During the operation of a plant or after a revamp, the plant sometimes under-performs for reasons that are not immediately apparent. In such circumstances it is necessary to carefully investigate the problem, go beyond the obvious cause and find the real reason for the problem.During a distillation column revamp for about a 30% capacity increase, […]
Ammonia savings of R17.7 million a year – An Alliance success story The ammonia refrigeration and storage plant in Secunda has experienced significant losses due to flaring over the years. At the current Ammonia price these losses were calculated to be in the region of R24 million per year.Investigations performed in 1999 indicated that an […]
Months before the story really starts I received a phone call from Philip. “Stanley,” he said, “I need somebody to do some Process Engineering for me”.Philip and I know each other from the years when we both worked for the same large multinational engineering company. We both left that company at more or less the […]
At the Conceptual Estimate stage of any prospect, capital and operating cost estimates are usually compiled in a simple spreadsheet. Net present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) calculations are typically performed and the economic viability of the project, based on these, or similar criteria, is assessed. At this early stage, the simple […]
Introduction Icarus Process Evaluator (IPE) is a tool that was developed to give process engineers an insight into the cost effectiveness of their designs, allowing them to evaluate the costs of different options in the early phases of a project. IPE uses heat and material balances to develop detailed designs, costs and schedules. The IPE […]
Synopsis In recent years, Rwanda has experienced an energy crisis, mainly attributable to both electricity and fuel shortages. Dissolved methane (CH4) gas is available in Lake Kivu, Rwanda/DRC and if this gas can be extracted economically, it can be used as a source of energy. The extraction of 100 million m3s/annum can produce c.a. 820 […]
Setting the Scene A small refinery in Africa is considering increasing its capacity. Due to political and economic uncertainty, the company is unsure of future market demand and pricing structure. Because of years of technical neglect, except for essential maintenance and operational requirements, the refinery is not operating efficiently, nor is it using the latest […]
AVEC's commitment to supporting our client's business objectives means that we always try to respond appropriately to requests for our services or assistance. We are not encumbered by the mindset of 'doing what we have always done, because that seemed to work in the past'.
We are committed to quality. All our work is performed to the high standards of auditability and accountability required.
We offer a range of services from feasibility studies, through the various engineering phases, to construction and commissioning support. In addition, we can provide consulting services such as plant or project audits, troubleshooting, value engineering facilitation and participation.
We have many contract types from lump sum professional services through to cost-plus reimbursable projects.
We believe in risk and reward contracting with incentives and would be pleased to discuss bonus/penalty scenarios
on any potential contracts.