Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions India (Air Liquide E&C), the engineering and construction unit of the Air Liquide Group, applies cutting-edge innovation to a comprehensive portfolio of proprietary technology for processing facilities and related infrastructures worldwide. These include technologies for the generation of hydrogen and nitrogen, cryogenics, synthetic gas, petrochemicals, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oleochemicals.
Identifying goals
Air Liquide E&C was selected for the Godrej II project in Valia, Gujarat, India, involving two oleochemical production facilities. The project included a fatty acid fractionation and distillation plant (Unit 105) with a capacity of 120 tons per day (TPD) and the glycerin distillation and bleaching plant (Unit 104) with a capacity of 35 TPD.
Based on Lurgi technologies, the plants provide high purity end products used in foods, cosmetics, detergents, surfactants, and pharmaceuticals. Air Liquide India provided basic and detail engineering, procurement, erection, and commissioning services.
Overcoming challenges
The Godrej II project posed significant challenges for the firm’s engineers, including a tight commissioning deadline of 12 to 14 months for the design and delivery of nearly 60 pieces of complex equipment.
“This was also the first time our team had designed heat exchangers,” said Arvind Raina, assistant lead for the New Delhi team at Air Liquide E&C.
Without automation tools, engineers would typically end up with errors in the analysis and design, resulting in wasted time and expense for rework.
To address the project challenges, Air Liquide E&C chose Aspect Pressure Vessel because it incorporates the necessary design codes and has the automation tools needed to ensure optimum design in minimum time.
With Aspect Pressure Vessel, the team quickly and easily performed the rigging analysis for columns and analyzed the expansion bellows for the heat exchangers. The company was also able to design the special heat exchangers required for the project that usually do not qualify for the Tubular Exchangers Manufacturers Association (TEMA) classification.
Realizing results
Air Liquide E&C completed all design calculations and then generated the mechanical data sheet and other deliverables. Aspect Pressure Vessel made it possible to complete the analysis and design easily and quickly and with high accuracy.
