Williams elaborates, saying, “AES understands the important role which chemicals play in the manufacture of everything from very technical, application-specific products to commonly used, everyday consumables. As one of South Africa’s leading operations & maintenance service providers, with a 30-year track record of providing cost-effective energy-efficiency to the chemical manufacturing sector, AES contributes to greater productivity and cost-savings, with a positive knock-on effect for industry and the economy as a whole.”
AES: A history of positive chemistry
Three decades ago, in the 1990s, AES started working with its first client in the chemical industry in Pretoria. The business provided steam that had been superheated for a steam turbine. The same firm also employed steam in their by-product recovery facility, where wash oil was heated to remove tars like benzene, toluene, and xylene so they could be recovered and used for other purposes. After cleaning, the gas was put back into the coke oven batteries to be used as fuel.
After thereafter, AES’s position in the chemical industry changed as more firms joined its clientele. AES completed a dehumidifier regeneration steam supply project in 2003 for a major KwaZulu-Natal pharmaceutical company. In order to extract moisture from the production facility, hot air was forced through a humidifier containing an industrial desiccant by use of AES’s thermal system.
In a more recent project, AES installed four gas-fired boilers for a major chlorine factory. The firm has been closely collaborating with this specific customer to optimize and increase steam output while controlling their thermal energy expenses since the installation was finished in June of this year.
People’s steam
In the present corporate environment, efficiency is essential in every aspect of the company. Global chemical producers, who produce chemicals at extremely low costs, pose a serious challenge to local chemical makers. Local producers run the danger of having their goods replaced by cheaper, foreign chemicals that aren’t always superior or safer, which has far-reaching consequences, according to Williams.
The greatest approach to control thermal energy, he continues, is to provide chemical makers with every opportunity to maximize production efficiency and minimize steam use.
“Although it might sound paradoxical, it is in our best interests to provide our clients with the highest caliber thermal energy source and allow them to minimize their need for steam from AES. Even though we may be producing lesser amounts of energy, this makes them stronger and more competitive, which provides AES endurance on site, he argues.
For instance, you will see that every municipality receives supplies of chlorine chemicals, which are used to purify water. Every South African will be impacted by any issues related to cost or availability because water is used for drinking, household, agricultural, industrial, and many other purposes. As a result, the effects of AES’s energy efficiency management ripple out to affect not just those chemical businesses but also their supply and export networks, as well as the average citizen. Consider commonplace items like shoe shine, dishwashing powder, and pretty much any other commodity,” he says.
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Sustainability and steam
The next area in which AES can help is in the development of thermal energy efficiency plans for clients, as well as in addressing their carbon footprint and sustainability goals by looking into how to replace their so-called “dirty” and carbon-intensive fuels (like coal) with “greener” and less carbon-intensive fuels.
Williams points out that strict carbon border charges were just established by the European Union in October 2023. As a result, businesses looking to export chemicals need to get ready to comply with these stringent regulations, and the regulatory procedure has to be managed by a specialized auditor.
To guarantee compliance, AES can offer advice on modifications to the energy plant and operations of its clients. For example, we may give a sustainable energy mix, suggest renewable energy sources like biogas or biomass, or provide substitute, less carbon-intensive fuels. He adds, “We may also provide the operational data to the customer to present to their auditors.
But he cautions that it is not as easy as turning on a light switch: “Chemical facilities are usually quite energy-intensive, with legacy operating footprints and equipment. Large thermal energy consumers in South Africa have historically depended on coal or heavy residual fuels because of their affordability and accessibility. Plants may still be optimized to lower their carbon intensity and increase their efficiency in spite of these considerations. In order to show the client the benefits of generating, AES helps use plant management techniques and oversights in this situation.
AES possesses three decades of technical expertise and experience when it comes to fuel changes. The business implemented many technical solutions in this field and ran a 6MWe biomass power station for over ten years.
We can produce steam from a variety of fuels since we are not limited by technology, solutions, or fuels. For instance, we have customers for whom we can produce steam using their own waste products that, in other situations, would have been thrown away, frequently at a cost. For our clients, we improve the total thermal energy process’ efficiency,” Williams says.
Another area that is always evolving is sustainability. Natural gas shortages are now anticipated, thus AES will look for alternate energy sources for our current clients that use natural gas. This is where our cumulative advantage of technological know-how and practical industrial experience really shines through,” he claims.
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The fundamental component of steam
Williams acknowledges that steam may have a direct or indirect impact on the whole process in the chemical industry, where production is more complicated and varies from other industries in some ways. AES collaborates closely with its clients to find the best solution.
“All chemical industries use thermal carriers, but we offer services that are operationally customized for each client under our service level agreements. Some clients may have a steady, predictable offtake, while others may run in batches depending on demand. We might run several operations simultaneously, each with a lead time for demand. Custom thermal solutions are designed for our clients, and we frequently provide strategic process advice. We have created a system that is used in situations when steam is supplied by several boilers, which is novel for our sector. According to him, the technology has significantly increased efficiency and visible emissions by distributing load evenly throughout the boilers.
All things considered, the AES’s competitive advantage is made up of extensive continuous research, institutional memory, expertise, and technological know-how. Most clients simply would not be able to focus on steam production if this remained under their own administration, but the firm is able to do so.
hazardous venture
Williams notes that the supply of qualified human resources will always be the key factor, notwithstanding these factors.
The significance of skills in energy efficiency management is undeniable, but we also cannot overlook South Africa’s chronic lack of technical talent, both in terms of knowledge and practical experience in the field. The problem lies in the fact that these shortages may extend to the important field of risk reduction. Reducing operational risks is the main component of what we do. We’ve spent more than 30 years building the foundational knowledge needed to accomplish this.
The ISO 9 001, 14 001, and 45 001 certifications held by AES are really reserved for plant maintenance and operations. After the processes are established, we allow for and control the risk associated with the unavoidable project variations. The chemical industry covers a wide range of topics, including emissions, flammable gases and liquids, toxic chemicals, fuel hazards, health and safety issues, and compliance requirements that extend to the carbon tax.
As a result, our business makes significant investments in employee training and development as well as in the physical plants of our clients. This is an essential component of the value-add we provide, especially in an industry as dynamic and demanding as the chemical manufacturing sector, he says.
