GC Top Technologies in the Media
Connecting International Expertise to South African Opportunities
European alliance partner company GC Top Technologies – an Italian company based in South Africa – aims to connect international suppliers of the best available technologies with South African clients that require improved efficiency, enhanced productivity and environment-friendly solutions.
The company operates in several markets, including steelmaking, ferroalloy production and power plants.
These connections are achieved through the work of GC Top Technologies founder Giovanni Carnelli, who has more than 20 years of managerial experience in the steelmaking and ferroalloy market. His background in engineering as well as marketing allows him to match client’s needs with the valuable characteristics of the products supplied by his partners.
“We provide the channel for international suppliers of advanced technologies to promote their products in the South African market, enabling us to find the best solutions for South African clients who are looking for advanced equipment and applications with improved standards,” explains Carnelli.
GC Top Technologies also cross-pollinates the ideas that are generated in different industries, enabling the application of consolidated customised procedures and equipment to different areas in various fields.
“We focus on scouting for the most innovative and successful solutions applied in a specific field and use these in a different, but related field.
“These innovations are developed by committed suppliers who are gifted with a passion for innovation. These companies are frequently able to provide specifically tailored, dedicated solutions to resolve the daily problems some clients experience.
“For example, whenever we find a technical solution that is performing well in a particular sector, such as steelmaking, we can apply it to other sectors, such as ferroalloys. “By doing this, we can access new markets, such as those of power generation, cement production and glass manufacturing, ensuring that our partnerships will continue to expand,” says Carnelli.
His extensive background in engineering and project execution, vast network of some of the most knowledgeable experts in the industry and first-hand relationships with some of the most accredited international equipment suppliers enables GC Top Technologies to understand the nature of the problems that industry faces and to develop integrated solutions in collaboration with its international partners.
“GC Top Technologies, with the support of well-known consultants operating in the market and some partner companies with a successful history in designing and developing dedicated equipment in the steelmaking and ferroalloy production markets, continuously identifies the most advanced technological solutions and makes them available to the South African market,” Carnelli explains.
He also notes that social media and improved information technology have made it easy to source different types of products worldwide.
However, it is still relatively difficult to select the most reliable and high performing products at a fair price.
Through GC Top Technologies’ alliance partnerships, South African companies have access to some of the best Italian technological expertise, as well as other expertise from European and American technological fields.
“Some of our partners have more than 50 years of experience in technological and design expertise, and have the possibility of fabricating in less expensive countries, ensuring the application of European manufacturing processes and quality standards while providing sustainable and well-priced solutions to our customers,” he says.
~ 12TH OCTOBER 2018 BY: SHANNON DE RYHOVE – CREAMER MEDIA SENIOR DEPUTY EDITOR POLITY & MULTIMEDIA
Ready-to-go baghouses
Ready-to-go baghouses
The fast pace of today’s cement markets requires cement companies to deploy production assets such as grinding facilities at short notice to gain the edge on their competitors. The support of equipment manufacturers to deliver modular ‘ready-to-install’ production systems is key in the success of cement producers when entering new markets.
~ by Redecam SpA, Italy
Rapid deployment of production assets is essential in successfully entering new markets. One way of optimising the response to new opportunities in today’s fast-changing cement markets are the recently-developed small grinding stations. Compact and efficient they can be put into operation in just a few weeks.
From modular grinding to modular baghouses
To support such operational flexibility, Redecam Group SpA has designed a
modular baghouse that is easy and fast to install. It has the same features and high performance of the conventional units that have established this Italian company’s legacy of high performance for the last 35 years.
The complete unit of the modular baghouse is pre-assembled in the factory, thus reducing installation time on site by 80 per cent and eliminating any quality issues that can sometimes arise with field assembly. The design allows each fully preassembled module to fit into a standard 40ft shipping container. All modules have bolted flanges that enable fast and accurate assembly into the full unit at site.
The clean air plenum modules are also prepared with a high level of pre-assembly with compressed air tank receivers and solenoid valves already installed.
Following the building of modular grinding units, Redecam has developed a modular baghouse that is easy to deploy.
The supporting structure for the unit is incorporated within the hopper modules in the workshop to lower shipping costs. The structure requires only minimal bolting work to attach to the completed assembly.
Despite the smart design, which minimises steelwork, the baghouse built with the modular concept handles high gas flows while achieving high performance.
The design accommodates bags up to 8m in length. Emission levels are guaranteed to be lower than 5mg/Nm3. To illustrate the unit’s high performance, it is possible to treat gas flow rates up to 235,000m3/h, using only 7m bags, with the baghouse pre-assembled and shipped using only 15 standard 40ft containers.
