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Like a mirage in the desert, the prospect of an oil- or gas-free future for fuel is constantly receding. In the meantime, KNF pumps installed in the desert state of Qatar are helping to maintain the quality of fuel used for transportation across the globe today.
Pearl GTL, located 90 kilometers north of Doha, is the largest gas-to-liquid plant in the world. This state-of-the-art facility is a joint venture between Shell and Qatar Petroleum and has been producing cleaner-burning diesel and aviation fuels, oils for advanced lubricants, and other key products since the end of 2011. Its huge output includes enough diesel to fill over 160,000 cars a day, and its products are used in every major energy market worldwide.
Extensive experience, proven capabilities
It took several years to create this vast plant, which is the size of a small city and had 52,000 people working on it at the height of construction. KNF was invited to bid at an early stage thanks to our proven ability to manufacture pumps to customers’ exact specifications, as well as our industry experience and our expertise in satisfying the EU’s ATEX directives on equipment for use in explosive atmospheres.
Today there are 70 KNF pumps hard at work around the clock in the plant’s analytical equipment. Housed in concrete containers, the pumps capture gas from the production process and transport it to the analyzers. The test results are then fed back into the processing system to maintain the highest possible product quality. Day after day, the system depends on the exceptional reliability of KNF’s pumps.
Taking the heat
Meeting application specifications is an essential part of the process. For example, a particular challenge in this furnace-like desert environment was to ensure that our pumps were certified for temperatures above the usual 40°C. Our ability to manage complex and demanding certification documentation was another advantage for the subcontractor involved. In the final analysis, KNF’s dedication to customization, engineering excellence, and high quality is what fuels our success and supports that of our customers. And that’s no mirage.
