MARKET PROSPECTS

February 2013 Pump Industry Analyst3

Co Ltd and Sichuan Dayi Water Co Ltd have formed a new joint venture, Shuangliu Dayi Environmental Co Ltd, to manage wastewater in Sichuan, China.

Under a 25-year strategic partnership, Sino French Water will hold a 65% stake in the new company and will jointly manage and operate eight wastewater treatment plants located in rural areas in Shuangliu county with Shuangliu Dayi.

The partnership will also involve the construction, management and operation of the Shuangliu Maojiawan wastewater treatment plant, which will have a capacity of 250 000 m3 per day. The plant will primarily serve industrial and commercial customers and the residents of the new Tianfu urban area.

DESALINATION

IDE adapts desal technology for osmotic power generation

IDE Technologies Ltd has entered into an agreement with Statkraft,

Europe’s largest renewable energy company, for the development of an osmotic power generation pilot plant in Norway.

The project is the first of its kind to generate clean, green energy by mixing seawater and fresh water. IDE will design the 2 MW pilot facility in Sunndalsøra, Norway. The plant, which will be capable of 24/7 operation in any weather, is scheduled for construction within a few years.

Under the agreement, IDE will design and later purchase and construct the pilot plant in close cooperation with Statkraft. Most of the plant will be based on existing technology used in desalination and other industries. However, IDE will design innovative solutions in several areas of the pilot plant, such as the energy recovery system and the fresh water and seawater pre-treatment.

“We are honoured to team up with Statkraft for this breakthrough pilot that will demonstrate the feasibility of producing energy by means of a PRO process,” said Dr Boris Liberman, VP & chief technology officer of membrane technology at IDE. “We have been researching osmotic energy production for some time now, and intend to bring our R&D findings, our solid engineering solutions and our water expertise

to this project. This will result in driving costs down while increasing net energy output.”

Osmotic energy is a method for producing energy from the mix of fresh water and seawater. This technology enables clean power production at any place where rivers and lakes meet the seashore. Mastering this technology represents great potential for renewable, zero carbon-dioxide footprint, seafront power plants worldwide.

“Statkraft pioneered the field of osmotic power by developing knowledge and experience in the PRO technology, and later by constructing a prototype facility in Tofte, Norway,” said Stein Erik Skilhagen, head of osmotic power at Statkraft. “The Tofte facility has been operating since 2009, and is in use for testing components, processes and membranes. We have selected IDE to design this pilot plant as we are certain that IDE’s pioneering R&D and solid engineering practices, coupled with Statkraft’s experience and capabilities, represent the best team to handle the technological and economic barrier to osmotic power generation.”

Osmoflo to supply desal plants to South Korean shipbuilders

Australia’s Osmoflo has secured contracts from South Korean

conglomerates Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineers and Samsung Heavy Industries to supply ship-mounted desalination plants for use in the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project following a global tendering process.

The Osmoflo desalination plants, which will supply potable and process water to crews involved in the recovery of LNG and hydrocarbons from the Ichthys field in the Timor Sea, will be fitted on two vessels which are currently under construction in South Korean yards.

OIL & GAS

Baker Hughes rig count: January 2013

Baker Hughes Inc’s worldwide rig count for January 2013 stood at

3539, up 149 from the 3390 counted

in December 2012 and down 212 from the 3751 in January 2012.

The average US rig count for January 2013 was 1757, down 27 from December 2012’s 1784 and down 246 from January 2012’s 2003.

The international rig count for January 2013 was 1279, up 26 from the 1253 counted in December 2012, and up 108 from the 1171 in January 2012.

Jacobs to expand Luberef Yanbu refinery

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc is to provide project management

consulting (PMC) services for an expansion project at Saudi Aramco Lubricating Oil Refining Co’s (Luberef) lube oil refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Jacobs is providing PMC services for both inside battery limits (ISBL) and outside battery limits (OSBL). The ISBL services include a new lube oil unit, a new sulfur complex, a new hydrogen manufacturing unit, and an expansion of the propane de-asphalting unit. The OSBL services involve all utilities, tanks and infrastructure.

The Jacobs office in Leiden, the Netherlands is managing the overall project in collaboration with Jacobs’ offices in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia and other locations.

The Yanbu refinery expansion is expected to increase base oil production to meet future demands for high quality GR-II and GR-III base oils; increase the GR-I Bright stock to almost double current production; produce higher-value byproducts (naphtha, diesel, and kerosene); and satisfy Saudi requirements for producing drilling fluid, which is currently being imported.

Technip awarded Mexican refinery contract

Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) through its subsidiary PEMEX

Refinación, has selected Technip, in a consortium with Construcciones Industriales Tapia, to revamp one of the conversion units at the Ing Héctor R Lara Sosa refinery in Cadereyta, Mexico.