MAN Diesel & Turbo delivers screw compressor unit to Indian company

MAN Diesel & Turbo will deliver a screw compressor unit, 

said to be the world's largest, for a Dry Lime Akzo Nobel soda production process in India. 

With the addition of a further screw compressor unit, Nirma Ltd., a manufacturer of detergents and cleaning products on the Indian market, is expanding its raw material production facilities. 

(A screw compressor)

The Indian company supplies its products to around 300 million 

consumers on the sub-continent. It has had four SKUEL 643 units in 

operation since 1998 and in the recent order the company again chose MAN 

Diesel & Turbo as its compression technology partner. 

Soda is one of the basic materials in the production of detergents and glass. At the heart of the Dry Lime Akzo Nobel soda production process are oil-free screw compressors, which due to their robust nature are ideal for the corrosive and dust-laden gases (moist CO2) generated during this process.

Customers such as Nirma Ltd. have access to a comprehensive local 

portfolio of MAN PrimeServ services for turbomachinery and screw 

compressors – a further plus point, and not just for the process industry 

sector in which maintenance periods and downtimes can often result in the 

entire production line being brought to a halt. 

The current order is due to be delivered in April 2016 with the aid of local value creation competence and then put into commission as a complete 

compressor unit including steam turbine at Nirma Ltd. 

Dirk Wöckener, Bid Manager of the company said 19 compressors for soda production have been installed in India in the last 30 years – 17 of which were supplied by MAN Diesel & Turbo.

Wolf-Dieter Schmidt, Head of the Screw Compressor section at MAN Diesel & Turbo said, "With a growing population, the demand for industrial basic materials is also growing, pushing the need for even larger production capacities. The current order, in which the SKUEL 816 is to be used for the Dry Lime Akzo Nobel process for the first time, demonstrates this trend extremely clearly."