A knowledge-based company has developed a vapor recovery unit for fuel reservoirs and gas stations, which costs a quarter of foreign models.
A VRU is an engineered compression package, which lowers emission of vapors linked to gasoline or other fuels, while recovering valuable hydrocarbons to be sold or reused as fuel onsite.
“Waste of energy due to evaporation in various stages of storage, transfer and distribution of petroleum products, in addition to huge financial losses, has harmful environmental impacts. VRU plays an important role in reducing fuel wastage and environmental pollution,” Mohammad Semanbouye, a member of the Board of Directors of Kahab Gostaran Ayrik Company, was quoted as saying by the news portal of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.
Petroleum products evaporate during transportation and unloading, causing financial losses to both the fuel supplier and gas station owners.
“The VRU is installed in gas stations and fuel reservoirs to solve this problem, as it is effective in reducing environmental pollution and preventing wastage of the country's resources,” he said.
“The product is, in fact, an absorption refrigeration system that condenses at very low temperatures and turns vapors into gasoline. Its absence could cause diseases.”
The vapor recovery procedure involves the following steps: The rotary screw gas compressor sucks liquid molecules into the scrubber that removes water vapor, debris and unwanted fluids from the tank. The recovered vapor and the trapped liquids are channeled to the pipelines.
Semanbouye noted that 30 jobs have been created directly and 50 indirectly in the VRU production line.
“Currently, related organizations do not extend any support in Iran. Even though the domestic VRU costs a quarter of the foreign counterpart’s price, Iranian companies use foreign models and do not promote the domestic VRU,” he said.
Anti-Hail System Developed
A domestic knowledge-based company has designed a system that can convert hail into rain to prevent damage to trees and facilities during hailstorms.
The system can liquefy the hail through a special process before they reach the ground.
“The anti-hail system turns the hail into raindrops by producing special sound waves in the sky,” Alireza Nourian, the CEO of Ervin Hail Industries Company, was quoted as saying by the news portal of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.
He pointed out that the most important advantage of the domestic anti-hail system is the ability to prevent any potential damage to farms and facilities.
The system creates a series of acetylene gas explosions in a special reactor, which gives rise to sound waves with a special frequency. The device then directs sound waves into thunderclouds. The waves disturb the formation of hails by creating turbulence in ice crystals, which turn hailstones into raindrops.
The anti-hail system can be used to protect crops, gardens, urban areas, industrial sites, car companies’ parking lots and any open warehouse where goods, products, or equipment need protection during a hailstorm.
The director of the knowledge-based company explained that the domestic anti-hail system is 30% more effective and cheaper than its foreign counterparts.
“The system has been designed in two forms. One is a semi-intelligent system that is designed for the first time in the Middle East and the second model is the first smart system designed in the world,” he said.
The domestic system has met the needs of the country for anti-hail systems and prevented currency outflow. So far, 500 anti-hail systems have been installed in the country.
Also, the domestic anti-hail system is exported to Turkey and foreign customers have confirmed the quality of this system.
Nourian noted that the design and development of the anti-hail system have led to the creation of numerous direct jobs and 20 indirect jobs.
Flame Monitoring System Matches Foreign Models
Another domestic company has developed a flame monitoring system that helps control the flame in equipment such as power plant turbines, where the continued combustion of flame is vital.
“Typically, a flame monitoring system consists of one or more sensors and a trigger. The function of the starter or amplifier is to receive a signal from the flame detector sensor and announce its status," Mehdi Arianfard, a member of the Board of Directors of Sang Chin Zahedan Company, said.
Gas turbine is one of the most important equipment in the oil, gas and energy industries. The important task of monitoring and evaluating its efficient performance is handled by the flame monitoring system.
The color of the flame varies from infrared to ultraviolet, depending on the type of fuel used. As the fuel used by turbines is natural gas, its flame has more ultraviolet components.
With the production of this strategic and practical system, there is no need for foreign counterparts.
“South Pars Gas Company has replaced a foreign system with a domestic one for monitoring gas turbines,” he added.
In addition to turbines, the flame monitoring system is also used in furnaces.
“Currently, we can meet the country’s demand without the need for imports. The domestic system has prevented a large outflow of foreign curency,” Arianfard said.
“While matching the quality of foreign models, it has been marketed at a lower price. It costs more than $2 million a year to import foreign counterparts.”
