Company News : Air Products South Africa

Towards a Greener Future: Gas Technologies and In-House Energy Saving Drive Put Air Products Ahead of the Game

Air Products, industry leaders for more than 40 years in the manufacture and supply of gas products and technology, is constantly examining innovative ways in which it can make a meaningful contribution towards a ‘greener’ environment.

Apart from in-house initiatives, Air Products’ quest is also to bring environmentally friendly solutions to its customers.

“Our focus is in assisting other companies in order to reduce the carbon footprint of their industrial processes”, says Dustin Mulder, Marketing Manager of Air Products South Africa. “Air Products works tirelessly on developing technologies which address environmental concerns – and the industries we have helped include paper, cement, mining, petrochemical and the food industry, among others.”

The kinds of technologies developed by Air Products are as wide-ranging as the industries themselves, from ozone technology to cyanide destruction to industrial cryogenics. But they share a common goal: to lessen the impact of industrial processes on the natural world, most particularly the air that we breathe and the water we drink.

“At a time when water scarcity looms as one of the planet’s most serious worries, Air Products is working long and hard to provide sustainable solutions to protect and nurture this valuable resource”, says Mulder.

Thus, one of the areas in which the company has made tangible inroads is in water treatment, specifically through the application of ozone technology.

Not only is ozone a powerful disinfectant, it is also highly effective in removing heavy metal toxicity and endocrine disruptors as well as any other unwelcome organic matter in drinking water.

“The use of ozone in a water treatment plant basically eliminates the need for the range of chemicals used in conventional water treatment plants”, explains Sachin Kulkarni, National Sales Manager: Bulk Gases, adding that Air Products is enjoying great success with the use of ozone in its own water cooling towers.

“The elimination of harsh water treatment chemicals means that the water can be recycled many times more, with none of the harmful by-products associated with chemical disinfectants. Our water is cleaner, we are saving more of it – and reducing our water effluent.”

Another area in which Air Products assists companies in reducing their carbon footprint, is through combustion optimisation, Kulkarni explains:

“In the cement industry, for instance, the introduction of oxygen into a lime kiln results in a significantly more efficient combustive process. Oxygen basically enhances the capability of the flame, creating better efficiency, reducing the primary coal load, with the net result of more carbon credits.

“By adding oxygen, we can reduce the amount of fuel burnt per ton of product and increase the capacity of the kiln by about 10%.”

He adds that a further benefit of introducing oxygen into the combustive process is an improvement in the gas emissions from the stack, including a reduction in the nitrogen load, as well as a reduction in toxic gas emission into the environment, such as hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide.

In industrial freezing and refrigeration, Air Products has assisted the food industry in reducing its carbon footprint through the use of nitrogen. Cryogenic technology is a much quicker and more efficient way of freezing food substances, resulting not only in reduced power usage but reduction in the kind of harsh chemicals used in conventional refrigeration.

Exciting inroads have also been made in the field of hydrogen fuelling at Air Products. As a leader in hydrogen energy technologies, the company is at the forefront of the development of hydrogen fuel station technology. A number of demonstration projects are under way in the US and Europe, and to date, Air Products has engineered more than 80 hydrogen stations around the world.

Kulkarni comments: “Air Products has over fifteen years of experience in hydrogen fuelling – and this technology can be used for a variety of vehicles, including cars, buses and forklifts. The technology is being developed alongside hydrogen vehicle production, and because hydrogen is abundant and renewable, and produces no emissions, it is the cleanest way of meeting the world’s energy needs.”

Closer to home, Air Products South Africa has been at the forefront of cyanide destruction technology, successfully piloting a project at a local gold mine. “Having developed the technology, we will focus on marketing it”, Kulkarni says, looking to the company’s future plans.

Like its global counterpart, Air Products will also be increasing its focus on water treatment.

“There is undoubtedly a water crisis in this country, as in most parts of the world. Apart from scarcity, our water treatment plants were not built or designed to cope with the kind of pollutants we have to deal with these days”, Kulkarni comments, referring to increasing volumes of effluent in waste water, as well as the increase in levels of heavy metal, pharmaceutical waste and endocrine disruptors.

“We see the future of water treatment as of critical importance and will continue in our efforts to promote the use of ozone technology to play a fundamental role in the future of our water resources.”

But going ‘green’ is not just about technology. Air Products also believes its people play an important role, hence the drive for a drastic reduction in electricity usage in its offices and at its plants. The company has also implemented a system for recycling waste at all its offices.

Concludes Mulder: “Environmental responsibility certainly begins at home, but, even more importantly, we believe we can have a far-reaching impact on the world through products and processes that are designed to help our customers to protect the environment.”

Published on July 14, 2011 in Company News |

Gas Leadership in the Mining Sector: Air Products Provides Pivotal Gas Solutions to Top Mining Companies

Air Products South Africa, with more than 40 years’ experience in gas production and supply in this country, has been making ever deeper inroads into the local mining industry.

