webcam-b

Technology

Aerzen boasts of a wide range of trend-setting blowers and compressors. (Image source: Aerzen)

AERZEN is one of the pioneers of compressor technology and is recognised as one of the most competent suppliers of technical solutions for process gas applications

Based on its enormously wide range of trend-setting blowers and compressors, the innovation leader realises customised concepts with maximum efficiency, safety and economy. The credo: it’s not the machine that determines the process - it’s the process that determines the machine. 

Air and process gas compressing or handling are required in all key industrial sectors – also in critical or demanding areas. The requirements for the blowers and compressors used are as varied as the applications themselves. As a competent and experienced partner to the process gas industry AERZEN knows exactly what the application-specific challenges are and supports applications with sustainable state-of-the-art technologies, a wide range of services, the highest product quality, customised engineering and high-end technological solutions.

Hydrogen compression with screw compressors

For the compression of hydrogen in the low-pressure range, screw compressors are a sensible solution or supplement to high-pressure compressors. Due to their design-related internal compression without free inertia forces, screws are above all reliable and flexible endurance runners with very low maintenance intensity and comparatively low operating costs in full and partial load operation. The AERZEN range includes both oil-free (VRW series) and oil flooded (VMY series) versions and achieves top marks in the ranges of efficiency, installation space, economy and process reliability.

Green gas: AERZEN Biogas solutions

Whether producing biomethane, feeding it into kilometre-long supply networks or pre-pressure generation for block-type thermal power stations: Suitable for the different required suction and final pressures and processes, AERZEN offers a customised portfolio of blowers and compressors specially developed for the biogas market https://www.aerzen.com/de/anwendungen/biogasbiomethan. These include the oil-injected screw compressor series VMX and VMY. The packages are characterised by maximum energy efficiency, system availability and service-friendliness as well as a large variety of types and many modification options. They work reliably in operation 24 hours a day. A particular advantage is the TÜV-certified explosion pressure shock resistance up to 12 bar. This means that the machines are also approved for operation in processes with internal ATEX zone 1.

Oil-free process air for sensitive fields of application

AERZEN oil-free screw compressors are used where the quality of the conveying medium has a decisive influence on the production process. This is the case, for example, in chemical process technology, electronics and semiconductor production. The innovative compressed air technology developed by AERZEN is absolutely oil-free in accordance with ISO 8573-1, class 0 and guarantees 100% product purity. One example of customised engineering is the 2C G package based on the double-stage screw compressor series 2C, which was specially developed for handling and processing boil-off gas (BOG) in the shipping industry. The machines fulfil the safety requirements of DIN EN 1012-3 for flammable gases and guarantee maximum process safety.

Digital innovation: AERZEN Revamp = system planning with 3D laser scanning

Integrating new blower and compressor technology into an existing plant requires precise planning and perfect engineering. Digital innovations such as virtual reality make this process easier and are a real game changer for retrofit projects. For years, AERZEN has been working closely with partners in the field of 3D laser measurement in system manufacture. Using ultra-modern scanning technology, the plant and its surroundings are captured from various perspectives without any gaps, generating a complete 3D representation in the highest resolution and with minimum tolerance. Thanks to the true-to-original visualisation, design engineers no longer work in an empty room when converting and modernising existing systems, but directly in the customer's original environment with all actual dimensions and full transparency. This ensures absolute planning and design reliability and leads to a considerable reduction in investment costs. 

About AERZEN
Industrial plants all over the world are supplied with gaseous media using AERZEN blowers and compressors. The innovative AERZEN machine technology represents experience gained over more than 160 years of company history. The AERZEN product portfolio includes rotary lobe compressors, positive displacement blowers, turbo blowers and screw compressors and, in addition to standard products, also offers customised special solutions. Digital services can be used to increase efficiency, availability and productivity in a sustainable and future-oriented manner. In addition, AERZEN After Sales Service offers the full range of services - from full maintenance contracts to repairs and modernisations of existing plants.

AERZEN VMY

AERZEN-VMY The oil-injected biogas compressors in the VMY series enable a final pressure of up to 24 bar g
Image: AERZEN

AERZEN 2C

AERZEN-2C The oil-free screw compressor of the 2C series offers a high degree of flexibility for customised adaptation
Image: AERZEN

AERZEN VRW

AERZEN-VRW The oil-free screw compressors in the VRW series bring large H2 volume flows to the highest possible intermediate and final pressures with just a few compressor stages, without having to set up huge reciprocating compressor systems for this purpose
Image: AERZEN

 

Chartek ONE performs reliably in both cold and warm climates. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

International, a protective coating brand of AkzoNobel, has introduced the next evolution in epoxy passive fire protection (PFP)

Chartek ONE has been introduced as a single-coat, mesh-free solution that simplifies PFP application for assets in the energy sector by maximising efficiency, streamlining installation processes and enhancing health and safety.

