Gujarat Gas promotes innovative new gas uses
Gujarat Gas has begun promoting the use of piped gas for new and hitherto untried applications as it steps up efforts to boost sales.
On the radar are companies engaged in metal sheet cutting, drying, coating and heating. Using the example of three success stories in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat Gas is trying to convince others to switch to piped gas by proving its effectiveness.
Steebars, a steel bar re-rolling mill at the Chitra GIDC estate, was earlier using 40, 19-kg LPG cylinders every month to cut 120 tonnes of steel plate. With support from Gujarat Gas the mill has since August begun using piped gas.
This success has spurred Gujarat Gas to promote the technology to 50 other metal cutting factories in the area. "We will ask these factories to convert to using piped gas," says a company source.
"This will reduce costs, increase safety and make maintenance and operation easier." Krislur Castomech, another factory producing electric motors, end shield, flanges, terminal boxes and covers earlier used infra-red heaters in the furnace for drying and graphite coating. "Infra-red heaters are heavy power consumers," we hear.
"Maintenance costs are high because of damage to infrared filaments and frequent maintenance operations lead to production losses." After successfully converting the factory furnace to begin using 140 cm/d of piped gas for the hot air drier, "The factory reduced its fuel and maintenance bills by around 50%," we hear.
