards their growth and success. Our effective collaboration makes it possible to bring innovative products and solutions more rapidly to the global market,” said William Zhao, Sales Director, Ashland Specialty Ingredients China. In addition to supplying rheology products, Ashland works with AkzoNobel to develop new generation of products catering to the local market. “Our coating sales team also scored high on our expertise and outstanding service,” says James Huang, Sales Manager, Coating Specialty, Ashland Specialty Ingredient China.

ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTATION

Waters offers automated online sample preparation in UPLC platform Waters Corporation recently announced that its ACQUITY UPLC System is now available with online solid phase extraction (SPE) technology from Spark Holland BV. The technology is now available as an integrated Waters UPLC/MS system or as an upgrade to installed ACQUITY UPLC Systems.

14

Chemical World | December 2012

High-throughput analytical laboratories can now streamline sample preparation and analysis time, and generate test results faster than before. “Combining our UPLC technology with Spark Holland’s online SPE technology offers benefits to highthroughput laboratories intent on

producing the highest-quality test results, quickly and reproducibly for UPLC/MS analyses. Automating the process of sample preparation can help laboratories improve turnaround times, reduce errors and control costs,” said Ian King, Vice President, Separations Technologies, Waters Division.



NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

INVESTMENT NEW LAUNCH

LANXESS invests Euro 5 million in phosphorus chemicals production

Dow Epoxy and Dow Polyurethanes launch products

Specialty chemicals group LANXESS has invested Euro 5 million in its phosphorus chemicals production network in Leverkusen. One of the largest of its kind in the world, this network is the foundation for efficient production, global availability and high supply reliability. The newly implemented measures will result in a capacity increase of ten per cent for phosphorus chlorides. “In addition to debottlenecking the production unit, we improved the logistics concepts for our drum- and tank car-filling facilities. That gives us even more flexibility. We are well-equipped now to meet the increased demand on the global market,” said Jorge Nogueira,

Dow Epoxy, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has introduced a broad portfolio of epoxy products designed for civil engineering, general coating, adhesive and composite, featuring new high-performance D.E.H. curing agents and FORTEGRA series. The expanded portfolio includes epoxy components, specialty resins, curing agents, as well as resin blends and hardener solutions. Dow introduces specialty offerings in the expanded epoxy portfolio that include low temperature cure, low-emission and waterborne curing agents as well as toughing agents, such as FORTEGRA series. Another business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Polyurethanes in co-operation with Cannon SpA, announced that PASCAL polyurethane insulation technology for household refrigerators and freezers is now available to retrofit to existing production lines. “With the ability to retrofit PASCAL to existing production systems, manufacturers benefit from increased production efficiency and consumers benefit from refrigerators with higher energy efficiency,” said Mark Bassett, Global Vice President, Dow Polyurethanes. PASCAL is a polyurethane foam insulation technology that improves energy efficiency in refrigerators and freezers by up to 10 per cent.

Head, Functional Chemicals (FCC) Business Unit, LANXESS. LANXESS is a leading supplier of phosphorus chemicals. Excellent backward integration, decades of experience and modern plants provide the foundation required for economical production and top-level quality. Starting with elemental phosphorus, it produces a variety of derivatives, which can be used in numerous fields of application. Phosphorus chlorides are starting materials for the chemical synthesis of flame retardants, water treatment chemicals, lubricant additives, crop protection active ingredients and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

NEW TECHNICAL CENTRE

WACKER opens technical centre in Dubai The Munich-based WACKER has expanded the service portfolio at its technical centre in Dubai. The centre of excellence located at the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) technology park now includes a dedicated laboratory for interior and exterior paints and coatings applications. The new lab comprises applications technology and test equipment for polymer dispersions needed as binders for interior architectural paints. A further focus is on silicone additives and binders for interior and exterior paints & coatings. The expansion not only enables WACKER to help its local customers develop new and tailor-made products for the growing market for high-quality coatings but also encourages the exchange of know-how and promotes internationally recognised quality standards in the region. The expansion was made necessary by the region’s strong economic growth, particularly with regard to sophisticated paints and coatings applications. This measure will help WACKER to further bolster its position as a leading producer for vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions and silicone additives & binders.

ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTATION

ECO-FRIENDLY MEASURES

Hiroshima University installs Malvern’s new Zetasizer Nano ZSP

SABIC releases first Sustainability Report

Malvern Instruments’ dynamic light scattering system, Zetasizer Nano ZSP, has got its first customer - Dr Kikuo Okuyama of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University in Japan. In Dr Okuyama’s work, the objective is to find alternative materials for rare earths and to develop rare earth-free functional materials. This involves research into the composition and structure of functional fine particles and will use the Zetasizer Nano ZSP in the evaluation of nano particle size, dispersion and surface chemistry.

16

Chemical World | December 2012

SABIC released its first Sustainability Report, entitled ‘Sustainability+Performance’. The report, covering sustainability performance in 2011, will be published annually and serve as a valuable tool for customers, investors and stakeholders to evaluate SABIC’s commitment and performance towards sustainable business practices. Mohamed Al-Mady, Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC, said, “Sustainability for SABIC means we have strategies, goals and actions in place to address stakeholder expectations of our responsibility as a corporation.”


TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Honeywell’s thyristors reduce downtime and enhance productivity Honeywell has launched its new thyristor line of products designed to regulate accurate power to electrically heated industrial devices and provide protection from transient overvoltage conditions. The product line is ideal for industrial applications involving electrically heated equipment in electric furnaces, automotive painting booths, textile machinery, drying ovens, petrochemicals, metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), glass, plastics and semiconductor machines. The new thyristors use the latest microprocessorbased design to accurately control a wide spectrum of electrical loads, ranging from simple constant resistances to highly complex variable resistances and transformer coupled loads. They are modular, scalable and offer a wide range of product configurations available. The complete product line can switch loads from 30 amperes (amps) to 2,700 amps and provide good performance even in the most demanding applications. The solid state design removes the need for periodic preventive maintenance and reduces premature element ageing with optimised heater power requirements. For companies in the process industry, this results in reduced costs and improved quality of heat treated material, eliminating the shortcomings of the traditional electromechanical contactors used in electric furnace control applications. “Downtime in the system due to unscheduled outages and ageing of electrical heating devices often result in costly project delays and repeated loss of production. Capable of functioning in varied application environments, Honeywell’s Thyristors deliver precise power, enhance efficiency and ensure maximum equipment life,” said Amitava Biswas, Country Head, India, Honeywell Process Solutions.

Mettler Toledo’s sensor helps simplify maintenance Mettler Toledo’s new InPro 5000i is a fully sterilisable in-place and autoclavable in-line carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor. It features a class N5 surface and EHEDG certification for compliance with hygienic requirements. The sensor’s membrane provides an excellent barrier against volatile organic acids, ensuring errorless measurement. InPro 5000i is the latest member of Mettler Toledo’s Intelligent Sensor Management (ISM) family of sensors and transmitters. This dissolved carbon dioxide sensor is fully sterilisable in place (SIP) or in an autoclave. Optimum yield in bacteria fermentation is strongly related to the proper control of CO2 partial pressure. In cell culture applications, mammalian cells depend on a set of specific environmental conditions within a narrow definition in order to survive and ensure optimal growth. InPro 5000i’s modular design helps simplify maintenance and spare-part replacement. Suitable housing for the sensor is the retractable InTrac 797. Its integrated flushing chamber allows easy sensor calibration and cleaning, even during a running fermentation. The interior body, a high performance pH electrode, can easily be replaced at the customer site. The robust and fully sterilisable sensor design meets all requirements for hygienic processes. ISM technology provides all sensor relevant information for maintenance planning, and pre-batch or real-time diagnostics. For full traceability, all pertinent data such as calibration details and number of SIP or autoclavings are stored inside the sensor.

Yokogawa’s new flow meter provides accurate and stable measurement Yokogawa Electric Corporation has come out with RotaMASS LR, the world’s smallest dual bent tube Coriolis mass flow meter. The new RotaMASS LR employs a proven dual bent tube design and represents a significant advance to Yokogawa’s RotaMASS low flow line product family for gas and liquid flow measurement. Designed to be self-draining and to measure both liquids and gases, the mass flow measurement spans from 0-40 kg/h. The accuracy is +/- 0.15 per cent for liquids and +/- 0.5 per cent for gasses. RotaMASS LR meets the market’s demand for accurate and stable measurement of fluids at low flow rates. Yokogawa has developed the low flow Coriolis meter based on its proven dual bent tube design to overcome the current shortcomings of single tube low flow meters. These shortcomings include susceptibility to external vibrations and changes in ambient or process fluid temperatures, which lead to less accurate and stable measurements in real-world conditions. RotaMASS LR employs a dual bent tube design that optimally decouples the core measuring element from process vibration that can cause fluctuating zero stability and decrease measurement accuracy. When fluid density changes, a single tube Coriolis flow meter can become imbalanced. RotaMASS LR remains balanced due to the equal mass change in both tubes and the absence of interference from the process piping. The two tubes are made from C-22 alloy, which is less susceptible to thermal expansion than conventional stainless steel.

December 2012 | Chemical World

17


TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

TECHNOLOGY OFFERED As part of our endeavour to spread the technology culture, this section provides a means to promote and facilitate exchange of select technologies. We strive to bring together suppliers of such technologies with suitable users for negotiations and industrial collaboration. Activated carbon An Iranian firm is willing to offer activated carbon from coconut shells. Areas of application Food processing, pharmaceuticals, etc Forms of transfer Technology licensing

Ethanol An Iranian company is offering ethanol from molasses using the fermentation of sacharomyces cerevisiae. Ethyl alcohol is widely used for making many organic chemicals.

Areas of application Chemical and energy industries Forms of transfer Technology licensing

Furfuryl alcohol technology An Indian firm offers technology for producing furfuryl alcohol from furfural by liquid hydrogenation as well as vapour hydrogenation, with a capacity of 6,000 tpa to 24,000 tpa. Areas of application Furan polymers, sealants & cements, urea-formaldehyde, and phenolic resins

Forms of transfer Consultancy, technical technology licensing

services,

Precipitated calcium carbonate An Indian consulting company for the chemicals, minerals & food processing industries is offering precipitated calcium carbonate and turnkey projects for the same. Areas of application Plastics, paper, paints, rubber, inks Forms of transfer Consultancy, technical services

TECHNOLOGY REQUESTED Activated carbon and sodium silicate A company from Thailand requires technology for manufacturing activated carbon and sodium silicate from rice husk & rice husk ash. Areas of application Manufacturing and construction industry Forms of transfer Others

Glyoxal An Indian company is looking to

switch the production technique for manufacturing 40 per cent glyoxal from its existing acetaldehyde-based method to the MEG-based glyoxal production. Areas of application Pharma & textile Forms of transfer Others

Inorganic chemicals An Indian company is interested in seeking the technology and process know-how for production of potassium nitrate, chromium acetate,

and magnesium hydroxide suspension. Areas of application Chemical industry Forms of transfer Others

Lime An Indian company seeks new costeffective technologies that can reduce carbon emissions for lime manufacturing. Areas of application Quick lime and hydrated lime Forms of transfer Others

Information courtesy: Dr Krishnan S Raghavan, In-Charge, Technology Transfer Services Group, Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), APCTT Building, C-2, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, Tel: 011-3097 3758 (Direct), 3097 3710 (Board), Fax: 011-2685 6274, E-mail: srinivasaraghavan@un.org, Web: www.apctt.org, For more information on technology offers and requests, please log on to www.technology4sme.net and register with your contact details. This is a free of cost platform provided by APCTT for facilitating interaction between buyers and seekers of technologies across the globe. After submitting technology offer or request to this website, you are requested to wait for at least two weeks for receiving a response from a prospective buyer/seeker through this website, before contacting APCTT for further assistance.

Share and Solicit Technology The mission of Chemical World is to spread the technology culture. Here is an opportunity to be a part of this endeavour by sending your technology on offer or technology requirements. If you belong to any of these two categories, you are invited to furnish the techno-commercial details for publication. The write-up needs to be as per the format of this section with information about the particular technology offered or requested, its areas of application and forms of transfer. Contact us: Chemical World, Network18 Media & Investments Ltd, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028 Tel: 022-3024 5000, 3003 4672, Fax: 022-3003 4499, Email: chemedit@network18publishing.com

18

Chemical World | December 2012



IN CONVERSATION WITH Chaitanya Koranne

There is dearth of people with extensive knowledge of hydraulics and pneumatics

Photo: Joshua Navalkar

…says Chaitanya Koranne, Chief Executive Officer, CRI Pumps Pvt Ltd. In this exclusive interaction with Mahua Roy, he talks about the dynamics of the pumps & valves industry and what makes CRI Pumps India’s largest manufacturer and exporter of pumps.

20

Chemical World | December 2012


Chaitanya Koranne

How has the company grown over the years? CRI Pumps has a cherished history of more than 50 years. It started out typically as a small non-ferrous foundry. Then it started manufacturing foot valves and pumps for agricultural use. In the 80s, this company was the first to start a new range of pumps with diversified application areas. Since then new products have been introduced regularly. These products have been ahead of time, better than what the current market conditions commanded or demanded. That is how we grew from strength to strength. As of 2000, this company was the first one to commence exports of its product portfolio. Today, we are the largest exporter of pumps from India.

What was the rationale behind acquiring a UK-based pumps major? We recently signed a business transfer agreement with UK-based Pumps and Process Systems Ltd (PPSL). The agreement will enable CRI to reach new heights in embracing new innovative technologies for delivering industrial pumping solutions such as pulp handling, slurry handling and chemical handling for a variety of industries that include paper mills, metal and mining, power, coal, chemicals and petrochemicals, food & beverages among others. PPSL has been in operations for more than 20 years now and has well-established global clients. This association will help us gain access to that client base. The entire manufacturing has been transferred to India, post the noncompetitive agreement with PPSL. A new manufacturing unit in Coimbatore is also underway.

How mature is the Indian process industry in the adoption of pump technology? The Indian process industry today is comparable to the global one. The expectations are similar in nature. The companies are open to try out new technologies and spend accordingly to meet the market demands. Yes, the extent of competition in the space of pumps

& valves has definitely made a huge difference to the business dynamics. Thus, the industry is willing to absorb new technologies readily. However, occasionally, initial price and capital investment does become a hurdle, especially when dealing with SMEs.

How is the demand dynamics in the SME sector? The economic scenario in India is growing rapidly. This is propelling investments in the process industry largely. Thus, we see a rising demand for pumps & valves in India. Interestingly, SMEs are an integral part contributing to the growth story. SMEs in India are expanding, adding capacities; new companies are entering the market and new products are being introduced subsequently. This trend is seen in almost every sector. Correspondingly, the pumps & valves industry is growing at an exponential rate. To succeed in the highly active SME sector, the communication should be 100 per cent convincing and appropriate.

Latest book you read‌ I re-read Marketing Warfare. Last, I had read it during my MBA days. This acted as a refresher.

One business etiquette you always follow‌ I honour time & commitment of others and thus I am always punctual.

A motivating factor‌ The fire of creating something completely new for my company highly motivates me every single day.

What are the challenges faced by the pumps industry? There is dearth of people with extensive knowledge of hydraulics & pneumatics. This market thus completely depends on the pitch made to customers. Also, there needs to be more development in research and technology for pumps, especially hydraulics. Besides, research for developing new materials is also needed. The industry needs to be educated about right selection of pumps. Pump failure is caused due to faulty selection of a pump for a certain application. Another challenge is the shortage of foundry capacity in India. As valves come under capital-intensive projects, lead time gets affected due to this shortfall.

What are the features that need to be considered while selecting a pump? The top criteria include paying utmost attention to materials of construction of pump, and investing time in understanding the intricacies of the pump design. The company needs to understand the chemicals it is dealing

with and then decide the technology. For specialty chemical sector, high purity and hygiene are demanded; for bulk, hazardous chemicals, the nature is corrosive and abrasive. Thus, accordingly the material selection has to be made. In general, one should consider the energy efficiency offered by the pump selected. Also, it should be able to deliver a longer service life before periodic maintenance.

What are the future strategies of CRI Pumps? We will be introducing new range of products in the market in the coming five to six months. We are also planning launch of specific products for applications in the highly emerging water management industry. Additionally, we are also looking at investing in new facilities. For exports, we are focussing hugely on Africa as it has high potential for agricultural as well as industrial pumps. Also, there are huge opportunities in South America and the Middle East. Email: mahua.roy@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

21



SPECIAL FOCUS

FILTRATION & SEPARATION ULTRAFILTRATION TECHNOLOGY A smart solution for better separation ......................................................................................................24 CENTRIFUGAL METHOD Separation process simplified! ..................................................................................................................26 MEMBRANE SEPARATION Limitless possibilities with novelty ...........................................................................................................28 PLEATED BAG FILTERS A clean route to control air pollution .......................................................................................................30 FILTER MEDIA On a swift rise...........................................................................................................................................32

December 2012 | Chemical World

23


SPECIAL FOCUS Ultrafiltration technology

Though adoption of ultrafiltration technology in India is still low, its demand is gradually picking up among the chemical manufacturers. Rapid innovations in this technology make the entire separation process easy and economically viable. Moreover, it also helps promote green initiatives undertaken by several chemical companies.

Prasenjit Chakraborty

R

ecent technological innovations in the area of filtration and separation have been enabling chemical companies meet the present quality standards. One such innovation is the ultrafiltration technology with which separation processes can be carried out efficiently as well as economically as compared to other conventional separation processes. The prime reason for its popularity is that it does not require any chemical inputs. Easier retrofitting of any traditional technology also gives priority to ultrafiltration as

ADVANTAGE ULTRAFILTRATION o This process consumes lesser energy o The method helps in effluent reuse and chemical recovery that subsequently leads to zerodischarge of pollutants o Ultrafiltration membranes are one of the key technologies widely used globally for wastewater treatment o Use of ultrafiltration technology is more in sugar, beverage and pharmaceutical industries in India o Regulatory pressure over effluent disposal is paving the way for extensive use of ultrafiltration method o Besides protecting environment, it also helps in extracting many by-products, which can be used in several industries

24

Chemical World | December 2012

many chemical companies would like to upgrade their process economically. In a new perspective, ultrafiltrationbased separation process supports chemical companies in their green initiatives. “At the heart of ultrafiltration process is membrane, and hence various efforts are being taken to fabricate biodegradable membrane. Moreover, the entire ultrafiltration process offers green solution for the reasons such as it consumes lesser energy and leads to lesser footprint. In the present decade, many chemical companies have become environment-conscious and hence follow various regulations implemented by the pollution control board,” states Dr G Arthanareeswaran, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. This drives the chemical industry to carry out economic analysis and environmental impact assessment for any treatment technology that is adopted. Ultrafiltration will surely be the smartest separation technology as it helps in effluent reuse and chemical recovery that subsequently leads to zero discharge of pollutants. “Ultrafiltration is being used for reducing/substituting the use of chemicals for wastewater treatment. For example, refineries use ultrafiltration membranes in combination with reverse osmosis for clean water recovery from wastewater. Ultrafiltration is also used extensively where there is a need for dewatering/removal of water in the manufacturing processes. This brings down the energy requirements

compared to traditional drying processes, increases plant efficiencies and, reduces spent material costs (of disposal),” points out P S Easwaran, Senior Director, Deloitte, India.

Supporting green initiatives According to Jayateerth Nadgir, Business Development Manager – India (Engineering & Projects Group ), Nalco Water India Ltd, ultrafiltration helps the chemical industry to concentrate the fine solids present in wastewater generated in the process, which enables to recover the product (reduce waste). “By reducing the waste in wastewater generated from process, ultrafiltration helps in bringing down the load of Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), which in turn reduces operating cost of treating wastewater in the form of less downtime and power consumption for treating the water to finally meet the pollution control norms, recycle the water back to cooling towers or in some cases process depending upon the criticality and quality of wastewater produced & treated water required,” he says. Today, the manufacturing companies around the world have realised the importance of carefully treating waste and residue before discharging it from their facilities. “Not only does this practice protect the environment, but it also helps in extracting many by-products for use in several industries. Manufacturers in the fields of petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, paints & dyes and detergents are becoming more aware about using


Ultrafiltration technology

At the heart of ultrafiltration process is membrane. The entire ultrafiltration process offers green solution for the reasons such as it consumes lesser energy and leads to lesser footprint. Dr G Arthanareeswaran Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

ways to reduce the impact of effluents in the environment and also use waste as an energy- and cost-saving tool. One of the key technologies widely used globally for wastewater treatment is ultrafiltration membranes,” says Sharad Gollerkeri, Regional Commercial Manager, Dow India. Since ultrafiltration technology is in demand and it helps promote green initiatives, several companies are coming out with innovative offerings. For instance, Nalco offers detailed plant audit to understand the customers’ processes and criticality of water in the client premises, using the best industry practice and in-house knowledge of industry experts. “We help in reducing water and carbon footprint, which is the ultimate goal for any industry towards making the world greener. Nalco has always believed in providing solutions rather than advocating products for client problems, we always follow the CASE (chemicals, automation, services and equipment) approach. Generally, products such as pressurised

By reducing the waste in wastewater generated from process, ultrafiltration helps in bringing down the load of ETP, which in turn reduces operating cost of treating wastewater. Jayateerth Nadgir Business Development Manager – India (Engineering & Projects Group ), Nalco Water India Ltd

ultrafiltration, submerged ultrafiltration and tubular membrane systems can be used for separation-related applications and, of late, ceramic membranes are also being offered for these purposes,” points out Nadgir.

