THE PROJECT

LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS (LPG) PLANT/DIGITAL LPG CAR CONVERSION /FULL SERVICE FILLING STATION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Chess-T Integrated Service Limited is registered under the laws of Nigeria with head office at Plot 70 Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and branch office at No. 1 Goba Close, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, FCT. The company is an indigenous and integrated engineering firm rendering several services in the civil engineering, construction, oil and gas sectors.

Our Company is a major player in the up and downstream industry of the Nigerian Oil and Gas market and is a member of CHESS-T GROUP OF COMPANIES , a firm of project managers and engineering contractors with dynamic practice of over 16 years and track record of proven competence of delivering qualitative and uncompromising services to the federal and states government of Nigeria, multi -national oil companies, VIP(s) and other allied companies/ corporate organizations.

We have advanced our services in the oil and gas industry by taking the lead in the construction of LPG Plant/Digital LPG Car Conversion/Full Service Filling Station. This, we have practically executed by constructing and installing two (2) modern LPG plants/digital LPG car conversion/full service filling stations in Abuja, the first of its kind in Nigeria. The said stations are currently operating and serving the residents of Abuja and its environs.

1.1 MANAGEMENT TEAM

The company is managed and directed by Thompson O. S. Douglas , a multi-talented and resourceful young man whose experiences in engineering, construction, management, marketing and administration has contributed to the tremendous growth of the company. With his background training and experience, investors are sure of having a good turn -over of their investment. He is ably assisted by a team of well- experienced directors and professional staff of divers’ field which include but not restricted to civil, electrical, structural and mechanical engineers, quantity and estate surveyors, architects, lawyers, accountants and a well trained support staff.

We are committed to spreading the lucrative and viable industrial investment across the nation through programme reforms and orientation. This, no doubt serves as our contribution to the socio-economic development of our nation. Currently several state governments have indicated interest in the

establishment of the project in their states to enhance the standard of living of their citizenry.

We shall now, detail the modalities, operational capacity, income generation and feasibility study of the project.

2.0 THE LPG PLANT To have a vivid understanding and appreciation of the LPG plant, it is necessary to discuss the background of gas procession into LPG.

2.1 NATURAL GAS It is a common knowledge that Nigeria is one of the lead oil producing countries in the world. Since when crude oil was first discovered in Olobiri, Bayelsa State of Nigeria, the country has been in the business of exploration and exploitation of crude oil and with the aid of technology, the crude oil which contains hydrocarbons are distilled through the process of refining to produce petrol. Petrol is further refined to produce other petroleum products such as diesel, kerosene etc. The usefulness of the natural gas was not discovered until late 20th centuries when scientists, through forensic research discovered the many uses of natural gas that prompted OPEC to make rules and regulations that prohibit gas emission into the air. Gas emission has been proven to be hazardous to lives on planet earth, the ozone layer and the environment generally. It is the said discovery that led to the introduction of gas plants, LPG plants, auto gas conversion and several other processing and uses of gas.

Natural gas as the name implies, occurs naturally as gas trapped underground. The gas can be found on its own without oil but in most cases, are found mixed with oil. The Gas is a fossil fuel formed from layers of buried plants and animals exposed to intense heat and pressure generated by volcanic eruption for over thousands of decades. Natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest and most useful sources of energy for domestic and industrial uses including but not limited to electricity generation, propane, kerosene an d such base ingredients for production of plastics, fertilizers, anti - freeze, fabrics etc. It is also consumed in the food processing industries. The fact that natural gas is not made from petroleum and it is clean, many automakers in world today are manufacturing gas-use vehicles as alternative to petroleum vehicles. All the uses of the natural gas have placed increased demand for gas and the resultant need for Natural Gas Processing Plants, operated by NLNG.

Nigeria is lucky to have a very large reserve of Natural Gas and is only just starting to find a use for it. At present, only very small quantity of this gas is utilized, most of it is still underground and undeveloped. The oil producing/exploration companies who account for appreciable quantities of

associated gas are encouraged to re -inject the gas into the ground rather than flare or emitting it into the air as it had been the case, though at a cost to the operating company. Natural Gas will do for Nigeria much more than what Oil has done for her. It is estimated that Nigeria has a reserve to last more than 100 years. This must be the major reason why the government is moving over gently to gas as the major source of energy in the country. Natural gas has taken over from other sources of energy supply such as coal, hydropower, refined petroleum products etc, as the major source of fuel for electricity generation in the country. Natural gas usage has grown steadily from 24.0% of the total energy consumption in 1987 to about 35.2% in 1995 and still rising while all other sources of energy such as coal, hydropower and petroleum products have all shown a decline.

