MechChem Africa November-December 2021

Turnkey Energas natural gas power plant An international manufacturer has awarded a contract to Energas for the delivery of a turnkey natural gas power plant in South Africa. L oad shedding, unreliable power sup- ply and increasing electricity costs are realities that businesses in South Africa must contend with. This was a

key factor in the decision by an international manufacturer toconsider own-power genera- tion using natural gas. Leading supplier of high-end and special- ised equipment to the oil and gas industries in sub-Saharan Africa, Energas Technologies, was the ultimate choice to deliver the com- plete turnkeyproject. It entails the supply and installation of a newgas reticulation pipeline; gas engines (gensets); a new gas-fired steam boiler; a waste-heat boiler, which will use exhaust heat from the engines to produce steam; interconnecting piping; a new gas engine building and associated electrical infrastructure. The gas pipeline, explains Energas Product Manager, Laetitia Jansen van Vuuren, will take gas from a new high-pressure customer metering station to the gas generator sets and steam boilers. The R Schmitt Enertec (RSE) G500 gensets will be installed in a new building that Energas will supply. The exhaust heat from the engines will be used in a waste heat boiler. This free steam will result in a substantial annual saving in the gas bill. Projections show that a substan- tial saving can be realised, compared with importing electricity from the grid in the first year of operation. The accumulated saving over 10 years, based on inflation and price assumptions, is substantially more than the project value. “With the equipment offered, the supplier and Energas can monitor the operation of the engines. Various engine parameters can be monitored to ensure the most efficient operation. Very few plant operation and maintenance staff are required tooversee the gensets and steam plant,” says Van Vuuren. “We are convinced that the solutions of- feredwill reduce theoverall energycost to the customer, meet environmental requirements and ensure efficient operation. Our team is capable of executing the project success- fully and we are set to complete the project in December this year,” she adds. “Heat recovery from engine exhaust gas makes it a very interesting project,” says Van Vuuren. “Usually, the heat is discharged into theatmosphere. “However, theoverall energy efficiency is significantly increased if the ex - haust gas can be used.” The client has operated a coal fired boiler,

The Energas waste heat boiler is a combination boiler that works by recovering energy from the exhaust heat from the engines, while also having a gas burner to ensure demand is met.

The company has been a supplier of equip- ment and solutions to the industry since 2001, when natural gas was first introduced in SouthAfrica. Energas specialises in solving engineering challenges in collaboration with its long-termconsulting partners and trusted equipment suppliers. “Energas employs graduated mechanical, electrical and process engineers and techni- cians with more than 70 years of combined experience in the industry. When we handle large turnkeyprojects,we focuson theproject management and quality assurance of the projects and use consultants and our suppli- ers to do detailed design,” says Van Vuuren. In conclusion, she urges businesses to consider thenatural gas energy routebecause of the documented benefits. “We believe several industries should consider ownpower generation with natural gas. It will reduce their energy costs and also make them more independent of thegrid, especiallywhen com- binedwithheat recovery. Companies can save millions of rand over a few years and ensure that their production is not affected during load shedding,” concludes Van Vuuren. www.energas.co.za

but thiswill nowbe replacedwithawasteheat steam boiler. When more steam is required than what could be recovered, the addi- tional steamwill be suppliedusing the gas fuel source. Thewasteheat boiler is a combination boiler; itworks by recovering energy fromthe exhaust heat andalsohas a gas burner. “When the waste heat boiler is being serviced or the engines arenotworking, there is a standbygas boiler to ensure continuous supply of steam to the plant,” she explains. I n add i t i on , hav i ng f our sma l l er 4×500 kW engines instead of a single 2 MW engine allows continuous power supply to the plant. When one engine is serviced, the other three can still operate. Or if the plant’s usage is low, adds Van Vuuren, one or two engines can switch off while the other operates at a higher and more efficient load. Energas’ proven ability to offer turnkey solutions was key to being awarded this con- tract. “Engineering and integration of whole systems and solutions,” says Van Vuuren, “is what we do best.” The core competence of Energas is find - ing and implementing engineering solutions in the energy and natural gas industry.

Energas specialities Energas supplies engineered solutions and equipment to the oil and gas industry in sub- Saharan Africa. The company’s products and services find application from the gas well, through the distribution and reticulation network up to the end user. Areas of speciality include: • The design and supply of skid mounted pressure reduction, metering and heating skids for easy installation in remote areas. • Solutions for generating electric power from various gas sources with alternative power generation and waste heat recovery becoming a priority . • Sizing and supply of storage tank safety equipment for the chemical &petrochemical industries. • Through in-depth engineering experience and knowledge in the oil and gas industry Energas is also able to offer custom engineering support to clients.

28 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2021