Technological advancements Ultrafiltration was earlier used in food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries for carrying out the process as it is capable of separating high molecular weight substances such as colloids, proteins and so on. But in recent times, ultrafiltration is finding applications in wastewater treatment plants in chemical industry. The competitive performance of ultrafiltration over other conventional means has been proven in many industries. It could be either employed in pre-treatment for reverse osmosis plants or can be integrated with any primary treatment method. “The recent increase in the use of ultrafiltration in wastewater treatment application is attributed to increased regulatory pressure over effluent disposal. The commercialisation of membrane technology also has paved way for the adoption of ultrafiltration in many chemical companies for various processes as well as effluent treatment,” observes Dr Arthanareeswaran. In India, as far as ultrafiltration is concerned, it is attaining greater heights for sugar, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. In order to improve the final quality of products and reduce energy and space requirements, ultrafiltration has now turned from laboratory scale to industry scale in India. Such developments are instrumental in bringing many new technologies in the market. Nadgir says, “Ultrafiltration in ceramic as material of construction (MoC) and SS with titanium coated is among the latest technologies. And both these membranes operate in crossflow filtration. These membranes can withstand pH variation and temperature variation in process as well as during clean-in-place (CIP) procedure.” When it comes to adoption of such

Not only does this practice (treating wastewater) protect the environment, but it also makes available many by-products for use in several other industries. One of the key technologies widely used globally for wastewater treatment is ultrafiltration membranes. Sharad Gollerkeri Regional Commercial Manager, Dow India

technologies in India, it is quite low. “At the moment, the adoption is low since not much of references are available and also the ability to take risk by changing the existing or old technology adopted in process and wastewater systems is lacking. This needs intensive piloting with detailed data collection and Nalco’s CASE approach will help in addressing this apprehension,” he adds. Similarly, Dow has also come out with few solutions in this direction. The Dow ultrafiltration double-walled hollow fibre membrane is formed from high-grade polymeric chemicals viz hydrophilic polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). “The virtually defect-free, double-walled fibre membrane is much more robust and less prone to breakage than single-wall hollow fibres and due to the high pore distribution, does not comprise flux. The uniformity of pore size and outside in-flow ensures that the Dow ultrafiltration membrane creates a perfect barrier without sacrificing performance,” says Tanmeet Gulati, Regional Marketing Manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions, Dow India. Dow also provides readyto-assemble Dow IntegraPac skids, which are pre-engineered – directconnect ultrafiltration modules – that reduce material costs, freight costs, and enable faster assembly. “ This revolutionary ultrafiltration solution dramatically simplifies the process of incorporating Dow ultrafiltration technology into water treatment systems,” claims Gulati. Email: prasenjit.chakraborty@ network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

25


SPECIAL FOCUS Centrifugal method

Prasenjit Chakraborty

C

entrifugal filtration and separation is widely applied in wastewater treatment plants as it can reduce wastage up to 85 per cent. It is used in the primary treatment stage of any industry because solid or sludge content will be relatively high during the initial stages of wastewater treatment. Most of the treatment method operates biologically with the help of microbes to reduce organic content of the waste. The continuous biological operation leaves behind huge mass of sludge in terms of biological colonies and mass that need to be simultaneously purged. “Centrifugal filtration helps in thickening of sludge, thus making the solid disposal easy to handle before the slurry is taken to the

next treatment stage. Centrifugation operates in either thickening or dewatering step of any treatment plant. By carrying out these steps, operating difficulty is minimised and further processes were made easier. Centrifugal filtration combats the needs of the industry by recovering higher density liquids and solids,” points out Dr G Arthanareeswaran, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. So, the separated waste products can either be reused or properly disposed of by companies.

in energy and costs. “Centrifugal decanters and separators assure maximum dewatering of sewage sludge and separation of solids. Centrifugal separation and cleaning is needed for the cleaning of oils in diesel engine. This is one of the ingenious solutions for many industries handling oil. Rather than any other technology, centrifugation proves efficient for high solid content. In India, most of the process industries rely on centrifugal filtration,” opines Dr Arthanareeswaran. D ue to higher level of commercialisation in the separator industry, centrifugation is followed in many chemical companies. Food processing industry is using centrifugal technology for thickening the final concentrate. However, there are new avenues in centrifugation technology

coming up and those should also be practised by companies in India. For instance, Dow Water and Process Solutions (DW&PS) recently introduced Tequatic Plus Fine Particle Filter. Tanmeet Gulati, Regional Marketing Manager, DW&PS, Dow India, claims, “Tequatic Plus filter enables continuous cleaning, cross-flow filtration with centrifugal separation, providing over 99 per cent uptime. It helps enhance safety and sustainability by reducing handling pressures and waste. The product can be used as an alternative or as a complement to traditional filtration technologies.”

Case in point In municipal wastewater treatment, centrifugal separation plays a pivotal role. The volume of solids is always high in municipal wastewater and centrifugal means of separation helps in optimum thickening with a simultaneous reduction

26

Chemical World | December 2012

Latest filtration technologies No doubt filtration and separation segment has seen many changes in terms of new technologies. According to Dr Arthanareeswaran, chemical manufacturers in India are adopting

new technology in the arena of filtration and separation. He says, “Indian chemical manufacturers are helping to implement the laboratory innovations on an industrial scale. As a result of their interest in new technologies, recent filtration methods such as membrane filtration, hybrid centrifugation were commercialised. Easy automation and upgradation is paving the way for new filtration technologies in the Indian chemical industry.” Over the past decade, Indian chemical companies do not stop just at production but also involve in innovations. It extends huge investments in R&D sector to ensure significant growth competence in the world market. Environmental awareness also remains a reason behind the technology adoption by companies. Zero-discharge and other

The chemical industry is witnessing a rise in filtration and separation through centrifugal method, especially in the area of wastewater treatment, as it eases operational difficulties. With more futuristic advancements, the process is all set to establish a toe-hold in the market. effluent disposal norms are forcing companies to innovate and organise efficient treatment methods. “Though initiatives are being taken, the Indian chemical industry lags behind several developed countries in many areas. Companies allocate below 1 per cent of sales as the expenditure for R&D whereas developed countries spend 4-5 per cent of sales for R&D expenditure. At this point, Indian chemical manufacturers also need to think more about R&D to modernise the industry with the help of new technologies,” exhorts Dr Arthanareeswaran. Email: prasenjit.chakraborty@ network18publishing.com



SPECIAL FOCUS Membrane separation

Prasenjit Chakraborty

M

embrane separation remains a viable option for any industr y facing concerns related to effluent treatment. Almost all the industries look towards upgrading and expanding the conventional effluent treatment plant. This key feature gives priority to the membrane separation process in many sectors. “Its exceptional separation performance makes it popular and, hence membrane-based treatment is preferred in one or the other stages of effluent treatment. The secondary and tertiary stage at any treatment plant would necessarily employ membrane separation because it can be processed in any typical microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis stages of effluent treatment,” points out Dr G Arthanareeswaran, Associate Pr o f e s s o r, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Since membrane separation is mandatory to meet effluent standards, it remains popular among industries for treating effluents. Now, use of membrane bioreactor is on the rise in treating effluents as it avoids the separate step for nutrient removal. This technology results in reduced footprint of about 25-30 per cent as compared to conventional treatment methods. Higher stability to organic loading and easy automation makes this popular in industrial effluent treatment. “There has been a wide range of innovations in the membrane separation process, especially in the area of treating industrial effluents. As government regulation on discharging effluents is getting more stringent, the most costeffective and environment-friendly solution cited by industry experts is the membrane separation process,” opines Sharad Gollerkeri, Regional Commercial Manager, Dow India.

28

Chemical World | December 2012

Limitless possibilities with novelty Membrane separation process offers a plethora of advantages right from lesser thermal and chemical inputs to lower cost in terms of installation. The compact design of membrane treatment technology leads to lesser space consumption and thus any industry can adopt it for limited expansion.

Courtesy: Koch Membrane

Advantages of membrane separation Membrane separation process offers numerous advantages such as lesser thermal and chemical inputs, lower cost in terms of installation as well as lifecycle cost, easy cleaning and replacement of membranes. The compact design of membrane treatment technology results in lesser space consumption and thus any industry can adopt it for limited expansion. Many filtration systems for settling, sedimentation, clarification were conventionally used by industries. However, when it comes to the high loading of total dissolved solids, membrane separation is preferred in terms of reverse osmosis plants. The easier regeneration of chemicals utilised by industries is also possible by the

membrane separation process. Thus, it gives several advantages with low cost, space and energy requirements. Apart from the multiple innovative options available, there are numerous advantages of membrane separation in the treatment of industrial effluents too. Some of these include appreciable energy savings, clean technology with operational ease. In addition, it replaces the conventional processes such as filtration, distillation, ion-exchange and chemical treatment systems; produces high and quality output; greater flexibility in designing systems, and enables water recycling and reuse. According to Sasidhar Chidanamarri, Industry Manager, Environment & Building Technologies Practice, Frost & Sullivan, the usage of membranes for recycle and reuse of industrial effluents is limited today. “The most common method adopted in India for effluent treatment is activated sludge process (ASP), which is a conventional technology. The recycle and reuse of industrial effluent market is at a developmental stage in India. The market was worth ` 6,000 million approximately in 2010 with an anticipated annual growth of 15-17 per cent till 2015. Of the total industrial effluents generated in India, 60 per cent is treated while the remaining 40 per cent, which is 6.2 billion litre, is untreated and dumped into fresh water reserves. Currently refineries, municipal, residential, chemical and pharmaceutical industries adopt recycling and reuse of wastewater,” he points out. The usage of membranes in the treatment of industrial effluents would increase the practice of recycle and reuse. Hence, dependence on fresh water reserves for applications such as agriculture and landscape irrigation, industrial process water, toilet flushing, etc, would be reduced. This in turn would help reduce water stress that is growing at a fast rate in India.

Solutions offered Rise in demand for membrane separation process is prompting technology providers


Membrane separation

to offer innovative solutions. For example, Dow Water and Process Solutions’ (DW&PS), with its vast experience in technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration and ionexchange resins, provides cost-effective solutions that treat effluents and purify water. “Focussed on advanced separation technologies for wastewater treatment, Dow is committed to maximising the vast potential in the world’s reusable water – working with industries and communities to recover water, energy, nutrients and other valuable components of wastewater streams,” says Tanmeet Gulati, Regional Marketing Manager, DW&PS, Dow India. Similarly, Nalco offers complete solutions in the form of water audit, design, engineering, supply and erection commissioning of wastewater and recycle including ZLD systems.

Adopting membrane separation Over the last decade, Indian industries were mostly using indigenous

technologies for effluent treatment. Now, microfiltration and ultrafiltration technologies have been applied in most of the effluent treatment plants. To meet the stringent pollution control norms, organised industries such as steel, refineries, etc now adopt reverse osmosis plants for tertiary treatment of effluents. Some of them have installed membrane treatment technology but not yet commissioned. In a wider sense, effluent treatment plants in paper mill, fertiliser, sugar industries and distilleries have initiated the membrane process as the primary and secondary treatment technology. Typical reverse osmosis plants are not popularly adopted in Indian industries and it has just surfaced among some highly organised sectors. Membrane treatment was previously used for drinking water treatment and also in desalination of saline and brackish water. But, due to the advancements in overcoming the limitations of membrane separation, it is now capable of operating

in industrial effluent treatment plants. “The market of membrane separation is estimated to be growing at a rate of 10-12 per cent every year. With increasing demand for water, this rise could also be made twice or thrice in Indian chemical industry by employing effluent treatment plants,” says Dr Arthanareeswaran. In the words of Jayateerth Nadgir, Business Development Manager – India (Engineering & Projects Group ), Nalco Water India Ltd, “The use of membrane technology is seeing a rise with respect to UF & RO membranes in recycling system, but membrane bioreactor in industrial effluent is not that popular as compared to domestic sewage because of the wide variation in the inlet quality. Microfiltration system is slowly gaining popularity as pretreatment for RO system and for special applications such as oil concentration in automotive industry, lime soda softening in case of wastewater, cooling tower blowdown, etc.” Email: prasenjit.chakraborty@ network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

29


SPECIAL FOCUS Pleated bag filters

A clean route to control air pollution Pleated bag filters, which meet the process needs and throughput requirements of the process industry, may be used to filter liquids or gases with high efficiency, low pressure drop, robust dirt holding capacity and long life. Implementation of stringent environmental norms will give further boost to demand for pleated filters.

specific issues. Our cartridge filters and pleated bags are amply used within the chemical industry where we handle dust from glass production, titanium dioxide, acids and more. It is our experience that certain chemical applications require special flanges and straps, which do not contain glue. We eliminate the use of glue by using our ultrasonic welded Weldtech straps and flanges with metal, polyurethane (PU) or polyamide finish,” says Steffen Møller, Product Manager - Pleated Bags, Nordic Air Filtration – which offers a wide range of filter media for pleated cartridges.

Environment norms driving demand

Rakesh Rao

B

aghouse, an air pollution control (APC) device, removes particulates out of air or gas released from industrial processes. Industries such as chemicals, power, steel, pharmaceutical, food & beverages, etc often use baghouses to control emission of air pollutants. Because of the wide range of available fabric filter media, baghouse has proven that it will remain a prime player in the worldwide quest for clean air. In order to improve the efficiency of baghouses, many manufacturers now use pleated cartridge filter as it increases durability, saves energy and is easy to install compared to other conventional bag filters.

Pleated bag filters In order to save space and reduce operating cost & downtime, there has

30

Chemical World | December 2012

been rise in demand to upgrade existing baghouses, especially in chemical industry, by incorporating pleated filter bag to increase throughput. “With more than 20 years of experience within dust filtration, we draw upon our extensive know-how to help our customers select the optimum filter media solution for their specific applications and site-

Countries across the world have already instituted stringent emission norms to reduce air pollution. Hence, manufacturers are searching for an economical way to meet the new regulatory requirements. Pleated filter can provide economical alternative to these manufacturers since it can significantly improve air filtration efficiency compared to conventional bag filters. This is one of the factors driving the demand for pleated filters. Møller says, “The growth of the market for pleated bags is a natural consequence of the rigorous emission regulations. Traditional filter bags often do not offer sufficient filtration efficiency because of their depth filtration technology. The spunbond media used in pleated bags, on the other hand, is a more efficient surface filtration media, which helps filtering even the smallest particles, and thereby meets the stricter emissions requirements.”

BAG FILTERS VS PLEATED BAGS Benefits of using pleated filter bag include: o It has 2-3 times larger filter surface area compared to conventional bag filter o It has longer lifecycle compared to bag filter o It is easy to install and maintain o It consumes less power (in some cases 50 per cent lower) than bag filter o It requires less air for cleaning compared to bag filter o It minimises compressed air usage o It has better resistance to inlet abrasion o Its short filters minimise need for investing in large bag collectors and require less air for pulse cleaning Courtesy: Nordic Air Filtration and The Cary Company


Pleated bag filters

He adds, “In addition to the higher efficiency offered by the pleated bag with spunbond media, pulse cleaning is easier (fewer pulses needed), air permeability is better (usage of main fan is reduced) and the filter lifecycle can be significantly prolonged when upgrading from a traditional filter bag to a spunbond pleated bag.”

Make a right choice Chemical manufacturers have to select right filtration media, which can withstand harsh conditions such as corrosive chemicals, high temperatures, etc. The number of pleats, depth of pleats, selection of media, number and type of bands, core velocities and cleaning system must all be taken into consideration when selecting the right pleated bags. Choosing the right filter media is crucial for both longterm performance and lifecycle of the filter. One has to consider various parameters while selecting filters for a given application. Some of the most important ones are type of dust, air flow, grain load, temperature, previous experience with filtration media, etc. Møller explains, “We often come across customers who tend to go with the cheapest solution without taking into consideration particle size, grain load, temperature and air flow. No doubt, the actual filters are cheaper, but the short filter lifecycle, more frequent pulsing leading to increased energy cost, higher maintenance costs and sometimes even unscheduled plant shutdowns often make the ‘cheap choice’ end up incurring a somewhat higher Total Cost of Ownership (TOC) for the customer. Having seen too many of these cases, Nordic Air Filtration has developed a valuable tool enabling us to create an accurate TOC Savings Report, which gives our customers full overview of the long-term economical consequence of acquiring a cheaper filter bag solution as opposed to a pleated bag solution.”

On domestic front In a study released earlier this year, India ranked last out of 132 countries surveyed by environmental research centres at Yale and Columbia universities in terms of air quality and effects on human health. While India has taken many steps to reduce emissions from industries, going forward, experts believe that norms will become more stringent. As a result, demand for pleated filters is likely to increase in the country. Møller says, “In India, there is growing demand for filters, especially pleated bag filters that can improve dust collector/ baghouse performance through increased air volume and lower emission output without having to rebuild or renovate the collector or baghouse.” To tap this emerging demand, manufacturers of pleated filters are planning to expand capacity and distribution reach in India. Møller rightly sums up, “Our potential in India is significant and we are working on expanding the co-operation with our loyal resellers in India.” Email: rakesh.rao@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

31


SPECIAL FOCUS Filter media

Rakesh Rao

T

he global filtration market is estimated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2 per cent during the period 2008-14. In next two to three years, the filtration industry is expected to reach $ 77 billion market size. Water and process filtration make up 65 per cent of the end-user market. Liquid filtration – which includes water, oil, fuels, gas and other liquid synthetics – makes up the bulk of the global filtration market. “Filters find applications in air/gas filtration, environmental monitoring, etc and are used for the removal of impurities, classifying and cleaning of mixtures & solutions,” says Kashmira Nadkarni, Product Manager, ColeParmer India. Though North America accounts for a lion’s share of the global filtration industry, Asia – which currently represents a small share – is expected to grow the fastest on the back of industrial expansion and environmental needs in countries such as China and India. According to a study titled ‘India: Non-woven and woven fabrics for filtration’, published jointly by Filter Media Consulting and Business Co-ordination House, India’s filter media market amounted to $ 108.2 million (about ` 541 crore) in 2009 and is growing at a healthy rate of 17-18 per cent. India is considered to be the fast growing filtration market, although the current technology is not totally at the same level as compared to other developed markets.

Filters find presence in almost every important application whether it is in the lab or in the process. Hence, we find a high demand for filters and associated products. Kashmira Nadkarni Product Manager, Cole-Parmer India

32

Chemical World | December 2012

Nadkarni says, “India is well-known for generic chemical production capabilities. Filters are mainly used in separation and purification techniques in the chemical and process industries. They separate the components of a mixture and can also purify it by removing the impurities. They find presence in almost every important application whether it is in the lab or in the process. Hence, we find a high demand for filters and associated products.”

As the Indian economy advances, driving need for better environmental norms, demand for high-quality filters is expected to increase in next two to three years. No wonder, the global players are planning expansion in India to tap this burgeoning market. Burgeoning domestic market Recognising considerable opportunities in the filtration market, many global players are planning to increase their presence in India. In order to tap the non-woven filters market, Hollingsworth & Vose, a global manufacturer of advanced materials used in filtration, is currently developing an operating capability in India that will begin with the production of engine filter media. In March 2012, the Germany-based Freudenberg Filtration Technologies acquired Pyramid Filters Pvt Ltd, which develops air filter elements and systems for clean room applications in the pharmaceutical, medical, food and chemical industries.