2.2 PROCESSING OF THE NATURAL GAS

Natural gas as it exists underground is not the same as the natural gas use by the consumer. The process of treating and producing usable gas starts at the drilling well where petroleum is separated from the gas and lifted out from the well for transportation through the gas pipelines. The process of separation of the hydrocarbon and fluids from the pure natural gas is what is called field processing . Only some of the needed processing for transportation through the pipelines is done at the oil well. The co mplete processing of the gas takes place at a processing plant called Gas Plant. The processing of the gas involves removal of impurities from the gas. The removal takes four (4) main steps:

1 Removal of Oil and condensate 2. Removal of water

3. Separation of natural gas liquids 4. Removal of sulfur and carbon dioxide

After the removal of impurities, the gas, in its liquid state becomes Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which is produced at the gas plant by cooling the gas to a temperature of minus 260F and stored at a tank in the gas plant. This type of gas is easier to store than the natural gas because it takes less space. We undertake this process of storage of the gas at the gas plant.

3.0 LPG Natural gas is a source Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) gotten from crude oil and natural gas deposit or as a byproduct of petrol and natural gas extraction during refining. LPG is recognized worldwide as the most important and widely accepted alternative fuel. It contains methane, propane, propylene,

butane and butylenes mixtures but mainly propane. LPG components are gases at normal temperatures and pressured but liquefied at moderate pressures or reduced temperatures. LPG is processed and stored at the gas plant. LPG is colorless, odourless and heavier than air. A sulphur base chemical is added to the LPG gas to give it a smell that enables one easily detect any leakage of the gas from the tank. LPG is for both commercial and domestic use such as cooking gas, power generation, processing of raw material, manuf acturing of ceramics, glass production, wielding, chemical processing , fuel for automobiles otherwise known as auto-gas containing propane and butane therefore safe for all cars. The LPG is used as an excellent alternative automotive fuel.

3.1 LPG IN NIGERIA

LPG is made up of hydrocarbon gases mainly Butane mixed with some quantity of Propane in the liquid states under pressure. The ratio of Butane to Propane can very but at present; the Nigeria LPG has been fixed at a level of 70% Butane to 30% Propane from its previous level of 80% Butane to 20% Propane. The reason for this is obvious; there is more demand for Butane today than Propane. This change in composition has increased the availability of LPG and reduced the quantity of Propane flared.

3.2 USES IN NIGERIA

In Nigeria today, what we know as LPG or cooking Gas is mostly used for cooking in homes, hospital, schools, etc. This limited use to which it is put has affected the rapid development of the LPG industry which should have grown much faster than it has done. New uses are being found every day as most aerosol fillers are now turning away from using fluorocarbon gases which are known to have very harmful effect on the ozone layer of the atmosphere. Some countries of the world have in fact legi slated against continued use of fluorocarbon gases, although no such legislation exists in Nigeria at present, but the relative cheapness of LPG and the knowledge of the obvious imminent ban of fluorocarbon have endeared Nigeria Aerosol fillers to LPG.

NNPC interest in this regard, is an indication that, bearing technological difficulties, an LPG run car is in sight. This will come sooner than later and will turn out to be the most logical thing to do as the increased cost of petrol becomes prohibitive when the remaining subsidy on petrol is removed. The next removal of subsidy on petrol will see the price differential between the cost of petrol and LPG so high that most car owners will quickly, if low cost gas is available rush for conversion of their car s from petrol driven LPG driven. At that time, owners of filling plants in suitable areas will reap a wind -fall as LPG demand is bound to rise astronomically when motorist start patronizing their plants. There are other uses to which LPG is put which are n ot mentioned in the write-up such as lighting, medical, industrial, etc, as these uses are likely to be services from present design of filling plants. Because of the abundant

supply of Natural Gas in the country, there is great potential for LPG as its source of supply is unlimited in the country. The President has recently ordered that Chevron and Mobil should make available 30,000 metric tons of LPG for sale to Nigerian public for domestic use.

