Project Browser
By: System Author
11th June 1999
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The lump-sum turnkey contract to construct the plant, which will produce 85 000 t/y of 99,99% pure ethanol, was awarded to Krupp Uhde South Africa at the end of last year.
“We were involved in the project from the basic engineering stages, and also undertook the detailed engineering and procurement of equipment, as well as the construction management,” reports Krupp Uhde South Africa GM Mark Otto.
“The full project risk and total responsibility to build the plant thus lies with us,” he emphasises.
He tells Engineering News that, although the company has a range of technologies available, the process used for this project is Sasol’s own extractive-distillation technology.
“Our core business is to sell one of the 300 technologies in our portfolio, which range from refineries and gas generation to ammonia, fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibres and electrochemicals.
“We are also able to work with clients’ technologies, such as in the case of ethanol – a Sasol technology – and other joint-venture partners, in building plants on a lump-sum basis.
“A long-term development that our mother company in Germany is focusing on is research and development using extractive-distillation technology to extract products from particularly difficult feedstocks.
“This technology enabled us to have a good understanding of the particular process that Sasol has developed itself,” believes Otto.
“With the commissioning date set for September, this is a fast-track project, placing substantial pressure on the company to finish the plant on time.
“The time constraint is certainly the biggest challenge facing us,” says Otto.
At present, engineering on the project is complete, and construction is under way.
“The main structure is complete, and we will be lifting the key equipment into place this month.
“Thereafter it is a race to have the piping installed, the electrical installation completed, and instrumentation installed in time for plant commissioning,” reports Otto.
One of the reasons why the company is confident that it can construct plants on a fast-track basis is the use of internally-developed software packages, systems and procedures.
“Although the schedule is about three months shorter than we would have preferred it to be, I believe that, by managing and controlling it correctly, we will be able to reach the deadline,” says Otto.
Plant construction is not the only aspect of the project where the latest computer technology is used.
“On this project we are also using a three-dimensional computer-aided drafting program called PDMS to model the plant.
“The three-dimensional modelling system enables us to create a model on the computer, rather than build a plastic model of the plant.
“The program facilitates the creation of an interactive design through which one can review the plant design in terms of operability, safety and accessibility.
All the equipment has been procured from local suppliers, with no imported equipment on the plant.
“I believe it is important for the local industry to maximise the content of local equipment on a project such as this.
The main subcontractors on the project are Fraser & Chalmers, responsible for the mechanical erection, and Energotech, responsible for the electrical and instrumentation installation.
The main equipment has been acquired from GEA, Turmill, Consani and DB Thermal, and the distributive control system has been supplied by Honeywell.
The company, in joint venture with Linde, also constructed the R260-million 1-octene plant for SCI Alpha Olefins (Engineering News, May 28, 1999) and is also involved with unit 1100, the front-end purification unit, at the third 1-hexene train.
The latter project forms part of the R295-million project to design, construct and commission the third 1-hexene train, again using proprietary Sasol technology, and which is planned to be commissioned before September next year.
“This is a challenging project which involves the refurbishing, among other things, of a column on-site.
“Again it is a difficult schedule, with the contract awarded in April, and due for completion in mid-2000,” reports Otto.
The value of this contract has not been determined as of yet.
At SCI, the company also hopes to be involved in the butanol project.
This R825-million project to design, construct and commission a normal-butanol plant is scheduled to be completed before June 2001.
The plant will incorporate proprietary process technology licensed from Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation of Japan.
N-butanol, a C4 alcohol, will be produced from propylene, a product of the Sasol Synthol process.
“We are also busy with a condensate top-up project at Mossgas.
“This is our first contract with Mossgas, in which we are using our international alliance partners Parsons, a US-based oil and gas company,” reports Otto.
He reports that, at present, there are not many approved projects outside Sasol’s activities, and that the company is waiting to see what will happen in the fertiliser sector and various other industries in the near future.
“The Asian crises have had an effect on the industry, but I do believe that it has bottomed out, and that we will see an increase in investment in the future,” concludes Otto.
The company is one of ten subsidiaries of Krupp Uhde Germany, and does not see itself as a pure engineering company, but as a contracting house that can offer assistance to clients from concept to completion.
Edited by: System Author