Because gas, in many forms, forms a vital component in a variety of mining processes, the company has established ongoing supply relationships with a number of Southern African mining operations, including some of the biggest gold, platinum and iron ore producers in the country.

This is according to Rob Richardson, Air Products’ General Manager: On-site, who asserts that the spectrum of gases applicable to mining is as wide as the variety of applications and mining processes themselves. “Gas affects almost every aspect of mining operations, including human safety, quality control of the metals, productivity and environmental health”,

Richardson continues: “The gases used in mining include an assortment of both industrial and specialty (or high purity) gases. Industrial gases used on a daily basis are oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, but also include dissolved acetylene, LPG (liquid petroleum gas), carbon dioxide and argon.”

Richardson explains that oxygen, which forms the main part of Air Products’ Bulk Gases supply to the mining industry, has three important functions when it comes to metal extraction: Firstly, because it effects faster reactions, its presence in the leaching, ,roasting or smelting processes both increases yield, and reduces the processing time, thus improving overall productivity. Secondly, oxygen is used to remove impurities (such as sulphur and carbon) in metals; and thirdly, the use of oxygen provides environmental benefits by decreasing the volume of emissions, thereby making them easier to treat or recover.

Nitrogen is also used frequently in mining operations, most commonly to extinguish underground fires, but also in hot metal processes, to control oxidation, as well as to control furnace atmospheres.

Apart from these base gases, Air Products also supplies a variety of specialty blended welding gases to the industry, and recently, the company has had a great deal of success with the use of ozone in the destruction of cyanide, used in the gold leaching process.

Taking special care of its customers’ individual requirements, and focusing on an uninterrupted supply, Air Products prides itself on its market-leading supply modes. Liquid and gaseous product is distributed using a modern fleet of cryogenic tankers and cylinder trucks to provide reliable supplies of gases to customers, including gold, uranium and ferro-chrome mines.

Where high volumes of gas product are required, special on-site plants are built for the continuous supply of gas via pipe-line.

Air Products is particularly strong in the platinum sector, where Air Products supplies the three major platinum producers in South Africa with oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen via pipe-line. The company has in recent years also established a strong presence in the Zambian copper belt, having established five oxygen plants to feed copper and cobalt mines in that region.

Richardson explains that the On-site business model is based on the principle of building/owning/operating a plant on behalf of a customer. “It is important to ensure a high level of reliability when it comes to on-site gas supply”, he says. “We focus strongly on technical excellence when it comes to operations and maintenance, and consult closely with our customers to design dependable backup systems.”

One such system, commonly used at on-site plants, is to store gases in liquid form at extremely low temperatures, and then vaporise the relevant gases if and when needed.

Another system used is an on-line programme called Telalert, which assesses a customer’s requirements for bulk and cylinder gas in real time. Richardson explains: “The system helps us to understand exactly where our mining customers are at, in terms of their gas supply. It alerts us well before the critical stage, so we can plan our supply options timeously.”

Air Products, at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the latest gas products and technologies, is proud to have become the largest supplier in the on-site and pipeline market in South Africa, as well as a leader in the bulk, cylinder, specialty gas and chemicals supply market.

“We are especially proud that so many of the big mining players in this region have come to rely on us for both expert supply solutions and quality gas products to enhance their operations”, he concludes.

Published on June 12, 2011 in Company News |

A Versatile Gas Comes of Age – The Myriad Industrial Uses of Ozone

Ozone has come of age. This frequently misunderstood natural element is fast proving itself to be an indispensable gas, increasingly making its presence felt in all facets of industry.

While the conventional applications of ozone as a powerful disinfector and oxidant are well documented, industry is starting to open its eyes to a myriad of new possibilities for ozone and ozone technology, all of which point to a healthier and cleaner physical world.

A Closer Look at Ozone

Ozone is produced when oxygen (0₂) molecules are dissociated by an energy source into oxygen atoms and subsequently collide with an oxygen molecule to form an unstable gas, ozone (0₃); which is a pale blue gas with a pungent odour. Such is the instability of the ozone structure, that it has a half life of less than 20 minutes before decomposing back into normal oxygen.

Since its discovery in 1840, ozone has been the centre of debate in scientific circles, making the gas difficult to explain, isolate and classify. However, its usefulness was quickly recognised, and ozone was soon adopted as a means of treating water to drinking standards. The first water treatment plant to incorporate ozone was established in 1893 in the Netherlands.

But ozone lost its position at centre stage in the water purification industry during the First World War when the cheap manufacture of chlorine gas lead to a decline in interest in ozone. Chlorine disinfection lasted longer, was easier to transport and cheaper to manufacture. This was despite the fact that the by-products of chlorination were already known to be harmful to both people and the environment.

Now, ozone has re-emerged, demanding fresh attention as a viable, mainstream water and air treatment option.

