Silpa Project

Air Liquide is proposing to upgrade their Air Separation Unit for the production of liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen, Silpa Project. The project entails harvesting of oxygen and nitrogen from the atmosphere. This is done by first filtering and purifying the air mixture and then separating the oxygen and nitrogen. The scope of works is as follows: New concrete plinths will be constructed at ground level to house all the components of the plant, consisting of the following: 2 x main air compressors; 2 x air intake filters; 2 absorber vessels filled with alumina and molecular sieve material; an air purification unit; a cold box distillation column; 3 x water cooling towers; 2 x 200 cubic metre liquid nitrogen storage vessels; a 400 cubic metre liquid oxygen storage vessel. New offices, a control room, store, workshop and ablution facility will also be constructed. The existing site is situated next to Richards Bay Minerals on Farm No. 16317, Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.