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Monday, March 25, 2013

#112 - Fischer-Tropsch Process Applications


In the last year or so, we have had a few inquiries about providing analyzer systems for measuring the gases produced by Fischer-Tropsch (FT) processes. The FT process is a series of chemical reactions that produces liquid hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) in the presence of a metallic catalyst.

In the inquiries we have received, the FT process temperature is usually below 300°C with some variants running just a little more than common room temperature. Pressure is usually high – approximately 20-40 bar (300-600psi).

The FT process can produce synthetic lubrication oil and fuel from coal, natural gas, biomass, and other sources of carbon. If the feedstock is a solid, it must first be converted to a gas by the gasification process. Synthesis gas obtained from gasification may require some adjustments to the CO / H2 ratio in order to be utilized in an FT process.


FT plants tend to be associated with high capital costs and high operation & maintenance costs. Reliable availability of feedstocks plays a role in the economic viability of FT plants. Our most recent inquiry was from a company who has developed a more modular and portable FT reactor for smaller scale fuel production. This approach may lead to additional growth in FT applications.

All known FT inquiries to Nova so far have required analysis of CO / CO2 / CH4 / H2 in a single instrument in either portable or permanent-mount configurations.

Ranges required:
CO: 0-40.0 %
CO2: 0-10.0%
CH4: 0-10.0%
H2: 0-70.0%

The sample gas is always free of acids, NH3, and other corrosive byproducts that might harm the detectors in the analyzer.* Because it is a high pressure process, the sample extraction point generally has a regulator. However, the analyzer needs to have regulator also.

The formation of methane is usually undesirable in the FT process, so the requested CH4 ranges tend to be 0-10.0% or less. There may be trace amounts of other gaseous hydrocarbons. These will probably condense out if the customer has a chiller installed before the gas analyzer. The pressure drop and the chiller will also remove any moisture in the gas.

We have sold the Model 970 in portable and permanent-mount formats into FT applications.

Nova Model 974 permanent-mount analyzer recently built for a
Fischer Tropsch application




For information on gas analyzer systems, give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com


* These substances are absent because they will destroy the metallic catalysts which are critical to the FT process itself.

Inset process pictures Copyright © 2012 Repotec Umwelttechnik GmbH
http://www.repotec.at/index.php/homepage.html

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

#111 - TENOVA Projects – ASA Metals

Project Description

In October 2007 ASA Metals awarded a lump sum turn key contract to Tenova Pyromet for the ASA Metals expansion project. The project was for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of 2x66MVA closed submerged arc furnaces, complete with Outotec single shaft pre-heating systems.

The Pyromet scope included the submerged arc closed furnaces complete with pre-heaters, raw material handling, screening, dust extraction, storage and batching, furnace off-gas scrubbing, electrical, automation and tapping equipment.

Scope

The Tenova Pyromet scope of work included civil works, structural steelwork, raw materials handling, storage and blending, HV, MV and LV electrical reticulation, plant automation, furnace off-gas cleaning and the furnace and auxiliary equipment and technology.

The complete plant was designed by Tenova Pyromet, and the majority of the technological equipment fabricated at Tenova's Timec facility located in China.

Tenova Pyromet provided guarantees for completion, furnace power, production capacity and product grade, all which was met shortly after the plant was commissioned.

One of the major challenges that had to be overcome was the physical site layout for the expansion project. The ASA Metals site is located on the slope of the Lebalelo Mountain near Burgersfort, South Africa. The Tenova Pyromet engineers delivered an innovative site layout which not only managed to fit the complete plant in a small foot print, but also provide unrestricted maintenance access.

Google Image of ASA Metals Plant

The new plant had to be constructed next to the existing operating plant, which meant that the construction philosophy had to be flexible and not interfere with the existing operation.

A further challenge was to manage the extensive logistics involved in supplying a substantial amount of equipment from Tenova's Timec workshop in China. All equipment fabricated met with Tenova Pyromet's world class quality requirements and was delivered to the ASA Metal site well within schedule.