The reasons for ozone’s coming full circle are varied, and include: improvements in ozone production technologies; the advances in ozone chemistry; the tightening on environmental legislations, and deteriorating water supplies.

A Fresh Look at Ozone

Industry is starting to take a fresh look at ozone in terms of potential applications and possibilities that have not yet been fully explored.

This list of potential applications of ozone technology is growing by the day, and ranges from organic synthesis reactions in the pharmaceutical industry, to the disinfection of chicken’s eggs in the hatchery business.

Going for Gold

One of the technologies coming to the fore, and very much applicable in the South African context, is the destruction through ozone of cyanide in gold mine tailing streams.

Air Products South Africa (Pty Ltd., in partnership with ITT, global specialists in water and wastewater management, have successfully demonstrated a system that will destroy cyanide from tailings levels as high as 120ppm down to less than 5pmm. Ozonation results in a very rapid and complete decomposition of cyanides, cyanates and thiocyanates; ultimately, given enough contact time, to carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This allows the tailings to be sent back underground as backfill without further treatment.

Changing Water Treatment Options

A further application of ozone technology, and one with increasing applicability to the South African market, is ozone treatment of cooling tower water. With the increases expected in the cost of water, as well as the degradation of our water sources, conservation and re-use of water are becoming very important.

By switching from conventional water treatment options in a cooling tower to using just ozone, companies cannot only save water but reduce the cost of treating effluent. Ozone treatment allows for a far higher recycle rate (cycles of concentration) of water within the cooling circuit before any water is blown down (if at all). Ozone is completely effective in the control of bacteria like Legionnaires’ disease. Ozone treatment also eliminates the handling and dosing of a variety of different chemicals to the tower.

Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP)

And then there is Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), a system which greatly enhances the conventional application of ozone in drinking water. The combination of ozone and hydrogen peroxide forms the hydroxyl radical, an aggressive oxidant which reacts chemically with common taste and odour (T&O) compounds, a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and various other micro contaminants. This makes it ideal for drinking water and water re-use applications. Applications for AOP systems include:

Control of taste/odour and colour of drinking water
Destruction of volatile organic compounds in effluents and drinking water
Disinfection for water reuse
Removal of microcontaminants, such as endocrine disrupters
Removal of a host of recalcitrant compounds

Environmentally-Friendly and Useful Ozone

Because ozone oxidizes cell walls, it reacts up to 3,500 times faster than chlorine, rapidly destroying all bacteria, endotoxins, mould and yeast spores, and even viruses. Moreover, micro-organisms cannot build up an immunity to ozone.

The short lifespan of an ozone molecule means that it quickly reverts back to oxygen, leaving behind no chemical residues or harmful by-products.

In an age where environmental concerns top the priority list in both government and industry, ozone is poised to come into its own as an environmentally-friendly and versatile industrial gas.

Published on January 20, 2011 in Company News |

Gas Leadership in the Mining Sector: Air Products Provides Pivotal Gas Solutions to Top Mining Companies

Air Products South Africa, with more than 40 years’ experience in gas production and supply in this country, has been making ever deeper inroads into the local mining industry.

Nitrogen is also used frequently in mining operations, most commonly to extinguish underground fires, but also in hot metal processes, to control oxidation, as well as to control furnace atmospheres.

Where high volumes of gas product are required, special on-site plants are built for the continuous supply of gas via pipe-line.

One such system, commonly used at on-site plants, is to store gases in liquid form at extremely low temperatures, and then vaporise the relevant gases if and when needed.

Published on January 12, 2011 in Company News |

Air Products – Top of the Class in Environmental Health, Safety and Quality

Air Products South Africa, a leading manufacturer and distributor of industrial and specialty gas products and chemicals, has recently celebrated 40 years in the industry. The company has thus much to offer when it comes to expertise, experience and insight, not only in terms of its own operations, but also in the wider industry context.
One of the operational areas where Air Products sets the benchmark is in the field of Environmental Health, Safety (EH&S) and Quality, a hot topic in industry globally.

Air Products‟ safety philosophy is summed up as follows: “Nothing is more important than safety, not production, not sales, not profits.”

In line with this ongoing drive for optimum EH&S management, Air Products has earned top accolades. In September, the company was awarded the Top 100 Company in the commercial category for best international company on the NOSA integrated five star system.

This is according to Sue Janse van Vuuren, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) and Quality Manager at Air Products SA. She explains that the company adheres strictly to its global EH&S standards, which have been written and developed over many years by industry experts, based on best practices, legislation and experience.

“We consider the Air Products global standards as our minimum standard”, notes Janse van Vuuren, “however where South African legislation is more stringent we obviously comply to this through our local standards”
In addition, Air Products South Africa has implemented the NOSA (National Occupational Safety Association) 5 Star Integrated System.