Costa Rican case study
As an example of this innovative, high-performance system, Redecam recently supplied a modular baghouse to a Costa Rican cement plant, owned by Cementos Fortaleza and Plycem. The company’s client, Gebr Pfeiffer Inc, installed its ready-to-grind system with a VRM 2500 C-4 vertical mill and the Redecam Modular Baghouse with a technical and performance specification as shown in Table 1.
This modular baghouse was designed with the ‘double approach’ system recently developed by Redecam. This system allows the gas to be distributed through both the bottom and the side of the bags. This ensures 100 per cent of the bags’ filtration surface is used in the filtration process, avoiding the underused surfaces common in standard designs. Therefore, the DP across the filter is reduced and the number of cleaning cycles is minimised. As a result, the lifespan of the bags increases drastically. For example, the average lifetime of these bags is around 100,000 cleaning cycles. A typical baghouse works at a rate of five cycles/h and as a result bag life is around 2.5 years. Assuming the new concept baghouse achieves the same performance at a rate of two cycles/h, the bag lifetime is more than doubled. Moreover, this also results in a large reduction in consumption of compressed air, which saves both money and compressed air capacity. The degree of savings in terms of compressed air depends on power costs per kiloWatt, which varies from plant to plant. However, tests run by Redecam show positive results with power cost savings of up to 30 per cent when compared to a traditional baghouse. Therefore, the total savings in operating costs is substantial.
The baghouse provides an easy-to-install solution to control dust from modular grinding units.
Project timeline
In the design phase, the efficient concept of the modular baghouse allows Redecam to finish detailed drawings within just a few weeks of the project start. While the design is somewhat standardised, Redecam engineers are able to quickly tailor the baghouse to meet the specific process requirements of the site. In this way, the baghouse is optimally sized while achieving the extremely low emissions standards typically required.
Once the detailed design is finished, Redecam’s worldwide procurement
expertise is used to quickly obtain the bestquality materials at the optimum price.
Since the design already takes into account the maximum sizes allowed in shipping containers, the baghouse supplier has the flexibility to take advantage of material pricing opportunities all over the world.
The company’s design also allows fast and efficient field erection. All preassembled pieces are equipped with a special sealing gasket that allows the bolted flanges to be mated together quickly and accurately. The gasket means site welds are not necessary, saving considerable time and expense for field erection.
Total assembly time in almost all cases is only two weeks – significantly
shorter when compared with the up to six-week assembly and start-up time of a conventional baghouse. Commissioning also takes only two days. Therefore, the following construction schedule is typical:
• unloading modules from containers – one day
• lifting of modules into place and bolting – five days
• installation of bags and cages – three days
• connection of compressed air pipes – two days
• electrical connections – three days
• cold test, commissioning and start-up – two days.
Flexible baghouse deployment To meet the needs of a rapidly-changing
market, cement producers require easyto- install baghouse solutions to enable an effective deployment of production assets. The Redecam modular baghouse is a perfect fit for the new modular grinding
stations. This combination gives cement producers a flexible, fast and economical tool to manage their grinding needs across their fleet of production facilities.
Transforming India’s Power and Steel Sector
Transforming India’s Power and Steel Sector
Transformers and Rectifiers is already one of the largest transformer manufacturers in the market with a wide range of transformers for power and industrial sectors. With every new order, the company is setting a new benchmark of capability. Now the company is focused on further expanding its product range by investing in new facilities, skilled workforce, and R&D. In an interview with Steel & Metallurgy, Mr. Stefano Talassi, discusses his company’s ambitious plans.
We understand T&R primarily offers transformers two categories i.e. Power Transformers and Industrial Transformers. Could you give us a glimpse of the entire industrial transformer range offered by T&R? In this regard, please mention the products for the steel sector in particular?
T&R has a total installed capacity of 36000 MVA to manufacture Power Transformer upto 1000 MVA, 1200 kV Class, Distribution Transformers from 315 kVA and above, Furnace Transformer upto 120 kA, Rectifier Transformer upto 160 kA DC, Reactors upto 765 kV. As far as the steel sector is concerned we are market leader in India for SAF, together with a growing presence in LF and ARC furnace application as well as Induction Furnace Transformers. Our industrial transformers are installed in steel plants, rolling mill plants as well as in chemical and converter duty projects.
What is the current market share of the products offered by Transformers and Rectifiers in India? Do you have any benchmark target for your market share, let’s say by 2020?
