Comments Off on How Economizers Enhance Thermal Oxidizers
Thermal oxidizers and economizers are game-changers in the industrial world, offering a cost-effective solution to increase efficiency, reduce energy costs, and reduce emissions entering our atmosphere. But what exactly are they, and how do they work? Let’s break it down.
What is a Thermal Oxidizer?
A thermal oxidizer is an industrial process unit used to treat waste gases generated from various industrial processes. It is designed to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from process gases before they are released into the atmosphere.
The thermal oxidizer works by heating the contaminated gases to a high temperature, typically in the range of 800-2000°F. The heat causes the VOCs and HAPs to break down into CO2 and water vapor, which are then safely released into the atmosphere. The process of breaking down the contaminants is known as thermal oxidation.
Thermal oxidizers are widely used in the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries, among others, to meet environmental regulations and minimize their impact on the environment.
Comments Off on How Annular Distributors Improve Efficiency in Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
A steam bustle, or annular distributor, is an important component of a shell and tube heat exchanger when viscosity or too much direct steam heat is a concern.
In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits and function of a steam bustle and how it can help improve the performance of your shell and tube heat exchanger.
What is a Steam Bustle?
A steam bustle, or annular distributor, is an optional component of a shell and tube heat exchanger that is used to distribute fluid or steam evenly over the surface of the tube bundle. This helps to ensure that the fluid or steam is heated or cooled evenly and efficiently.
In a shell and tube heat exchanger, the fluid being processed flows through the tubes, while a second fluid, hot or cold, flows around the outside of the tubes in the shell. The annular distributor is typically located at the inlet of the shell, and its main function is to distribute the incoming fluid or steam evenly over the surface of the tube bundle.
The use of an annular distributor helps to reduce the risk of hot spots or cold spots within the heat exchanger, as it ensures that the fluid being processed is heated or cooled evenly as it flows through the tubes. This helps to improve the efficiency of the heat exchanger and can also help to extend the lifespan of the equipment by reducing the risk of damage due to thermal stress.
How a Steam Bustle Functions
The function of a steam bustle is fairly straightforward. It consists of multiple pipes arranged in a cylindrical casing, which allows steam to pass through them in order to be heated or cooled before being discharged into another part of the system. The number and diameter of these pipes will vary depending on the specific requirements for each application as well as on how efficient you want your system to be.
When installing a steam bustle into your shell and tube heat exchanger, you need to make sure that all connections are properly sealed in order to prevent any leaks from occurring during operation.
Benefits of Using Steam Bustles
Steam bustles provide the following benefits for your shell and tube heat exchanger:
Distributes heat evenly, minimizing the risk of damaging or altering sensitive products.
Keeps viscous products flowing.
Increases the overall heat transfer efficiency by providing more surface area for heat exchange.
Reduces pressure loss within the system, since they act as baffles that help control the flow rate of steam passing through the system.
Helps reduce costs associated with fuel consumption since it reduces the amount of energy required to achieve a certain temperature level.
Easier to maintain than other types of baffles because they do not require any mechanical parts or frequent cleaning and maintenance activities.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers from Enerquip
Adding a steam bustle, or annular distributor, to your shell and tube heat exchanger can have numerous advantages when it comes to improving efficiency and reducing fuel costs associated with operating your system.
They can significantly increase the overall performance level while also helping reduce pressure losses within your system.
Comments Off on Five Ways to Increase Terminal Efficiency
Efficiency is always a priority for any process, plant, or organization. Creating maximum output while reducing overhead is a core business practice. With so many moving parts in tank terminal operations, there are many places revenue can fall through the cracks. Make sure your operation is sealed tight with these high-impact ways to increase efficiency.
Here are 5 ways to increase your terminal’s efficiency.
1. Replace boilers with thermal fluid heaters.
Thermal fluid heaters and boilers are essential to the day-to-day operations of facilities in the asphalt, refining, and tank terminal industries. Organizations in these, and other industries, rely heavily on these systems to keep their product warm and pliable for pumping.
While in the past, many plants have chosen steam boilers for their operations, thermal oil heating systems outperform them in a number of ways.
First, the equipment and operational costs of a thermal fluid system are significantly lower than that of a boiler operation. Unlike steam boilers, thermal fluid heaters typically don’t require a full-time boiler operator. This can save upwards of $80,000 a year. Also with a thermal fluid heater, there is no need for a pretreating skid ($40,000), or deaerator ($10,000), or chemical injection system ($15,000).