 The smelter incorporates the following technology: 
  • Pyromet submerged arc closed furnace technology
  • Outotec single shaft pre-heating system
  • Pyromet patented electrode columns, which are installed on all six of the ferrochrome furnaces constructed in South Africa during the last two years
  • Complete plant automation system designed by Pyromet
  • Pyromet designed furnace off-gas scrubbers, two per furnace with each scrubber rated at 130% of furnace capacity
  • Fully integrated and automated raw material handling system from the mine through to the Pyromet ore beneficiation plant





Project Information

Project name:  ASA Metals Expansion Project
Client:  ASA Metals (Pty) Ltd
Site:  Burgersfort, Limpopo province, South Africa
Project description: Brownfield turnkey design, supply, erection, commissioning and equipment and process guarantees of furnaces, furnace building, off-gas scrubbing, slurry handling, raw material storage and batching systems, electrical HVA,MV, LV, control and instrumentation.
Disciplines included:  Process Technology, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and automation
Produces:  Charge chrome (ferrochrome)
Furnace capacity:  2 x 66 MVA (54 MW)
Production capacity:  254,000 tpa charge chrome
Project duration: 20 months
Commissioned: July 2009
Plant startup: August 2009

Project Statistics

Concrete:  20 000 m3
Steel structures:  7 000 tons
Construction Man hours:  >1 million
Project team:  70 persons


Tenova PYROMET
Tenova Pyromet (Pty) Ltd
10 Sherborne Road
Parktown, Johannesburg
PO Box 61582, Marshalltown
2107 South Africa
Phone +27 11 480 2000
Fax +27 11 482 1942


NOVA Analytical Systems
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com

Monday, March 18, 2013

#110 - Tenova Takraf – builds the largest vehicles on earth


Bucket Wheel Excavators (BWE) are among the largest terrestrial vehicles ever constructed. BWEs function basically as continuous cutting machines for soft to semi hard materials like clay, sand, gravel, marl and their blendings, as well as lignite and hard coal. They are used primarily in open pit mining operations.*




The characteristic parts of a Bucket Wheel Excavator are the cutting wheel with buckets, the wheel boom, the superstructure with counterweight boom, the substructure, the undercarriage with crawler tracks and a transfer boom to the bench conveyor (or a connecting bridge to the loading unit).




The bucket wheel concept has been in use in mining operations since the 1920’s. However, it was in the 1950’s that it came to be applied on truly massive scales in Germany. The biggest machine ever built, the Tenova TAKRAF Model SRs 8000, has a weight of 14,200 tons and moves 240,000m³ of overburden per day. This machine is also famously known as the Bagger293.

Project
Customer:  RWE Power AG (former Rheinbraun AG), Cologne
Plant Location:  Open Cast Mine Hambach (Germany)
Scope of work:  Turn-key project

Project Figures
Capacity per day: 240,000 m³ / 314,000 yd³
Cutting height: 51 m / 167 ft
Cutting depth: 17 m / 55 ft
Max. outreach of bucket wheel: 72.2 m / 236.9 ft
Center of discharge pulley: 138.75 m / 455.2 ft
Bucket wheel diameter: 21.6 m / 70.9 ft
Bucket wheel drive power: 3 x 1,120 to 1,680 kW
Nominal bucket volume: 6,600 L / 8.6 yd³
Length: 502 m / 1647 ft
Service weight: 14,200 t
Commissioned: 1995

Here is an excellent picture of this machine in action: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Braunkohlenbagger_im_Tagebau_Hambach.jpg


Tenova TAKRAF manufactures BWE’s in a wide range of capacities between 200 and 16000m³/hr. Models are available with working heights from less than 5m to a maximum of 51m. The type and size of excavator used on a mining site is determined by the local mine conditions and the required cutting height and width.

