01 August 2011

As a provider of innovative industrial solutions, Rand Technical Services (RTS) continually endeavours to identify synergistic and similarly innovative companies to form alliances with. RTS’ appointment as the exclusive Sagim representative in South Africa and East Africa is a prime example of a relationship developed to benefit RTS’ client base.

“RTS had been a long-standing agent-distributor for NEL Hydrogen (Was Norsk Hydro) a Norwegian company that manufactures hydrogen generators based on the electrolysis of water, up to capacities of 500 normal cubic metres per hour (Nm3/h) in a single cell block. “So the suggestion that we become distributors for Sagim, in which NEL Hydrogen has a shareholding, was pursued with enthusiasm,” says Ian Fraser, MD of Rand Technical Services.

The exclusive distributorship agreement incorporates 10 sub-Saharan African countries including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya and involves the marketing and supply of a range of smaller chemical and electrolyser hydrogen generators with capacities of up to 12 Nm3/h. Sagim’s generators are ideally suited to general industrial applications as well as the more niche meteorological sector, where the hydrogen is used to fill meteorological balloons.

During a recent visit to South Africa to attend a meteorological conference in Johannesburg, Thierry Besson – Project Engineer at Sagim (Saint-Etienne, France) and his colleague Myrèse Blanc - Export Management Assistant highlighted the pioneering spirit evident in Sagim and discussed the benefits to RTS’ clients.

Experience counts

“Sagim has a rich history in the development of hydrogen generation technologies,” says Besson. “The company, previously known as Gaz Industriels de Province (GIP), was founded in 1922 by Oxylhite, a company created in the early twentieth century, which specialised in the production and sale of oxygen and of the equipment used to produce it. Between1910 and 1914, Oxylhite developed the hydrolith, hydrogenite and silicol processes for the production of hydrogen, and also began production of electrolytic hydrogen.” (I am not sure about the wording of this?)

The first unit producing hydrogen via electrolysis under the GIP name was delivered in 1922 to a foreign government. This unit was built from a series of ‘open’ monopolar tanks. In 1947, as a result of the increasing demand for hydrogen in order to meet the needs of its clients, GIP began the production of dipole ‘filter press’ electrolysers. “The advantage of this new technology was that it tripled production capacity with respect to the monopolar method, while taking up the same amount of physical space,” Besson explains.

Gaz Industriels de Province was acquired by the Oxygène Liquide industrial gas group, in order to widen its field of operations.”Fully aware of the potential market for hydrogen in the meteorology field, Oxygène Liquide decided to set up a division within its group known as the ‘GIP’ division,” says Besson.

The American industrial gas group Air Products later bought Oxygène Liquide and all of its divisions and then again sold its subsidiary divisions, followed in 1994 by the GIP division. GIP then became a private independent company, and was renamed SAGIM (Société d'Application des Gaz pour l'Industrie et la Météorologie).

In 1996, SAGIM joined forces with the Norwegian company Norsk Hydro Electrolysers AS, (Now NEL Hydrogen) a company specialising in the production of high-capacity electrolytic hydrogen generators.”Thanks to this alliance, SAGIM is today able to offer its clients a complete range of hydrogen generators,” says Besson.

In 2002, in association with NEL Hydrogen (formerly Norsk Hydro Electrolyzers AS), SAGIM decided to create innovative concepts for electrolytic hydrogen generators, as well as by combining these systems with renewable energy sources such as solar energy or wind power. One of the results is the GIP ™ 3 generator operating under caustic soda and silicon reaction, which delivers 3 m3 of hydrogen pressurised at 120 to 150 bar for the inflation of the radio sounding balloons.

“This apparatus, used by all meteorological institutes, is able to produce hydrogen in all latitudes. It has been very effective during Arctic and Antarctic missions. Unlike similar systems, the GIP ™ 3 generator is the only one able to produce hydrogen gas without any residue in solid form while draining. Easy to handle, this generator does not require any maintenance other than its cleaning after each hydrogen production operation,” Besson explains.

As well as for use in the meteorological arena, hydrogen has many uses in industry including for metal treatment; Float glass; semi-conductors for welding of precious metals; and hydrogenation, which is the process of adding hydrogen molecules directly to an unsaturated fatty acid from sources such as vegetable oils to convert it to a semi-solid form such as margarine or shortening.

Green benefits

Another application where the Sagim’s product offering has found favour is in the purification of silicone for solar panels. “This is an important factor globally in general and specifically in South Africa, where we face a burgeoning energy crisis. By being able to offer alternative energy sources that do not negatively impact on the environment, and in fact actually reduce the carbon footprint, we feel that Sagim products are of huge benefit in Africa,” says Fraser.

In addition fuel cells are also powered by hydrogen for the so-called ‘hydrogen cars’ which NEL Hydrogen was involved in developing in Europe. Evidence of the success of this initiative was the development of the ‘Hydrogen Road’ stretching virtually from Scandinavia to Europe, which comprises a number of hydrogen filling stations along the route from Bergen to Oslo and beyond.

Sagim’s 5 Nm3/h hydrogen generator systems are frequently used in power plants as pure hydrogen for the alternator cooling application which all power stations make use of. “Due to the high thermal conductivity of hydrogen, this is able to offer less alternator friction and therefore less heat and a cooling effect,” says Besson

“We have in fact quoted on installing such a hydrogen generator n Zimbabwe and Sagim have undertaken such a project at a mine in Indonesia,” adds Fraser.

A major attractant for RTS is the fact that Sagim has a very strong ethos of customer service and excellent support and maintenance once equipment has been installed. “We place emphasis on good maintenance for customers and we keep in touch with customers at every phase of installation and implementation,” says Besson.

In addition, Sagim, through RTS provides a great deal of skills transfer and training for customers on their hydrogen generators. “I am involved in a very ‘hands-on’ manner in much of this training and maintenance around the world for Sagim’s customers. Maintenance is often an ongoing challenge, particularly in many pan-African countries, and it is our intention, through RTS to emphasise the importance of prioritising ongoing maintenance to ensure sustainability,” says Besson

“It is also our joint intention to educate clients on an understanding of how they should work with hydrogen, which is highly flammable if not well-ventilated – a healthy respect should be developed at all times! Hydrogen can be handled quite safely – but if it leaks - don’t trap it!” adds Fraser.

“The biggest single unit Sagim-GIP produces is 6 Nm3/h, but they can ‘stack’ units/generators together which is what we have proposed doing for the Zimbabwean customer’s requirements. This also provides the client with a backup in case one unit is inoperable for a period of time,” says Fraser.

“We have full confidence in Sagim hydrogen generators. They have been installed in extremely severe conditions such as deserts, so we can clearly demonstrate to our clients that these systems are not only of huge benefit to them but that they are also designed to be very tough and robust; a prerequisite in pan-African countries,” Fraser concludes.

Ends

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Note to Editors

Rand Technical Services, or RTS, is a specialised, Tshwane-based company offering innovative technologies and solutions to industrial problems.

Run by Managing Director Ian Fraser since its inception in the early 1990’s, the company offers globally-sourced, quality products such as continuous belt weighers without load cells, laser-based gas detection devices for hot or corrosive areas, and electrolysers for hydrogen production.

Product delivery and technical consultation by highly-trained staff is offered throughout Southern Africa to a range of clients in industry sectors such as mining, glass, steel and energy.

Editorial Contacts

Ian Fraser
Managing Director
Rand Technical Services
012 - 993 9620
info@rtsafrica.co.za
www.rtsafrica.co.za

Kendal Hunt
PR Consultant and Writer
Kendal Hunt Communications
011 – 7045649 or kenh@mweb.co.za