Next, thermal fluid is a more efficient and lower maintenance option for heating. Though water is often considered a free resource, there’s much more to it. With a steam boiler, the water pumped through the system will need continuous and expensive water treatment, a condensate collection system, and maintenance of steam traps. Don’t forget that water is highly corrosive, so if the water chemistry is slightly off, the system can corrode quickly. Additionally, water can freeze, so boiler systems require heated buildings (adding costs). If a boiler goes down and ice forms, an entire system can easily be destroyed.
A thermal fluid system (hot oil) eliminates all these headaches and high maintenance costs. There are no steam traps, condensation systems, chemical treatment systems, or blow-down requirements to deal with. Most importantly, oil is not corrosive like water and will not freeze in cold temperatures. It is simply the best way to heat equipment.
Thermal fluid heaters are significantly more consistent and efficient than their alternative heating system counterparts like steam boilers. In addition to decreased operational and energy costs, they are also more environmentally friendly, especially when using a low NOx burner.
While many traditional plant operations use a helical coil thermal fluid heater, operators can increase their efficiency even more with superior serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters. The coil is built serpentine, creating more space between the coils to allow for even heat distribution. With an integrated convection economizer, at 86% efficiency, serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters are some of the most highly efficient heaters on the market.
2. Replace tank fire tubes with bottom-mounted tank coils.
In older facilities, you’ll sometimes find dated and unsafe direct-fired heaters blasting directly into a tank sidewall. One small leak and you’ve got a major safety situation on your hands. In addition, the single flame creates hot spots and cold spots, reducing efficiency. Replacing fire tubes with tank coils also eliminates an emissions source, reducing your carbon footprint.
A much safer and more economical option are tank heating coils mounted to the bottom of a tank. These coils can either be heated with hot oil or steam and can be bare or finned pipes. In most cases, finned is the most efficient way to go as the fins create twelve times the surface area of their bare pipe counterpart. Unlike longitudinal finned pipes whose fins are mounted horizontally, helically wound or vertical fins reduce the risk of coking as any sediments can fall through the fins.
3. Repair or replace old equipment and technology.
Let’s face it, all equipment has a shelf life. No matter the quality, eventually, it will need to be replaced.
When heating equipment begins to break down, operations may experience problems like process fluid degradation, tube failures, high stack temperatures, high fuel costs, high maintenance costs, and inability to reach optimal fluid temperatures.
By replacing old equipment, often you can quickly pay for the equipment itself with the money saved on fuel, water, and other resources.
4. Go low NOx on your burners.
Over the last decade, low NOx has become more of a mainstream practice. NOx is an abbreviation used to describe Nitrogen Oxides, a family of greenhouse gases. When fuel is burned at high heat, nitrogen oxide gases are emitted.
While some operations choose low NOx for their sustainability consciousness, many states and countries now require it. Enerquip’s hot oil heaters can be built with low NOx burners utilizing flue gas recirculation or mesh head burners that can reduce NOx levels to less than 9PPM in total NOx.
5. Invest in tank insulation.
Especially in colder climates, it can be challenging to maintain the temperature of contents stored in tanks and running through pipes. Often, insulation is an afterthought, but it’s an important piece of this efficiency puzzle. Without proper insulation, valuable heat energy is lost, and it can take much more fuel to heat up the same contents to the desired temperature.
The proper insulation and surface protection will not only protect the thermal properties of the product in the tank, but it will help increase its lifespan. A properly insulated tank will ensure the product inside won’t freeze due to outside temperature or deteriorate due to heat caused by solar radiation.
High-Efficiency Industrial Heating Equipment from Enerquip
Enerquip (and the former American Heating Company) has been manufacturing quality heating equipment for decades. With robust building standards, much of our equipment is still working hard decades later. With continuous process improvement at our core, our equipment has grown with us.
Ready to start talking about strategic equipment planning? Bring us in on the conversation. Contact us or request a quote today.
CheeseCon is a gathering of more than 3,000 dairy industry leaders, suppliers, marketers, and more. CheeseCon features impactful seminars, events, and a networking trade show. Make sure to stop by for a visit at the Enerquip Booth #705.
Educational Opportunities at CheeseCon
CheeseCon offers a wide variety of seminars focusing on the hottest topics in the industry.