Similarly, Cole-Parmer has acquired authorised distribution rights in India to Advantec’s wide range of filtration solutions for laboratory, research and process applications. Nadkarni elaborates, “Advantec products are used in a wide variety of scientific capacities and applications such as microbiological analysis, air/gas filtration, and environmental monitoring. It offers our customers an additional and valuable range of unique quality products that enhance their process and increase productivity.” The options for filters are virtually limitless ranging from mesh screens to depth style media such as threads or chopped paper to 100 per cent natural cellulose and 100 per cent man-made microfibres to almost any conceivable combination in between. Nadkarni says, “Filtration is essential to many modern products and processes, and it becomes even more critical as quality expectations and technology requirements for finer and more consistent results develop and increase. Uniform membrane materials and superior separation technology enhance and safeguard customers’ processes, products, instruments & services, and provides consistent results. Where filtration is necessary for a process, it needs to be consistent and reliable throughout the life of the filter and from filter to filter. Filter performance variability can be serious, leading to inconsistent product quality, additional costs from rework, rejections, product recalls, disposal costs and business risks.” Despite the much publicised slowdown of the Indian economy, experts believe that the filtration market in India will continue to grow at a faster rate compared to the general economy. Although, it is still a price-sensitive market with less sophisticated filter system designs than in the developed markets, the demand for performance-based products is expected to rise in India in near future. Email: rakesh.rao@network18publishing.com



FACILITY VISIT Dow Corning India Pvt Ltd

‘Lean’ing on efficiency for better productivity Ranjangaon facility in Pune of Dow Corning, the global leader in silicones, has been catering to the demand in India with quality and innovative products. In order to improve the efficiency of the plant, it has taken a number of steps such as lean manufacturing, good manufacturing practices, quality management system, etc. Rakesh Rao

T

ake a look at materials used to make innovative products in areas such as photonics, nanotechnology, plasma, building materials, alternative energy, etc, and one can realise how important is the role of silicones in their existence. In addition, the contribution of silicone in improving quality of life and sustainability is immense. Unleashing this power of silicon for applications in various industries is Dow Corning, one of the leading companies in silicones and high-purity silicon – which is derived from sand (quartz). David Longo, Site Manager – Pune Manufacturing Facility, Dow Corning India Pvt Ltd, says, “Dow

Corning was established specifically to explore the innovative potential of silicones. Our expertise in silicon science is helping address challenges relating to efficiency, sustainability and innovation. About 4-5 per cent of our sales are invested in R&D and we have about 4,552 patents worldwide.”

The journey to Pune Dow Corning started manufacturing operations in India, with Universal Silicones, in 1999 at Tarapur, Mumbai. To meet the rising demand for silicone products, the company moved its production activities to Ranjangaon near Pune by end of 2005. “Prior to Ranjangaon plant, we did have a facility at Tarapur, but given the rapid pace of

FACTSHEET o Adopted American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Program o Periodic Responsible Care audits and Operational Excellence Management System audits to ensure long-term safe operations o No Lost Time Injury (LTI) since more than five years o Global Incident Management System (GIMS) and Global Shared Learning (GSL) tools in place o Balance of Consequences Tool in place o cGMP and 5S activities implemented o 6 Sigma Methodology driving continuous improvement project portfolio

34

Chemical World | December 2012

expansion that we required, we decided to establish an enhanced facility that would enable us to serve our customers more effectively and efficiently. We decided on Ranjangaon because of the easy availability of qualified personnel in Pune, as well as the high quality of infrastructure and ease of set-up,” says Longo, who moved to Pune in 2010 from Europe. The fact that Ranjangaon is rated as a five-star MIDC, and has many OEMs made the decision to shift much easier to implement.

Quality par excellence The facility now houses laboratories for quality assurance and application engineering, as well as an area for current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), where it manufactures materials for personal care applications. “As of now, we have about a 100 people working at our site in various positions, such as manufacturing, science and technology, quality assurance, etc,” says Longo. Currently, Dow Corning manufactures emulsions and amino polymers, cosmetic grade emulsions, custom blends, greases and dispersions, and also performance sealants. These products go into a lot of key industries such as construction, personal care, automotive, textiles, pulp & paper, paints &


Dow Corning India Pvt Ltd

cGMP area in the plant

inks, electronics, industrial lubrication, etc. “In addition, the Application Engineering Technical Services laboratory housed in the manufacturing facility provides us with the opportunity to work closely with our Indian customers; allowing us to develop materials and solutions for India,” says Diane Kelly, India President, Dow Corning.

Lean manufacturing Dow Corning has adopted the concept of lean manufacturing, which is based on the Six Sigma methodology, and is used as a consistent way to discover and eliminate unnecessary steps or defects in its activities; this enables us to increase the value Dow Corning delivers to customers. As per lean manufacturing, any product or operation has to move in one direction. Hence, raw materials enter the facility from one end, undergoes processing and the end-products (packaged and sealed) leave the facility from different end. This facilitates seamless movements of the products. Improvements can be identified in terms of safety, quality, delivery cost, speed, flexibility and internal & external customer satisfaction. “Our focus is on

Expansion of our facility would depend on customer demand, and our ability to effectively fulfill these demands. We do have space for expansion as and when we need it. David Longo Site Manager – Pune Manufacturing Facility

the three types of waste reduction called Muda (waste), Mura (abnormality or unevenness) and Muri (strain or stress),” adds Yogesh K Khaladkar, Production Manager, Dow Corning India Pvt Ltd. Last year, the company implemented a lean suggestion scheme process allowing all site employees and operators to contribute their ideas and suggestions. Khaladkar opines, “All ideas are screened based on their potential and implementation requirements. A monthly reward process for the best implemented ideas is also in place to encourage participation and idea submission. In 2012, this process allowed us to make improvements at the plant by reducing waste or increasing our energy efficiency, all of which are part of our site objectives.” The 5S initiative (Sorting, Sweeping/ Straighten, Shine, Standardisation and Sustain) is used as a path for continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. “It is a philosophy of housekeeping that arose in Japan aiming to improve workplace efficiency and enhancing the appearance of the workplace,” says Khaladkar. Area 5S owners are identified and a quarterly audit process is put in place to assess performance vs requirements while building recommendations for improvements.

Quality with responsibility Dow Corning has developed a webbased global Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS) manual, which links to all local manuals and is also in compliance with the requirements of Quality Management System ISO 9001:2008. The Pune site is part of Dow Corning global ISO 9001:2008 Certification by BSI (Certificate: FM10734). “We are also following cGMP guidelines for manufacturing of products associated to specific applications,” adds Longo. Dow Corning follows American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Program to ensure that good environmental, health and safety practices are well-established across the company, including its site in Ranjangaon. Longo

The Application Engineering Technical Services laboratory housed in the manufacturing facility provides us with the opportunity to work closely with our Indian customers; allowing us to develop materials and solutions for India. Diane Kelly India President

says, “Our OEMS manual supports Environment, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS) and Responsible Care commitment in compliance with ISO14001 and RC14001.”

Meeting the growing needs The company has been built on a culture of innovation, and new products are being rolled out constantly. “Over the years, we have installed new manufacturing equipment on the shop floor and in the labs, as well as scaled up manufacturing capacities to keep pace with customer requirements. Expansion of our facility would depend on customer demand, and our ability to effectively fulfill these demands. While we have acquired more than 90,000 sq m of land, the built-up area is about half of that, so we do have space for expansion as and when we need it,” states Longo. Explaining the significance of the plant, Kelly says, “Dow Corning’s Ranjangaon facility was established to help us better serve our customers in this region, and is a key element of the company’s India growth strategy. Dow Corning offers two brands – the Dow Corning brand that provides innovative specialty products and solutions, and the online XIAMETER business model that offers customers the convenient option of purchasing standard silicone materials online at market-based prices. The Ranjangaon plant supports both these business models, thus enabling us to effectively meet the business needs of both sets of customers.” Photo: Prasad Krishnapurkar for Dow Corning Email: rakesh.rao@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

35


An invite that rewards as well... Dear Reader, ‘Chemical World ’ solicits original, well-written, application-oriented, unpublished articles that reflect your valuable experience and expertise in the chemical process industry. You can send us Technical Articles, Case Studies and Product Write-ups. The length of the article should not exceed 1500 words, while that of a product write-up should not exceed 100 words. The articles should preferably reach us in soft copy (either E-mail or a CD). The text should be in MS Word format and images in 300 DPI resolution & JPG format. The final decision regarding the selection and publication of the articles shall rest solely with ‘Chemical World ’. Authors whose articles are published will be sent a complimentary copy of that particular edition. Published by Network18 Media & Investments Ltd, ‘Chemical World ’ is one of the leading monthly magazines exclusively meant for producers and user fraternities of the chemical process industry (CPI). Well supported by a national readership of over 80,000 and our strong network of 26 branch offices across India, this magazine reaches out to key decision makers among the Indian CPI. Moreover, it offers a broader platform facilitating effective interaction among several fraternities of these industries by enabling them in reaching out to their prospective buyers & sellers through better trade contacts and more business opportunities. So get going and rush your articles, write-ups, etc… Thanking you, Yours sincerely,

Manas R. Bastia Senior Editor Chemical World Network18 Media & Investments Limited ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W) Mumbai 400 028 India

D +91 22 3003 4669 T +91 22 3024 5000 F +91 22 3003 4499 E manas@network18publishing.com W www.network18publishing.com


INSIGHT & OUTLOOK

Disclaimer: This visual is for representational purpose only

ASSET OPTIMISATION ASSET OPTIMISATION Predicting risks, driving profitability ...................................................................................................... 38 ASSET MANAGEMENT The CEO’s perspective ......................................................................................................................... 40 ROUNDTABLE Are companies taking enough steps to sensitise employees about asset optimisation? ......................... 42 ACCIDENT REDUCTION Safety ensured, rest assured .................................................................................................................... 44 OIL PRICE VOLATILITY The new economic reality ...................................................................................................................... 46

December 2012 | Chemical World

37


INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Asset optimisation

Disclaimer: This visual is for representational purpose only

When everything is going right for a company, an unplanned shutdown could translate into a dangerous proposition, threatening profitability and plant safety. Choosing an effective maintenance strategy goes a long way in preempting catastrophe and prolonging the life of the chemical plant.

Mahua Roy

F

or optimising asset (ie chemical plant) maintenance is inevitable for the process industry. Equally important is strategising the maintenance procedure. Forward thinking lies in the adoption of predictive maintenance technique. But how much has the industry come forward and accepted this? “Predictive maintenance strategies offer an impressive return on investment (RoI). Equipment failure can be expensive and potentially catastrophic. Unplanned production downtime, missed contract deadlines, costly machinery replacements, as well as safety problems, environmental concerns, and regulatory violations are all potential consequences of a maintenance programme that fails to predict and

38

Chemical World | December 2012

monitor equipment problems,” says Pradeep Kumar Gupta, Practice HeadManufacturing, IFS India.

Maintenance strategy A study by research firm ARC indicates that maintenance accounts for 40 per cent of the manufacturing cost. Related research has shown that on an average, a facility spends around 10 per cent of its overall maintenance budget on the automation and control system. If strategised optimally, and this expense reduced, just imagine its direct impact on productivity! ARC also pointed out that 50 per cent of maintenance is still done by the reactive methodology, ie unplanned maintenance. The maths is easy to deduce the shortfall of this technique, it being more expensive and unpredictable, which is both, dangerous and unprofitable.

Another strategy is that of preventative maintenance, which ARC reports say, is done only 25 per cent of the time. “Preventative maintenance seeks to intervene procedures prior to the expected failure date of the equipment. In addition, vendors add a small margin of error to their estimates. However, the real difficulty with preventative maintenance is that it is time-based instead of based on the actual condition of the equipment,” says Bharat Gala, President, SNC Lavalin Engineering – India. ARC notes that typically, 60 per cent of preventative maintenance is usually unnecessary. Because of this level of unnecessary work, preventative maintenance is five times more costly than predictive maintenance, which is based on the actual condition of the equipment. However, to determine the actual equipment status requires investment in diagnostic tools and software. Typically, plants that have developed effective predictive maintenance programmes discover that the monitored assets rarely cause unplanned problems or downtime. “This freedom from emergencies allows maintenance departments to address issues that can improve the overall condition of the operating assets even further. Smooth operation also improves the morale of maintenance technicians,” opines Gala.

Predicting profitability Predictive maintenance programmes are based upon the actual condition of the equipment. This, coupled with a determination of when maintenance should be performed, adds to cost savings substantially. New techniques such as ultrasound, infrared and vibration testing make predictive maintenance a practical alternative. Many plants have incorporated smart instrumentation and predictive maintenance strategies to streamline maintenance operations, reduce overtime and optimise subsequent turnaround activities. “Changing the daily work routines


Asset optimisation

of instrument technicians, control engineers and other maintenance staff based on new technologies can greatly reduce unplanned shutdowns, overtime call-outs and consequently, the overall maintenance cost. Linking asset optimisation systems with turnaround planning reduces unnecessary maintenance and allows more efficient use of maintenance resources on the highest-priority items,” summarises Gupta.

Decoding the strategies Predictive technologies are plant and process optimisation tools. Plants are turning to predictive maintenance strategies increasingly. Some are implementing predictive tools in-house, while others outsource it to software companies or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). “Predictive maintenance includes a number of analytical tools, including vibration monitoring, oil analysis, temperature monitoring and infrared imaging. They share one thing in common, collecting data on plant equipment and analysing that to see if and when things are out of order,” says Gupta.

New developments In the chemical process industry where hazardous chemicals are handled, there is strong emphasis on limiting the number of staff working in risky environments as far as possible, without impacting on reliability or availability of production. By monitoring equipment performance remotely, it is possible to identify problems that could otherwise result in a plant shutdown.

Linking asset optimisation systems with turnaround planning reduces unnecessary maintenance and allows more efficient use of maintenance resources on the highest-priority items. Pradeep Kumar Gupta Practice Head-Manufacturing, IFS India

New introductions and ongoing research in IT and engineering have helped develop tools to counter unplanned breakdowns. The ideology and methodology followed is that of predictive maintenance principles. Using various conditions and readings from integral installations, an informed decision about maintenance can thus be taken by the engineers. Technologies providing such data analysis are seeing huge demand in the industry. Advances in predictive maintenance technologies are being driven by commercial demands for improvement in productivity, quality, inventory control and expenditure on plant & machinery. Recent technological developments include improved knowledge of material failure mechanisms; advancements in failure forecasting techniques, monitoring & sensor devices, diagnostic & prognostic software; acceptance of communication protocols, developments in maintenance software applications and computer networking technologies, to name a few. What the customers for such technologies are looking for are essentially speed, versatility, flexibility, ease-of-operation and of course, cost-effectiveness. “Advances in the adoption of maintenance technologies that include digital instruments supported by both data management and spectral analysis software enable us with the capability of performing route-based inspections, data management, trending and even sound analysis. Ultrasound technology is an extremely versatile technique, and therefore, fits seamlessly into any maintenance programme whether the emphasis is on mechanical, electrical or even fluid systems. Such developments create many opportunities for users to expand the realm of traditional condition monitoring of mechanical operations to electrical equipment and even fluid systems such as valves,” says Gupta. Smart control valves are finding increased adoption. As per a research

Freedom from emergencies allows maintenance departments to address issues that can improve the overall condition of the operating assets even further. Smooth operation also improves the morale of maintenance technicians. Bharat Gala President, SNC Lavalin Engineering – India

by Freedonia Group, it is expected that the global market for automatic valves will outpace that for conventional valves due to the continuing efforts of process industry to enhance operational efficiencies. The advancements in valve technology can potentially save facilities millions of dollars a year by providing a window into critical processes, allowing customers to reduce operating costs through integrated control and unparalleled diagnostic capabilities. Smart valves enable an efficient and dependable two-way communication and provide remote calibration capabilities. This provides convenience and can actually bring the shop floor easily into the boardroom. One of the unique capabilities of these intelligent valves is the ability to store information from the entire life of the valve in its memory. “Advanced process control systems that have greater visibility and control on equipment more prone to vulnerability have become a necessity. This is highly aiding predictive maintenance. Agile eco-friendly ERP applications having integrated asset optimisation tools, coupled with techniques to achieve increased overall equipment efficiency, are witnessing high demand. It assists in integrating multiple technologies and provides a deeper insight into asset management data and is also helpful in reducing asset management cost while keeping them environment-friendly,” says Gupta. Email: mahua.roy@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

39


INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Asset management

The CEO’s perspective Asset management encompasses safety, profitability, brand image, cost efficiency, energy management, and several other factors. It means different things to different people. What does the head honcho of an organisation view it as? Read on…

Mahua Roy

S

o what is the new to-do item in the strategy list of senior management, apart from managing sales, promotional strategies, new facilities, etc? The new generation of senior management is investing heavily and holding brainstorming sessions to promote the attitude of asset optimisation among its employees. Companies have always been managing their assets for years, but only recently it has become a corporate priority. Nowadays, maintenance and equipment auditing followed by necessary corrective measures have become a trend, which is

Rather than restoring the equipment to its original performance, planning a turnaround could better still be aimed at enhancing the process and performance of a plant, equipment or any system. Mukul Gupta Managing Director, Chemtreat India

40

Chemical World | December 2012

here to stay. Over the past few years, the role of maintenance has grown in plant operations. Shutdowns, downtime and consequent business risks, such as safety hazards, loss in productivity have been a severe production engineering problem. However, by managing maintenance schedules and cycles, this issue has always been taken care of at the facility or site level. Many companies have recently implemented reliability initiatives geared towards optimising the maintenance function at their plants, backed by the support of enthusiastic senior management.

Now a boardroom issue Forward thinking corporations of today are starting to look at the issue of asset management in a different way. They are now focussing on how adoption of lean maintenance strategies can actually help their business grow. This way, the senior management is relocating the discussions on maintenance from the facility into the boardroom. Most members of the senior management now view maintenance efficiency as a factor that can affect all the business indicators such as environmental integrity, energy efficiency,

product quality and customer service, and not limited to just cost. Implementing an asset management programme can be tough in today’s world of corporate business thinking. In order to pursue an effective programme, one needs to have a basic plan with practical goals and objectives. “Modern industry is at crossroads in today’s world. The management is driven to reduce costs and provide higher productivity at the same time,” says Anthony Wong, Managing Director, Jotun India. Yet, the management in many cases may not have the exact technical information required to make long-term, cost-effective decisions with regard to the maintenance of facilities, buildings, infrastructure, utilities, and assets that produce parts that make up the final product. What they may have is a summary and deductions made from available data. For some companies, predictive maintenance has become a boardroom issue. There are companies that consider their maintenance principles a strategic advantage. “The global financial crisis has encouraged the use of predictive maintenance tools. The tools are becoming more popular as plants struggle to extend the life of their equipment and optimise equipment operation in the midst of a severe downturn. Plants can no longer afford scheduled maintenance, which often means replacing something that is not broken or expensive breakdown maintenance strategies,” adds Mukul Gupta, Managing Director, Chemtreat India. Success is typically measured by the improvement to the company’s bottom line. To achieve the financial success of any project, the key cost drivers addressed by the project have to be understood. Another perspective of looking at maintenance strategies is not only to maintain the assets but also to enhance the process or the plant operation system as a result of turnaround planning. “Thus, rather than restoring the equipment to its original performance, planning a turnaround could better still be aimed at


Asset management

enhancing the process and performance of a plant, equipment or any system,” adds Gupta.

managed asset and thereby converting it into a profit centre is the hallmark ‘KRA’ of senior management today.

Orienting the workforce

Adapting to a culture

“The best process and technology platform will be successful only with the presence of trained and motivated employees. An ideal maintenance management programme will require the combined skillsets of engineers, operators, analysts as well as technology professionals,” opines Wong. Ultimately, tackling maintenance issues is identical to solving a business problem. “Effective maintenance is no longer viewed as a cost centre, as was the case traditionally. It can be transformed into a profit centre, if strategised optimally,” says Wong. That is where the involvement of senior management is imperative. The responsible and authoritative stamp of the senior management proves the seriousness they put into this issue. Turning an unmanaged cost into a

No programme can succeed completely if it is not well-conceived by the entire workforce. If implemented optimally, a maintenance programme alone has the ability to change the culture, philosophy and workflow of the production department. “It is not just the addition of a new technology or tool, but a different approach and strategy towards maintaining one’s assets. This approach is being undertaken in order to gain specific benefits that can and should be measured. These benefits include increased uptime, reduced failures, shorter planned outages, fewer preventive maintenance actions and, ultimately, a more efficient facility,” summarises U Shekhar, Managing Director, Galaxy Surfactants. The senior management has the onus of streamlining the said strategies.

It is not just the addition of a new technology or tool, but a different approach and strategy towards maintaining one’s assets. This approach is being undertaken in order to gain specific benefits that can and should be measured. U Shekhar Managing Director, Galaxy Surfactants

Failure to adapt the culture to this new philosophy, and effectively benchmarking the gains, will eventually lead to the programme’s dissolution. Adopting new technologies without changing maintenance strategies will not produce the desired benefits. Ongoing training is an important ingredient of a successful programme. However, it needs to be the correct type of training, a combination of complementary technology and managerial expertise. Email: mahua.roy@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

41


INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Roundtable

Are companies taking enough steps to sensitise employees about asset optimisation? As companies explore avenues to increase their profitability, optimising their existing assets acquires extreme importance in determining further growth plans. The onus of optimising the assets does not lie on the shoulders of the maintenance department anymore, and companies are focussing on sensitising every employee about this aspect. Mahua Roy talks to experts on this to know more.

