Westwin Elements answers questions about Lawton pilot plant project

Representatives from Westwin Elements presented a town hall meeting last week to answer questions from residents about the pilot plant that the company plans to build on 40 acres of land in southwest Lawton.

Questions were answered by members of Westwin’s technical team, as well as company officers. Those officials included John Shelegey, vice president of operations; Xavier Wong, vice president of technology; and Daniel Smith, vice president of external affairs. Following is a sampling of some of the questions and their answers:

How will materials be delivered to the plant?

Shelegey said raw materials will be placed in “super socks” (special bags designed to contain materials without that material leaking out) and trucked into the plant. The same process will be used to ship the resulting materials out of the plant.

Can you explain the carbonyl process that will be used to refine the ore?

Wong said the simplest explanation is that materials initially will be turned into a gas, with treatment process ultimately turning that gas in liquid and, after purity processes, turning it back into a solid material (powder). That treatment process relies on a closed circuit loop system, meaning that everything stays within that system.

The nickel powder produced from ore taken into the plant will be 99.9 percent pure. Officials said carbonyl produces the highest purity, which is why that process is being used here. Refining nickel from the ore produces byproducts, which include cobalt and magnesium. The powder will only be refined on the Lawton site; it will not be processed, mined, smelted or milled here.

What safety features are included in the plant and its processes?

Shelegey said the safety systems that Westwin will be using are “incredibly stringent,” in terms of containing materials within the plant and within the refining system so contamination is not an issue.

Wong said the pilot plant will be a strictly controlled environment, with safety systems such as an internal air system that will include eight air exchanges per hour and “strong negative pressure” to prevent air within the plant from escaping. Gases within the building will be monitored.

Wong said there will be active monitoring of the building at all times, to address air quality concerns, and the plant staff will run live air maps with winds designated when there appears to be any risk to people outside the plant. “We are constantly monitoring,” he said, of a multi-layer protective system whose sole intent is to prevent leaks. Shelegey said he and Wong have experience in that area, explaining the refinery they worked at in Ontario, Canada, has those layers of protection, which he called critical, monitored and well run. He said Westwin will bring “seasoned personnel” from the Ontario plant to train their counterparts in Lawton.

Responding to concerns about a “worst case scenario,” Wong said that as an engineer he can’t say there is no chance of a massive accident, but there has never been a catastrophic failure at similar refineries operating in other countries.

Westwin also will built the pilot plant to state building codes, to address concerns about damage from a tornado. Equipment within the plant will hold a high rating, as far as exposure to heat, and the perimeter will be clear of trees and other vegetation to address wildfire concerns, Wong said. Wong said if anything does happen to the plant, it is Westwin’s responsibility. “It’s still our building,” he said.

How much water will be used? Is there a possibility of contamination?

Wong said the actual refining process doesn’t use water; for the most part, water used in the plant and refinery is associated with showers and toilets. “No liquid waste will come out of this process at all,” he said.

Will there be test wells around the plant?

Wong said there will be border line test wells and air testers. And, all water leaving the plant will be tested.

Where are raw materials coming from? Will they come from U.S. sources?

“We are still sourcing options,” Shelegey said, about exactly where Westwin will draw its raw materials. While officials couldn’t comment on specific sources last week, he said there is very little domestic sources available, predicting sources in Canada and Indonesia will be considered.

Will the jobs that are created employ people here, or will jobs go to outsiders?

Wong said Westwin officials already have visited with officials at Cameron University about enhancing the university’s existing programs to provide the training for jobs Westwin will need at its refinery. “We want to build this plant to last generations,” Wong said.

Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said the community had the same concerns when Goodyear opened its Lawton plant decades ago, and now draws employees from 17 counties. Booker said local officials expect the same “spread” in the refinery’s workforce, in terms of where it will be drawing employees. And, Booker said the jobs created by the Westwin project (85 for the pilot plant) will produce other jobs in the community, including service industries that will be needed for those employees.

Where was the technology you will use in the pilot plant created? Was it created in-house by Westwin’s new technical team?

Shelegey said while the carbonyl process has been around for more than 100 years, it has been refined over the decades. Today, that technology is being used by two plants that Westwin team members have worked at, to include the Ontario, Canada, plant where Shelegey and Wong worked, and one that has been in operation for 50 years. He and Wong said Westwin’s technical team, collectively, has more than 200 years of experience in refineries.

Why did you choose Lawton?

Smith said Westwin received proposals from different states, with the company deciding “Lawton was behind us 100 percent.” He said that community support was a factor Westwin officials weighed. In addition, Smith said he and Westwin CEO KaLeigh Long are Oklahoma natives, and many of Westwin’s upper management (excluding technical team members) have Oklahoma roots.