As a 100% solids, boron-free two-pack material, Chartek ONE provides enhanced durability and combined corrosion, cryogenic and hydrocarbon protection. It provides three hours of jet and pool fire protection across a wide operating temperature range, effectively shielding assets from all fire types.

Chartek ONE can accelerate installation of PFP systems both in the workshop and onsite, lowering installed weight, reducing labour and material costs whilst achieving the same fire protection, which is particularly important for industries with strict weight requirements, such as offshore oil and gas. In doing so, Chartek ONE can reduce workshop hours by up to 59%, saving users both time and money throughout projects and over the lifetime of the asset.

Introduced for customers in the Middle East, Chartek ONE availability in other regions is planned for 2025.

Benefitting from technical experience

“Chartek stands at the forefront of the industry, offering a comprehensive range of solutions that reflect our heritage and track record of success,” remarked Robin Wade, global fire protection manager at AkzoNobel. “Our investment in research, development and PFP capabilities enable us to provide our customers with the best possible outcomes.

“Chartek ONE was developed in our Felling facility which is one of the world’s largest UKAS-accredited PFP testing centers for intumescent PFP. Patented polysiloxane modified thio-ether and epoxy technology resolves many of the pain points found in the provision and longevity of epoxy PFP in one simple solution. International is a dedicated partner and through the celebrated history of Chartek, we are committed to excellence in technical support, product specific engineering solutions, and delivering class-leading products.”

Chartek benefits from a presence in the industry spanning more than half a century. As passive fire protection, it excels in the most demanding conditions and the range is one of the world's most complete portfolio of epoxy intumescent PFP coatings available, according to the company.

Formulated and tested against critical industry standards for energy assets including NORSOK M-501:2022 Edition 7 and ISO 22899 (standard and high heat flux jet fires), Chartek ONE is free from boron and has a 100% solids formula to reduce occupational risks and improve HSE performance and footprint.

“We are thrilled to be introducing Chartek ONE for our Middle East customers at ADIPEC 2024,” added Andy Holt, business development manager - Middle East at International. “Crafted to offer our customers superior safety, reliability, and peace of mind, Chartek ONE showcases our continued dedication to sustainability and innovation.

“This single-coat, mesh-free solution will drastically simplify PFP projects for our customers, minimizing downtime and reducing overall project costs. Our commitment to considering the environmental impact of our work is an integral part of the development process. Chartek ONE’s 100% solids, boron-free formula, stands as a testament to this commitment.”

ENERGYai will combine large language model technology with cutting-edge agentic AI. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

ADNOC and AIQ has announced at ADIPEC the launch of ENERGYai, the first-of-its-kind custom-built agentic artificial intelligence (AI) solution for the global energy transformation

ENERGYai will combine large language model technology with cutting-edge ‘agentic’ AI – AI ‘agents’ that are trained in specific tasks across ADNOC’s value chain. These specialised AI agents bring a new level of autonomy and precision to critical tasks, from seismic analysis to energy efficiency and real-time process monitoring. Designed for seamless integration into existing workflows, the agents harness state-of-the-art machine learning and predictive analytics, improving decision-making and operational efficiency.

This innovation underscores ADNOC’s commitment to pioneering sustainable, data-driven solutions that elevate industry standards. Developed by AIQ in collaboration with G42 and Microsoft, ENERGYai will integrate best-in-class technologies, including open subsurface data universe (OSDU) frameworks and OpenAI models.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC managing director and Group CEO, said, “ENERGYai marks a major milestone in ADNOC’s journey to be the world’s most AI-enabled energy company and a key enabler of the global energy transformation. It will be a powerhouse for value creation and sustainable energy production and will leverage petabytes of data to better empower our people and unlock innovative solutions across our value chain. As AI accelerates the pace of progress and transforms industries, ENERGYai will help future-proof ADNOC, reinforce our position at the forefront of AI deployment and ensure we continue to provide secure and sustainable energy to the world.”

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, said, "ENERGYai embodies G42’s commitment to transforming global energy through AI, delivering real-time, data-driven insights and deploying agentic AI to enhance efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. By combining ADNOC’s industry leadership and petabytes of historical data with G42’s advanced AI capabilities, and collaborating with Microsoft, we are creating a strong foundation for the future of energy—empowering leaders to make strategic choices that drive sustainable progress."