Anthony Wong Managing Director, Jotun India

Farooq Merchant Managing Director, Messung Systems Pvt Ltd

Bharat Gala President, SNC Lavalin Engineering India

Asset management and optimisation is key to turning businesses profitable. Making the workforce realise the importance of assets, as basic as electricity and water as well as equipment and machinery, is imperative for attaining success in business. We fuel innovation among our employees and promote asset optimisation. Collaboration among them and application of their unique skill-sets result in innovation. They can be led to devise for themselves a carefully orchestrated combination of business, technical and scientific skills to help set company strategy towards asset optimisation. We encourage the team to come up with pathways and results. This way every employee gets a threedimensional expertise. Employees need to appreciate vertical industry trends and end-user needs as well as global economics, finance and advances in science and technology that affect various industries.

Manufacturing and production enterprises are under intense pressure to deliver maximum efficiency, under various operating conditions. The ultimate winners will be those who use their people and equipment assets most effectively. The objective is to completely optimise the utilisation of all plant assets, from entire process lines to individual pressure vessels, piping, process machinery, and other vital machine components. Continuous training to personnel is the most effective method to sensitise the employees about asset management. This can also be coupled with imparting of safety training. Understanding the safety issues related to installation, operations, and maintenance of the equipment assets and production processes is also crucial. Safety concerns affect decisions on when to perform certain high-risk repairs and how long to operate an asset, which is in critical need of repair.

Most of the critical processdriven industries are growing. Such industries are investing more on engineering, project and asset management tools to optimise the use of existing assets. This provides an additional boost to plant safety. Initially, asset management was never looked upon as a tool by the industry. It was considered more of a luxury. But today, as the industry globalises, with technology providers customising solutions, plant maintenance and asset management are being readily accepted and incorporated in production departments. Ability to integrate technologies – from inventory management to supply chain dynamics and real-time management of assets – is equipping the industry personnel in planning future projects. Orienting the employees about such technologies is a must. Investing in employees is a big investment too. They are the biggest assets.

EDITORIAL TAKE Managing the assets optimally is a constructive strategy that can help boost productivity of a manufacturing plant. And asset optimisation is not just limited to machinery and utilities such as water and energy but also people. Companies are actively co-developing strategies with employees to promote asset optimisation and investing heavily in their delivery.

42

Chemical World | December 2012



INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Accident reduction

Safety ensured, rest assured Workplace accidents and other untoward incidents add to the cost pressures of any company. However, if efforts are taken to analyse and compute different types and quantum of expenditure incurred in controlling/combating/compensating/mitigating accidents, a bigger picture can unfold. Here is an attempt to revisit different ways and means of costing the undesirable incidents and saving every rupee through assurance of safety.

KNK Murthy

A

lot of money is saved while working safe; however huge amounts also get squandered in an accident. Knowingly or unknowingly the costing part of safety governance is not seriously taken up and people get carried away or contended by the so-called overhead terminology and tend to write off the expenditure considering accidents as just one of or rare occurrences. Reliable cost information is one basis for making decisions upon which efficiency and profit of the organisation depend. Even in so obviously desirable an activity as incident prevention, some proposed measures or alternatives must be evaluated on the merit of their potential effect on profits. This may serve as a panacea to prevent untoward incidents. Although most company executives want to make their organisation a safe place to work, they have to do some balancing act while delivering the assigned and primary task of running the business profitably. Consequently, they may tend to spend less on safety and accident prevention goals, unless there is convincing argument on the scope of

44

Chemical World | December 2012

saving at least what has been spent. It is exactly here that the accident costing becomes helpful in projecting the lower rate of capital investment on safety and higher rate of recurring post-incident expenditure.

People at the managerial and topmost executive levels get more attracted towards cost reduction figures as compared to accident reduction figures (the latter being preferred by and large among safety professionals).

Table 1: Direct costs Attribute

Information access

Payment of wages to injured during his leave of Pay slips (in certain organisations they absence specifically mention this as accident leave along with the break-up data) Reimbursable medical expenditure

Medical, personnel department

or

accounts

Insurance premium being paid (for personnel and Personnel/accounts department assets including public liability) Compensation paid against any type of disability Personnel/welfare/accounts department (temporary, permanent, partial or total) Additional wages paid to the employee who work Accounts department as substitute Repair/replacement expenditure on equipment Unit in-charge in whose area the damaged due to the accident accident took place Cost of fire extinguishing materials

Fire service department

Cost of other mitigation expenditure (hiring Materials, engineering services, expenditure of cranes, transport vehicles, purchase transport (administration), departments of contingency materials such as cement bags, excavation tools, temporary shelter erection etc, to name just a few) Supply of beverages and food personnel, medical staff etc

for

rescue Canteen or hotel bills

Legal expenditure (court cases), investigation fees Legal or secretariat (especially when the function is outsourced) contract cell etc

department,


Accident reduction

In addition, presenting the trend of cost reduction vis-à-vis incident occurrences will motivate shop-level supervisors to ensure improved compliance of safety systems, procedures and practices. National Safety Council (USA), a premier organisation devoted to nurturing, promotion and development of safety, brings out an annual publication called Injury Facts. One simple illustration appearing in its 2009 edition says it all while notifying that the actual cost of accidents incurred by the US in just one year touched a whopping $ 693.5 billion. Though highly unimaginable or prohibitive, the revelation is factual.

Table 2: Indirect costs (At times abstract or non-quantifiable)

Attributes

Information access

Unclaimable amount from insurance companies Special and one-time approvals for waiver/ (fixation of minimum payable value, loss not write off by top management duly covered/specified in the listed items, lack of evidence, overshooting warranty/disclaimer clauses etc) Demurrages/compensation against stoppage, Marketing/materials/contract departments delay of delivery to customers, service providers or other stakeholders Loss due to process interruption, suspension or Production department long spells of shutdown due to accident Payment to injured against restricted activity Departmental heads/personnel etc (eg, allotting light duty) Expenditure incurred in helping out family Personnel department members of accident victim to reach hospital and staying as attendants

How the costing could have been made?

Cost of man-days spent for training a substitute Departmental heads/personnel department to takeover victim’s workload

Elephants have two types of teeth – outer (tusks) for displaying and inner for chewing (which is a more serious activity). Similarly, in most of the accident reports, one can come across the immediately visible (outer) expenditure (also known as direct) which gets more coverage, leaving less scope for the indirect. In fact, in majority of the cases, the indirect costs turn out to be many times higher – including difficult to measure or abstract data. First let us start listing the direct costs (easily available and duly measurable) including the source of information access in any type of organisation. Thereafter, the attention could be on indirect costs (Refer Tables 1 and 2). Above all, there are few hidden but significant costs in terms of company’s image, prestige and reputation among all stakeholders, society, and the nation, which may not have a price tag but affecting overall productivity and entrepreneurship of the organisation.

Cost of man-days spent on personnel attending Departmental heads/personnel department to the victim (peers and supervisors)

Prevention is best All types of establishments are nowadays being confronted with challenges concerning profitability from different angles. In this context, it would be wiser for unit heads and senior- level executives to integrate safety and loss

Cost of materials/equipment, which got either Operations and maintenance department spoiled or damaged beyond salvation Additional cost of cleaning up operation

Production department

Increase of production cost while trying to get Production and planning department additional material or equipment (urgent supply) through traders and dealers after the accident (inflationary rates) prevention along with other elements in the productivity while looking for saving and cost reduction. There cannot be a better indicator than accurate figures with respect to proactive (safety assurance) and reactive (post-accident) costing. Safety personnel must take lead in this aspect considering their expertise in convincing and communicating (which is their basic professional asset). They must directly take up the issue with the agencies as mentioned in the tables (who can facilitate the initiation process by sharing the data as required for the costing exercise). Armed with the right/accurate information, the safety executives are required to attend the regular managerial meetings in the organisation and take up the issue of the lessons to be learnt from all consequences in general and financial implications in specific with reference to the types of

accidents. Thereafter, they will be in an unassailable position to advocate the need for investing as much required for safety improvement so as to save more and avoid painful expenditure after an undesirable occurrence. K N K Murthy has been in the fertilisers and petrochemicals industry for 38 years and retired as Senior Manager (Safety) from Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd, Vadodara. Currently, he works as a Safety Consultant and is associated with Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad. He has done pioneering works in various aspects like hazard identification, safety audits/inspections/ surveys, training, emergency preparedness planning, quality/environment standards (ISO), etc. He can be contacted on email: mohanaknk@yahoo.co.in

December 2012 | Chemical World

45


INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Oil price volatility

THE NEW ECONOMIC REALITY Higher oil prices and associated volatility have significantly changed the relative profitability and competitiveness of chemical sector, although the relationship between various chemical groups and supply chains are impacted differently. Companies will need to revisit the basics of supply and demand, taking into account production costs, substitution, alternative production routes, as well as trade and logistical linkages among various regions.

had revised their forecast for oil demand growth in 2012 based on worries about the weak global economy, and in particular, the Euro zone crisis. Steeper declines are observed in the US and the OECD-Europe due to a combination of economic stagnation and gradual gains in efficiency. Demand in Europe is down by 8,00,000 barrels per day in just two years, primarily because of the concerns about the debt crisis in Europe. Demand growth has been concentrated in developing world, with China using more than 10 million barrels per day.

World oil demand growth By quarter, in million barrels per day (bpd)

Dr Mosongo Moukwa

T

he oil markets for the remainder of 2012 will be driven mainly by fundamentals and, in particular, by the supply side: very tight crude oil stocks, low spare capacity from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and significant non-OPEC supply disruptions. In addition, both actual and potential supply disruptions from Iran will be an important factor for the markets. Extreme volatility in oil prices is here to stay. It will affect every sector of the economy, including the chemical industry and allied sectors such as the paints and coatings industry. Indeed, most raw materials used in the paints and coatings are hydrocarbon-based, and their price is directly affected by both the oil and gas prices. This has important implications for executives, who are challenged to know where to put their bets.

Demand for oil There are many doubts regarding the demand for oil. OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IEA)

46

Chemical World | December 2012

to boost social expenditures across the region. It is estimated that in order to meet these obligations, expenditures for the increased production of oil (upstream allocations) will require almost $ 4 trillion between now and 2035 – on a sliding scale starting at $ 100 billion annually. OPEC, which accounts for 30 million of the 80 million barrels released to the market every day, will need an average crude price of $ 80 a barrel now and more than $ 120 within a few years. This is due to increasing capital outlays to maintain the flow of oil. It can choose to reduce output as a means to push prices

4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4

2012 world oil demand growth 9,40,000 bpd (revised from 1.06 mn bpd)

Non-OECD OECD World

World oil demand 86.94 mn bpd

87.82

88.76

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2009

2010

2011

2012 Sources: IEA, OPEC, news reports

Tightness of the supply The tightness of the supply is mostly a result of supply side issues. Barclays Capital estimates that the problems in Sudan, Yemen and Syria alone could together curtail over one million barrels a day output – more than one per cent of global supply. That is now compounded by the European ban on Iranian imports that took effect on July 1. This will deprive the European Union of up to 6,00,000 barrels a day of crude. If this happens, India and Japan will lose tens of thousands of barrels of daily supply and the world will be short of 1.6 million barrels a day. The aftermath of the Arab Spring has obliged Middle Eastern governments

higher and can increase it to meet greater demand. Oil is also priced in dollars. Thus, movements in the exchange rate have impacts on crude. The weaker the dollar, the higher the dollar price of oil because it takes more dollars to buy a barrel.

Impact of oil price on the chemical industry The impact of oil prices on the price of chemicals has become more difficult to predict. Applying historical productto-feedstock price spreads to outlooks based on a given margin and return is no longer valid. This was possible years ago when past and future plants relied on the


Oil price volatility

same basic technology, built in the same region, and all players had similar capital investment expectations. Sustained high oil prices have had significant effects on the entire chemical industry. Generally, higher feedstock costs increase the manufacturing cost of most petrochemicals; this has impacted the profitability of many companies. As high oil prices alter the price of some chemicals more than others, the relative profitability of some products are affected more than others. This is already affecting the chemical industry. Take propylene, for example. Propylene price has been traditionally linked to its alkylation value. With rising oil prices around 2005, the alkylation value was pushed higher, and propylene price detached from this pricing mechanism. The marginal use of propylene instead became polypropylene (PP) substituting for high density polyethylene (HDPE), and a new pricing level was established. By 2010, the US propylene market became tight as propylene demand continued to grow faster than supply. In the new tight market, propylene then moved up the value ladder to a point where its price is being set by PP competing in some applications with polystyrene (PS). Geographical differential prices have also been altered. The world is more globalised, where the long-term price setter may be situated in a different region with a different cost structure. Chemical flows, traditionally coming from North America and Western Europe, are more complex today and affect the price differential across the various regions of the world. The emergence of powerful new producers with different cost positions and decision mindsets in regions such as the Middle East and China has changed the landscape altogether. Discontinuities are also emerging along the hydrocarbon and petrochemical chains. The discovery of abundant ethane containing shale gas has added new supplies of ethylene. These new sources, however, will only partly cover the global demand for ethylene, estimated to reach 160 million metric tonne per year by

2020. New naphtha crackers will still be required in order to meet the demand requirements. The price of naphtha, gas and other light distillate oil-based products are related to the price of oil; thus they are also affected by the macroeconomy and geopolitical uncertainty. Naphtha-based ethylene crackers generate substantial quantities of by-products such as propylene and butadiene, and the price of ethylene depends upon the price the producers receive for those by-products. Sustained higher oil prices and volatility have not only changed the price relationships among petrochemicals producers but also call for the adoption of non-hydrocarbon-based feedstock. It is also forcing companies and

Sustained higher oil prices and volatility have not only changed the price relationships among petrochemicals producers but also call for the adoption of non-hydrocarbonbased feedstock. technologists to look for inter-polymer substitution among the commodity polymers. For example, capital-intensive manufacturing processes may fare much better than feedstock-intensive processes; energy-intensive processing will suffer and non-petroleum-based products will be preferred. Turbulence has increased. It is neither uniform across the hydrocarbon and the petrochemical chains, nor across countries, nor steady over time. The current economic crisis is not the cause of the market turbulence. It is simply the latest symptoms of the volatility inherent in global markets and the various discontinuities that have emerged over the last ten years.

Welcome to the new oil economy There will be a rise and fall in oil prices moving forward. Nonetheless, the

overall trajectory will continue upward. With less supply and constant demand – at a minimum – oil prices can only go higher. Higher oil prices and associated volatility have become the new economic realities. It has changed the business dynamics and competitiveness of chemical sector. Companies will need to go back to the basics of supply and demand, taking into account various factors that include production costs, substitution, and alternative production routes, among others. An increase in the prices of gas and crude oil is significant for the paints and coatings industry. It represents a source of major concern for manufacturers of paints and coatings, as 60-70 per cent of the raw materials are based on petrochemicals derivatives. The situation in India is such that out of the 300 raw materials used in paints and coatings, about half of them are imported. Paints and coatings consist of three major components. Even in the most volatile environment, opportunities can be found. Periodic golden opportunities are interspersed among many smaller chances. The trick is to keep in the information flow, talk through alternative scenarios, and keep discussing possible opportunities for the management team to identify the most attractive. The flow of information must be in real-time to keep abreast of the fluid state of affairs to spot emerging opportunities and threats early enough to act on them. Executives must work through possible scenarios to assess how the process might evolve and what it might mean for the industry or for their particular business. They must also study what is happening in other countries to apply some lessons. Dr Mosongo Moukwa is Vice President (Technology), Asian Paints Ltd, Mumbai. He was Vice President (Global Technology), Reichhold, North Carolina. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Commercial Development and Management Association and the Licensing Executive Society. Email: mosongo.moukwa@asianpaints.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

47


AUTOMATION TRENDS Wireless technology

asset management process We are not very far from the idea of a wireless plant. The rapid development and sophistication in technologies have led to the adoption of wireless technology by the process industry. Mahua Roy

T

he worldwide market for wireless technology for plant maintenance and asset management will grow 26 per cent annually over the next few years, as per a forecast by the ARC Advisory Group. Driving that demand is a strong realisation regarding not only the forseeable cost savings that accrue from doing away with wires but also the ability of wireless applications to enable new and better ways of operating in the process industry. Wireless communications have traditionally been serving remote monitoring applications in oil & gas production and water & power utilities. However, the potential for wireless technologies to link field devices and control systems in the plant is creating a huge flutter in the chemical industry. Intelligence, modularity and remote diagnostics are the trends of the future. Decentralised automation allows distribution of intelligent automation components across the plant. New biotechnological processes represent new challenges for automation, particularly in the production of pharmaceuticals and biotech-based fine chemicals. “In the past one decade, automation and instrumentation

48

Chemical World | December 2012

have changed because supporting technologies – especially software and surface-mounted devices – have developed significantly. Today, webbased management technologies such as remote viewing, Wireless-HART technologies, radio communications and RFID technologies are evolving and influencing the automation arena. Developments have been such that it is even possible to receive an alert on a mobile phone or laptop regarding the process of the plant,” states Sunil Khanna, Managing Director, Emerson Network Power India.

In the wireless plant of the future, daily rounds will become less frequent because wireless instrumentation will be able to capture live and then immediately send relevant data back to the control system. Live wirefree Wireless technologies offer an array of benefits, even economically. “It can typically bring down the capital cost of a project by almost 50-80 per cent,” adds Khanna.

How does one summarise the futuristic wireless technologies adopted in plants? What is their value-addition to currently installed assets? It cannot be ignored that wiring incurs high expenses, coupled with its maintenance. Adopting a wireless environment will essentially lead to cost savings for the company. “Few pieces of equipment that must be monitored have wired instrumentation because the cost of wiring back to the control room is prohibitively expensive. As a result, a plant needs to shift focus towards wireless technologies. One can continue to have wired protection systems only for high-value assets such as large turbines, which generally represent less than 10 per cent of rotating equipment,” says Farooq Merchant, Managing Director, Messung Systems Pvt Ltd. Wireless technology offers the process industry the functionalities it might lack. “For instance, a new category of low-cost field devices can gather additional indication – only data – that will help operators run units smoothly. These devices do not aim to replace wired instruments in controlling the process but rather will provide extra data points to improve optimisation. In turn, safety of assets and employees will also be guaranteed. In a wireless environment though, being


Wireless technology

able to implement a basic device such as an incremental temperature transmitter can make a significant difference,” adds Merchant. In the wireless plant of the future, daily rounds will become less frequent because wireless instrumentation will be able to capture live and then immediately send relevant data back to the control system. Thus, a lot of saving on manual labour can be avoided, preventing errors. Besides, it will be possible to get high-quality data several times a day from assets.

Live streaming Another area expected to grow over the next few years is streaming audio and video over the wireless network. “For instance, maintenance personnel may wish to observe only a specific integral pump. If it begins to fail, staff can view the video to see if anything is physically wrong with the unit without having to drive to the location. Likewise, wireless

video can ensure that contractors are performing work in a safe and acceptable manner,” says Merchant. And of course, remote access is the biggest advantage provided. “Maintenance engineers carrying wireless video cameras on rounds will be able to show a remote expert, thus speeding up a troubleshooting or repair process,” he adds.

RFID boom Emerging d e ve l o p m e n t s in wireless technology promote employee safety and physical asset tracking in a big way. “In future, I see wearable RFID tags to become common, enabling plants to readily locate workers. This will prove an important strategy in case of plant emergencies. Many R&D houses are working on this technology. Besides, RFID tags also will allow keeping track of high-value assets vulnerable to theft or misplacement,” says Merchant.

Go wireless, save time This pool of information provided by data will lead to availability of much greater time for in-depth analysis. This will result in less downtime, decreased maintenance costs and increased production. “Research shows that using wireless instrumentation to monitor assets more frequently sometimes can cut maintenance costs in half. Workers in the plant will spend their days quite differently. With live data on their fingertips, they will be able to operate more effectively,” notes Khanna. As per feedback from expert vendors in the industry, many chemical majors and process industries are steadily reformulating their wireless strategies. By carefully choosing wireless projects, working with experienced vendors and selecting wireless equipment that can handle today’s needs and provide the scalability to support future requirements, some sites already are well on their way to becoming futuristic. Email: mahua.roy@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

49


ENERGY MANAGEMENT Cold pilger process

Rakesh Rao

C

old pilgering is a rolling process for metal tubes in which diameter and wall thickness are reduced in a number of forming steps. This technology can be used to manufacture tubes or pipes, which are used in chemical industry applications. “Yes, they can be also used in the chemical industry. The application is difficult to specify as high-quality stainless tubes can be used everywhere,� observes Tobias Korz, Sales Manager - Cold Pilger Equipment, SMS Meer GmbH – which offers cold pilger mills. Cold pilger mill machines perform work on pre-existing tubes produced by

mandrel. As the tube is reduced from a larger diameter to a smaller one, the tube is elongated and, therefore, the finished tube becomes considerably longer.