However Nigeria’s current consumption rate of gas is asses sed at 13% per annum which is about 43,000 metric tonnes of a population of over 140 million. Senegal having a population of about 10.2 million is consuming about 134,000 metric tonnes of LPG. The capital annual consumption of LPG in Nigeria is therefore about 0.4 Kg while Senegal has 13 Kg meaning, Senegal is far enlightened of the use of LPG than Nigeria, the giant of Africa. This is due to lack of adequate knowledge and information of the usefulness of LPG. The failure of Nigerians consuming fuel other than LPG has vast impact on our environment leading to:

i. Frequent climatic change which affects agriculture, causes flooding and erosion.

ii. High pollution rate affecting health which causes sudden death especially among women and children.

iii. Destruction of the eco-system

We therefore intend to sensitize investors and the Nigerian population of the usefulness of LPG.

3.3 ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF LPG

The outstanding benefit of LPG is the environmental advantage it has over petrol and diesel. Energy Saving Trust, a research organization has indicated that our road transport is responsible for the 50% of smog forming pollutants in our environment. LPG is a cleaner fuel safe for our environments for the following reason:

a) LPG produces 33% of CO2 emission than petrol and 45% CO2 than diesel b) LPG produces 82% less nitrogen oxide pollutants than petrol and 99%

better than diesel. c) 75% less carbon monoxide than petrol and 60% less of diesel d) 40% less hydrocarbons than petrol and 70% less than diesel e) 50% less particulates which causes sickness and death than petrol and

98% less than diesel.

Research has shown that if a modern car is converted to LPG, exhaust gas emissions are reduced to the barest minimum. LPG or auto gas powered engine is quieter than diesel or petrol engines thereby reducing the noise pollution in the environment. All over the world, advanced countries have, due to the innumerable benefits of LPG put laws in place for the preferable use of LPG by automobiles, industries and multi-nationals companies to reduce the environmental degradation. America, Netherland, Japan, Tokyo, Britain,

Vienna to mention but a few has ordered the conversion of cars and buses from fuel use to LPG or auto gas. We are highly convinced that Nigeria should not be left out in the train of the technological advancement therefore we have taken the lead in this new invention and have in fact achieved it when recently the Shazza Gas Plants/Digital Car conversion Filling Stations located at Plot PFS 15 Outer Northern Express Way, kubwa, Abuja and another at Plot 92 Cadastrial Zone B 14, Dutse District, Gudu, Abuja were constructed and about to be commissioned.

4.0 OPERATION OF THE LPG PLANT

The LPG plant is made up of a convenient and especially well laid out landscape, buildings to house the gas filling equipment, storage tanks, transport tanks, pumps, pipe work, cylinders and in some cases both air and gas compressors. An LPG plant is basically a package factory which receives LPG in large tankers and measures them into smaller containers for easy distribution to homes, hospitals, schools, etc. LPG is usually stored under pressure as it occupies its smallest possible space in i ts liquid state. If the temperature and pressure are allowed to go to normal values, the liquid LPG quickly turns into gas. If it mixes with air in the right proportion, it will form an explosive mixture and can burn.

4.1 SIZE OF THE PLANT The LPG plant annual output is about I, 000,000 metric tons. The plant will have a minimum of six filling points and will be capable of turning out over 1,000 cylinders of 12.5kg per day of 8 hours at full capacity production. We shall take into consideration the need for future expansion to a level up to double the initial design capacity, hence the provision for future expansion in the pipe work design . In year 1, it will operate at 75% capacity and will progressively increase by 5% each year to 95% in ye ar 5. The design of the first phase of the plant is tailored to accommodate the future expansion aimed at incorporating a Liquefied Petroleum Gas extraction unit. This unit is to extract LPG from Natural gas and make this available to the numerous LPG bottling companies in the country. When this takes off, a large storage tank of about 45,000l capacity will be erected on site.. This is feasible particularly oil producing states, like Rivers, Cross Rivers, Delta, Akwa -Ibom etc a lot of natural gas pipeline criss-crossing the towns as part of the gas gathering project of the oil major.