T&R is one of the third largest transformer manufacturers in India and our current market share is aroundat 12%: our target is to reach the 15% level by 2020.
How was the last fiscal in terms of order book and sales?
The last fiscal year was influenced by large 500 MVA transformer rating executions that pushed down the turnover but increased the actual productivity. The total order book stands on around 900 crore INR.
How was the sales and profit scenario during the FY18 and
first quarter of FY19?
The financial performance of T&R in Q4 grabbed a good order flow in the domestic jobs as well as the breakthrough orders with important customer as Abinsk in Russia and SAIL in India. We are expecting a good growth in the Q3 of the FY 19 based on orders already in our hands.
What are your expectations from the current fiscal?
We had good beginning in term of sales in Q1 and order book available in Q3 and good tenders in pipeline in the domestic as well as in the export market.
Mr. Stefano Talassi
COO, Transformers & Rectifiers India Pvt. Ltd
COO, Transformers & Rectifiers India Pvt. Ltd
“As far as the steel sector is concerned we are market leader in India for SAF, together with a growing presence in LF and ARC furnace application as well as Induction Furnace Transformers.“
Energy efficiency and sustainability are major constituents of decision making by a customer prior to new equipment purchase. What kind of cost savings a customer can expect from right selection of energy efficient transformers? Does T&R offer any support to its customer in cost savings analysis?
We are always in close contact with our customer to analyze the best options in capex and cost saving, without any compromise in the quality and reliability of the product. Our R&D department is involved in each aspect of our supply chain to find out the right solution that can suit the needs of the end user and the return of investment.
Power sector is a crucial factor for infrastructure development in a country. In light of this, how do you see the growth power sector in India? How is your company positioned to cater to the power sector in India? What are the investment plans of T&R in transmission sector in India?
India has a huge need of infrastructure development and the power sector is the back bone of the country. For this reason we will expect the key role of the Central Government in terms of investments and projects, especially in the renewable energies and in the National Energy Policy 24/7 power for all by
2022. T&R aims to expand in the sector of GIS equipment as well as HV bushings, CT and PT, becoming the landmark in the transmission sector with high value service for the customer: investments in assets and new technical skilled people have been done so far in these directions.
Please tell us about the R&D initiatives by T&R?
With the aim to focus and strengthen capabilities by factoring stringent quality and reliability benchmarks in every stage of Design and Development of World Class Transformers, T&R India Limited has a dedicated R&D Division with committed professionals and world class facilities. In addition to new product development and design automation R&D Division is working on technology absorption from TLA partners, design analysis & optimization, process development etc. Some of the key projects successfully completed include:
• Development of 333 MVA, 1200 kV Single phase transformer;
• Development and successful Dynamic Short Circuit Testing of 315 MVA 400 kV Auto Transformer;
• Development of Ester filled green power transformers;
• Development of eco-friendly ultra-low noise transformers;
• Development of Aluminum wound power transformer.
Give us a glimpse of your production facilities including workforce. Going ahead, is there any plan to expand your operations?
T&R is located in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) with three different manufacturing facilities in Moraiya, Changodar and Odhav based on the product segmentation with roughly 1,200 people employed. The neighborhood of Mundra port and the International airport gives a value added and delivery time reduction in all our supply chain.
The implementation of new and more efficient testing lab for power transformers is in the pipeline.
Could you please mention some of the major orders executed by your company so far in India?
In the last financial year T&R has been awarded by the breakthrough order and execution of 156 MVA EAF transformer for CIS market, already delivered to the end user in less than 6 months: we have beaten our previous record of 132 MVA EAF transformer manufactured for South America. This achievement is in line with our permanent growth in the market sector of Ultra-High Power furnace transformers and it is the award of our long term investment in the steel sector.
We successfully commissioned in Mexico our 132 MVA in January 2018 and we have been awarded by SAIL with 30 MVA LF furnace that strengthens our presence in the Indian steel sector.
As the COO of Transformers & Rectifiers India Pvt. Ltd. what are your growth plan for your company?
The growth plan for T&R is always focused on new solutions for our customer to cover their needs: this is the reason why T&R is not only a manufacturing corporate but also an engineering company, able to give full service and out of the box arrangements. T&R products are always tailored made for customer requirements avoiding unnecessary expenses, thanks to our team and engineers working every day for new ideas and improvements.
We are always in close contact with our customer to analyze the best options in capex and cost saving, without any compromise in the quality and reliability of the product.
Scrubbing Technology
Scrubbing technology
When it comes to emission-reduction technology, how does a plant know it is selecting the right technology for the job? Redecam believes its DeSOx technology, known as RDS, provides the ideal solution for both the cement and the lime industry. Here it directly compares RDS with wet flue gas desulphurization (FGD). 
