'THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF DHUFAR PROVINCE, MUSCAT AND OMAN' [‎43v] (76/96)

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the north at Okha. The chief difficulty which has been laced at
Dwarka, especially during and since the war, has been fuel, bike
most cement works the practice was to use coal in pulverized form,
but the uncertainty of getting their supplies of coal led to the works
re-equipping their kilns to burn oil, fuel oil. This is now a common
arrangement, i.e. for pulverized fuel furnaces to be capable of turning
over to fuel oil firing in case of shortage of coal, and vice versa. I
understand also that the Dwarka cement works imported considerable
quantities of the Gypsum they require (to be mixed and ground
with the ‘clinker’ to control the rate of setting of the powdered
product—the cement) from Egypt. Some Gypsum was also being
procured from Rajputana, 400 miles away by train. The amount of
Gypsum needed is perhaps 5% of the cement produced, and for a
works producing 300,000 tons of cement annually the Gypsum will
be required at 15,000 tons a year.
93. The composition of Portland Cement varies, but, from
several analyses from different makers, the variation may be from
58 to 67% of Lime, 18 to 27% of Silica, 5 to 10% of Alumina, 0 to 7%
of Iron oxide, under 4% Magnesia, under 2% Alkalies and under
2-75% Sulphur anhydride. The proportions of the main com
ponents are according to specifications laid down by the British
Standards Institution as a result of long experience. For a Portland
Cement works in Dhufar the most obvious site is near A1 Husa,
somewhat west of Salalah, as it is here that 10 feet of Miliolite
should be readily obtained at the surface and over more than a
square mile (without interfering with the cocoanut groves which
fringe the beach). The supply of Gypsum might be, at first, obtained
from up the wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Nagar Ghaiz, west-north-west of Risut, and barely
10 miles away. The problem of fuel would be similar to that at
Dwarka, imports of coal or/and fuel oil. This can come from the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (fuel oil) on the one hand, and South Africa (coal) on
the other. There remains the probability of obtaining high grade
coal from the Fisao coal-field, between Musweh and Migel, south of
Sur, and there is the possibility that oil may be found in Dhufar
province itself. For immediate consideration fuel imports appear
necessary, and the question of exporting the prepared cement to
other parts of the Arabian Sea coast must introduce the subject of
an anchorage. This is obviously Risut bay. Taken on its own
merits a single Portland Cement works, even with a subsidiary'
factory An East India Company trading post. making rapid-hardening and other special grades of cement,
will probably not be able to face the cost of improving the projected
port of Risut on the model of Okha. However, if on Okhamandal it
has been possible to establish a big cement works (at Dwarka), a
new port (at Okha) and a big chemical works (at Mithapur), there
should be no climatic disadvantages in Dhufar, but rather great
climatic advantages. An alternative site to Salalah is of course near