The sale of LPG equipments and accessories which usually form a very important part of a project of this nature has been de -emphasized so that any such sale in future becomes a sundry income. Some of these equipments, such as clips, hoses and regulators, though not manufactured locally will be obtained for sale from local sources, while cylinders and cookers will be bought from local manufacturers. What this means is that the i nvestment, once

completed can be operated to full capacity without recourse to importation of any raw material input. Thus difficulties associated with importation will be borne by other establishments which are better placed to do so.

4.2 EQUIPMENTS FOR THE PLANT

4.2.1 Station Storage Tanks: LPG storage is a vital aspect of the gas plant. This is because; sometimes there might be seasonal fluctuation of the products in demand. To safeguard the constant supply of the gas, it is necessary to consider the storage system when constructing a gas plant. Gas, like other commodities can be stored even indefinitely. Gas can be stored in pressure vessels, cylinder, vaporizers and tanks. They are stored away from flammable materials and electrical outlets.

The LPG tanks of about 120 metric tonnes or two 60T stationary mounted on steel whose thickness is in the region of 12.5mm supporting tower above the ground or a concrete foundation of about one metre high. These tanks are first calibrated and tested by experts before installing them. Fixed to the tanks are truck unloading bulkhead and unloading compressor units wh ere products are discharged into the tanks from the distribution trucks. There are mmp 3100 tank gauge with power distribution field devices installed to supply and monitor the supply of the products, gives inventory and management of the products in the tanks. The gauge measures petrol and gases and displays data. Pipelines are connected from the tanks to the distribution units, having high pressure pump that pushes the products from the tanks to the valve . In addition to the tank gauge is tank gauging sof tware for full inventory reporting of the state of the tank.

The tanks are either spherical or cylindrical with ends shaped in the form of domes in order to make for ease of stress distribution and to avoid stress concentration at particular points, especially along the weld points. The design pressure is usually in the region of 18 bars. Most good design are based on Propane requirement, so that they could be used for other gas as such as Butane, LPG or Ammonia, whose vapor pressure operate within safe limits. Tanks should be fitted with spring loaded pressure relie f valves of the correct type which must communicate directly with the vapor phase of the contents of the gas tank. The total discharge capacity of the pressure relief valve on each properly designed tank will be such as to limit the pressure within the tan k to no more than 120% of the working pressure under any condition.

4.2.2 Mobile Storage Tanks: The transportation equipment consists of special tankers used for carrying LPG from the source of supply to the filling plant. They are specially constructed to carry liquefied gases and are therefore equipped with special safety gadgets and special valves . Some are self-loading and as such they are

equipped with their own pumps while others are not. Vehicles/tankers of this nature were not until recently manufactured in this country, but due to the high cost of importation, some very good substitutes are n ow available.

The mobile truck is a gas storage tank on wheels. All technical details which apply to stationary LPG tank also apply to the mobile tank. In addition, there are extra rules to be obeyed by the driver for safety of his truck and other road users. Tanks can be chassis mounted or on semi trailer and can be equipped with its own pump which can be run from the vehicle engine thus making the tanker independent of external power supply for loading and off -loading products. For safety reasons, vehic les for LPG services are provided with exhaust ahead of front axle. Drivers of LPG tankers/lorries are given special training to prepare them for handling what can become very dangerous vehicle in the hands of untrained person. It is prohibited and not adv isable or permissible to off load a tanker in a filling station with a diesel petrol engine driven pump however careful the operator may be.

4.2.3 Valves/Fittings: Safety valves used in LPG work is usually of a special pop -up type. This is necessary in order to be able to limit the pressure inside the tank or pipe to acceptable limits within a very short interval of time during its operation. Shut-off valves MUST never be installed between a pressure relief valve and a storage tank except in cases where two or more relief valves are fitted on one tank and in such a way that when one relief valve is shut, the other is fully open. This is better done simultaneously and in any such case, the discharge capacity of the relief valve open to the tank should stil l meet the specification above. All safety valves in tanks should be fitted with vent pipes discharging upwards to a height of 2 meters from the top of the tank. Most well designed vent pipes are fitted with loose - fitting rain caps and are drained at the bottom.