Here is an excellent wide angle picture of a Takraf rail-based Bucket Conveyer Excavator (BCE): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/F60_in_Betrieb.jpg
It is worth pasting the above link into your browser and viewing it at its source. The picture is quite large and shows a high level of detail.



This style of excavator has its buckets attached to a conveyor instead of a wheel. This allows excavation from within and below their scope of movement. This is useful if the pit floor is unstable or even underwater. As shown in the picture link above, TAKRAF's BCEs travel on rails rather than on crawlers.

Agencies or companies that are in the market for one of these machines, should contact:

TAKRAF GmbH
Torgauer Straße 336
04347 Leipzig
Germany
phone +49 341 2423 500
fax +49 341 2423 510
sales@takraf.com

Tenova TAKRAF
Tenova SpA
Via Albareto 31
16153 Genoa
Italy
phone +39 010 6054067
fax +39 010 6054710
bulkhandling@it.tenovagroup.com


NOVA Analytical Systems
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.tenovagroup.com/


* Open pit mining has declined somewhat in recent years for environmental reasons. However, many lignite mines remain in operation. Open pit mines and the land around them require a fair amount of rehabilitation after mining operations have ceased. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-pit_mining

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Friday, March 8, 2013

#108 - Adventures in Commuting


I recently stumbled across a blog post about the world’s worst roads at

The primary feature of this article was a mountain road in Belize. Before reading this blog, I coincidentally received an e-mail from a friend of a friend who was on this exciting road. I use term ‘exciting’ loosely because it would only apply if you find near-death experiences to be exhilarating.


The Nova offices in New York, USA and in Hamilton, Canada also have some geographical features that affect local traffic. But thankfully nothing that would qualify us for the blog post mentioned above.

Hamilton Mountain

Some of the staff at our Canadian office have to descend and ascend the Hamilton Mountain on their journey to and from work every day. Hamiltonians call it the “Mountain” but its height (100m / 330ft) and bearing would make drivers in Belize laugh scornfully. The Hamilton Mountain is actually part of a 725km / 450mile long escarpment or cliff formed by erosion. This escarpment essentially represents the shoreline of an ancient tropical sea that existed there about 450million years ago. This was before Nova established its Hamilton office.


The Hamilton Mountain can be conquered using one of several broad roadways traversing the slope. The more energetic among us can take the stairs for some good exercise.


USA Office

Our US office is located in the town of Niagara Falls, New York. The escarpment mentioned above has conspired with the Niagara River to produce a natural wonder called Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America. On average, about 150,000 U.S. Gallons / 567,811 Liters per second of water flows in the Niagara River toward the Falls. (Portions of this flow are diverted for hydroelectric power generation).




The sheer immensity and power of the Falls have prompted numerous endeavors of artistic admiration over the years. One curious group of artists has found meaningful expression in conquering the Falls without such things as bridges, boats, or observation decks. This tradition was started in 1829 when a daredevil jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived. Numerous others have attempted to go over the falls in barrels and other purpose-built craft. Some have crossed the river gorge leading up to the falls or even the falls itself via tightrope, including recently by Nik Wallenda on June 15, 2012. Most Nova employees generally avoid these methods of crossing Niagara Falls and simply take the bridge.



Nik Wallenda's impressive crossing of the falls
on June 15, 2012. 


Speaking of hydroelectric power generation, Nova makes hydrogen analyzers for power generators. I suspect some of our equipment is likely in use at the Niagara Falls power stations. Check it out:



We make gas analyzers for oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and many other atmospheric gases. We provide gas analysers for syngas, landfill gas, purity gas, biogas, and others.

For information on these and other gas analyzer systems, give Mike or Dave at Nova a call, or send us an e-mail.
1-800-295-3771
sales at nova-gas dot com
websales at nova-gas dot com
http://www.nova-gas.com/

Belize roads:

Niagara escarpment:

Hamilton:

Niagara Falls: 

Niagara Falls Daredevils:

Niagara Falls Tightrope – Nik Wallenda
REUTERS/Mark Blinch

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