“NOSA is an external accreditation body which uses specific criteria to measure how effectively you have implemented your procedures. The highest honour is to be “Noscar-rated”, says Janse van Vuuren, “and we are proud that currently six of our facilities are Noscar-rated, while three are 5 Star NOSA Platinum rated. Each year we have been able to improve our grading and overall scores.”

A key part of the drive to continually improve safety practises at Air Products is the careful recording of each and every incident. This helps the company to identify the root causes in order to prevent a recurrence of the same, or more serious incidents, as well as to monitor the company‟s safety performance and trends.

Air Products also reports all incidents (be it a „near miss‟ or a recordable injury) to its parent company overseas. Likewise, its overseas counterparts will communicate any of their own recordable incidents with the local company, particularly where important learning may emerge.

Communicating about safety issues extends to the customer: if a customer experiences an incident or „near miss‟, this learning is communicated to other customers as a preventative measure.

In fact, prevention is an important component of the EH&S ethos at Air Products. The company uses APT (Accident Preventative Technique) in order for staff, across the board, to be able to identify potentially unsafe conditions or behaviours. “It is all about getting people involved and taking ownership of the situation”, Janse van Vuuren says. “That is why we believe that EH&S is a line management function: instead of having dedicated EH&S personnel in all areas, we prefer to make each employee accountable and therefore responsible for their own safety and for that of their colleagues.”

Thus, the issue of safety has become embedded in the culture of the organisation. Furthermore, to keep it relevant and topical, the company rolls out incentive initiatives from time to time. One such initiative is Best Safety Practices (BSP), which is all about getting employees involved on a consistent basis.

“There are certain activities and responsibilities which are allocated throughout the organisation, such as leadership site inspections and safety contacts,” Janse van Vuuren explains. “These activities are concrete ways of keeping channels of communication open, and keeping safety at the top of the priority list.”

Another initiative is called „Count on Me‟, which is an internal safety awareness campaign currently being run at all Air Products‟ facilities. As part of this campaign, various safety topics are communicated to everyone in the organisation. “It is about keeping safety at the forefront of everyone‟s minds”, says Janse van Vuuren, “and making it everybody‟s responsibility, whether in a plant, or in the office.”

“We also ensure a responsible approach to environmental issues,” Janse van Vuuren adds. ”We have ISO 14001 certification at all of our ASU plants”
The key environmental issue in the gas manufacturing processes is the extensive use of natural resources. As Janse van Vuuren points out, large gas plants use significant amounts of electricity, so the company examines very closely how to optimise the management of its plants. “The same goes for water consumption”, she says, “although much of our process water is recycled on site.”

She goes on to describe how any waste is disposed of in a considered way, and how one of Air Products‟ by-products (lime sludge from the acetylene plants) is recycled into fertiliser.
Air Products is currently improving its personnel health management by conducting ongoing risk assessments and standardising its medical surveillance programme. “The medical surveillance programme, contracted to an external specialist company, is based on both risk and job requirements”, says Janse van Vuuren. “We make sure our people have the appropriate tests, for example hearing tests, and then ensure they are wearing the correct hearing protection.”

Vehicle safety is high on the agenda too, and to this end Air Products ensures that its drivers are medically fit and attend driver training programmes.

The final part of the equation is quality, and here Air Products has a very well established Quality Management system which not only complies to ISO 9001 but also ISO 22 000 (for food safety management) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) for food and medical gases.

“This ensures that our products and processes are monitored and controlled throughout the entire supply chain, at every step. We do not just focus on the quality of the end product,” says Janse van Vuuren.

She adds: “We also measure levels of customer satisfaction both internally and externally by conducting regular customer satisfaction surveys, in order to identify areas for improvement in order for us to meet and exceed our customers‟ expectations.”

Finally, in a relatively small industry such as the South African gas industry, the main players join forces through the Southern Africa Compressed Gases Association (SACGA), in order to establish safety and technical standards in the local context and identify areas for improvement.

Referring to the company‟s recent EH&S industry awards, Janse van Vuuren concludes: “It is great to get recognition in the industry for what we do, and it is a useful benchmarking tool.

However, there is always more to be done. We can never afford to lose sight of our key goal which is to ensure the health and safety of our employees, and also that of customers, contractors, visitors and the general public.”

Published on January 10, 2011 in Company News |

The Strongest Link: How A Flexible, Robust Supply Chain Ensures Industry Leadership

Air Products South Africa is a leading manufacturer, supplier and distributer of industrial and specialty gas products to the local market. The company has operated in South Africa since 1969, and has become a force to be reckoned within the on-sites, bulk, cylinder, specialty gas and chemicals supply markets, priding itself on an innovative culture and industry leadership.

When it comes to key managerial functions, the company places a key emphasis on effective supply chain management. In fact, the company sees its supply chain methodology as integral to success in maintaining its leading market position within the gas industry in South Africa.