4.2.4 Pumps: The pumps used to transfer the liquid from one tank into another are of special design. The best makers of these pumps are American. Plant will be equipped with American Corker pumps. The electric motor fitted into these pumps is also of special construction hence their very high cost. For the above reasons, all LPG bottling is done in a safe place away from naked light/fire and leakages are kept to the barest minimum.

4.2.5 Raw Material: The raw material required is Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The term Liquefied Petroleum Gas applies to hydrocarbon gases mostly Butan e and Propane liquefied under pressure. These products are obtained at present in Nigeria as by-products of petroleum refining, hence all our present LPG

requirements come from the refineries except when imported it is possible to extract the major constituents of LPG, i.e. Propane and Butane from Natural Gas and mix them in the correct proportion of 30% Propane to 70% Butane to get the Nigeria LPG quality which can be sold to filling plants for bottling and distribution to the public

4.2.6 LPG Filling Unit LPG is highly flammable gas and can form explosive mixtures when mixed in the correct proportion with air. It is therefore necessary that filling or handling of LPG should be done in properly designed environment. Cylinders should be filled in buildings reserved exclusively for that purpose. The building should have open sides and the floor of that building should have no sparking surface and should be raised above surrounding ground level. Filled cylinders should -not be stored in the filling hall. Where this cannot be helped, then the filling plant must be at least 25m from any storage tank or installation boundary. A good layout design obeys these rules -no matter how the filling shed is to be used.

4.2.7 Cylinders Cylinders are very important in the LPG business as they serve as the medium for transportation and storage of the products at the point of use. Again they should be made of strong and ductile material usually steel but occasionally with other materials such as aluminum. Cylinders are now manufacturers in Nigeria by Nigerian Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited, Ibadan and by SEMETEC Ltd, Lagos, when LPG is filled into a container; two phases are maintained; liquid and gaseous. For this reason, containers of LPG MUST not be filled to the brim. The space to be occupied by the liquid is limited to no more than 95% of the container volume at a temperature of 60 degrees centigrade. It is good practice to allow greater factor of safety and limit the filling to 85% of free volume of tanks at 15 degrees centigrade. After filling, all cylinders must be tested for leaks and any designed places and not inside the filling hall. All cylinders must pass visual test and be fund to be free of corrosion or damage before being filled. 4.2.8 Precautions on Cylinder Filling Valves and fittings on cylinders must be examined and found to be in a sound condition before a cylinder is accepted for filling. Such cylinders must be free of foreign matter such as air, water, oil, etc. Proper inspection should include checking the tare weight stamped on the cylinder and making sure that the weight of cylinder when empty, complies with the manufacturer's specification. Any content other than LPG must be vented and the cylinder flushed before being filled. Full cylinders must be checked for over -filling on a specially

designed scale. Relief valves should be fitted in places where liquid may be trapped between two valves in order to protect the pipeline.

The LPG is filled into gas and LPG cylinders of various sizes branded in the name of the filling station. The filling is done at the bottling hall. Connected to the outlet of the pipes in the hall are automatic valves, remote control valves and shut off valves that regulates the pressure of the pumps and shut off in the case of emergency and leakage. There are installed automatic by -pass valve for vapour elimination.

In the bottling hall are automatic filling machines with automatic filling lines and filling nozzles that operate with ju st a staff. These machines fill the gas and LPG cylinders, package and cork the caps neatly without hazard. The filling is done quickly and accurately. The machines have memory value of the cylinders filled. They have independent variable speed control uni ts that speed up the filling. The filling machines have pneumatic cut off systems that automatically cut off supply when the cylinders are full. The gas or LPG filling unit is also equipped with hydraulic cylinder testing equipment for period testing of the cylinders to ensure safety and accurate filling of the cylinders.

At this unit, the staffs are trained on the potential risks and hazards from cylinder handling and the contents. 4.2.9 Cylinder Testing The unit has its own system of stringent safety a nd quality control checks built-in at different stages. The quality control checks at the bottling unit are carried out at 3 stages: i) Pre-filling Quality Control Checks – The pre-filling checks include

segregation of damaged cylinders, spurious cylinders, c ylinders with missing O-Ring and cylinder due for pressure testing. This is done with the aid of leakage detectors.

ii) Post-filling Quality Control Checks – all cylinders filled are placed on the automatic cut-off weighing scale/filling machines are subjected to 100% cross-checks for weight.

iii) Statistical Quality Control Checks – it includes all pre-filling and post-filling checks in addition to check the quality of the seal.

