Air technology to generate electricity

When the company was formed in 1986 it was dependent on the National Grid to fulfill its power requirements, and conventional boilers were fired to generate process steam.

In 1988, 6 gas engines were installed to make Al-Karam meet its additional power needs. Then in 1992, Al-Karam opted to install its own in-house co-generation plant that would serve as a stable and reliable on-site source of electric power and process steam. This also substantially reduced its energy cost. This was done by installing two 3.3 MW Solar-Caterpillar gas turbines and a 17 tons/ hour Waste Heat Recovery Boiler.

In 2006, Al-Karam upgraded its gas engines with four 1.5 MW Caterpillar Gas Engines and two 2.5 ton/ hour duplex waste heat recovery systems placed at the exhaust flue of the generators.

In 2007, on an experimental basis, Al-Karam brought a part of the hot flue gases of the gas turbines to one of the stenters in the Finishing Unit at 135 degrees centigrade. In rupee terms, there was a saving of Rs. 2.4 million/ year/stenter.

During late 2006, with the help of the government of Pakistan and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Al-Karam participated in the Pakistan-German Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program (REEE).

A detailed company-wide energy audit was conducted and several energy conservation measures were revealed with a bottom line savings of about Rs. 25 million per annum.

- Exhaust reused for steam/ power generation

- Wastage recovery system

- Hi-thermal efficiency in the industry