This is according to Nalen Alwar, Supply Chain Manager of Air Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd. “Supply chain practice and methodology within Air Products has become a key focus area,” he explains. “However, we have become increasingly aware over the years that an effective, well-integrated supply chain is fundamental to the success of a company, both from an operational and a strategic perspective.”

“At Air Products, we aim to be both lean and agile in our approach, or „leagile‟, and that ethos forms the basis of our supply chain methodology.”

He continues: “The two main objectives for us are, firstly, to be efficient, and secondly, effective. It is an interesting balance, and sometimes – of necessity – there is a trade-off between these two objectives.”

Alwar explains that efficiency, in simple terms, is about keeping costs down, while effectiveness relates to how the company pursues its overarching strategic goals. “In pursuing those goals, it is necessary to become both adaptive (responsive) and resilient, and therefore effective in a dynamic, ever-changing environment.”

Donovan O‟Grady, Distribution Manager for the Bulk division of Air Products SA, explains that, from an operational point of view, the use of the best available technology plays a pivotal role, notably in distribution.

Continuing on the theme of being lean and agile, O‟Grady says: “In distribution, we use specialised software to ensure proper route planning and logistical efficiency. The programme predicts the delivery schedule, creating the optimal route in order to save on mileage and fuel.

“We also manage our vehicles by the use of GPS and tracking devices, which has a number of functions, including ensuring safe driving practices.”

Air Products uses a telemetry system, which is key to managing supply and demand. “The system monitors our customers‟ supply levels, and alerts us when replenishing is required. This is extremely effective in enabling us to plan, and to always be ahead of the game,” O‟Grady says.

Technology is also an enabling factor, as it provides key feedback mechanisms, says Alwar. “Technology allows for analysis in order to examine our own efficiency levels”, he maintains.

“The data provides very useful feedback for analysing costs and to what extent a transaction brings value to the company.”

While predictive software and enabling technology provides useful feedback mechanisms, Alwar warns of the dangers of relying heavily on historical data.

“For example, tank levels change all the time according to the changing needs of a company. In addition, there is the wider environment which fluctuates constantly,” he says, citing the example of the recent economic downturn. “That is why the supply chain is referred to as a Complex, Adaptive System – demand fluctuates at different rates, it is a living system, which is why a company needs to respond and be able to adapt accordingly.”

Part of a company‟s capacity to adapt to change is dependent on what Alwar calls their “regenerative resource” – people. “For a great supply chain, which really works, you need broad-thinking people, people who think flexibly and efficiently, always keeping in mind the overall interests of the company. In an intra-firm situation, it is easy to focus on individual business units, and lose sight of the bigger picture,” he cautions.

Alwar continues: “Air Products encourages knowledge-sharing behaviour, which is critical when keeping in mind the overall company strategy. Communication on all levels is key, in order to gauge what is happening in the market. Thus, the Marketing function forms a pivotal part of the supply chain, as do other ways of information-sharing, such as regular, informal meetings and external and internal surveys, which Air Products conducts on a regular basis,” Alwar says.

Air Products‟ successful supply chain methodology is in part due to progressive and innovative leadership, according to O‟ Grady. He attributes the company‟s „thinking-out-the-box‟ approach to “visionary” leadership. “You need to be stay one step ahead, in supply chain management”, he maintains,“ which requires flexible, creative thinking in a dynamic environment.”

Alwar agrees, adding the importance of being able to „stretch‟ in terms of capacity, as demand requires, but also being able to retract in „leaner‟ times.

“No longer is supply chain seen as an isolated, linear process. It is a highly complex management function that requires a company to constantly adapt to a changing environment in order to maintain the leading edge,” he concludes.

Published on January 10, 2011 in Company News |

Air Products – ensuring security of supply, anywhere, anytime.

Air Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd. has proudly served Southern Africa’s industrial gas consumers for 41 years. The company manufactures, supplies and distributes a wide variety of industrial and speciality gas products to an equally extensive range of local industries. With an innovative mindset, Air Products is constantly looking for new ways to provide optimum service and appropriate solutions to its customers.

A subsidiary of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., the company has used its world-class production and distribution facilities to become the largest supplier in the over-the fence gas supply and pipeline market, as well as a formidable participant in the bulk, cylinder, speciality gas and chemicals supply markets in South Africa.

Air Products’ expertise and resources benefit, among others, the steel, food processing, mining, petrochemical, engineering and automotive industries.

In any of these industries, the concern is to keep production constant, and down-time to a minimum. In many cases, continuous production is reliant on an uninterrupted supply of gas. An intermittent or unreliable gas supply could mean significant losses. This is why Air Products ensures that security of supply is a priority.

Sachin Kulkarni, Air Products’ National Sales Manager for the Bulk Division explains: “We simply have to make sure that our product is available all the time. So we make sure that we have appropriate storage and delivery plans.” He emphasises the importance of adequate storage, in the event of some kind of transport delay. “We want to avoid the risk of an emergency situation,” he says, “and so we always ensure there is site specific and adequate storage capacity at our plants, as well as at our customers’ facilities.”