Advantage cold pilger This special forming process is indispensable for numerous applications, and economical for many others. Large cross-section reductions (diameter and wall thickness) are possible, thanks to a forming process involving the application of pressure from all sides, enabling substantial reduction of eccentricity due to a homogenising material flow in circumferential direction, achievement of special material microstructures and manufacture of large tube lengths. With cold pilgering, one can avoid additional

homogeneity and surface roughness o Free sinking with its negative effects is completely avoided o Achievement of closest tolerances in diameter and wall thickness o No process-related material losses o Suitable for forming difficult materials, which are beyond the capabilities of other processes, eg drawing o High cost-efficiency due to large shell weights & shell lengths, and the production of various tube sizes from one shell size No other cold forming process for tubes is able to offer so many positive benefits. Furthermore, the cold pilger rolling process is not limited just to the production of cylindrical tubes.

A COOL SOLUTION TO TUBE FORMING Rise in demand for specialised tubes from process industry is leading to increased adoption of cold pilger technology. While it offers advantages such as better finish, avoidance of additional operations & processes, suitability for forming difficult materials, etc, low energy consumption gives this technology an edge over other methods. Saving power

Courtesy: SMS Meer GmbH

means of cast, welding or extrusion. Pilgered tube metal alloys include aluminium, copper, gold, silver, stainless steel, titanium, zirconium and a host of many other special materials that are derived from various metal alloys. Pilgering is a fast process. The saddle holds the top & bottom dies and forces the two dies over the tube material outside diameter. The mandrel is stationary but does rotate at a specific time in the process. The mandrel is tapered and maintains the tube inside diameter while the dies reduce the outside diameter. At a specific time in the cycling process, the incoming tube is fed into the dies and over the

50

Chemical World | December 2012

operations and processes such as cleaning, annealing, pickling, cutting, handling, straightening, etc. Other advantages include: o The large number of forming steps improve roundness, stress

There is another major metal working process, cold draw, used to reduce the same types of tubing and alloys. However, it has been observed that when producing large quantities of tubing, cold drawing is considered to be slow, compared to the pilgering process. For example, a cold drawn tube may have to be drawn 3-4 times to equal the same amount of work of a pilger mill. Each time a tube is cold drawn, the tube must be cleaned and annealed (softened) before drawing again. Hence, it is believed that cold pilgering technology is energyefficient compared to other technologies used to manufacture tubes or pipes. Korz


Cold pilger process

says, “Yes, cold pilgering technology is energy-efficient as it can reduce large cross-sections, which saves additional forming steps. Compared to, for example drawing processes, the pilgering does not result in waste of crimped ends.” Explaining the advantages of using cold pilger mill technology to manufacture tubes or pipes, Sanjay Waghulade, Whole-time Director, Innoventive Industries Ltd, says, “Using this process, there is a significant reduction in energy, labour and material costs in comparison to the draw bench method. Also, products manufactured by this process have unmatched quality, with superior surface finish, higher tensile strength while remaining competitively priced because of these savings.” Cold pilgering technology helps achieve higher cross-section reductions whereas in draw bench cross-section reductions are limited. Waghulade says, “So cold pilgering technology significantly reduces the number of passes required to achieve the desired specification to the conventional draw bench technology that requires many more passes to achieve the same specification. The savings are magnified in the case of tubes with a smaller diameter. The large cross-section reductions help to limit process-related conversion costs, because cold pilgering reduces number of additional processes such as end pointing, pickling, cutting, handling, and straightening between drawing operations. All these help to lower the energy consumption.”

Cold pilgering technology significantly reduces the number of passes required to achieve the desired specification to the conventional draw bench technology that requires many more passes to achieve the same specification. The savings are magnified in the case of tubes with a smaller diameter. Sanjay Waghulade Whole-time Director, Innoventive Industries Ltd

Table 1: Materials that can be cold pilgered

Materials

Applications

Stainless steel

Chemical industry, medicine, food, and pure gas applications

Antifriction steel bearings

Antifriction bearings

Ferritic steels

Boiler construction and chemical engineering

Low-alloy steels

Boiler construction, drilling & boring, high pressure tubes, and automotive engineering

Inconel, Incoloy, nickel alloys Heat exchangers for power plant, and chemical engineering Copper

Plumbing tubes, air-conditioning systems, refrigerators and heat exchangers

Copper-nickel, brass

Seawater desalination plant, and marine engineering

Titanium alloys

Aeronautical engineering and medicine

Zircaloy

Nuclear power plants Source: SMS Meer GmbH

India taking the lead In July 2012, Innoventive Industries Ltd was granted a patent for a cold pilgering technology, which the company claims can help to manufacture quality tubes with enhanced characteristics in a most energy-efficient and cost-effective manner. “The cold pilgering for welded tubes technology is a proprietary technology developed by Innoventive Industries to manufacture Cold Drawn Electric Welded (CEW ) tubes from Electric Welded (ERW ) tubes without the use of draw bench. This process results in energy, labour and process-related conversion cost saving and provides tubes with enhanced mechanical properties such as better surface finish, dimensional accuracy and strength, compared to typical CEW tubes,” states Waghulade. As per the study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, the process saves up to 80 per cent energy costs and also has significant environmental advantages. “The usage of chemicals is significantly minimised and the wastage of steel is reduced by 7 per cent without compromising on the quality of the product,” claims Waghulade.

Clamouring for demand With the demand for tubes rising, cold pilgering technology is gaining traction. Korz says, “Yes, there is for

sure a big rise in usage of cold pilgering technology as there is a big market for high-quality tubes made from stainless steel, brass alloys, copper, zirconium and nickel-chromium-based alloys. The future is good for the cold pilgering technology, especially for high-quality machines from SMS Meer, which have higher output and quality of tubes compared to the competitors. Modern production facilities trust the machines of SMS Meer. There is a growing market for very special tubes.” Adds Waghulade, “We are seeing greater understanding and acceptance of this process by our clients as they realise the value they can derive.” The growth prospect of cold pilgering is promising as tubes manufactured by this process are competitively priced without compromising on the quality. Its low energy consumption is an added advantage. Hence, companies offering services and technology for cold pilgering are also upbeat about the future. Waghulade concludes, “While our technology is currently focussed on the process of conversion of ERW tubes into CEW tubes, we are evaluating multiple products across industries where the efficiency of this process can be leveraged to create value. We see increased preference for this process in the future.” Email: rakesh.rao@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

51


POLICIES & REGULATIONS REACH impact

Cascading effect on the global regulatory framework Since Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation came into force in the European Union (EU) on June 1, 2007, other countries have taken steps to implement stringent norms to monitor safe usage of chemicals. Read on to learn about some of the new global regulatory frameworks in the chemical industry. Timelines released by ECHA

52

Chemical World | December 2012

Lead submission

Member submission

30 May 2013 Deadline

Chemical assessment

End 2012 CSR ready

Substance ID Data sharing Hazard data

Q2 2013

Q1 2013

Q1-Q4 2012

Q3-Q4 2011 End 2011 i5* dataset

SIEF Work

Now

T

he EU REACH regulation has taken centre stage for companies exporting products to Europe since its inception. As per statistics from European Chemical Agency (ECHA), first registration deadline (November 30, 2010) for substances exported more than 1,000 tonne per annum (tpa) resulted in submission of 25,000+ registrations for approximately 4,300 substances to agency. Registrations with intermediate use comprised approximately 25 per cent, and of the total registrations 19 per cent were submitted by ‘only representatives’. Majority of registrations (above 94 per cent) for 2010 deadline were done as joint submission, where a company takes the role of lead registrant and submits all data required as per tonnage band with rest of companies, who become member registrants, submitting the dossiers referring to this data by paying data cost (Letter of Access – LoA) except company-specific information. Besides the registration, companies submitted more than Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) notifications to the agency. With successful completion of two deadlines, the present focus of companies is registration deadline due next year for tonnage band from 100 to 1,000 tpa. ECHA has released tentative timelines for 2013 registrations, which show that lead registrant has to submit the dossier at least three months before the deadline.

30 March 2013

Stephen Van Heerden

*IUCLID 5

Towards 2013 deadline

Global chemical regulations The REACH regulation has played an inspirational catalytic role in drafting and implementation of chemical regulation across the globe. Countries such as China, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan,

The REACH regulation has played an inspirational catalytic role in drafting and implementation of chemical regulation across the globe. Countries such as China, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, etc, have recently adopted regulations on similar pattern. etc, have recently adopted regulations on similar pattern and in some countries the regulations are in draft stages such as South Korea, Malaysia, the US and India. Chemical regulations of few countries have been mentioned below. China: Chemical management in China is regulated by Measures on

Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances (China REACH, 2010), which is being looked after by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). The law came into force in October 2010 and requires notification of ‘new’ chemical substances not listed in the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). The inventory has 45,602 substances, of which 3,166 substances have been claimed confidential and 8,175 substances are without Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number. China has also implemented Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals (China GHS, 2011) which require companies to update the Safety Data Sheets (SDS). The regulation is in force since December 2011. In past few months, a Chinese authority in Shanghai has seized shipments of more than 1.55 million tonne of hazardous chemicals worth $ 45 million, which were not in compliance as per China’s regulatory requirements such as faulty labels. Japan: Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) is in force


REACH impact

since 1973 and amended in 2009. It requires manufacturers and importers to submit the notification to concerned agency. The law applies to both new as well as existing substances (already manufactured/imported at the time of the promulgation of the CSCL). Chemical inventory is named Japanese Existing and New Chemical Substances Inventory (ENCS) which has approximately 20,600 existing substances. The type of registration depends on the nature of substance and tonnage. Turkey: The chemical regulation is inventory and control of chemicals nicknamed ‘Turkey REACH’ in force since March 2011. The law requires manufacturers and importers to submit the notification to authority in Turkish language for more than 1,000 tpa and 1-1,000 tpa band. The law is governed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation. There is also requirement for SDS in Turkish

language to be prepared by person certified by Turkish authority. Korea: Korea has Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TCCA) in force and ‘Korea REACH’ in draft stages. The Ministry of Environment is the authority responsible for the law. The proposed modification involves (pre-) registration of new and existing chemicals. A non-Korean manufacturer can appoint only representative in same way as in EU REACH.

On the road to compliance With REACH deadline of May 2013, many companies are not finding time as well as are short of resources to look at the upcoming REACH-like regulations across the world. Due to language issues most of the guidance and regulatory documents are difficult to understand for planning necessary compliance measures. Hence, the industry players, who are exporting globally, must start checking their regulatory compliance

status for China, Turkey, Japan and Taiwan without delay as these countries have adopted and implemented REACH-type regulations and for most of them the deadline has already passed. In addition to inventory listing/ notification/registration requirements, it is equally important to keep one’s Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in line with the regulatory compliance for each country. Just preparing a 16-point SDS does not mean fulfillment of SDS requirements, as each country has altered the format while implementing UN GHS or EU 453/2010. So, there is no master SDS, which can be used for all countries and the present SDS may require significant improvement. Stephen Van Heerden is the Sales Director at REACHLaw Ltd, Finland. REACHLaw is one of the leading service providers for REACH, CLP and global regulatory compliance. Email: stephen.vanheerden@reachlaw.fi

December 2012 | Chemical World

53


STRATEGY Tapping human resources

actually train the students to meet the above-mentioned requirements. “Moreover, industry generally faces substantial shortage of research talent with the requisite skillset and experience in advanced analytical researches, but industry-academia collaboration can help the industry in this aspect,” adds Dr Sahu.

With the chemical industry expanding its horizon in the country, there arises the need to develop and sustain intangible assets such as human intelligence so as to generate more business and provide a boost to the industry. Chemical companies, government and the industry bodies should take the onus to channelise this intangible asset for generating profitable ideas. Avani Jain

S

kills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. Countries with higher and better levels of skillsets are able to effectively overcome the challenges faced by various industries as well as leverage on the emerging opportunities. As India moves progressively towards becoming a ‘knowledge economy’, it becomes increasingly important that the country focusses on betterment of skills and human intelligence for the advancement of all industries including the chemical. Thus, developing intangible assets such as human intelligence assumes high importance.

Need for talent development infrastructure The chemical industry has not been able to attract top-class talent, which has created a severe shortage of skilled manpower, seriously impacting its productivity and growth. It is estimated that India will need over 14,000 highly skilled, chemical engineers within the next decade to join the specialty chemical industry alone. However, the industry as a whole is already facing scarcity of skilled and trained manpower. A potential shortfall of 8,000-10,000 chemical engineers is indicated, driven by limited talent from Tier-1 universities and lack of attractiveness of the chemical sector for employment. Thus, the industry as well as the government need to take steps

54

Chemical World | December 2012

to channelise these intangible assets into profitable ideas. Dr Kirti Chandra Sahu, Assistant Professor-Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Hyderabad), notes, “At present, in India, the technology and process required for performing research is traditional and outdated. Further, India is lagging behind in fundamental research activities. Companies directly want to undertake applied research but this is not possible until and unless there is strong fundamental/basic research to support it. In order to carry out this fundamental research, companies have to involve professionals from the institutes who have the required knowledge and skills. The professionals from research institutes have good theoretical and fundamental knowledge, which they can apply effectively so as to provide innovative solutions to the industry and answer all their problems.” To resolve the manpower shortfall and develop human intelligence, the industry must improve the value proposition for chemical engineers. It should also form a close collaboration with academia through joint projects to source talent and participate in curriculum formation. In the chemical industry, it is generally seen that all production processes require skilled engineers. Also, highgrade machines require skilled operators. Companies need efficient workforce for marketing. Thus, through industryacademia collaboration, the industry can

Role of the government The government can work in collaboration with industries to upgrade the current chemical departments in Tier-2 universities to become stateof-the-art departments (in terms of infrastructure, faculty qualifications, industry interaction and administration). Also, to meet the future demand, 1,000 new ITIs, vocational training institutes and diploma institutes could be set up. Besides, the government can establish specialised universities, vocational training institutes and develop a skill base. Institutes could be set up closer to clusters and government could provide rebate on training & development as given for R&D. Corporates could be incentivised to engage trainees/students from these institutes on projects to provide industry exposure. This could lead to a closer bonding between industry and academia, which can lead to the development of indigenous technology and intellectual property.

Gauging the future The future of the chemical industry in India appears bright. However, the industry will require additional 4.5 to 5 million skilled workers by FY17. Thus, adequate steps including educational infrastructure would be required to impart vocational training for developing the required manpower. To meet the future demand, several new ITIs, vocational training and diploma institutes would be required. This will help in creating skilled & knowledgeable technical manpower to achieve the projected growth of the chemical industry and generate profitable ideas for the success of companies. Email: avani.jain@network18publishing.com



TIPS & TRICKS Control system migration

Effective ways to upgrade automation capabilities Today’s competitive environment demands automation solutions that increase plant efficiency and profitability. Control system performance can significantly impact a manufacturer’s bottom line. Leveraging automation capabilities through simplified, cost-effective migration to a new technology, while optimising current investments, is key to success. Here are some tips to manage migration from an existing distributed control system (DCS) to a new automation system.

I

mproving the performance and business results of plants through control system migration has become an important strategic initiative. The typical drivers for migration projects include the impact of downtime of existing control platforms, the ever-increasing cost of maintaining obsolete equipment, and the need to acquire or supervise global business data. The need to upgrade to new automation capabilities means that industrial operations must select the best migration strategy and technology solutions based on various critical factors, including control reliability, data configurability, plant-wide architecture support and standardisation & Safety-Instrumented Systems (SIS) integration. Here are some tips on how to go about managing migration from an existing DCS to a new automation system.

1

Assess your current system: A system assessment is essential for determining installed assets, as well as identifying current maintenance costs. The assessment outlines areas for improvement and the anticipated value of those activities, and specifies actions that will achieve improvements. The system assessment typically includes audit of the current system and process; recommendations for Human Machine Interface (HMI) migration and effective operator displays; suggestions for base regulatory and advanced control

56

Chemical World | December 2012

improvements; recommendations for overall system improvements in maintenance and performance; strategies for migrating hardware and software as well as protecting current installation investments; plans for personnel training & implementation, and recommendations for optimisation and integration.

2

Ensuring operator acceptance: O p e r a t o r acceptance is key and can determine migration project success. Because the control system is a direct operator interaction device, even if the new technology outperforms the legacy system, a lack of consideration for operational improvement or needs can lead to failure.

3

R e p l a c i n g HMI: The HMI included in a DCS can be most vulnerable to support issues. At many plants, multiple types of HMIs are installed. At some point, the HMI hardware will exceed its life expectancy or the cost of finding replacement parts will become prohibitive. End-users need a solution that allows the new HMI to communicate with existing controllers on a continuous basis.

4

Creating thirdparty interfaces: Communication and interfaces with third-party devices can be a major stumbling block to

automation system upgrades. Control systems frequently communicate with legacy systems, such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), safety systems and advanced applications. Many modern systems can take advantage of new technologies that enable a richer interface resulting in tighter communications. Identifying these systems and determining a detailed interface plan is essential for an effective migration.

5

Scheduling migration work: When it comes to a control system migration strategy, careful lifecycle planning can reduce or eliminate risks. First and foremost, end-users should give thoughtful consideration to the scheduling of any migration. Long-term multi-year planning for multiple migration stages will help to ensure maximum ROI and minimal disruption.

6

Preparing for system cutover: System cutover requires careful planning to minimise risk. A comprehensive cutover plan is a critical requirement for seamless transition to a new control platform. Without proper preparation, migration projects can be affected by cutover delays and other unexpected issues that may cause downtime.

Reference: o Honeywell Process Solutions

Email: avani.jain@network18publishing.com



PROJECTS

New projects and expansion activities are the barometers of industrial growth. These also present business opportunities to service providers like consultants, contractors, plant & equipment suppliers and others down the value chain. This feature will keep you updated with vital information regarding new projects and capacity expansions being planned by companies in the chemical and allied industries. Dyes & chemicals

Spectrum Dyes and Chemicals Pvt Ltd Project type Capacity expansion Project news Spectrum Dyes and Chemicals Pvt Ltd has proposed expansion of dyes and dyes intermediates manufacturing from 650 MTPM to 3,500 MTPM at Palsana, Gujarat. Project location Surat, Gujarat Project cost ` 37,450 million Implementation stage Planning Contact details Spectrum Dyes & Chemicals Pvt Ltd B-484, 502, 503 & 504 NH PO Palsana, Taluka: No-8 Palsana, Surat 394315, Gujarat Fax: 02622-264615 Email: abansal@spectrumdyes.com ---------------------------------------Methyl tertiary butyl ether

Vinati Organics Ltd Project type New facility Project news Vinati Organics Ltd is planning to set up a new facility at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to manufacture high purity methyl tertiary butyl ether. Project location Ratnagiri, Maharashtra Project cost Not known Implementation stage Planning Contact details Vinati Organics Ltd Shiv Ashish, 2nd Floor Andheri Kurla Road Sakinaka, Mumbai 400072 Maharashtra

Tel: 022-42014428 Email: vinati@vinatiorganics.com ---------------------------------------Pesticide

S C Enviro Agro India Pvt Ltd

Maharashtra Tel: 022-40586777 Email: info@microresins.in ---------------------------------------Resin

Project type Capacity expansion Project news S C Enviro Agro India Pvt Ltd has proposed for expansion of pesticide manufacturing from 209 MTPM to 344 MTPM at Tarapur MIDC area, Thane, Maharashtra. Project location Thane, Maharashtra Project cost Not known Implementation stage Planning

Almega Paints Pvt Ltd

Contact details SC Enviro Agro India Pvt Ltd T-137,138,113,251, MIDC Tarapur Boisar, Thane, Maharashtra Tel: 02525-70322/72125 Email: info@scenviro.co.in ---------------------------------------Resins

Contact details Almega Paints Pvt Ltd 63-A, Vidyavilla, Paddapukur Road Bhawanipur, Kolkata 700020 Fax: 022-25942446 Email: himanshu@almegapaints.com ---------------------------------------Resin

Micro Resins Pvt Ltd

Taurus Timber Pvt Ltd

Project type Capacity expansion Project news Micro Resins Pvt Ltd has proposed capacity expansion of its resin manufacturing from 350 TPM to 860 TPM. The manufacturing unit is located at Vapi, Gujarat. Project location Valsad, Gujarat Project cost ` 335 lakh Implementation stage Planning

Project type New facility Project news Taurus Timber Pvt Ltd has proposed to set up a new resin manufacturing plant at Kutch district, Gujarat. Project location Kutch, Gujarat Project cost ` 4.128 million Implementation stage Planning

Contact details Micro Resins Pvt Ltd 11, Peninsula Centre, S S Rao Road Parel, Mumbai 400 012

Project type New facility Project news Almega Paints Pvt Ltd has proposed to manufacture resins with a capacity of 5,520 TPA. The project is to come up at Tulsiberia village, Howrah, West Bengal. Project location Howrah, West Bengal Project cost Not known Implementation stage Planning

Contact details Taurus Timber Pvt Ltd Plot No 326, Tehsil Gandhidham No1-A, 1st Floor, District Kutch, Gujarat Tel: 02836-229821 Email: sahildatta@taurusship.com

Information courtesy: Tendersinfo.com 1, Arch Gold, Next to MTNL Exchange, Poisar, S V Road, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400 067, Maharashtra, India Tel: 022 28666134 • Fax: 022 28013817 • Email: parmeet.d@tendersinfo.com

58

Chemical World | December 2012


CUT HERE

Invites You To India’s Largest

SME Gathering


Concurrent Event

250+ participants | 20,000+ business visitors expected | 15,000+ products on display | Business transactions worth ` 48 crore expected Spread over 4200 sq mtr | Showcasing more than 30 diverse industry categories.