“Across the full value chain of traditional and renewable energy sectors, AI technologies can optimize energy usage, improve safety, reliability and efficiency, reduce emissions and accelerate low- and no-carbon energy solutions,” said Darryl Willis, corporate vice president - energy and resources industry at Microsoft. “We are pleased to be collaborating with ADNOC and AIQ in the development of AI-powered solutions that can drive economic growth, address energy security and equity, and advance a net-zero future for all.”

Trained on ADNOC’s 80 years of data, the ambitious three-year development programme for ENERGYai will begin testing with real-world datasets by the end of 2024 in a number of specific areas. It is projected that ENERGYai will accelerate by up to 75% the building of detailed geological models using very large and diverse datasets to support planning and development of large-scale CO2 storage solutions.

In development planning, ENERGYai will accelerate plans from 1-2 years to weeks, minimising costs and emissions in the process. ENERGYai can analyse multiple scenarios in parallel and this ability to run detailed, highly advanced simulations across all variables helps make faster and more accurate decisions. Further along the value chain in the downstream business, the platform's future-proof and scalable design integrates seamlessly with ADNOC’s existing technologies and platforms.

 

As a result of the upgrade, production increased and performance was optimised. (Image source: CS Combustion)

CS Combustion Solutions recently enhanced the capacity and efficiency of a sulfuric acid production plant located in Africa’s Copperbelt region, where demand for sulfuric acid is crucial in mining applications such as leaching copper and cobalt

Faced with growing demand, the plant needed to increase production while reducing operational costs and improving reliability. Through targeted improvements, CS increased daily production from 2,200 to 3,000 tons and optimised the plant’s overall performance.

Challenges before optimisation

Prior to the upgrade, the plant faced several challenges, including incomplete combustion, which led to sulfur droplets fouling downstream equipment like the waste heat boiler (WHB) and catalyst beds, increasing system pressure and requiring frequent shutdowns for maintenance. Clogging issues with conventional pressure atomisers resulted in frequent, costly nozzle replacements, while poor droplet atomisation caused hotspots in the refractory lining, increasing wear and reducing reliability.

Key measures implemented

CS Combustion Solutions tackled these issues with the following measures:
1. Ultrasonic atomisation: Replacing pressure atomisers with ultrasonic nozzles reduced droplet size from 400 to 110 µm, which minimised fouling, improved combustion, and protected the refractory lining from localised heat.
2. Swirl bodies: Introducing swirl bodies created rotational motion in the combustion air, enhancing flame formation and leading to more efficient sulfur combustion.
3. VectorWall installation: Replacing the plant’s original baffle walls with a VectorWall improved mixing within the combustion chamber, reduced hotspots, and prevented unreacted sulfur carryover to downstream components.
4. CFD analysis: A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study simulated and optimized the modifications prior to implementation, ensuring targeted performance improvements.

Results and benefits

With these enhancements, the plant boosted production capacity by 30%, enabling 40 tons of sulfur incineration per hour. The new configuration allows maintenance of sulfur guns without stopping operations, reducing downtime and saving US$160,000 annually by decreasing pressure drop. Additionally, precise ultrasonic atomisation prevented sulfur buildup on the refractory, extending its lifespan.

This case study highlights the importance of innovative combustion technologies and detailed pre-implementation analysis, offering valuable insights for facilities facing similar challenges in optimising sulfuric acid production.

SandTrapXL mitigates solids production. (Image source: Halliburton)

Halliburton has launched SandTrap XL consolidation service for sand control, a chemical resin consolidation technology to stop the production of formation sand

SandTrap XL sand control service employs an externally activated, low-viscosity resin system that provides consolidation strength to the formation grains without compromising rock permeability. Unlike internally activated resin systems, there are no restrictions on pumping or activation time to allow treatment of longer intervals.

The SandTrap XL system excels in the treatment of high-clay content minerology up to 25% and adapts to various formation mineralogies. It provides thermal stability above 550°F (287°C). This allows it to control sand in heavy oil reservoirs under enhanced oil recovery methods, such as steam flooding. As part of Halliburton’s portfolio of remedial solutions, SandTrap XL mitigates solids production, including formation sand and fines migration. This approach helps ensure the long-term stability and productivity of oil wells to address the needs of operators in diverse geological environments.

“Excessive sand production remains an issue in our industry,” said Luke Holderman, vice president, Production Solutions and Pipeline & Process Services. “SandTrap XL empowers our customers to maximise asset value through enhanced well performance and extended asset life. Through customised chemical consolidation, SandTrap XL provides a reliable solution for mature fields and unconsolidated reservoirs to ensure long-term productivity and efficiency.”

More Articles …