Frequently Asked Questions

Is there surplus power to supply others in the community?
Not at this stage, as all the power produced is required for the processing plant. There is ongoing development work, and that will change as it is one of our priority areas. Please email us if you have specific detailed questions.

What  kind of electric power is produced?
Both 110 V and 220 V, 60 Hz, single phase power isw produced. Systems would be supplied 50 or 60 Hz, according to local demand.

What about night time?
There is sufficient power to provide lighting for the plant, and the plant would generate power through the night. The plant should ideally be run 24 hours a day, six days a week, allowing one day for routine scheduled preventive maintenance.

How does the system get power to start if the power is generated on site?
The power system has a battery bank built in so that power for startup is provided by the batteries, which are recharged once the system is up and running.

How many skilled operators are needed for the plant?
Each system owner will have a different emphasis, and we would recommend the correct combination for each customized system. At the minimum, a qualified boiler operator is required for each shift. If a potable water system is installed, a qualified water operator is required. In addition , a certified mechanic/ fitter and an electrician would round off the skilled operators requirement. A quality control lab manned by 2 people is also required.

What are the labour requirements to run the plant?
In addition to the 3 skilled operators, an assistant/understudy for each  is highly recommended. 2 to 3 people are sufficient for the entire running of the plant. Additional labour is required to organize raw materials receiving and storage; and finished products packaging , storage and shipping. The numbers depend on the local labour conditions, as well as the method of organization and operation for each site.

How big is the building required?
1,000 square feet (100 sq metres) of floor space is required for the plant. An ideal size would be 3,000 sq feet (300 sq metres) to take care of inventory, labs, office space, and maintenance shop functions. It is recommended to leave room for future growth.

What about spare parts?
An initial spares kit is supplied as part of the initial order. Detailed spares part listing is provided, and where possible, off the shelf components may be locally available. We will provide spare parts support.

How easy is it to maintain the system?
No system can be sustained indefinitely without a clear and rigorously followed schedule of preventive maintenance. It costs far more to do breakdown maintenance only. One should allow for 5% of capital cost for annual maintenance budget. Keeping a close track of actual amounts spent will help to pinpoint trouble areas. With standard procedures systematically and diligently applied, the system is as easy to maintain as the commitment of the owners/operators.

What happens if there is a breakdown?
In general, your staff will have been trained to determine the cause, and apply the appropriate procedure to overcome it. A spare parts kit is supplied with the order, and should be kept updated as spares get consumed. If emergency parts are needed which are not locally available, we will be able to provide supplies directly.

How will we be able to maintain the system on or own?
When you purchase our system, training is part of the purchase price. This is not an option. This ensures that your operators are qualified to run the system, and that you benefit from safe, trouble free and proper operation. Adequately skilled operators are essential to proper plant operation , and it would be folly to undermine your investment in the plant by under investing in good plant operation and maintenance personnel.

How safe is the boiler to operate?
The boiler is designed and built to international code standards for power boilers. The North American code is known as ASME code for power boilers, and in Ontario, Canada , the responsible organization is known as TSSA. They check and verify the design, build and test phases before certifying  each boiler as having been built to the relevant standards.

The boiler has built in safety controls that is also regulated by the code. This is to prevent boiler related explosions due to faulty constructions, or  when unsafe conditions arise (for example a low water or high water condition) . Boilers also have to be operated under Boiler code regulations, and each country has their own code regulations. We require each Company to nominate a minimum of  6 people to be trained as boiler operators. They will be trained by us as a part of the purchase agreement.

Properly trained operators, and sound, management supported operation and maintenance procedures will  ensure a high standard of safety and productivity. Lack of attention to this is a major cause of poor performance in plants around the world: insufficient attention is paid to manning plants with adequate levels of training. Often cited is a lack of availability of funds. THIS IS A HUGE MISCONCEPTION. Our advise is to source the additional funding before proceeding to invest in the project. It is also a myth that you would save money by using lower paid and under qualified staff: the avoidance of future costs from  plant underperformance, lost production time, or accidents that may have been prevented MORE THAN PAYS FOR ITSELF.

What would be the life of the system?
We would estimate the life of the system at 15 years. However, much is dependent (in any system, not just ours) on how well the system is operated and maintained over its years of use. A well maintained system will give years of trouble free operation. A poorly maintained system will be plagued with unplanned breakdowns, leading to lost production and cost overruns, and can reduce or eliminate your profit potential. A well maintained system can give many more years of good operation above the 15 years.

Can you provide more details on the water production scenarios?
Hot water is produced as a by-product of the system. The hot water needs to be applied properly to its intended use. Each use has a different quality requirement. For example, potable water (drinking water) does not necessarily need to be softened. But if used for laundry or bathing, softening will definitely be highly recommended. Softening is also required where water quality is hard, to avoid scaling of equipment, and so on.

Water in every region varies in quality because of various chemicals , organic material and  particles in the water in suspension. Water treatment is broadly defined in 3 stages: pretreatment, disinfection and postrtreatment. The disinfection stage is what we mostly hear about: this is where adding chlorine or boiling is used to “disinfect” the water.

Since there are many different chemicals that can be dissolved in the water, it makes sense to treat only those chemicals that require removing or deactivating. Otherwise, the treatment plant is doing some unnecessary functions, which is also costly both in initial investment, and cost of chemicals and maintenance. That is why it is common to analyze the supply water quality before designing a treatment plant.

Should you have any questions not answered here, or you need clarification, do not hesitate to contact us.