LUDHIANA 21 - 24 December 2012

GLADA Grounds, Chandigarh Rd | 10 am - 7 pm

Auto & Auto Components | Chemicals & Allied Products | Testing & Measuring Instruments Electrical & Electronics | Hydraulics & Pneumatics | IT Products & Services | Automation | Instrumentation Material Handling Equipment | Packaging Machinery | Wires & Cables Machine Tools & Accessories | Pipes & Fitting | Plastics & Polymers Safety & Security | Process Machinery & Equipment Light & Medium Engineering

CUT HERE

Exhibitor Profile


CUT HERE

Invites You To India’s Largest

SME Gathering


225+ participants | 12,000+ business visitors expected | 7,000+ products on display Business transactions worth ` 55 crore expected | Spread over 5500 sq mtr Showcasing more than 28 diverse industry categories.

IN DO R E

11 - 14 January 2013

Labhganga Convention Center 10 am - 7 pm

Auto & Auto Components | Chemicals & Allied Products | Testing & Measuring Instruments Electrical & Electronics | Hydraulics & Pneumatics | IT Products & Services | Automation Instrumentation | Material Handling Equipment | Packaging Machinery | Wires & Cables Machine Tools & Accessories | Pipes & Fitting | Plastics & Polymers | Safety & Security Process Machinery & Equipment | Light & Medium Engineering

CUT HERE

Exhibitor Profile


TENDERS

Latest Popular Tenders brought to you by www.tendersinfo.com Chloronome plants

Electronic chlorinating plants

Org : Military Engineer Services TRN : 13414829 Desc : Repair, maintenance of chloronome plants BOD : December 20, 2012 Loc : Meerut, Uttar Pradesh BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Org TRN Desc

Biogas plant Org TRN Desc

: Hubli Dharwad Municipal Corporation : 13541074 : Supply and installation of biogas plant of 2 TPD capacity BOD : December 24, 2012 Loc : Hubli, Karnataka BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Fourier transform analysis system

infrared

exhaust

gas

: Northern Railway (NR) : 13564460 : Installation of electronic chlorinating plants at piped water supply station and treatment of drinking water BOD : December 27, 2012 Loc : Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Water chloronome plants Org : Military Engineer Services TRN : 13554724 Desc : Provision of water chloronome plants BOD : December 28, 2012 Loc : Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Chemical dosing system

Org TRN Desc

: Automotive Research Association of India : 13569624 : Provision of fourier transform infrared exhaust gas analysis system BOD : December 24, 2012 Loc : Pune, Maharashtra BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Org TRN Desc

: Water Supply & Sanitation Department : 13482741 : Provision of pumping machinery, CI pipes, chemical dosing system, etc BOD : December 28, 2012 Loc : Patiala, Punjab BT : Domestic _______________________________________________

Nitrogen generating system

Heat exchanger

Org TRN Desc

: Kuwait Oil Company : 13501507 : Pilot trial of self-contained mobile nitrogen generating system BOD : December 25, 2012 Loc : Ahmadi BT : ICB _______________________________________________

Org TRN Desc

Fuel oil tank

Automatic phosphating plant

Org : Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) TRN : 13145604 Desc : Replacement of main fuel oil tank BOD : December 25, 2012 Loc : Jubail, Saudi Arabia BT : ICB

Org TRN Desc BOD Loc BT

: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd : 11550855 : Fabrication and supply of floats for heat exchangers BOD : December 31, 2012 Loc : Mumbai, Maharashtra BT : ICB _______________________________________________ : : : : : :

Ordnance Factory Board 13092197 Supply of automatic phosphating plant January 3, 2013 Thane, Maharashtra Domestic

Org: Organisation’s name, TRN: Tendersinfo Ref No, Desc: Description, BOD: Bid Opening Date, Loc: Location, BT: Bidding Type Information courtesy: Tendersinfo.com 1, Arch Gold, Next to MTNL Exchange, Poisar, S V Road, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400 067, Maharashtra, India Tel: 022 28666134 • Fax: 022 28013817 • Email: parmeet.d@tendersinfo.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

63


EVENT LIST

NATIONAL LUDHIANA

INDORE

Punjab, Dec 21-24, 2012

Madhya Pradesh, Jan 11-14, 2013

AURANGABAD

RUDRAPUR

HYDERABAD

Maharashtra, Feb 1-4, 2013

Uttarakhand, Feb 23-26, 2013

Andhra Pradesh, May 31- June 3, 2013

India’s premier industrial trade fair on products and technologies related to Machine Tools, Hydraulics & Pneumatics, Process Machinery & Equipment, Automation Instrumentation, Packaging & Auxiliaries, IT Products, Electrical & Electronics, Material Handling and Safety Equipment.

For details Network18 Media & Investments Ltd

Ruby House, 1st Floor, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028. • Tel: 022 3003 4651 • Fax: 022 3003 4499 • Email: engexpo@network18publishing.com

INNOVASIA 2013 Concurrent with Vibrant Gujarat, this event will showcase investment opportunities and technology collaborations in the state; January 08-10, 2013; at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat For details contact: Sunil Shah, Global Innovation Centre All Gujarat Innovation Society 402, Sheel Building, 4 Mayur Colony Mithakhali, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009 Tel: 09978904476 Email: support@gisindia.org.in

2, 2013; at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai For details contact: EA Water Pvt Ltd, A1/152, Neb Sarai IGNOU Road, New Delhi 110 068 Tel: 011-4310 0568, Fax: 011-4310 0599 Email: enquiry@eawater.com

ChemProTech 2013

EverythingAboutWater Expo 2013

An international event on chemical processing technology and equipment to be held concurrently with fine and specialty chemicals trade fair, Chemspec; April 11-12, 2013; at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

An international exhibition and conference on water & wastewater management; February 28-March

For details contact: Krunal Goda

Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt Ltd 1102, 11th Floor, DLH Park S V Road, Near MTNL Office Goregoan(W), Mumbai 400062 Tel: 022-2871 5207, Fax: 022-2871 5222 Email: k.goda@koelnmesse-india.com

Poly India A trade show for plastics and petrochemicals industries; April 25-27, 2013; at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai For details contact: FICCI, Federation House, 1 Tansen Marg, New Delhi Tel: 011-2373 8760/2373 8770 Fax: 011-2332 0714 Email: ficci@ficci.com

PetroWorld India An event showcasing novel technologies in oil & gas sector; August 22-24, 2013; Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai For details contact: Siddharth Chibba Inter Ads Exhibitions Pvt Ltd Plot No 859, Phase-V, Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon 122016, Haryana Tel: 0124-4524200, Fax: 0124-4381162 Email: siddharth@interads.in

INTERNATIONAL Petrochem Arabia

Gas Tech Cairo

InformexUSA 2013

An exhibition and conference focussed on technological improvements and sustainability of the downstream and petrochemical industries; January 20-22, 2013; at Dhahran International Exhibition Center, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Focussed event showcasing latest innovation, technologies and developments across the gas value chain; February 04-05, 2013; at Sonesta Hotel, Tower & Casino Cairo, Egypt

Exhibition and conference bringing together buyers and sellers of chemicals, chemical technologies and related services; February 19-22, 2013; at Anaheim Convention Centre, Anaheim, California, USA

For details contact: Bme Global Ltd Waterfront Studios, 1 Dock Road, London, E16 1 Ag London, England, United Kingdom Tel: +(44)-(207)-5119582 Email:info@bme-global.com

For details contact: World Promotion Centre 35 Abd Elhamed Awad St. 4th Floor, nasr City, Cairo Al Qahirah, Egypt Tel: + (20)-(2)-2273 8278 / 2273 8279 Fax: + (20)-(2)-2273 8303/2273 8304 Email: info@wpcexh.com

For details contact: Informex Holdings, LLC 300 American Metro Blvd Suite 125, Hamilton NJ 08619, USA Tel: +1 609 759-4700 Email: informex@informex.com

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective organiser. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

64

Chemical World | December 2012



EVENT PREVIEW Engineering Expo Ludhiana 2012

LUDHIANA December 21-24, 2012 GLADA Ground

Making manufacturing-friendly North accessible Led by manufacturing biggies, Ludhiana is fast emerging as a leading investment destination in the northern belt of India. In this backdrop, the upcoming Ludhiana edition of Engineering Expo, being organised by Network 18 Publishing during December 21–24, 2012, will bring into the limelight the potential that northern region offers manufacturers by showing investors how to gain easy access into this manufacturingfriendly zone. Anwesh Koley

T

he emerging markets in the North have become an attractive investment haven and Ludhiana is one such prospective destination where the manufacturing sector is growing at a rapid pace. In a bid to provide ample growth opportunities to the manufacturing

Highlights of this edition 250+ expected exhibitors 20,000+ business visitors expected Business transactions worth

` 150 crore expected 20,000+ products on display Spread over an area of more than

1,50,000 sq ft Showcasing more than 30 diverse industry categories

66

Chemical World | December 2012

fraternity, Engineering Expo Ludhiana, slated to be held during December 21–24, 2012, is expected to generate high levels of enthusiasm among the manufacturers in Punjab. Engineering Expo has been instrumental in providing a fruitful business platform to manufacturers across the country, with key industry players participating in the event. It has been synonymous with enabling healthy business interactions, thus helping generate business leads and playing the role of a catalyst in the Indian growth story.

Northern prospects Elaborating on the changing scenario in the manufacturing arena in Punjab, Robin Basant, Managing Partner, Basant Mechanical Works, says, “The industry in Punjab is now embracing global manufacturing technologies on the shop floor; the mindset of people is changing as well. Everybody is now concentrating on quality and quantity. Punjab is known globally for woollen clothes, hosiery, machine tools, auto/car parts, cycle manufacturing, etc. People are travelling places to learn the new

technical skills being used by bigger units in the international market.” Commenting on the growth potential of Punjab as an industrial area, Didarjit Singh, Proprietor, Karam Chucks, states, “Manufacturing in Punjab has undergone various phases of development over the last 10 years. It has grown at a robust rate during this period and has been one of the best performing manufacturing economies. The manufacturing sector contributes about 15 per cent to Punjab’s GDP and 50 per cent to the country’s exports. It employed 58 million people (about 12 per cent of the workforce) in 2008. By 2012, it is estimated, based on the current economic projections, that this sector will employ a further 12–13 million out of the nearly 89 million additional people who will enter the workforce.” The key markets in Punjab include Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Samana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

Ludhiana: Potential waiting to be tapped The growth potential of the city has brought it on the radar of large manufacturing houses. Singh elaborates, “People of Ludhiana are skilled and high spirited. In addition to theoretical knowledge, they have technical skills imbibed through their family lineage. Besides, they are regularly upgrading themselves as per the needs of the time. So, many international machines/technologies are being used by manufacturers to stay abreast with competition. All the big industries are eyeing Ludhiana for sourcing materials and selling products to end-users.” Sharing similar sentiments, Manjit Singh Matharoo, General Manager, Consortium of Ludhiana Machine Tools Manufacturers (CLMTM), observes, “Ludhiana has a large base of manufacturing companies, with a wide network of possibilities. It is capable of delivering quality, and since the last six years, the area has seen rapid development of internal support units. It has the perfect model for cost-effective business.”


Engineering Expo Ludhiana 2012

Ludhiana is also emerging as a major automotive hub in northern India. “Ludhiana is the most appropriate destination for investment. The latest study by World Bank has adjudged Ludhiana as the best place for doing business in India. Though not a major tourist destination, the city has come up as a major medical tourism destination and also a budding commercial centre. The city is not far from the National Capital and hence, is easily accessible,” adds Basant. Sajni Khanna, Consultant, AMC Pvt Ltd, states, “The area has been emerging due to its proximity to the National Capital and provides immense opportunities to domestic and international investors.”

Exhilarating Engineering Expo There is general consensus that Engineering Expo is getting better with each passing year, and coming up with novel initiatives keeping in mind SMEs in the region. Its association with leading organisations such as National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC); United Nations Industrial Development Organisation – International Centre for Advancement of Manufacturing Technology (UNIDO-ICAMT) and CLMTM will take Engineering Expo Ludhiana to new heights. Commenting on the Expo, Sandeep Khosla, Chief Executive Officer, Network 18 Publishing, says, “After 10 successful years of service to the industry, Engineering Expo today has established itself as India’s largest multilocation trade show on manufacturing. The Expo is a preferred destination for small and medium enterprises as well as manufacturing & engineering organisations to further their growth and that of the industry at large. For the 2012– 13 season, we have eight editions spread across an equal number of locations of a rising India. Keeping our esteemed exhibitors and valued customers in mind, we have made elaborate provisions to offer a never before experience. These, we reckon, will add substantial traction to the industrial growth of the nation.”

Expressing his views on the event, Basant opines, “Today, Engineering Expo attracts more business visitors than some of the other large events organised to facilitate business. More than one lakh industrial buyers benefit from Engineering Expo every year. Over the years, it has become one of the most lucrative platforms for business growth. In fact, they help us interact with national as well as international visitors including manufacturers, investors, diplomats, government officials and industry stalwarts. And as a multi-location tradeshow, Engineering Expo reaches out to prospective clients, in their respective cities.” With more than a decade of experience in organising exhibitions, Network 18 has been successful in understanding and meeting the expectations of exhibitors, which in turn has resulted in unconditional trust in the Expo. Singh observes, “In today’s world, displaying your strength, product range and skills on a common platform is important. People who do not know you directly can gain full knowledge about your product range at such types of platforms. This Expo provides a one-to-one meeting opportunity and a platform to share vital prospects to grow one’s business. Besides, having an organiser like Network 18 is again a value addition.” Echoing similar sentiments, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, Crane Bel International Pvt Ltd, says, “We have been associated with Engineering Expo for a long time, and since Network 18 is the organiser, we are keen to extend our relationship further. We keep introducing innovative concepts every year at the Expo, and this year will be no different.”

Business opportunities galore The Expo plays a crucial role not only in business development, but also in increasing profitability. Over the years, it has evolved as an ideal launchpad for exhibitors. Basant asserts, “Engineering Expo is considered to be an ideal platform for companies to foster growth through reach and awareness to their right target audience. It proves to be

New attractions in this edition o Panel discussion aims at providing a roadmap to infuse growth in the region o Institutional Buyer Involvement Plan to attract delegations from large corporate and major institutions o Improvised visitor profiling - profile, scan, filter and bring in visitors as per exhibitors’ requirements o Providing business networking support to exhibitors by leveraging Network 18 Publishing’s industry connect o Credit rating facilities for the benefit of exhibitors o Providing complete travel solutions for exhibitors o Offering logistics services to ensure smooth cargo handling, custom clearing, transport compliance, etc.

a perfect combination of a vast range of exhibitors, spacious venue, state-ofthe-art amenities and humungous visitor turnout, which constitute the most crucial factors for any exhibitor.” Talking about his expectations from the Expo, Singh says, “Personally, my expectations from Engineering Expo Ludhiana are high. Looking at the potential, knowledge and management of the organiser, we expect a huge turnout of quality-oriented customers at the show.” Engineering Expo is considered an ideal platform to showcase the industrial talent residing in smaller towns and cities of India. Matharoo feels, “A place like Ludhiana has the skills to attract international manufacturers to India, and such events do a commendable job in materialising this goal.” With enthusiasm and optimism regarding the event riding high among participants, the Engineering Expo Ludhiana is poised to provide an important ground for nurturing business opportunities in the State of Punjab and explore untapped markets, which can emerge as lucrative business sites. Email: anwesh.koley@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

67


EVENT PREVIEW Engineering Expo Indore 2013

INDORE January 11-14, 2013 Labhganga Convention Center

Tapping India’s central vantage point Staying true to its core competence as one of India’s leading auto clusters, Indore spruces up its industrial portfolio as a spree of investments from the IT and pharmaceuticals industries come trickling in. Mirroring the growth of this centrally positioned city will be the fifth edition of Engineering Expo Indore, organised by Network 18 Publishing. Setting the tone for acquiring business prospects, the Expo will bring together exhibitors who will showcase their latest products and services. Scheduled to be held during January 11–14, 2013, Engineering Expo Indore aspires to play the role of a catalyst in the city’s fledgling growth. Sweta M Nair

O

ne of Madhya Pradesh’s largest cities known for its palatial splendour, in the recent decade has come of its industrial age. The city of Indore, amid its royal structures, today voices its determination in shaping its future towards industrial excellence.

Highlights of this edition 225+ participants 12,000+ business visitors expected Business transactions worth

` 55 crore expected 7,000+ products on display Spread over an area of more than

5,500 sq m Showcasing more than 28 diverse industry categories

68

Chemical World | December 2012

According to a recent study published by Cushman & Wakefield, Indore is one of the top ten emerging cities of India ideal for long-term business investments across industries. The city’s geographic positioning, population demographics, development in infrastructure, current economic growth and governmental support, contribute towards its resolute positive outlook.

Industrial tranquility Indore has undergone rapid transition and vast development in almost every sector of business. As per published reports, in recent times, the per capita income of Madhya Pradesh has doubled. According to Manoj Pugalia, Proprietor, Oswal Rubber Industries, “Owing to the city’s systematic and organised planning, many companies find it fairly convenient to set up base here. Additionally, industries here are not vexed by the otherwise rampant problems of labour and power.” Ranging from the automobile to pharmaceuticals and from software to retail, the burgeoning city, on an average, receives a bulk of its trade from small, medium and large-scale manufacturing & service

industries. Indore’s major surrounding industrial belts are present at Pithampur, Sanwer, and Dewas. The city’s automobile hub is situated in Pithampur, which is a welldeveloped industrial area. Companies such as Eicher Motors Ltd, Cummins India Ltd, Mahle Engine Components (I) Pvt Ltd, Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd and Bridgestone Tyre Ltd, among others, have set up plants in this area. Additionally, Cipla Ltd, Indorama Synthetics (I) Ltd, Piramal Healthcare and Glenmark, among others, are also present in Pithampur. Home to industries such as textiles, chemical processing, food processing and distilleries, the industrial belt includes an industrial Special Economic Zone (SEZ) as well. Other upcoming sprawling industrial belts include Govindpura, Manideep and Pologround. Elaborating further, Kishore Bundela, Director, Protec Aqua Solution Pvt Ltd, states, “Formerly, the region was famous for its auto cluster. But now, pharmaceuticals and IT companies are also commencing operations in Indore. One major advantage of being situated here is that all major Indian cities are equidistant from Indore.”

Attracting investor interest Owing to its sheer industrial potential, Indore, in October, played host to the Global Investors Summit 2012. In the state’s bid to augment overall development, a series of meets were facilitated so as to attract investor interest. With the underlined support of better infrastructure and strong government backing, many international investors are gradually entering the city. In relation to this event, Omprakash Gupta, President, Madhya Pradesh Electric Merchants and Contractors Association (MPEMCA), says, “Indore is the business capital of Madhya Pradesh. It can be noted that nearly 80 per cent of electrical business of Madhya Pradesh is concentrated in Indore. After the summit, the central state of India is looking for major investments.”


Engineering Expo Indore 2013

“By providing a platform for investments from major players in India and abroad, I believe that Engineering Expo will be the next step for this revolution. MPEMCA would like all major companies in electrical and electronics to showcase their products and technology in the Expo. With Network 18 Publishing’s experienced organisational skills, we are looking forward to the integration of new styles and services in this show. Nearly 60 members along with their parent companies will participate in the Expo,” Gupta adds. In the MPEMCA pavilion, products related to industrial & domestic electricals, electronics, industrial automation, specialised automation products, auto industries products, panel accessories, submersible and mono block pumps, wires & cables, HT line material & switchgears will be put on display.