4.2.10 Method of Filling: The plant consists of a large storage tank which holds the product brought from the refinery. The tank will have a capacity of approximately 60 tons. A pump of the appropriate design takes liquid from these tanks and delivers it into a cylinder specially made for this purpose through a system of pipelines.

The cylinders will be branded to the name of the filling station.

In Nigeria today, normal packaging sizes for LPG or cooking gas are as follows:-

1. 2.5kg cylinder 2. 5kg cylinder 3. 10kg cylinder 4 12.5kg cylinder 5 13kg cylinder 6. 25kg cylinder 7. 50 kg cylinder

CONTACT US TODAY FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORT AND COST IMPLICATION AND KICK START OF YOUR OWN PROJECT NOW

4.2.11 Weighing Scale Measures Because of the dual state of the product inside the cylinder (gaseous and liquid), the contents of the cylinder are measured by weight. The cylinder into which the gas is being transferred is therefore placed on top of a scale, open to take the required quantity of gas and then shut when full. The weighing scale machine is an automatic, self -contained weighing scale that gives accurate report on the content of the cylinders. It has a full memory function that provides error report or information. After the filling of the cylinders, they are moved to a store for safe keeping until demanded for and sold to the consumers.

5.0 SAFETY OF THE PLANT 5.1 FIRE PREVENTION:

The greatest risk to a plant of this nature is from fire and therefore all precautions must be taken to prevent fire outbreak. Fire authorities should be involved in layout design of the plant. Adequate firefighting equipment should be provided on site and installed at strategic areas of the factory.

At the plant is installed all fire fighting equipments to secure the plant due to the hazardous nature of gas. Such fire equipments are 1. Fire hydrant like fire nozzle 2. Fire hose, hydrant valve, hydrant pillars, hose reel 3. Foam fire system 4. Addressable alarm bells and alarm devices 5. Fire safety sign boards fixed on conspicuous and strategic positions 6. PPE 7. First aid kits 8. Fire sprinkler system 9. Gas detector systems.

Training on fire fighting, safety policy and tips is a MUST for all workers and fire drills must take place from time to time.

5.2 ACCESS CONTROL: The bottling unit and cylinder store entrance doors are protected with finger print door locks, with time and attendance device, biometric door locks with access control sensors and intelligent door bells to alert on any intruder at the plant.

5.3 SURVELLIANCE EQUIPMENTS:

There are installed discreet video surveillance with superior image quality to give intelligent report on the state of the plant. Such as IP CCTV video camera and recording machines, monitoring machines, data logging network of 3.1

DVR and control system. The plant can be viewed online at any location with the installation of suburban network providing video conferencing on -line.

6.0 ELECTRICITY GENERATION.

The plant will be well equipped with standby generators and fired turbines to generate regular power supply and heat for the plant. This includes installation of high powered flood lights, panels and automatic bus bars gear switch and mercury fittings to provide and regulate the supply of electricity to the plant.

There is usually a buildup of static electricity in LPG installation and this can be dangerous if left unattended. In order to avoid build -up of static electricity to uncomfortable levels, all equipment, tanks, pipeline, motors, are earthed and the earth resistance are point of earthen must not exceed 1 Meg ohm.

7.0 STAFF REQUIREMENT/TRAINING About thirteen members of staff will be required to keep the factory fully manned. All members of staff will receive training in fire prevention and fighting as well as on their individual duties (see Schedule 6 of the Appendix). Initial training will be given to key personnel at other plants to be chosen by the consultants. Others will be trained in the factory during construction and commissioning of the plant.

8.0 THE FACTORY The most important building is the filling hall which is basically an open sided factory building with steel super structure. It should have an elevated floor level. The roof is to be of aluminum sheets or asbestos according to architect's details. The filling hall should have no walls but a supervisor's office, if required, can be provided with walls, door and window but without any electrical fitting. An administration building will be necessary from where the Plant Manager can operate. It will also contain the accounts office, etc. A store and workshop will also be provided so that tools and spare parts can easily be retrieved when needed.

