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Potential of LNG in Tanzania highlighted

7th October 2016

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

  

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With the discovery of large volumes of natural gas in Tanzania, South African welding, cutting and gas products and service provider African Oxygen (Afrox) is confident that there are numerous opportunities related to the use of this gas in Tanzania to replace other less efficient and costly energy alternatives.

Tanzania has been exploring for natural gas for more than 50 years. The first natural gas discovery was made in 1974 on Songo Songo Island, in the Lindi region, followed by a second discovery at Mnazi Bay, in the Mtwara region, in 1982. Natural gas was discovered off and on the shore of Songo Songo Island, while the gas discovery at Mnazi Bay was only offshore. Natural gas from Songo Songo was first commercialised in 2004 and from Mnazi Bay in 2006. Commercialisation of the two discoveries propelled further gas exploration onshore and offshore.

Afrox, a subsidiary of global gases, engineering and technology company The Linde Group, has, along with The Linde Group’s engineering division, plant engineering and construction technology partner Linde Engineering, been supporting Tanzanian gold miner Acacia Mining for more than seven years.

“Replacing diesel at Tanzanian mines with liquefied and locally manufactured gas is an interesting opportunity which we believe the country’s mining industry could significantly benefit from,” says Linde Engineering South Africa MD Claudio Lorenzo.

Linde Engineering has engaged in various discussions with local organisations on the topic, but there are no projects currently being executed. “This is an interesting opportunity in Tanzania that would need to be investigated in more detail to determine the possibilities and potential benefits or problems that may be encountered.”

Linde Engineering offers the technology to liquefy natural gas for a range of capacities from small scale (about 20 t/d) up to world scale (between four-million tons to five-million tons a year), as well as to distribute the liquefied natural gas (LNG) using trucks, railway lines and ships.

“The displacement of diesel with cheaper, cleaner and more efficient LNG could be a very interesting alternative for power production in inland Tanzania,” explains Lorenzo.

Afrox GM Marius Kruger says Afrox and Linde Engineering have completed work for Acacia Mining at its Buzwagi, previously owned by Pangaea Minerals, and Bulyanhulu previously owned by gold mining company African Barrick Gold gold mines.

“Linde Engineering supplied a 40 t/d oxygen production plant, equipped with vacuum pressure swing adsorption technology, for each mine. The plants were commissioned in 2013 and 2014 and have, to date, each achieved about 14 000 hours of operation at their designed throughput,” notes Lorenzo.

“The two plants use oxygen to enhance the recovery of gold in the carbon-in-leach tanks,” notes Kruger.

Kruger adds that Afrox has extensive experience in oxygen injection systems for gold mining applications, with a number of its proprietary Goldox systems in operation in gold mines across Africa. “The system enables high dissolved-oxygen levels to be maintained in the preconditioning and leach tanks to achieve higher gold recovery rates.”

Kruger also highlights that Afrox offers a number of innovative solutions to gold mining companies, such as its build, own and operate supply scheme, where Afrox owns the on-site generator units and oxygen injection equipment over a specific contract term, also operating and maintaining the plant to supply oxygen ‘over the fence’ as a utility.

Afrox, through its subsidiary, BOC Kenya, supplied trained personnel to operate and maintain the Buzwagi plant, 6 km south-east of the district of Kahama, in the Shinyanga region of Tanzania, for 12 months after its commissioning. BOC Kenya’s offering includes a service package with set maintenance activities to ensure companies such as Acacia Mining experience high availability, or on-line time, and the most efficient production of oxygen.

“Afrox and BOC Kenya are offering service agreements for a number of mines in Tanzania. We can offer a full operation and maintenance agreement or, if the mine prefers, a service agreement which entails regular quarterly inspections of the oxygen plant’s rotating equipment, while using original-equipment manufacturers to carry out scheduled maintenance on the equipment,” says Kruger.

Through this service, Afrox ensures that the Linde plants operate as efficiently as possible and that breakdowns are kept to a minimum. The operation of Linde’s pressure swing absorption plants can also be remotely monitored by engineers in South Africa and Germany.

“Our global success is built on our extensive process engineering expertise in the planning, project development and construction of turnkey industrial plants. Linde Engineering focuses on promising market segments, such as plants for the production of hydrogen and synthesis gas, oxygen, nitrogen and olefins, as well as plants for natural gas treatment and liquefaction,” says Lorenzo.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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