On Wednesday, April 5, attendees can attend one or more of the following concurrent sessions:
Optimizing Manufacture of Snack Cheese – Center for Dairy Research
Milk Pricing Reform in Federal Milk Marketing Orders – Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Policy Panel
Artisan Cheesemaking at CDR – Center for Dairy Research
On Thursday, April 6, attendees can attend one or more of the following concurrent sessions:
New Generation of Cheesemaking Approaches – CDR
Pathogen Prevention, Training Resources and Traceability – Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Center for Dairy Research
Advances in Whey Processing – Center for Dairy Research
Networking Opportunities at CheeseCon
In addition to terrific educational sessions, CheeseCon is offering many opportunities to network with other industry professionals. Don’t miss out!
We hope to see you at CheeseCon and its trade show. Make sure to stop by booth #705. Our Enerquip thermal solutions experts are happy to discuss the many ways a stainless steel shell and tube heat exchanger can benefit your operation.
For more information about CheeseCon 2023, visit CheeseCon.org.
Comments Off on Join Enerquip at the 2023 ILTA Conference in Houston, TX
Enerquip is excited to, once again, attend the International Operating Conference & Trade Show in Houston, TX. Taking place on May 23 – 24, 2023, the ILTA conference and trade show is the largest industry gathering, with over 4,500 liquid terminal industry professionals planning to attend.
This event proves to be a gathering ground for industry professionals worldwide.
2023 ILTA Conference Sessions
The International Operating Conference & Trade Show offers a wide variety of seminars focusing on the hottest topics in the industry. Conference session topics include environmental, operations and engineering, leadership, health and safety, and more.
Visit Enerquip at Booth #462
Enerquip will be exhibiting at booth #462 on May 23 from 1:30 – 6pm and on May 24 from 9am – Noon. We’d love for you to stop by and learn about Enerquip’s efficient tank heating solutions including thermal fluid heaters, tank heating coils, steam generators, waste heat economizers, and more.
Our Enerquip thermal experts, Ron Herman and Shailendra Seecharan, are happy to discuss the many ways our sanitary and industrial heating and cooling solutions can help in your production process.
Networking Opportunities
Reception at the Altitude Pool at the Marriot Marquis – May 22 at 5:30pm
Awards breakfast at the Marriot Marquis – May 23 from 7:45 – 8:30am
Trade Show reception at the GRB Convention Centers Halls A & B – May 23 from 6 – 7:30pm
Comments Off on 25th Annual International Aboveground Storage Tank Conference & Trade Show
Enerquip Thermal Solutions will be exhibiting at NISTM’s 25th Annual International Aboveground Storage Tank Conference & Trade Show at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, FL.
The event is a terrific opportunity for those in the storage tank industry to learn and connect with others in the field.
NISTM’s 25th Annual International Aboveground Storage Tank Conference & Trade Show is one of the industry’s top events for connecting AST professionals with numerous exhibitors to learn about their new services, products, and technology. Conference attendees will listen in on the latest industry insights, news, and best practices.
Join Us at the Trade Show – Booth #111
At the NISTM trade show on April 12-13, you’ll have the opportunity to visit and network with trade show vendors and exhibitors.
Enerquip will be exhibiting at booth #111 on April 12 from 8:30am – 5pm and on April 13 from 8:30am – 1:00pm. We’d love for you to stop by and learn about Enerquip’s efficient tank heating solutions including thermal fluid heaters, tank heating coils, steam generators, waste heat economizers, and more.
NISTM Networking Opportunities
NISTM offers many opportunities to network with others in the industry, including:
Golf Tournament at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club – April 11 at 7:45am and 1:15pm
Welcome Reception in the Gatlin Ballroom – April 11 at 8:30pm
Network Mixer on the Trade Show Floor – April 12 at 5:00pm
You can find more information about these NISTM happenings on the NISTM website.
Comments Off on Enerquip Welcomes New Sales Leader
Shailendra Seecharan, Division Sales Manager
Enerquip is excited to announce the addition of Shailendra Seecharan to its innovative Sales team.
Seecharan will be a central point of contact for customers seeking industrial heating equipment, including thermal fluid heaters, tank heating coils, economizers, and more. Enerquip’s skilled sales team performs thermal calculations, product design, and ongoing project management.
“Shailendra comes to Enerquip with over a decade of industry thermal design experience,” says Ron Herman, Director of Business Development. “We are beyond excited to bring his HTRI knowledge, thermal design background, and easygoing personality onboard.”
While Seecharan has spent much of his recent work in sales, his career began in the technical design of heat exchangers and heat transfer technology. He’s worked with commodity-type heat exchangers and proprietary technologies for various manufacturers in the petrochemical, mining, pulp and paper, and refining industries.