Environmental preservation is a global need, involving all countries in the world and all areas of human activity, from agriculture to industry. In terms of industry, there is a tendency to align emission requirements with the best performance achievable by technology. Therefore, it is vital that those companies operating in the industrial sector have as broad a spectrum of possibilities available to them when selecting the best emission-reduction technology for their plants. Several factors have to be taken into account during this selection process, including the possibility of achieving the required emission targets, the technology reliability, the interaction with other gas treatment technologies, technology flexibility (turn-down), byproducts recovery, the specific skills required to operate and maintain the emission reduction plant, as well as the operating and investment cost.
Building on circulating fluidised bed technology
One technology that meets many of these factors is the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) semi-dry reactor from Redecam, known as RDS. CFB scrubbing technology is based on the fluidized bed principle. Hydrated lime and water are injected into a reactor where the powder is suspended and mixed using a high-velocity stream of flue gas entering from the bottom. The intense mixing between the acid gas, solid reagents and water, and the presence, for a given time, of a liquid phase over the reagent particles, enables SO2 reduction efficiencies of over 95 per cent. The system is also active for the removal of hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), mercury and other trace metals, without using reagents other than lime. Once mixed and reacted, the gas flow carries the solids out through the top of the reactor into a fabric filter, which separates the dust from the flue gas. The dust is then recycled back into the reactor with a recirculation rate in the hundreds with respect to the fresh lime injected, after which the clean flue gas is conveyed to the stack. Since water is injected directly into the reactor, hydrated lime is fed in powder form and no slurry handling is necessary.
Moreover, water is totally evaporated in the reactor, avoiding the need for wastewater treatment. As the final product evacuated from the filter is totally dry, drying equipment is also unnecessary.
The fabric filter is properly designed and sized for this application, due to the high dust load coming from recirculation and the relatively-low operating temperatures (usually 20°C above the dew point). Thanks to the bed mixing, the lime conversion rate is high, even when elevated acid gas reductions are required, so allowing a Ca:S molar ratio of around 1.5 or less.
The final byproduct, even if not usable to replace gypsum as a cement regulator, has a wide range of applications, including as a fertiliser in agriculture, as a building material (additive for the production of screed and mortar, additive for production of building bricks and lime sand brick, fibreboards, etc), in the production of binders, in road construction, in the field of surface and underground mining, for the conditioning of sewage sludge.
Potential benefits to the cement industry
This technology is already widely used in the power and waste-to-energy (WTE) industry, while in other sectors, such as cement and lime, it is not yet present, mainly because the kilns does not usually require DeSOx installations due to their natural scrubbing effect. However, there are several cases where the characteristics of the process, whether for raw materials or fuels, do require DeSOx treatment. Here, RDS technology becomes a competitive option, particularly where high reduction is necessary or where the operating cost of a dry sorbent injection (DSI) technology is not sustainable.
Cost comparison
Tables 1 and 2 compare RDS and wet FGD for a 3000tpd cement kiln where SO2 emissions need to be reduced by 95 per cent.
The operating cost was evaluated starting from a hydrated lime cost of €83/t and a power cost of €41.40/MWh. A higher power cost would further penalise the wet FGD technology, which is the most energy-demanding in this comparison. From a technical point of view, it should be noted that while the byproduct coming from the wet FGD is recoverable in cement grinding in the place of gypsum (the replacement percentage is very low), the byproduct of the RDS can be mixed with the kiln dust and recovered into the raw meal.
The operating cost of the two options is very similar. The higher reagent cost of the RDS is balanced by the higher power and maintenance cost of the wet FGD.
Of course, when the size of the plant decreases, the comparison goes in favour of the RDS, because maintenance cost is not linearly decreasing with plant capacity.
In terms of investment cost, RDS requires around half of the investment typically required for a wet FGD installation. Moreover, its footprint consumption is lower in comparison with a wet FGD as there are no sections for slurry treatment and byproduct drying. In addition, it does not require specific skills or additional personnel for operation and maintenance.
Finally, due to the necessity to have a specific filter design, RDS is a very interesting option when it is required to improve both SO2 (or heavy metals, HCl, etc) and dust emissions.
A typical application could be when the existing dedusting is carried out by an ESP or old baghouse that has to be revamped.
In this situation, an RDS installed downstream, or in the place of the existing equipment, can solve both gaseous and powder emission issues without requiring heavy investment or big layout modifications.
Read the article here