Sri Lankan conglomerate, Laugfs Gas PLC together with energy giant Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is introducing a new ‘metal cutting gas’ which will generate large savings for the industry whilst increasing the safety factor by several notches. This is the first time that Bharat Petroleum has agreed to market their product showing both brands of the local partner Laugfs Gas, alongside theirs. The product will be marketed here as Laugfs Bharat Metal Cutting Gas or LBMCG, Laugfs Gas Chairman W.K.Wegapitiya said at the product launch held in Colombo recently.
Metal Cutting Gas which will replace the traditional Acetylene is more cost effective and safer to use as hydrocarbon-based metal cutting gas compared to the presently used dissolved Acetylene which has a 2.5-80 level of flammability against 2.3 -9.5 flammability of LBMCG. The pressures inside the cylinder for LBMCG is 4-6kg/cm2 as against 18=20kg/cm2 for Acetylene. The tare weight of the cylinders in comparison is 8.5kg, 13kg and 30kg respectively for LBMCG and 65-70kg for Acetylene. Further the backfire tendency is in the low range for LBMCG whilst Acetylene, is high, noted Mr Wegapitiya.
Further he added “We will start three eco emission centres in the East and mobile operation will commence by May this year. The value addition and expansion of the company will mean a Rs 150 million investment during this year. Altogether there will be 100 centres and 17 mobile centres and they will be linked to make the service more convenient. We have planned to avail our service to foreign countries such as Qatar which has shown interest in establishing eco emission systems in those countries,”.
He said the company plans using its existing as well as new infrastructure to make available the new product across the country including the North and East. The introduction of LBMCG is expected to revolutionize the country’s industrial sector by reducing the cutting gas cost by a significant amount giving considerable cost savings to industrial users.
Mr. Wegapitiya noted that LBMCG is a hydrocarbon based industrial gas with a high flame temperature which produces an unparalleled fine cut finish and at a very low cost compared to Acetylene. LBMCG is also priced much lower than Acetylene which will be a definite cost advantage to the users. The fine cutting capable with LBMCG also reduces the surface grinding costs. LBMCG is used in the applications of cutting, brazing, heating, soldering, coating, gas surfacing, flame spraying, flame straightening and hardening.
According to him, the existing cutting gas that is available in the country is Acetylene, which is mixed with oxygen.“This is a very exciting year for Laugfs as we continue to get closer to our growing number of customers and the heart of the market in Sri Lanka by providing them with more cost effective products,” he said.
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