DIGITAL LPG CAR CONVERSION UNIT At this unit, fuel injected engines are converted to suitable LPG engine systems and LPG tanks installed. There are currently 2 types of systems available namely:

i) Vacuum induction system suitable for cars built from 1990 – 2003 ii) Vapour sequential injection system suitable for cars built from 2003 and

above

Vapour sequential injection system is the latest technology for LPG car conversion. It is easy and fast having engine management system and injectors that inject the LPG to the engine. It provides uncompromised and outstanding fuel economy.

HOW THE LPG ENGINE SYSTEM WORKS The LPG system in cars works like the normal petrol injection system having a LPG fuel tank with an integrated pump that increases pressure in the fuel system and pumps the liquefied fuel to the pressure regulator unit which has a valve that opens when the switch from petrol to LPG takes place the n to the LPG injector.

TANK INSTALLATION This unit is well equipped with advanced computerized engine management mechanisms that assist in the conversion. We shall also offer training and information on the mode of operation of the LPG conversion in cars . The customer chooses the design up front and the tank is installed together with the engine to suit his lifestyle. There are various options for the installation of the LPG fuel tanks. Many new vehicles are already with the tanks. Majority of the vehicle s have tanks installed in the place of the spare tyre. However for maximum range the bigger tanks can be installed as follows:

a) Cylindrical tank at the rear seat containing 35 gallons for maximum range b) Cylindrical tank along the length of the vehicles posi tioned at the left hand

or right hand side of the vehicle c) Sunken installation contain about 25 gallons at the spare tyre space, no

boot space d) Installation underneath for about 25 gallons

REASONS FOR LPG CAR CONVERSION OR AUTO GAS

1) Cheaper Than Petrol and Diesel Auto gas is 50% cheaper to the customer than petrol or diesel therefore economical for use although the prices are the same. LPG is highly competitive in nature in the industry. It therefore good for use by larger families and larger comfortable vehicles including trucks, caterpillars etc. it is good for commercial car owners and transportation companies to get more fares for the same distance.

2) Smoother, Quieter and Cleaner

The auto gas vehicles operate even cleaner than petrol and diesel cars given that most urban use vehicles are often used for very short journey. The ignition is smoother as a result of the higher content of octane in the gas. Cold starting is no problem. It enables easy driving over a long period and runs smoothly. LPG typically has around 20% less ozone forming potential and 15% lower greenhouse gas emissions. Over 90 % particulate matter would be eliminated by car conversion to LPG.

3) Extend Life Span of the Car With auto gas one understands the car better without the initial aid of a

mechanic. It assists in reaching the engine in gas form to improve

combustion. It enables one have a higher residual value of the car during resale. One has lower service cost and seldom vehicle breakdown with auto gas.

4) Safety LPG has an excellent safety record than petrol and diesel. this is due to the

construction of a more robust tank installed outside the car with a shut off solenoids and safety vent system which open and close at a split of second but only opens when the engine is on.

5) OTHERS

1. Ability to run on both gas and petrol – extending the cruising range 2. Improve safety by offering better crash/fire tolerance

In this unit is incorporated the LPG car conversion training centre where people are tutored on LPG car conversion and tank installation. Both foreign and local experts will be engaged by the company to give practical training on the field. This will create job for many Nigerians.

OPERATION OF THE DIGITAL FILLING STATION About 6 units of 45,000 litres capacity double wall tanks are required to be buried in the ground for fuel, diesel, and kerosene while the digital filling station is a modern automated filling station that is electronically computerized with devices that require less operation by station staff. The sta tion is so computerized that only customers with a smart card having installed access device can access the entrance steel gate. The card also serves as a pre-paid card when slot into the dispenser unit, the product is discharged from the pumps to the cust omer according to the amount he requested. The filling unit is not operated by station staff or assistants. It is a serve- yourself unit with the exception of kerosene customers that have to be attended by station staff. There is on-line POS terminals integrated to the pumps with computerized gauging systems and weighing scales and automatic meters that give accurate measurement of the product to the customers. The prepaid cards are purchased at the station manager’s office. With the card, a customer can bu y the products at any time; the station works 24 hours every day. There will be retail and wholesale sale of the products. The station is segmented into different departments or units.