Air Products’ two larger manufacturing and storage facilities are located at Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng and at Newcastle in KZN. The Newcastle plant has recently undergone a multi-million rand refurbishment and expansion. This very major upgrade was in response to the demand for a continuous supply of oxygen to a steel-processing plant in the region.

Regional Sales Manager for KZN, Jasper Allardice, explains that the greatly enhanced capacity at Newcastle has gone a long way to ensure security of supply for Air Products’ customers in KZN. But he explains that there are other factors which are just as important, such as the availability of road tankers for transporting the gas: “We have a dedicated fleet which operates 24 hours a day, and we make sure that there is enough flexibility in our fleet to allow for uninterrupted distribution.”

In addition, as Kulkarni explains, Air Products keeps its fingers on the pulse by holding regular supply-chain meetings. “At these weekly meetings, we look at dynamic trends in the market as well as at customers’ needs in terms of storage, and then we plan for the following week accordingly.” All important role players, including Sales, Onsites Operation, Packaged Gas Production and Distribution participate in these meetings. “If, for instance, we see demand shifting in a certain area, we have the flexibility in our facilities and storage management planning, and can quickly make the necessary adjustments,” says Kulkarni. “All three departments interact, in order to act effectively when our customers require it.”

Air Products also makes sure it remains in touch with its customers’ needs via the company’s innovative Telalert on-line telemetry system. Kulkarni describes this system as “a key component in managing both supply chain risk and security of supply.”

He explains that Telalert enables Air Products to closely monitor an individual company’s demand patterns. “The system helps us to understand our customers’ gas usage patterns better. It alerts us well before the critical stage, so we can plan our supply options timeously.”

“In the gas industry, it is all about putting the customer first and winning their trust,” says Allardice. “We aim to be as flexible as possible in our approach, so that we can offer, not only the best quality gas products, but also the safest and most reliable service,” he concludes.

Published on January 10, 2011 in Company News |

ANOTHER BEE MILESTONE

Under the current black economic empowerment (BEE) legislation, The Preferential Procurement Element (Code 500), as set out in the Code of Good Practice, measures the extent to which South African companies buy goods and services from suppliers with strong BEE procurement recognition levels. This requires that companies that wish to be BEE compliant spend 70% of their procurement with other BEE compliant organisations. Even for smaller enterprises, the Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE) scorecard requires a 50% spend. As preferential procurement is worth 20 points on the BEE scorecard, Air Products South Africa is pleased that it has achieved Level 4 BEE compliance after an audit conducted in November 2009.

Air Products South Africa has shown its commitment to the objectives of BEE by gaining a rating of 70.02% for the year 2009/2010. This makes Air Products a Value-Adding Enterprise, which means that companies procuring from Air Products South Africa qualify for a 25% enhancement. This adds to the 100% already achieved which means 125% of the BEE procurement parameter normally attributed to Level 2 contributors to BEE.

As a good corporate citizen, the company fully embraced the spirit of BEE, which has been demonstrated by year-on-year improvements it has made in the BEE codes of good practice. In 2008, the company moved its BEE rating from 61.06% to 66.47%, this also being achieved on the back of improvements in the majority of the codes of good practice. At Air Products South Africa, we have made a concerted effort over a number of years to embrace the principles of BEE. For this reason, we are particularly proud of our Level 4 achievement.

Air Products South Africa has identified education as a particular area of focus and believes that the future prosperity of the country will be to a large extent dependent on how well the country educates its citizens. Although it is essential to observe the laws of the land, Air Products South Africas commitment to BEE goes beyond mere compliance. We believe that our future depends on our ability to harness the talent and energy of our entire nations people. Therefore, amongst others, we will continue our focus on education, both internally and externally, supporting projects to provide opportunities to disadvantaged communities and individuals.

We are cognisant of the fact that this high level of accomplishment is not something that will allow us to rest on our laurels, and we constantly plan and strategise to take these standards to new heights.

Published on February 2, 2010 in Company News, Spotlight |

The New Cold Box – The History So Far

Air Products Newcastle plant recently underwent a multi-million refurbishment and expansion project. The need for this arose because of additional oxygen requirements from the ArcelorMittal steel plant.

The Air Products Newcastle plant has been providing a continuous supply of oxygen to the ArcelorMittal steel plant for the past 40 years, through three existing air separation units (ASUs) commissioned in the 70s. These ASUs produce, oxygen, nitrogen and argon gases. The steel-makers requirement was for a substantially increased oxygen supply to its No 5 blast furnace.

Oxygen is used extensively in the steel making process because of its ability to produce high combustion temperatures, and for the removal of impurities such as carbon and sulphur. Nitrogen and argon are also used in the steelmaking process for inert blanketing and stirring of hot molten metals.