In store for 2013 Coined as the ‘State of Opportunities’, Madhya Pradesh’s investor-friendly ambience and presence of big industries catering to different needs are shaping a positive future. Commenting on the same, Rajesh Godse, Proprietor, Reliable Terrestrials, avers, “Availability of land & labour and a stable government are

Glimpses of previous edition 203+ exhibitors 9,829+ visitors 5,000+ products displayed ` 45 crore business generated 4,800 sq m exhibition area 1,10,000 kg machinery moved 45+ delegations from different companies attended the Expo

some of the factors that are contributing towards Indore’s success as an ideal investment destination. Moreover, NTPC-run Vindhyachal project in Madhya Pradesh is expected to increase its capacity by 2013, which will further foster industrial development.” The Expo’s rich legacy in helping businesses connect has, so far, conveyed the exhibition to many Indian cities. Sharing his views on the continued success of Engineering Expo, Sandeep Khosla, CEO, Network 18 Publishing, says, “After 10 successful years of service to the industry, Engineering Expo today has established itself as India’s largest multi-location trade show on manufacturing. The Expo is a preferred destination for small and medium enterprises as well as manufacturing & engineering organisations to further their growth and that of the industry at large. For the 2012–13 season, we have eight editions spread across an equal number of locations of a rising India. Keeping our esteemed exhibitors and valued customers in mind, we have made elaborate provisions to offer a never before experience. These, we reckon, will add substantial traction to the industrial growth of the nation.” The exhibitors’ category at the Expo will consist of companies representing machine tools & accessories, hydraulics and pneumatics, light & medium industries, electrical and electronics, material handling equipment, etc. Expounding further, Yogesh Mantri, Proprietor, Automation & General Electric Co, states, “This is the second time that our company will be participating in Engineering Expo. Exhibiting here allows us to gauge market demands and customer needs. Moreover, it is a good internal exercise for the industry as well. The platform, in a way, facilitates business for customers, as exhibitors belonging to different segments showcase products under one roof. For the Indore edition, our exhibits would mainly consist of LED lighting systems, special cables for solar generation, CNC machine retro-fittings,

New attractions in this edition o Panel discussion aims at providing a roadmap to infuse growth in the region o Institutional Buyer Involvement Plan to attract delegations from large corporate and major institutions o Improvised visitor profiling - profile, scan, filter and bring in visitors as per exhibitors’ requirements o Providing business networking support to exhibitors by leveraging Network 18 Publishing’s industry connect o Credit rating facilities for the benefit of exhibitors o Providing complete travel solutions for exhibitors o Offering logistics services to ensure smooth cargo handling, custom clearing, transport compliance, etc.

adjusting cable range, switchgear, Schneider universal enclosure, etc.” For many exhibitors, Engineering Expo is an energising outlet for gaining new customers as it is an ideal platform that helps them grasp market trends and innovations. Sharing similar sentiments, Bundela states, “The Expo’s byproducts revolve around creating awareness, brand building and generating a good response.” Having participated in the previous editions of Engineering Expo, Godse exclaims, “We have been associated with Engineering Expo since its first edition in Indore. Since Network 18 Publishing announces the dates well in advance, we have ample time to decide our exhibiting range. Moreover, for business, the January 2013 timeframe will be good as it does not clash with any festivals.” The upcoming Engineering Expo Indore 2013 promises to leverage its geo-strategic positioning to the fullest by inviting an array of stakeholders to witness industrial excellence of all sorts. Email: sweta.nair@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

69


EVENT REPORT Engineering Expo Pune 2012

PUNE November 2-5, 2012 Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre, Chinchwad

Generating high volume of opportunities Housing varied manufacturing industries as well as services sector, etc, Pune has witnessed immense development in the past few years. Engineering Expo Pune has proven to be a catalyst by accelerating business transactions, especially for SMEs in the manufacturing industry. The four-day event, held between November 2 and 5, 2012, saw some serious business opportunities and leads transforming into profits. Many exhibitors confirmed participation, and most visitors plan to exhibit in the next edition!

an extremely strategic time for business generation. Engineering Expo Pune has turned into a favourite destination for generation of high-volume business leads. Bringing together high-profile visitors, decision makers and a multitude of exhibitors all across the country, Engineering Expo Pune truly emerged as the largest SME gathering. The 7 th successful edition of Engineering Expo Pune was inaugurated in the presence of eminent dignitaries Anant Sardeshmukh, Director General – Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture; Nitin Chalke, General Manager – India & South East Asia, Eaton Fluid Power Ltd; Sanjay Marathe, Head – Strategic Services Unit and CTO, Zensar Technologies; Sandeep Khosla, Chief Executivie Officer, Network 18 Publishing; Sudhanva Jategaonkar, Associate Vice President, Network 18 Publishing; and Manas R Bastia, Senior Editor, Network 18 Publishing. The traditional lamp lighting ceremony was followed by the unveiling of the official exhibitor directory, which comprised all important details in a consolidated manner.

Pune as an ideal investment destination

Dignitaries unveil the exhibitor directory at the 7th edition of Engineering Expo Pune

Mahua Roy

O

ver the past few decades, the concentration of industrial units has transformed the city of Pune into one of the major manufacturing hubs in the country. While proximity to the commercial capital Mumbai has certainly played a role in it achieving this grand status, other important factors

70

Chemical World | December 2012

contributing to its prominence include availability of skilled manpower, conducive climate and intellectual richness. Also, the industrial infrastructure in the area has kept pace with the real estate development. Providing a boost to the attractive investment destination, Engineering Expo Pune saw impressive activity. Organised by Network 18 Publishing, it was held at Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre, Chinchwad, in November,

Experts have been noting the rise in technology adoption of SMEs. Expositions such as Engineering Expo have been promoting an atmosphere of high-end technology. According to Marathe, “SMEs have been showing an encouraging response to the adoption of advanced technologies such as cloud computing.” Pune, being an industrial hub, has benefitted greatly through the Expo because of the variety and wide range of technologies and solutions on display. Commenting on the same, Chalke observed, “The area chosen for the Expo, Auto Cluster, is strategic and ensures quality turnout of visitors. Pune, being a hub for auto industry and ancillary units, has seen real-time advantages due to Engineering Expo.”


Engineering Expo Pune 2012

Promoting collaboration In recent times, the SME sector is witnessing extensive growth in Pune. New projects and capacity expansions are a visible result. In this backdrop, Engineering Expo brings in its expertise of uniting the SME sector with prospective clients, thus providing a holistic business generation experience. One of the biggest takeaways from trade shows has been the creation of a collaborative atmosphere among the companies. SMEs benefit hugely from this experience, which helps them develop products and technologies of a higher quality, thus making them globally competitive. Elaborating further, Marathe opined, “Innovation is a differentiator when it comes to SMEs. Trade shows such as Engineering Expo nurture the collaboration in a competitive environment, something which is difficult to achieve otherwise. Both exhibitors and visitors utilise this opportunity to make the most out of this experience and improve the quality of their products and services.” Being the largest SME gathering for the manufacturing industry, this platform has helped them immensely. “Manufacturing is one of the most important revenue-generating sectors for Pune. A tradeshow of this scale has added greatly to the growth of the manufacturing segment as it majorly focusses on SMEs in the segment. The event is an excellent platform for promoting businesses, branding and networking. It is an extremely relevant concept, which is benefitting the nearby SME clusters year on year. They get to learn and update themselves on the new technologies,” said Sardeshmukh.

Wide array of technology on display The exhibition halls were buzzing with activity on all the days. Most exhibitors were buoyant about

the sales and leads generated in huge numbers. Emphasising on his association with Engineering Expo, Snehal Mehta, Director – Marketing, Energy Mission Machineries (India) Pvt Ltd, said, “We have been participating in Engineering Expo since a long time. The event has helped us build our brand name and enhance the image of our organisation. It has helped us gain industry exposure and has enabled us to generate business leads. The show has provided us an ideal platform to display and demonstrate our products and meet potential buyers.” “We are machinery manufacturers and so, we aim at building long-term associations with the industry. In such a case, the Expo helps us introduce our products to new buyers and gradually get the enquiries converted into business leads,” Mehta added. The exhibitors were able to interact with a large number of serious business visitors. To this, Sridhar Nalluri, Country Manager, CST Sensors India Pvt Ltd, added, “We are expecting to increase our brand value and reach more customers in the Maharashtra industrial sector through this trade show. We are looking to tap the machine tools, SPM & automation segments through Engineering Expo.” With a large range of technologies on display, visitors benefitted greatly from the exhibition. “This is an effective platform for generating business opportunities. I came to scout for suppliers for my venture. There is wide range of products and services for hydraulics & pneumatics, material handling etc,” said, Chintan Shah, Proprietor, Mech Tech Engineers, a visitor. “This is a one-stop solution for all my business needs as I found relevant products on display. There are exhibitors from various parts of the country, which makes this a holistic exhibition,” Shah added. “It is an all-in-one Expo on a large scale, with technologies ranging from automation & cooling solutions to

Highlights of this edition 200 exhibitors from across India Spread over more than

3,500 sq m 16,000 business visitors Business transacted worth

` 68.03 crore 7,860 business leads generated

15,000+ products displayed More than 1,10,000 kg machinery moved in for display

IT. It includes a mix of big names as well as SMEs. Branding is more visible. I could generate many leads relevant to my business,” commented Nitin Penpatil, Director, FS Engineers, another visitor.

Gearing up for the next edition of Engineering Expo! With a splendid response received in this edition, most exhibitors have already booked slots for Season 2013 of Engineering Expo. Some have even confirmed participation at more than one edition. An interesting observation was that most visitors are planning to turn exhibitors in the next season. “It was a great experience for us. The new technologies on display served as an eye-opener. We look forward to leverage our experience at Engineering Expo to better our products and solutions. We were actually looking for MNCs and have got many leads. We plan to be an exhibitor in the next edition,” said Sherman Britto, Executive – Business Development, Vinsys IT Services India Pvt Ltd, a visitor at the event. Email: mahua.roy@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

71


EVENT REPORT Engineering Expo Chennai 2012

CHENNAI November 22-25, 2012 Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam

Showcasing Southern manufacturing strengths Chennai’s favourable business climate has helped the city bag several envious deals over the years. With an aim to help manufacturers across the country encash on the Chennai advantage, Network 18 Publishing held the 5th edition of Engineering Expo Chennai 2012, at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai, from November 22-25, 2012. Offering both exhibitors and visitors a platform to interact and witness engineering marvels, the Expo proved to be a one-stop shop for one and all. A report…

(L-R): Nitin Kunjir, Deputy Manager – Sales, Network 18 Publishing; Manas R Bastia; Ramesh P S; P Shanmugasundaram; Sandeep Khosla; Ameer Munaff; and Hari Hara Subramaniam, Manager – Sales, Network 18 Publishing at Engineering Expo Chennai 2012

Suprita Anupam

I

n the recent years, along with IT investments of repute, Chennai has bagged huge deals in the auto, OEM and ancillary industries. The city has, over the years, transformed itself into a bustling investment destination with major auto companies such as Daimler, Ford,

72

Chemical World | December 2012

Ashok Leyland, Mahindra, NISSAN, Renault, BMW and TAFE Tractors offering a boost to the ancillary units in the industrial clusters of Ambattur, Sriperumbudur and Padi. According to P Shanmugasundaram, Chief GM – Projects, TIDCO (OD) & MD, TICEL Bio Park Ltd, “Unlike China, Chennai’s development is not an integrated one but has its own reasons for housing

34,500 companies and 35,000 expats. The Tamil Nadu Government also facilitates the process of clearances to set up companies.” Leveraging on the Chennai advantage is Engineering Expo Chennai, which brings in its expertise of uniting the buyers and sellers of the engineering and manufacturing sectors, thereby providing a holistic business ecosystem. Launched in Ahmedabad in 2002, Engineering Expo has come a long way today by becoming one of India’s largest multi-location SME meeting points. Elaborating on the legacy of Engineering Expo, Sandeep Khosla, CEO, Network 18 Publishing, said, “After 10 successful years of service to the industry, Engineering Expo today has established itself as India’s largest multilocation trade show on manufacturing. The Expo is a preferred destination for small and medium enterprises as well as manufacturing & engineering organisations to further their growth and that of the industry at large. For the 2012–13 season, we have eight editions spread across an equal number of locations of a rising India (including Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Ludhiana, Indore, Aurangabad, Rudrapur and Hyderabad). Keeping our esteemed exhibitors and valued customers in mind, we have made elaborate provisions to offer a never before experience. These, we reckon, will add substantial traction to the industrial growth of the nation.”

The inauguration… The 5th edition of Engineering Expo Chennai 2012, one of the largest trade fairs in the city, was inaugurated in the gracious presence of Ramesh P S, President, Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers’ Association (AIEMA), & MD, Airflow Engineering; Ameer Munaff, CEO, Fein Power Tools; Shanmugasundaram; Sandeep Khosla; and Manas R Bastia, Senior Editor, Network 18 Publishing. “Engineering Expo provides a single window shopping solution for SMEs as they usually sell their products to a variety of clients such


Engineering Expo Chennai 2012

as automobile, machine tools, material handling and so on. Additionally, a visitor can meet all his demands in one day,” highlighted Ramesh while commenting at the occasion. Elaborating further, Munaff averred, “Engineering Expo is one of the best platforms for us to reach the end customer. This is also an opportunity for us to let our customers have a feel of our product operations and train them about the right working procedures. This is one of the major reasons why we are launching our new handheld core drilling machine - the first-of-its-kind in terms of technology, quality and cost in the whole world.”

Cutting-edge technologies Over the years, Engineering Expo Chennai has been providing opportunities for SMEs, which are critical for the growth of emerging markets such as India, to display their products as well as witness some of the latest technologies that could help develop their business. The 2012 edition offered similar growth avenues. The Expo served as a platform for Indian & overseas companies to exhibit their products & services, interact with potential buyers & sellers, generate new incremental business and forge new partnerships. Showcasing cutting-edge technologies, this year’s edition also unveiled the latest in products, machinery and equipment from manufacturing & related industries. This edition of Engineering Expo Chennai, which spanned over a period of four days, generated revenue in excess of ` 62.47 crore.

Exhibitors speak The Expo showcased over 30 diverse segments of industries and gave visitors an opportunity to witness the latest technologies and products. Some of the leading companies who participated in this edition included National Instruments, Durga Bearings, Dirak India, Fein Power Tools India Pvt Ltd, Gandhi Automation Pvt Ltd, Hitachi Koki India Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Ltd,

Macht Exim Llp, Malwa Machine Tools, MGM-Varvel Power Transmission Pvt Ltd, Shuter Enterprises India Pvt Ltd, Testo India Pvt Ltd and Tussor Machine Tools India Pvt Ltd among others. Among the exhibitors, Sonal Sulania, Director, Durga Bearings Pvt Ltd, stated, “We decided to participate in this event due to the direct involvement of Network 18. Earlier, we used to participate in events, which were focussing on a specific sector. The focus of Engineering Expo is diversified and you can avail the benefit of a single platform to reach all the sectors. The Expo provided a brilliant platform for all sectors to interact. To gain more prominence, perhaps, more well-established companies could also showcase their products along with other SMEs.” Vishak Mani, Director, Clasys, another visitor, stated, “This is the fourth time that we are participating in Engineering Expo and second time that we are participating in Chennai; the previous three editions were quite successful for us. Exhibitions like these help us get new customers as well as enhance the know-how of the market.”

over the years. Engineering Expo covers almost all the segments of engineering goods. I always get to learn new things at the Expo.”

Visitors’ verdict

Expanding business horizon

A variety of visitor groups were seen at the Expo, which included engineering students, universities’ R&D professors, SME proprietors and tier I companies representatives. Dr P Meganathan, Consultant, Sinto India Ltd, who visited the event the very first day, exclaimed, “We are in the process of setting up a new manufacturing plant here and I was looking for prospective suppliers at the Expo. It was my first visit to such a diversified exhibition, and I have interacted with a couple of fabrication, rubber and tool making companies. So far, I have had a positive response in this regard.” Another visitor, Karthik Chandra Shetty, Director, Lumens Group of Company, said, “I have been regularly visiting Engineering Expo since the last 2–3 years in Pune and Ahmedabad, and it is good to see that it has prospered

Since the Expo is expected to generate business leads worth more than ` 1,000 crore all over India, it offered an apt platform for exhibitors to directly interact with end-customers. Besides, it served as a launchpad for SMEs and facilitated interaction between endcustomers and suppliers. The 2011 edition of Chennai Engineering Expo recorded business transactions worth ` 41.98 crore, with more than 12,692 business leads being generated; this year the transaction exceeded to ` 62.47 crore as per the feedback received from exhibitors. Over 8,000 products from various industries were on display in an area spanning 4,500 sq m. The next edition of Engineering Expo will be held in Ludhiana from December 21–24, 2012. Be there to catch the action!

Highlights of this edition 200 exhibitors from across India Spread over more than

4,500 sq m 12,072 business visitors from across India Business transacted worth

` 62.47 crore 8,893 business leads generated

8,000+ products displayed from different industries More than 80,000 kg machinery moved in for display

Email: suprita.anupam@network18publishing.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

73


BOOK REVIEW

Drying in the process industry Author: C M van ‘t Land Price: ` 6,500

This is one of the most exhaustive books for the process industry, which outlines the intricacies and technologies for drying. In all process facilities where drying plays an important role, such as chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, and food industries, the purchase of improper industrial drying equipment can significantly affect a manufacturer’s bottom line. With the guidance offered in this book, engineers will be able to confidently choose industrial drying equipment that increases profits, runs efficiently, and optimally suits their needs. A detailed reference of interest for engineers and energy specialists working in the process industry field, the book investigates the current state of industrial drying practices. It deeply examines the factors influencing drying’s high costs in both equipment and energy consumption, and summarises key elements for keeping drying operations under budget and performing at peak capacity safely while respecting the environment. Extensive coverage of dryer basics as well as essential procedures revolving around the selection of industrial dryers help to inform readers on the various criteria for generating scalable specifications that greatly assist buying decisions.

Applied chemistry: A textbook for engineers and technologists This book introduces chemistry students to the applications in the field of engineering design and function across a wide range of subjects, from fuels and polymers to electrochemistry and water treatment. Each chapter concludes with a reading list of relevant books and articles as well as a set of exercises, which includes problems that extend the topics beyond the text. Other supplements to the text include a laboratory section with step-by-step experiments and a solutions manual for instructors. The USP of this book is that it outlines new chapters on semiconductors and nanotechnology. It includes a broad coverage of relevant research in the chemical industry. This book should be used by both researchers and chemists working in the field of applied chemistry. Besides, industry personnel can also gain enough expertise with this book.

Authors: O V Roussak and H D Gesser Price: ` 5,450

Reviewer: Nita Mehta, Associate Professor, Chemical Engg Dept, Thadomal Shahani Engg College

Available at: Wisdom Book Distributors, Hornby Building, 1st floor, 174, D N Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel: 022-2207 4484/6631 8958, Telefax: 022-2203 4058, Email: thadam@vsnl.com

74

Chemical World | December 2012



PRODUCTS This section provides information about the national and international products available in the market

Air operated double diaphragm pump

before One must consider the cost of the product d purchasing so as to secure definite and assure returns over the period of time.

