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Show From an international point of view there are also factors which affect the transfer of successful applications to other countries which have the same industrial and process characteristics. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY The development of oxygen using techniques has been noticeable in .the mature industrial areas of the world, i.e. Europe, USA, where the gas producing industry was originally based. As industrialisation spreads it is interesting to note which technologies and applications are first accepted and which factors govern the rate of technology spread. The growth in world production of steel and other metals in developing countries has created opportunities to expand the use of industrial gases through technology based applications. Third World, African, Asian and Oceanic countries have all developed their industries as they strive to secure export markets as wel l as improve their own self-sufficiency. It was natural that they would look to the developed industrial nations for technologies which could enhance their existing production methods . International industrial gas companies were in a position to assist this transfer of technology. In the combustion area, the hindrance to such transfer was the apparent high cost of industrial gases produced f r om smal l, less-efficient production units. In order to progress the adoption of oxygen processes it was necessary to produce criteria by which any potential use would be judged. One of the factors which was used was a fuel to oxygen ratio. By establishing this ratio in a successful process in a developed industrial market, it was possible to extrapolate which processes would be viable in any particular country. Fig 1 shows some of these ratios in countries which have- only recently exploited such process technology. UK 3.44 S.A. 2.73 USA 2.67 AUS. 2.23 JAPAN 1.08 Fig. 1 - Fuel/Oxygen Ratios (Heavy Fuel Oil 1985) 246 When industrial gas processes are first introduced to a country be it a small developing nation in East Africa or a highly industrialised economy such as Japan it is usually the oxygen based technologies which are accepted. Not surprisingly it is in the traditional areas of foundry and steel making where first installations occur. In such a high-tech country as Japan the use of oxygen in cupolas was not an accepted practice, probably because the Japanese industrial culture was not tuned into industrial gas companies offering technologybased processes as part of their portfolio. The introduction of Western style operations has encouraged the more traditional industries to consider oxygen addition to their processes. The case study for Japan highlights this. METHODS OF OXYGEN USAGE Traditionally the ways in which oxygen are used can be categorised as: a) General enrichment of combustion air streams b) Directional lancing of pure oxygen c) Oxy-fuel burners Each technique has specific applications where most benefit can be obtained and there is a general acceptance of where these techniques can be best used. The level of benefits attainable from these techniques increases as the oxygen use steps from general enrichment through to 100% oxy- fuel burners. At the same time the cost of equipment and associated higher oxygen volumes escalates such that the cost benefit margins tend to remain relatively constant. It is in this situation that specific benefits of using oxygen dictate the manner in which the oxygen is applied. It has been established that companies err on the side of caution when initially considering use of oxygen and opt for a low capital route such as general enrichment. Successful operation of such a technique then encourages a move to more sophisticated systems to achieve higher returns. Work in the UK on a copper melting furnace illustrates this point. The furnace has been successively fitted with general enrichment, underflame lancing and finally oxy-fuel burners to achieve increasing levels of output. Specifically a 15% output increase with 3% oxygen enrichment level has grown to 50% increase with an oxyfuel system installed as part of the total melting capability. Specific fuel saving/tonne has shown a comparable change but oxygen use per tonne has also increased leaving an attractive, but not necessarily increasing, cost saving. |