A key component in the upgrade of the Newcastle facility is a 54.7 metre cold box or distillation column. This new piece of equipment primarily produces oxygen and nitrogen with argon as a secondary product. The cold box is essentially a very large structural steel box containing fractional distillation columns and heat exchangers.

The three existing ASUs have been refurbished for continued operation. The installation of the new cold box is part of a contractual agreement between ArcelorMittal and Air Products, to increase the steel production, as a result of the reline of blast furnace N5 and the upgrade of the sinter plant.

The older ASUs produced oxygen at low pressures. This gas then still had to undergo further compression to make it suitable for the steel-making process. This was an extremely costly process, not just in terms of energy, but also in its use of consumables and ancillary equipment.

The new cold box has the very latest in technology, Air Products has upgraded the entire control system, and has standardised on the Siemens/Moore digital control system at all of its plants. This is in an effort to simplify training and to ensure that Air Products technicians are able to maintain the companys plant wherever these might be.

The Earths atmosphere is almost completely comprised of 12 gases. The three major ones are nitrogen, (78%), oxygen (21%) and argon (nearly 1%). An air separation unit separates air into its three main gases by fractional distillation of liquefied air. This is possible because of the different boiling points of the oxygen, nitrogen and argon. The technology is similar to the process in which crude oil is separated into petrol, diesel, and waxes, except that air separation happens at very low temperatures.

The air is subjected to five main processes namely filtration, compression, purification, cooling and distillation. The cooling is achieved by expanding a portion of the air from a high pressure to a low pressure in a turbo-expander. The pressure-drop causes the gas to release energy, so it cools down. A similar thing happens when gas is released from an aerosol can; the gas cools rapidly as it expands.

In the new cold box, the main air compressor is a three-stage turbo compressor driven by an 11kV induction motor. The heat exchangers are intercoolers, which remove the heat of compression from the air between the three stages. A portion of the air is compressed to a higher pressure in a separate booster air compressor. The compression plant requires a significant amount of process cooling water, which is generated in a cooling tower alongside the unit.

After compression, the air is scrubbed and cooled by direct contact with chilled water in a tall, vertical contacting column. The water is chilled by evaporative cooling using waste nitrogen gas from the distillation system. The absolute dryness of the nitrogen gives it huge evaporative potential, and therefore the ability to cool the water to as low as four degrees.

The scrubbed and cooled air is then further purified by passing it through a molecular sieve adsorption system especially formulated to absorb moisture, CO2 and other contaminants from the feed air. The granules act like a sponge and remove contaminants, which would solidify and block the plant at cryogenic temperatures.

Another function of the purification stage is the removal of airborne hydrocarbons, which would create an explosion hazard if allowed to enter the distillation section of the plant. The adsorption granules are continually regenerated and are reusable – air being purified in one vessel while the other is undergoing regeneration. The vessels are periodically switched from service to regeneration mode. Therefore as one vessel becomes contaminated, it is swapped with the other vessel, which has been regenerated. Regeneration is done by passing a stream of heated waste nitrogen through the granules.

After purification the air enters the cold box where it is cooled down to approximately minus 180°C which is its liquefaction temperature. The air is introduced into the first of several distillation columns. A distillation column basically consists of a tall vertical vessel filled with sieve trays or structured packing. The packing has the function of bringing the liquid and vapour fractions into direct contact with each other, so that heat can be exchanged between the liquid and vapour fractions.

Typically the rising vapours heat up falling droplets of liquid air.

Nitrogen, having the lowest boiling point of the three gases, evaporates fairly readily is withdrawn at the top of the column. Oxygen is less volatile and tends to be condensed into the liquid phase by the falling liquid
stream. It is therefore withdrawn from the bottom of the distillation column. Several stages of distillation are required to reach the required purity and a modern air separation plant will typically have three or more distillation columns. Argon has a boiling point between that of nitrogen and oxygen and is withdrawn as a side-stream, part way up one of the distillation columns.

The whole process requires ultra-low temperatures; so another key feature of cryogenic distillation is the need to have good insulation. Expanded perlite a mineral substance that expands when exposed to heat is used. The entire cold box is filled with very fine granules of perlite to insulate the process vessels and piping from ambient heat.

The cold box was finally lifted into place on Sunday September 14 by two Target cranes. A 750-ton lattice boom crane with a 28-metre radius was erected to lift the top of the cold box by 58 metres. A 440-ton extended-boom, tail-end crane was used to hold the base off the ground while it was slid across and rotated into place on the pre-prepared concrete base.

Newcastle Goes Online

With the cold box erect, the ancillary equipment, such as the pump box, the turbo expander box, the associated feed piping, platforms and ladders had to be installed. Finally, the electrical and all the instrument cable connections needed to be connected.

The new plant had its origins from various parts of the globe. The core cryogenic components were designed in the UK, while the warm end components were designed in Shanghai, by Air Products Chinese office. The utilities and the civil engineering were done locally. Rob Richardson, who led the project team, had the unenviable task of marrying the efforts of the three geographically-remote teams.

When the time came to switch the new plant on, there were a few hiccups during commissioning. With high pressures, and high-speed rotating machinery, the teething troubles were fairly typical of this type of project. However, these were completely sorted out in the first three weeks.

Air Products was very pleased with the support that it got from its partner OEMS and, indeed, our overseas parent company.

To ensure the new plant delivered on its design promises, the commissioning of the plant included performance testing. Here, the plant successfully passed its design performance tests in fact, slightly exceeding its nameplate capacity.

However, with the new plant, its energy efficiency is where it scores over other earlier air separation units (ASUs).

The efficiency of ASUs has continually improved over the years, this plant being comparable or better than anything else in the country at the moment. It is only one of two plants in the country that produces high-purity argon directly by cryogenic distillation, a process that doesn’t require hydrogen as a feedstock.

The other major advantage of this plant is the quality of its products.

The new column is very much at the high end in terms of air-separation plants. It produces high purity oxygen and ultra-high purity grade nitrogen and argon. The key to its quality output is the very sophisticated analytical equipment necessary to carry out the quality assurance needed. To measure both in-process quality and final product quality, this plant has 10 to 12 on-line analysers verifying product quality parameters at any given time. It is also equipped with advanced distributed control systems to give the necessary sophistication of control to achieve these quality standards.

Consistency is a feature of the highly automated plant. In a steady state operation, it runs itself under computer control. Operator intervention is generally needed only for start up and shut down.

The new ASU is the fourth at Newcastle. The three existing ASUs, which are still in good working order, date back over a period of 38 years.

The new plant is only part of the recent history of the Newcastle site. The new plant was vconstructed as part of a roll-over and an expansion of Air Products existing contract with Arcelor Mittal. Part of that contract involved a refurbishment of the three existing ASUs. These were extensively refurbished in an R40-million project. Part of this project was a new centralized control room, which now controls all four ASUs.

Air Products has increased its storage capacity at Newcastle as well as increasing the truck-loading facilities.

While the new plant is delivering gas to Arcelor Mittal, it is also supplying merchant products to Air Products other customers. The Newcastle site now manufactures liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen and liquid argon, which is trucked to customers in the KwaZulu-Natal region specifically. In some cases, the argon is delivered as far afield as Mpumalanga. With the new plant, KwaZulu-Natal customers continue to be assured continuity of supply, while Air Products benefits from not having to transport liquid product from Gauteng.

Feedback from the client, so far, has been positive in that the project went well.

Looking to the future of the Newcastle site, with the level of infrastructural spend planned for the country, it is anticipated that Newcastle will be one of the better-placed steelworks in terms of demand.

The upgrade of Air Products Newcastle site and the expansion of its capacity is very much an investment for the future. It is a vote of confidence in the future of ArcelorMittal, Air Products and South Africa.

Published on August 13, 2009 in Company News, Spotlight |

Air Products celebrates 40 years of service excellence

apsap-40th-1 On March 12, this year, the people of Air Products took pride in celebrating the companys 40th year in business. After 40 years, the company is a vigorous, youthful entity, with an unflagging commitment to serving its customers. The question is: how has the company retained this level of energetic service? The answer is simple. At all times, the company focuses its efforts on customer service, and strives to develop ways of serving them better. Since 1969, this ethos has been inculcated into every Air Products person, past and present. It is often said in the company, that if one does not serve the customer directly, then one must provide a service to those who do serve the customers.

Innovation is the tool that has served the company for 40 years. It is this drive for innovation that has seen the company quadrupling in size since its inception.

Forty years ago, the company had a very sound and profitable long-term contract. Without too much effort, Air Products could have continued at this scale of operations. However, from the outset, the company has been served by people who have always delivered their utmost efforts in search of continuous improvement. The often repeated slogan that what was good enough for yesterday, may not be good enough today, remains as true now as it was in 1969.
From being a provider of an over the fence gas supply to one of South Africas industrial majors, the company has diversified. Today, it is a force to be reckoned with in the supply of Packaged Gas and also provides a Speciality Gas service that is of unmatched quality. While innovation is constantly applied to improving customer service, it has also seen the company developing revolutionary products such as â€œFreshline for the Food and Beverage market. This last innovation is currently changing the way food and beverages are packaged and marketed in a profoundly beneficial way.

An important strength in the company is the men and women who serve Air Products customers every day. When recruiting, Air Products selects the best, and once a person is employed, the company invests substantially to retain this individuals services for the extended benefit of the company. Through its history, Air Products has been lead by only three Managing Directors. The first MD was Geoff Prevett, who was, in turn, followed by Alan Cooper. Today, a man steeped in Air Products philosophy, Mike Hellyar, continues to lead the company forward. So as Air Products looks to the decades to come, it will be the commitment of its people and the strength of its leadership that takes the company through the current economic uncertainty and on to an every more prosperous future.

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