FLSmidth to supply 100% oil to coal conversion equipment

By Ruli Setiawan

Global engineering firm FLSmidth announced on Tuesday it is to deliver an oil to coal conversion project to the Indonesian nickel metal producer PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. After two years of extensive pilot testing and use of computational fluid dynamic modeling FLSmidth has succeeded in supplying the company with 100% coal substitution.

Vale Indonesia operates five FLSmidth nickel matte reduction kilns and three FLSmidth rotary driers at their nickel metal production facility in Sorowako, South Sulawesi. Until recently all the dryers were fired with high sulphur fuel oil so the successful conversion to coal represents significant savings to Vale Indonesia, the company said in a statement.

FLSmidth?s warrantee for the coal conversion project included an 85% coal substitution. But after commissioning and fine tuning Vale Indonesia routinely achieves 100% coal substitution.

In 2006 Vale Indonesia asked FLSmidth to investigate the possibility of converting the company?s dryers from oil to coal firing. Vale Indonesia has a unique air heater arrangement which made converting to coal extremely challenging. Traditional air heaters operate at 150% excess air whereas Vale Indonesia?s air heaters operate at only 20% excess air.

From 2006 to 2008 extensive pilot testing at FLSmidth?s test facilities and computational fluid dynamic modelling by FLSmidth showed a viable path to converting to coal at 20% excess air. Unfortunately, the financial crisis delayed the project for two years but in 2011 the project was restarted with final acceptance achieved in December 2013.

In addition to the new combustion equipment, a full FLSmidth ATOX coal grinding and conveying system has also been supplied to Vale Indonesia.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon