Atlas Copco Linde Project…A customized rental solution for on-site nitrogen generation

In emergency situations such as natural calamities or other unexpected events, crude oil needs to be available without disruption of supply. For this specific purpose, three big storage caverns have been installed in India so that surplus crude oil can be stored for a potentially long time and exerted only in case of emergencies. One such cavern is in Padur for storage of crude oil. For Linde Engineering India, who handled this crucial project, renting was an important part of its subcontracting technology. Before commissioning of crude oil inside the caverns, Linde Engineering required 7000 tons of on-site nitrogen to inertize these caverns so that no combustible mixture is formed. They evaluated the cost of purchasing a nitrogen plant as well as the cost of procuring liquid nitrogen in tankers and concluded that the entailing storing inventory and maintenance costs would be unaffordable. The Total Rental Solution offered by Atlas Copco ensured low cost of ownership with a customized package which included designing, installation, supply, logistics, operation and maintenance. Linde Engineering decided to hire Atlas Copco nitrogen generators over 7 months to inertize the caverns and bring down the oxygen level to 5%. The Atlas Copco Rental team configured an on-site nitrogen generation solution which consisted of three PSA units and five compressors to feed air to these PSAs along with dryers, distribution systems and other related accessories. To manage this 7 month installation, a unique preventive maintenance schedule was designed with a trained Atlas Copco team for operation and maintenance of this unit. Mr. Arpan Shrivastava, Dy General Manager- Project Execution, Linde Engineering India, says, “Once the Atlas Copco equipment was started, it was switched off only after the job completion. The machines were running for the entire operation. Great effort from the Atlas Copco team!” He goes on to appreciate the on-site project handling, “Once the order was placed, there was a good interface between the sales team, project manager, engineering and operations team as well as the team handling maintenance”. He further adds, “The Atlas Copco Rental equipment is well maintained, requires less installation time and can be put into operation immediately. All deliveries committed to in the purchase order were adhered to”. Most importantly, with such a well-managed end to end solution, the project delivery specifications of 3000 nm3 @ 95% purity of nitrogen were more than met with 3000 nm3 delivered at 96.5 % purity of nitrogen. Mr. Arpan Shrivastava’s, preference for Atlas Copco’s Rental equipment, is reinforced when he says, “Atlas Copco is a reliable company with reliable equipment and a responsive and receptive team”.