DIGITAL ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS WORKSHOP The workshop is equipped with modern digital diagnostics machines and equipments that test the performance of the cars and detects any fault in cars and proffers solution for those defects and the needed repairs are done on the car. The machine gives details of all electrical installations and pin-point any faulty area, displays on a screen the details of the car. The workshop serves as a car clinic. It helps the owner to have good servicing of the car which the conventional filling station and road side mechanics cannot provide. It is cost reducing, time saving and elongates the life span of the car and its engine. DIGITAL PRODUCTS DISPENSER UNIT This is where the car owners gain access to filling their cars or buying the products like fuel, LPG diesel, f illed cylinder gas and kerosene. Flexible pipes are connected to the tanks which transport the products to the dispensers for sale. There are installed

petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG dispensers with electrical pump of double hose nozzles. The dispensers have programmed meters for cost accuracy and management that accepts pre -paid cards which enable customers buy the products without station attendants. The dispensers also have emergency cut -off valve that disconnect supply under pressure of any leakage. S afety devices such as leak detectors, alarm bells and other safety signals are fixed at conspicuous and strategic positions at the station.

DIGITAL CAR WASH SHIELD This is a bay with an automatic car wash machine where cars are washed without an attendant. The machine has an automatic shut-off valve that regulates the amount of water that flows from the water main source. The machine records the time and date of the car wash. It has a print screens which display details and data of the each car on request and total number of cars washed for each day. The machine is so programmed that it accepts wizard credit cards containing users’ codes and details. On slotting the card, the machine begins the washing. The washing involves cleaning the outside and inside of the car and drying it at the same time. The machine can wash about 100 cars per hour. MINI MART This is where other petroleum products like lubricants, engine oil etc are sold to the public. This unit is manned by some station staff who attends to customers that have paid cash and obtained receipts from the manager’s, office.

MINI SUPERMARKET/RESTAURANT This is where consumable goods are sold to customers who visit the station to fill their cars. Stationeries, drinks, snacks and other personal effects are sold at the supermarket. Fast food sold at the restaurant. ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS The entire project will be managed by the General Manager of the Gas Plant and filling station with the team of staff. There are 2 administrative buildings, one for the station while the other for the gas plant/LPG car conversion unit. SECURITY MEASURES The filling station will be well secured with high powered CCTV surveillance video camera, video recording machines installed at all serving pumps and computerized control system equipped with ICT; lightning protection and fire detecting equipments in addition with well trained station guards. CUSTOMERS SERVICE DISCOUNTS/BENEFITS We are committed to giving the best services to our customers at an affordable ra te. We will therefore offer certain incentives that stimulate and attract customers. They are:

i) Special discounts on our products ii) Bonuses to bulk purchasers

iii) Membership club for get-together of customers and their families iv) Monthly excursion of members children v) Free car wash and free car diagnoses vi) Lots more

INVESTMENT BENEFITS The investor is sure of recouping his financial investment within the short possible time due to the high demand of gas for domestic and the dear need for LPG engine conversion and tanks installation. OUR UNDERTAKING

1. Provision of detail design including 3 D and animation version 2. Preparation of proposed bill of quantity on approval and demand 3. Project Presentation in 3Ds and animation featuring the highlights of the

project, its feasibility and cost implication 4. Report on expected income cash flow from the project for the investor.

REQUIREMENT FOR THE PROJECT To execute the project, you shall provide a choice land measuring approximately 10,000 square metres in addition to the financial involvement. SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS

a) Creation of over 10,000 job opportunities for skilled and unskilled Nigerians b) Improvement on the environment through the LPG car conversion c) Transfer of technological knowledge to Nigerians on LPG car conversion and

tank installation d) Human capacity development etc

OUR TECHNICAL PARTNERS

1) Lopa Energy Company 2) Atlas Copco 3) United Technical & Allied Services Limited 4) Crittall-Hope Limited 5) Sofitam Nigeria Limited 6) Whitehall multinational limited 7) Cavetto Crib-Deco Limited 8) Chelsea Technologies Limited 9) Terra Synergy Limited 10) NTTS Nigeria Limited 11) O’Lakleen Autowash Limited 12) Arewa Metal Containers Limited 13) Iron Products Industries Limited

14) Interswitch Ltd 15) Wayne west Africa Ltd 16) Filtertek Nigeria Limited 17) GSI System Inc. 18) Suburba