10 | T T Kim Newth Global impact with clean air solutions Christchurch-based Vortex Engineering is a leading specialist in providing custom-designed solutions for air pollution control, including dust, fume and off-gas control, as well as material handling, improving plant efficiency, keeping workers safe and protecting the environment. “We work with our engineering partners around the world, designing air pollution control systems for them, which we manufacture in New Zealand and then export to site.” Vortex Engineering REGIONAL Contact us for all your industrial valve needs sales@valvesolutions.co.nz Industrial processes sometimes produce unwanted dust, fumes and emissions that need to be carefully controlled. Christchurch-based Vortex Engineering is a leading specialist in providing custom-designed solutions for air pollution control, including dust, fume and off-gas control, as well as material handling, improving plant efficiency, keeping workers safe and protecting the environment. Since starting in 1988, Vortex Engineering has grown considerably. Several specialist companies now operate under the Vortex Engineering Group, sharing the same dedication to providing world leading air pollution control, water management and renewable energy solutions. The group includes two specialist manufacturers in Christchurch — Taurus Engineering and Taylors Manufacturing. The group also has a strong presence in Australia, operating as Fowlerex. With facilities in New Zealand and Australia, Vortex Engineering Group is equipped to provide bespoke solutions across both countries and internationally. Across the Vortex Engineering Group, skilled teams support safe and compliant operations across a range of industries including mining and mineral processing, chemical manufacturing and processing, agricultural and food production, and manufacturing, recycling and material handling, as well as delivering bespoke solutions for specialist facilities. Having up-to-date, tailored solutions for controlling dust, fumes and emissions is highly beneficial for many industrial operations. “Some processes simply won’t work without proper fume and dust extraction,” says Group Sales Manager Richard Pigou, an air pollution control specialist at Vortex Engineering Group. “Having that in place is fundamental to ensuring smooth, efficient processing. It’s also vital for health and safety as you can’t have people working in an environment where they’re being exposed to dust, or toxic or carcinogenic chemicals. In order to comply with requirements not to discharge harmful emissions or substances into the air or waterways, you also need to have the right equipment in place to stop that happening.” Vortex Group is having a growing global impact for the better, for example in mining and mineral processing operations, particularly in Australia and Africa. “We work with our engineering partners around the world, designing air pollution control systems for them, which we manufacture in New Zealand and then export to site,” says Richard, whose father Doug, founder of Vortex, continues to guide the group’s ongoing evolution, working regularly on both sides of the Tasman. “We’re currently working on two quite similar uranium mining projects in Australia and Namibia, both involving a high temperature process called calcining that releases chemicals that need to be collected to ensure gases like sulphur dioxide and ammonia are not released. We design scrubbers, baghouses, air-filtration and extraction systems tailored to each particular plant. These are robust, low maintenance systems that strip out any unwanted fumes, vapours and emissions so they are not discharged to the atmosphere.” Melting used in gold ore processing also produces smoke and fumes that need to be captured, retained and controlled. “The benefits of that go wider than health and safety or environmental compliance too as there is gold in the fumes that can also be recovered.” Whether it’s new installations or existing systems, Vortex supports industry needs for maintenance and repairs of air pollution control equipment. Vortex can advise on best options from repair to retrofit or replacement to ensure systems will continue to operate safely and efficiently into the future.
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