Situated on France’s Mediterranean coast and dedicated to the production of chlorine, caustic soda, and vinyl chloride monomer, KEM ONE’s Fos-sur-Mer plant required a dry, oil-free compressor system compliant with Class 0 ISO 8573-1 for oil-free air. While essential to ensuring safe and efficient drying of on-site units, companies supplying the necessary equipment faced two key challenges – a pressurised time window and complex on-site equipment specification demands.
Namely, KEM ONE needed compressors to be mobilised and installed within three days of its request. Adding to the urgency was the fact that any supplied solutions would require precise system dimensioning and installation across multiple injection points, providing compressed air without a trace of residual moisture. Alongside this, any engaged supplier needed to be adaptable to a constantly shifting project schedule.
Without a timely and effective solution, KEM ONE faced prolonged site downtime with all its attendant costs. Given these risks, the company turned to Aggreko, a global supplier of mobile and modular temperature control solutions, to deliver a commercially competitive and environmentally responsible solution. Drawing on previous operational feedback from KEM ONE, Aggreko’s engineering team deployed three diesel air compressors and three air dryers to facilitate the company’s site restart. Each compressor line was fully integrated with pressure regulation, drying, and safety components to meet the exact technical specifications needed for the unit drying process.
Crucially, all Aggreko’s deployed equipment was Stage V-compliant, minimising emissions and maximising fuel efficiency in line with KEM ONE’s environmental and operational expectations. Aggreko also remained fully mobilised on-site throughout the project to provide continuous maintenance and adjust utility provision to KEM ONE’s evolving requirements.
“We were very impressed by the level and quality of service Aggreko were able to deliver under pressure,” said a spokesperson at KEM ONE. “But beyond the company’s responsiveness and technical expertise, what really struck us throughout this process was Aggreko’s proactivity. They were extremely committed to seeing this demanding project through and proved flexible in their approach when tackling challenges on-site. In the challenging petrochemical production environment, the ability to adapt is invaluable, and so it proved on this particular project.”
Aggreko’s rapid response and technical precision enabled KEM ONE to restart operations with fully dried units within the demanding 72-hour time window. Doing so meant KEM ONE avoided costly delays and maintained its all-important production continuity – a key consideration at petrochemical production sites.
Gilles Revial, Petrochemical and Refining Sector Manager, South of Europe, at Aggreko, concluded: “The project we undertook with KEM ONE was undoubtedly challenging, but we were confident we could provide the drying solutions the company needed. We have a proven track record in these circumstances, and our engineering team were able to demonstrate this despite extremely tight deadlines.
“We pride ourselves on our ability to meet customer expectations in an efficient and sustainable manner, and our work at KEM ONE is a great example of this. Our expertise was a key factor behind KEM ONE’s decision to engage with us, and I’m happy to say we have been able to demonstrate this knowledge under critical conditions.”