Manisha Kadam (Assistant Manager) Ashok Industry

Chemical transfer pump CFP series pump in SS 316 material is used for handling mild corrosive chemicals and various other liquids in different industries such as chemical, petrochemical, steel plants, printing houses, pharmaceuticals and food processing etc. The main features of the pump are high efficiency, good performance and reliability. The pump is available from 0.25 HP to 10 HP in different capacities in monoblock and bare pump design. All the wetted parts are made of graded SS 316 material. The sealing is by mechanical seal of different face combination of carbon, ceramic, GFT, silicon, tungsten etc. The pump can be used for high temperature application of up to 250oC. Special pumps are also available with casing steam jacketing and with flameproof motors. Taha Pumps & Valves Surendranagar – Gujarat Tel: 02752 – 240233 Mob: 09825599415/09825829875 Email: tahapv@yahoo.co.in, info@tahapumps.com Website: www.tahapumps.com

Lutz air operated double diaphragm pump is simple, versatile, easy to use and maintain. The pump sizes range from 1/4” to 3”size. Pump housings are available in polypropylene, PVDF, nylon, aluminium and stainless steel. Internals are available in teflon, EPDM, nitrile rubber or viton. The pump runs on dry, non-lubricated, clean air. It is lube-free, non-stalling operation, corrosion-free, weight reduction, air valve body available in corrosionfree engineered plastics, commonality of spares across models and sizes. The double diaphragm pump come in bolted construction and are designed for a variety of industrial applications. It is self-priming and can carry solid particles/slurries without any damage. Typical pumping applications include industries such as pharmaceuticals, glass and fibreglass, oil and gas, marine/shipbuilding, metal and steel, effluent treatment, paint, aircraft, electroplating/surface treatment, food and beverage, automotive, chemical, clay and ceramics etc. Shanbhag & Associates Mumbai – Maharashtra Tel: 022-28346604/28340071 Email: info@shanbhags.com Website: www.shanbhags.com

Hot and cold zinc phosphating chemical The zinphophos – hzp is designed to provide heavy zinc phosphate coating with thickness of 300 mg/sq ft within 15 to 20 minutes on iron and mild steel components by simple immersion method. A dense, heavy adherent coating is obtained by this method and prevents excessive wear and tear of moving parts of machinery. This coating serves as base for paints as well as for rust preventive oil coating. It is operated at a temperature of 85o to 95oC. It is available in packages weighing between 5 and 40 kg. Priyadharishini Chemicals Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Tel: 0422-2567040/2567114 Mob: 09443022310/09865222310 Email: pritrac_cool@yahoo.com, support@priyadharishinichemicals.com Website: www.prichem.in

Looking For A Specific Product? Searching and sourcing products were never so easy. Just type CW (space) Product Name and send it to 51818

eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818 76

| December 2012 Chemical al World W


PRODUCTS

Fume extraction and scrubbing systems The packed tower absorption system removes gaseous pollutants such as HCl, Cl2, ClO2, SO2, NH3, NOx, HCN, H2S, mercaptans and amines. The typical absorption unit consists of a packed absorption tower, recycle tank, heat exchanger, recirculation pumps and ID/FD fan. The gaseous stream flows upward through a packed bed tower while the scrubbing liquid flows downward by gravity over the packing. The incoming liquid is distributed over the tower cross-section using a liquid distributor. Gases leaving the packed sections are passed through a mist eliminator to remove the moisture entrainment before discharging to the outlet gas connection at the top of the tower. The scrubbing liquid is stored in recycle tank and circulated using recirculation pumps. As most of the absorption processes are exothermic, a heat exchanger is necessary to remove the heat of absorption. The fume extraction and scrubbing system can be used in the agrochemical plants, plastics, paint and varnish plants, soap and detergent plants, sulphuric acid plants, fertiliser manufacture, nitric acid and ammonia plants, acid pickling plants, welding electrode plants, foundry, boilers, process heaters, catalyst regenerators, flares, reactors, storage tanks.

must To make the product of superior quality, it . This adhere to safety and contamination-free norms t, makes the end-product well accepted in the marke rates. on rejecti thus reducing its

Agnish Roy (Manager - Business Development) Marsap Services Pvt Ltd

Trans Tech Projects Pvt Ltd Pune – Maharashtra Tel: 020-65002534/65008534 Email: info@transtechprojects.com Website: www.transtechprojects.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

77


PRODUCTS

In-line homogeniser system In-line homogeniser system allows smooth changeover from laboratory to production plant. The homogeniser allows the user to select from seven different mixing technologies using a variety of available mixing heads, all with programmable speed control to determine the best mixing function for the process. It offers a great variety of applications for many different mixing and particle size reduction processes. It also eliminates the need to purchase separate mixers – operates as both a batch mixer and in-line mixer. The compact, tabletop design minimises space requirements. This dispersing and mixing system was developed to meet the needs of research scientists and mixing specialists within the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical, and food industries who need to use the same methods from initial formulation to mass production. Cole-Parmer India Pvt Ltd Mumbai - Maharashtra Tel: 022-67162224/2222, Fax: 022-67162211 Email: response@coleparmer.in Website: www.coleparmer.in

Test tool The Fluke Color ScopeMeter test tool comes with automated test capability for Fieldbus, Profi Bus and other industrial communication protocols. Fluke 225C and 215C ScopeMeter test tools are designed for maintenance specialists who keep automation and process plant equipment operational. These instruments feature easy signal validation of all the critical signal parameters, such as amplitude & noise and have floating and fully isolated inputs for true differential signal measurements on two-wire differential bus systems. TTL Technologies Pvt Ltd Bengaluru - Karnataka Tel: 080-25251859 Email: tmidirect@ttlindia.com

Chemical compound for cleaning and finishing machines A wide range of cleaning chemicals is used in various machines and equipment such as vibratory finishing machines, tumbling barrels, ultrasonic equipment, washing machines, spray cleaning equipment, etc. These chemicals are used for various functions such as cleaning, degreasing, descaling, deburring, brightening, etc. Ashok Industry Mumbai – Maharashtra Tel: 022–26232133, Mob: 9892848669 Email:sales@ashokindustry.com Website: www.ashokindustry.com

78

Chemical World | December 2012


PRODUCTS

Flameproof magnetic drive chemical pump PMD/SMD series seal-less magnetic drive pump with flameproof electric motors is suitable to use in hazardous industrial environment in different industries for handling toxic and fuming liquids/ chemicals. Due to the use of high power rare earth magnets, these pumps are made sealless in design and give zero leakage during operation. Since there is no shaft seal, there is no leakage or breakdown. Also, the seal-less feature ensures handling of wide variety of liquids, which conventional seal type pump cannot handle. The pumps is ideal to handle corrosive chemicals, acids, dyes, solvents, petrol, kerosene, etc. The motors comply with Indian Standard specification IS 2148 for Gas groups I, IIA, IIB, II C. Typical applications are in industries such as chemical, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, dyeing and printing, electroplating, photo processing, solvent extractions, etc. The pump is available in capacity of 50 LPM up to 2,000 LPM having maximum head of 60 m. Special application pumps can also be designed as per customer requirement and import substitute. Taha Pumps & Valves Surendranagar – Gujarat Tel: 02752 – 240233 Mob: 09825599415/09825829875 Email: tahapv@yahoo.co.in; info@tahapumps.com Website: www.tahapumps.com

Internal gear pump Internal gear pump is positive displacement pump with linear flows and is widely used in the chemical industry. It is ideal for transfer of thin, viscous liquids and slurries. The pump is self-priming with dry suction lift of 0.5 bar and wet lift of 0.8 bar. It is available with integral single and double precision relief valves and in CI, carbon steel, SS and other materials of construction. Soft packing or mechanical sealed versions can be offered based on liquids being handled. Magnetic gear pump is ideal for hazardous and corrosive liquids, handling them in a leak-free manner and is cost-effective when compared to pumps requiring specialised sealing options. The flow rates vary from 0.5 m3/hr to 340 m3/hr with pressures of up to 14 bar. The pump can handle up to 3,80,000 cSt liquid viscosities and can work with operating temperatures of 370oC. Various suction or discharge configurations can be offered based on liquids and site conditions. Shanbhag & Associates Mumbai – Maharashtra Tel: 022-28346604/28340071 Email: info@shanbhags.com Website: www.shanbhags.com

December 2012 | Chemical World

81


PRODUCTS

Vapour phase corrosion inhibitor Corobit-VP is a vapour phase corrosion inhibitor used for prevention of rust and corrosion of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. It is available in powder form and when sprinkled in enclosed systems, it emits vapours that form invisible protective film on surrounding metallic surfaces, thus preventing corrosion. Ashok Industry Mumbai – Maharashtra Tel: 022 – 26232133, Mob: 09892848669 Email:sales@ashokindustry.com Website: www.ashokindustry.com

Booster system The hydro-pneumatic pressure booster system consists of an automatic pressure controlled pump and a pressure tank, along with an air-filled Poly-EtherUrethane (PEU) bladder. Water pumped into this tank is compressed and generates pressure on the bladder. This in turn maintains a desired pressure within the whole water system. The automatic system requires no manual intervention and is built for flow maintenance. Jay Water Ltd Ahmedabad - Gujarat Tel: 079-2685 0026 Email: info@jaywater.com Website: www.jaywater.com

Drum dryer A range of drum dryers is available with quality standards and optimum effectiveness. This range is broadly accepted by prospective clients due to the fine efficient performance, robust construction and longer service life. The dryer is available as per customised specification and also at industry leading prices. Moreover, the range of dryers is manufactured using finest quality raw material sourced from reliable vendors after an appropriate inspection process. The range is manufactured using superior quality raw material and is used to convert liquid material into dry flakes. Tridev Industries Ahmedabad - Gujarat Tel: 079-25895865, Mob: 09978917299 Email: info@tridevindustries.com

82

Chemical World | December 2012


PRODUCTS

Degreaser A wide range of alkaline, solvent-based and water-based degreasers is available, which feature metal-safe and fire-boil safe range and cleans, emulsifies, degreases the toughest of thick burnt greases. It has minimum odour; is reusable, biodegradable and economical on dilution. The degreaser is an excellent substitute for caustic soda, kerosene, diesel, CTC etc. The degreaser range includes Magna 100 hard surface cleaner, which is an alkaline-type detergent that emulsifies, absorbs and floats away the toughest of greases and oils. The Magna 106 alkaline degreaser is a powerful liquid degreaser that avoids most of the risks common to powerful cleaners and with anticorrosion properties. The Magna big blue, high power, emulsifiable solvent degreaser is used to clean heavy engine parts, blocks and related components in shipyards, oilrigs, etc. The Magna Husky is an ideal cleaning compound formulated to clean all types of filtering equipment, deep fat fryers, ovens, greasy vents, etc. Ecochem Innovative Solutions & Services Mumbai – Maharashtra Tel: 022-23880007, Mob: 09322294436 Email: ecochemplus@hotmail.com

pH Meter Oakton pH 2700 is a GLP-compliant meter with pH measurement capability along with temperature. The pH range varies from -2.000 to 20.000 pH with accuracy of Âą0.002 pH. The meter offers a new compact design that is over 40 per cent smaller than other benchtop meters. The large display is easy to read even at a distance and features stability indication. All measurements include temperature display. The meter includes autobuffer recognition for both USA and NIST pH buffer sets with up to 5 points calibration. A calibration due alarm function means no more outdated calibrations. Multiple pH slopes and offset display enables quick, easy electrode diagnosis. The convenient pull-out, quickreference card keeps keypad functions at your fingertips. By utilising the RS-232 output, you can print required data or a calibration report with a click of a button in the desired viewable format. Calibration report provides detailed information on the most recent calibration. It includes date and time, calibration standard(s), offset, temperature, number of days calibration is over-due, slope information, etc. Cole-Parmer India Pvt Ltd Mumbai - Maharashtra Tel: 022-67162224/2222 Email: response@coleparmer.in Website: www.coleparmer.in The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

December 2012 | Chemical World

83




LIST OF PRODUCTS

Sl. No.

Product

Pg. No.

Accelerated aging test ............................. 33 Acoustic enclosure .....................................FIC Agitator .............................................. 19, BIC Air operated double diaphragm pump........ 76 Aluminium extrusion .................................. 77 Amino acid analyser .................................... 88 Analytical instrumentation .........................BC Atomic absorption spectrophotometer........ 88 Automatic and contained discharge ............ 31 Ball check valve ...................................... 49 Ball valve ............................................... 13, 49 Basket centrifuge ......................................... 41 Batch disperser ............................................ 19 Bellow & dip-pipe ........................................ 4 BioSpec-nano .............................................. 75 Booster system ............................................ 82 Bush ............................................................ 49 Butterfly valve ....................................... 13, 49 Buying & selling used industrial machinery plant & equipment .................... 83 Cake pressing ......................................... 31 Calorimeter ................................................. 19 Check valve ................................................. 13 Chemical & pharmaceutical........................ 83 Chemical compound for cleaning and finishing machines ...................................... 78 Chemical tank ............................................. 78 Chemical transfer pump.............................. 76 Chill vector system ...................................... 65 Chromatography data software ..................BC Column & chemistries ...............................BC Compositional & trace metal analysis ........ 33 Continuous or batch filtration .................... 31 Decanter................................................. 41 Degreaser..................................................... 83 Diaphragm valve ......................................... 49 Diesel........................................................... 33 Disc-bowl type centrifuge separator ........... 41 Disperser ..................................................... 19 Drawer magnet............................................ 78 Drum dryer ................................................. 82 Drum type magnetic separator.................... 78 Dry van pump ...........................................FIC Dryer ........................................................... 22 Evaporator..................................... 22, BIC Exhibition - Engineering Expo ............ 59, 61 Failure analysis ....................................... 33 Feed water heater ........................................ 65 FEP/PFA/PVDF material .......................... 49 Ferrous/non-ferrous casting ........................ 77 Filler compositional analysis ....................... 33 Finishing machine ....................................... 78 Fittings ........................................................ 49 Flameproof magnetic drive chemical pump 81 Flash dryer................................................... 22 Flexible hose................................................ 82 Forged component ...................................... 77 Forged steel valve ........................................ 13 FRP battery stand ....................................... 29 FRP cable tray............................................. 29

Sl. No.

Product

Pg. No.

FRP canopy ................................................. 29 FRP grating................................................. 29 FRP handrail & fencing ............................. 29 FRP ladder .................................................. 29 FRP luminaries ........................................... 29 FRP piping.................................................. 57 FRP pole & mast ........................................ 29 FRP storage tank ........................................ 29 FRP structural profiles ................................ 29 Fuel storage ................................................. 27 Fume extraction and scrubbing system ....... 77 Gas chromatography ............................... 88 Gasket ......................................................... 49 Gate valve, globe valve ................................ 13 Gear oil ....................................................... 33 Hastelloy ................................................ 13 Heat exchanger .................................... 8, BIC Heating bath ............................................... 19 High intensity roller type magnetic separator .....78 High pressure homogeniser ........................ 19 Hose ............................................................ 82 Hot and cold zinc phosphating chemical ... 76 Hot plate ..................................................... 19 Hotshot mechanical automatic pump ......... 65 HPLC ........................................................BC Industrial valve ....................................... 77 Informatics .................................................BC Inline disperser ............................................ 19 In-line homogeniser system ........................ 78 Inline magnetic separator ............................ 78 Inorganic ceramic adhesive ........................... 3 Internal gear pump...................................... 81 Kneading machine .................................. 19 Laboratory reactor .................................. 19 Laboratory software..................................... 19 Large diameter welded pipe ........................ 83 Laser particle size analyser .......................... 88 Lighting system ........................................... 27 Lined valve .................................................. 13 Lined valve & pipe fitting ............................ 4 Liquid jet ejector ......................................... 65 Lubes - engine oil ....................................... 33 Machined components ............................ 77 Magnetic drum pulley ................................. 78 Magnetic stirrer ........................................... 19 Material identification................................. 33 Mechanical vibratory feeder ........................ 78 Metallography ............................................. 33 Mills ............................................................ 19 Modular system pump ................................ 53 Monel .......................................................... 13 Multi-stage cake washing ........................... 31 Nickel aluminium bronze ........................ 13 Non-return valve ........................................... 4 Oil meter ................................................ 81 Over band type magnetic separator ............ 78 Overhead stirrer .......................................... 19 Peristaltic pump...................................... 55 Petrol ........................................................... 33 pH Meter .................................................... 83

Sl. No.

Product

Pg. No.

Pilot plant.................................................... 19 Pipe ............................................................ 49 Piping system from polypropylene ................ 6 Plug valve .............................................. 13, 49 Pollution control equipment .................... BIC Polymer characterisation ............................. 33 Power distribution, power rental ................ 27 Pressure and vacuum filtration.................... 31 Product assemblies ...................................... 77 Production HPCL ...................................... 88 PTFE .......................................................... 49 PTFE lined valve & pipe fitting................... 4 Pump .................................................. 82, FIC Pump for chemical equipment .................... 11 Pumping solution ........................................ 85 Rod ....................................................... 49 Roots blower ...................................... 82, FIC Rotary atomiser ........................................... 22 Rotary evaporator ........................................ 19 Seamless pipe.......................................... 83 Sheet............................................................ 49 Single gas monitor ...................................... 81 Spin flash dryer ........................................... 22 Spray dryer ......................................... 22, BIC Stainless steel pipe....................................... 83 Steam jet air ejector system......................... 65 Steam jet booster and ejector ...................... 65 Strainer .......................................................... 4 Super centrifuge .......................................... 41 Super duplex................................................ 13 Surface condenser ........................................ 65 Suspension magnet...................................... 78 Swing check valve ....................................... 49 Teflon-lined ball valve, butterfly valve ......4 Teflon-lined check valve, sampling valve ..... 4 Teflon-lined valve & pipe fitting .................. 4 Tefzel HHS isotactic PP material ................ 6 Test tool ...................................................... 78 Testing ........................................................ 33 Thermocompressor...................................... 65 Thermoplastic valve ...................................... 6 Titanium ..................................................... 13 Transmission fluid....................................... 33 Transmitter.................................................. 15 Trap magnet ................................................ 78 Tube ...................................................... 49, 83 Turbine vacuum system .............................. 65 Turned components .................................... 77 Twin lobe roots blower ............................... 82 Two-stage vacuum pump ............................ 82 ‘U’ tube ................................................... 83 UPLC .........................................................BC Vacuum booster pump ......................... FIC Vacuum or hot gas drying........................... 31 Vacuum system .........................................FIC Valve ............................................................ 49 Vapour phase corrosion inhibitor ............... 82 Water-based paint .................................. 43 Water ring vacuum pump ........................... 82 Welded pipe ................................................ 83

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

Looking For A Specific Product? Searching and sourcing products were never so easy. Just type CW (space) Product Name and send it to 51818

eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818 86

Chemical al W World | December 2012


LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details

Pg No

Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details

Pg No

Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details

Pg No

Aeron Composite Pvt Ltd 29 T: +91-79-65258500 E: info@aeroncomposite.com W: www.aeroncomposite.com

Hi-Tech Applicator T: +91-79-25833040 E: hitech@ptfeindia.com W: www.ptfeindia.com

4

Real Centrifuges (Asia) Pvt Ltd T: +91-20-24338642 E: centrifuge@vsnl.net

Analytical Technologies Limited T: +91-265-2253620 E: info@ais-india.com W: www.ais-india.com

88

HRS Process Systems Ltd T: +91-20-66047894 E: info@hrsasia.co.in W: www.hrsasia.co.in

8

Satjyot Enterprises 78 T: +91-09810403546 E: satjyotenterprises@yahoo.co.in W: www.satjyot-enterprises.com

Anup Engineering 83 T: +91-2646-250025 E: sales@megamachineryindia.com W: www.megamachineryindia.com

IKA India Private Limited T: +91-80-26253900 E: process@ika.in W: www.ika.in

19

Shachi Engg Pvt Ltd 22 T: +91-20-66546900 E: shachi_engineering@vsnl.com W: www.shachiengg.com

BASF India Ltd 43 T: +91-22-66618000 E: contact-us-india@basf.com W: www.basf.com

Jaykrishna Magnetics Pvt Ltd 78 T: +91-79-22870071 E: info@jkmagnetics.com W: www.jkmagnetics.com

Shanbhag And Associates T: +91-22-28346604 E: info@shanbhags.com W: www.shanbhags.com

BHS-Sonthofen (India) Pvt. Ltd. 31 T: +91-40-23315341/45 E: info@bhs-sonthofen.in W: www.bhs-sonthofen.in

Jyoti Ceramic Industries Pvt Ltd 3 T: +91-253-2350120 E: info@jyoticeramics.com W: www.jyoticeramics.com

Shiva Analyticals (India) Limited 33 T: +91-80-27971322 E: gupta@shivatec-india.com W: www.shivatec-india.com

Chemical Process Piping Pvt Ltd. 57 T: +91-22-67230600 E: salescbg@cppiping.com W: www.cppiping.com

LAN Marketing Pvt Ltd T: +91-09920780721 E: jai@lanengg.com W: www.maag.com

Supremo Polymer Industries 49 T: +91-79-22205282 E: supremoproduct@gmail.com W: www.supremoproduct.com

Cole-Parmer India 55 T: +91-22-67162222 E: response@coleparmer.in W: www.coleparmer.in

Mazda Ltd

Emerson Process Management 15 T: +91-22-66620417 E: Enquiry.Rosemount-IN@emerson.com W: www.emersonprocess.com

53

65 T: +91-79-40007000 E: vacuum@mazdalimited.com W: www.mazdalimited.com

41

85

Suraj Limited T: +91-79-27540720 E: suraj@surajgroup.com W: www.surajgroup.com

83

Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd 84 W: www.network18online.com

Toshvin Analytical Pvt Ltd T: +91-22-23015096 E: info@toshvin.com W: www.toshvin.com

75

Engineering Expo 59, 61 T: +91-09819552270 E: engexpo@infomedia18.in W: www.engg-expo.com

P P I Pumps Pvt Ltd T: +91-79-25832273 E: sales@ppipumps.com W: www.ppipumps.com

Uniphos Envirotronic Pvt Ltd 81 T: +91-22-6123500 E: singhrv@uniphos.com W: www.uniphos-she.com

Everest Blower Systems FIC T: +91-11-45457777 E: info@everestblowers.com W: www.everestblowers.com

Pentair Water India Pvt Ltd 11 T: +91-120-4199444 E: marketing.india@pentair.com W: www.pentair.com

UNP Polyvalves India Pvt Ltd T: +91-265-2649248 E: mktg@polyvalve.com W: www.polyvalve.com

6

G M Engineering T: +91-2827-287658 E: valve@gmengg.com W: www.gmengg.com

13

Perennial Technologies Pvt Ltd 27 T: +91-20-22953511 E: sales@perennial.co.in W: www.powerrental.co.in

Vijay Engineering Corporation T: +91-11-23215170 E: sachin@vechoses.com W: www.vechoses.com

82

Heattrans Equipments Pvt.Ltd. T: +91-79-25840105 E: info@heattrans.com W: www.heattrans.com

77

Raj Process Eqpts & Systems(P) Ltd BIC T: +91-20-40710010 E: sales@rajprocessequipment.com W: www.rajprocessequipment.com

Waters (India) Private Limited BC T: +91-80-28371900 E: waters_india@waters.com W: www.waters.com

82

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

Our consistent advertisers

December 2012 | Chemical World

87





Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.