Rand Air Temperature and the 8.0 t boiler
October 14, 2024
Edmund Haddad, the recently appointed business development manager for Temperature at Rand Air, talks about the new steam boiler rental offering and the peace of mind it offers for meeting local manufacturing and processing needs.
“I joined the startup steel foundry in Springs just before Covid hit, so I was necessitated to develop a lot of business skills in a short time, implementing workarounds to keep the business running on a shoestring budget,” Haddad tells MechChem Africa.
He then moved into a study manager role at a technology metals mining company in Namibia. “We conducted studies into the feasibility of extracting Lithium from the orebody. The process design, capital cost, operational expenses and most importantly, the return on investment” “So I understand manufacturing, mining and how to implement engineering projects, which, I think, stands me in good stead for this new business development role at Rand Air,” says Edmund Haddad.
“I have an engineering mindset, so I also understand what customers want from a rental company. When in Namibia, the mine was looking to expand the existing plant without a large upfront capital investment. So, we came to Rand Air for the compressors we needed. The rental option enabled us to get what we needed immediately while paying for it out of increased production. It proved to be a far better option in terms of cash flow, and it enabled the expansion project to be completed far more quickly, without adding a long-term financial burden,” he relates.
The 8t containerise boiler offering
On May 8th this year Rand Air part of Atlas Copco Speciality Rental, had a launch for its new Temperature offering. “We have been running a soft launch since earlier this year, and we have already done a few projects using our 3 t boilers. We have now also taken delivery of two new German-built 8 t steam boilers, though, which is very exciting,” Haddad continues.
The quality and technology involved is remarkable, he says citing the European CE standard mark and design details. “This is the Rolls Royce of packaged boilers, 72hours unmanned, low emissions, fuel efficient with little details such as a mounted steel badge indicating the nose levels.”
A fire-tube packaged boiler with a delivery capacity of 7800 kg/h of steam at 14.5 barg, the new 8T dual-fuel boiler runs on any light liquid fuel, such as diesel or natural gas. Compared to standard coal-fired boilers in the South African market, our boilers are much cleaner and environmentally friendly, helping to reduce emissions and promote a greener future.
The unit is packaged to meet the needs of the rental industry. Built into the container is the boiler unit, a feedwater tank, along with all the filtration and water treatment systems needed. A simple easy to assemble chimney stack slides into the back of the unit during transport. Inside the doors you will find the control panel and Scada system with all the embedded connectivity and data collection features of a modern IIoT-ready plant.
“Rental boilers in South Africa is synonymous with older technology, coal fired boilers with multiple parts, coupling to the plant. Our Rand Air 8t steam boiler is an elegantly designed package. Everything needed to deliver steam to a plant, fits neatly into the container, and with a mass of just 28.7 t, it can be loaded onto the back of a road trailer for transportation to site,” he asserts.
Plug and Steam
He points out that every boiler is a pressure vessel that is subject to the Pressure Equipment Regulation (PER) of the South African Department of Labour’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. Specific safety features are required, and an independent authorised person (AIA) needs to inspect and formally sign off on the operational safety of the installation before it can be used.
“We are working with local partners to see how we can streamline that process to get installation and commissioning done as quickly as possible.”
“As we see more and more customer, we are developing smarter processes, fittings and adapters to make the process of connecting up a boiler as simple and seamless as possible.” he adds.
Rand Air is calling this approach ‘Plug and Steam’. It involves “working smarter” in our goal of getting the customers plant up and running in the shortest period.
With its partners, Rand Air can offer three rental options:
- Short term rental, typically for plant breakdowns and the mandatory yearly and three yearly AIA inspections.
- Longer term rentals, typically for new boiler installations and major plant expansions.
- Outsourced steam plants. The customer is hands-off and only pays for what he uses. On these projects we supply the steam hardware and partner with local suppliers to run the operations.
On all these options we offer boiler supervision and water treatment services to train existing personnel and to ensure efficient running of the packaged boiler plant.
Scheduled boiler inspection at any time of the year
By law steam boilers need to be inspected by an authorised inspection authority once per year, with a major inspection once every three years. During these inspections any wear to the boiler will be detected and repaired, resulting in downtime between from 1 week to a 1 month. Plants typically schedule these shuts during the Christmas break when demand is low and to minimise production losses.
This approach results in businesses competing for boiler inspection and repair resources over the December period.
“Renting a standby boiler to maintain steam production during a shutdown frees up the maintenance calendar and ensures adequate time for work to be done properly.” Haddad explains.
Outcomes based pricing – “Steam over the fence”
Another innovative offering from Rand Air, which is also available for steam boiler users, is Outcomes based pricing. The steam user is not involved in any of the boiler operation or management activities. “The boiler is fenced off and our operators run it. The customer only pays based on metered steam usage, just as you would pay for electricity and water from a utility,” Haddad explains.
This is an appealing option for customers trying to move away from coal without the headache of having to invest in a new plant and boiler operators. We are already engaging with customers who are interested in this option, but for now, it is a future vision.
Rent to mitigate an uncertain future
“The future is likely to be a uncertain for the next few years. That is why rental is a great solution for South Africa. Rand Air can provide customers with the Temperature equipment they need, for steam and cooling, without them having to commit capital outlay. They can rent the equipment on a month-to-month basis and Rand Air will take care of any maintenance requirements.
“With uptime guaranteed our customers get the full benefit of high quality products that are energy efficient and clean. In addition, when a better one comes along, there is no need to ‘sweat the asset’ of older technology. We will happily bring the latest model to replace its older unit,” Edmund Haddad concludes.