Seecharan’s professional areas of expertise include HTRI and other heat exchanger sizing software, PVElite ASME Code design software, and technical design software including AutoCAD and Solidworks.
“I like the abstract nature of heat transfer and fluid dynamics where you have multiple solutions to the same problem,” says Seecharan. “I believe this flexibility is much like life, with multiple paths to the same destination.”
Seecharan is a native of the island of Trinidad & Tobago. In high school, he majored in physics, mathematics, and applied mathematics which allowed him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (Trinidad & Tobago). Following college graduation, he moved to the U.S. and now resides on the Texas golf coast.
In addition to visiting Enerquip’s Medford, WI, and Beggs, OK, facilities, he’ll meet with customers onsite to view and plan for their future plant operations.
“I am excited to foster the groundwork already laid to catapult Enerquip industrial heaters into a hugely successful side of the business,” says Seecharan. “After meeting with the Enerquip team, I saw that the company culture was very tight-knit and supportive. Company culture ranks at the top when working with a team since open dialogue and communication are important in being successful as a company.”
Outside of work, you’ll find Seecharan enjoying martial arts, kickboxing, traveling, and chess. In fact, he was president of his university’s Chess Club. Seecharan comes from a tight-knit family with six children of similar age. He enjoys visiting them whenever time allows. Seecharan lives by the words, “Life without a challenge is no life at all.”
Ready to put Shailendra to work on your next project? Email sales@enerquip.com or call 715-314-0389, today.
Comments Off on Enerquip’s Employee Match Supports Gilman Baseball
Enerquip has proudly donated $500 to the Gilman Baseball program. Donations are used for the program’s ongoing expenses, including field maintenance, uniforms, athletic equipment, and umpires.
Gilman Baseball supports youth, middle school, and high school programs with over 50 Gilman area students enjoying this favorite American pastime each spring and summer.
Enerquip is committed to supporting and encouraging its employees to lift others through giving and service. Therefore, Enerquip provides gifts to organizations at 100% of the employee’s contribution up to $500 per employee per calendar year, including volunteer hours.
This employee match from Enerquip Assembler Derek Nichols includes his own volunteer hours and contributions as a Gilman Baseball Coach.
Donations to the association are used to improve and maintain the quality of both North Spirit and Spirit Lakes, including water quality, fish population and habitat, recreational facilities, improved waterway access, and wildlife protection.
Enerquip is committed to supporting and encouraging its employees to lift others through giving and service. Therefore, Enerquip provides gifts to organizations at 100% of the employee’s contribution up to $500 per employee per calendar year, including volunteer hours.
This employee match from Sales & Channel Manager Troy Weik, Welder Lonnie Marcott, Plant Foreman Trent Weik, and Operations & Facilities Manager Tim Strebig includes their volunteer hours as either board members or event volunteers of Spirit Lakes Improvement Association.
Asphalt slurry must be warm to efficiently pump through an asphalt plant operation. Many pieces make up the network to process quality asphalt, but a high-efficiency hot oil heater is at the center of that system.
Hot oil flows through the serpentine coil and the attached economizer section for maximum efficiency. The serpentine coil offers more even heat distribution vs. the basic helical coil heater. In addition, the serpentine coil offers higher operating temperatures and lower flow rates which help reduce operating costs.
Serpentine Coil Thermal Fluid Heater
Often, through choice or regulation, plant managers request low NOx options. Through flue gas recirculation, our thermal fluid heaters can reduce emissions down to 9 parts per million.
Hot oil then continues its flow through a system of pipes and out to the rest of the plant.
Tank heating solutions in an asphalt plant
In order to keep the asphalt slurry pliable, the hot oil flows through the tank heating coils in a serpentine fashion. Tank coils are often designed in a star layout for even heat distribution. Depending on process conditions, we may recommend bare or helically wound tank coils made of either carbon or 316L stainless steel.
Helically Wound Finned Tank Heating Coils Built from 316L Stainless Steel
When it’s time for the asphalt slurry to be pumped from the tank, it may need an extra boost of heat. A suction heater can be bolted to the side of a tank through a manway. The hot oil flows through the tube side of the suction heater as the asphalt is pumped through the shell side.
As the asphalt slurry makes its way to be pumped out for transport, the long travel may reduce its temperature. On its last pass, the asphalt will pass through the shell side of the inline shell and tube heat exchanger while the hot oil passes through the bundle. The asphalt is now ready for pumping and transport.
On the other side of the plant, railcars are coming in with fresh asphalt slurry. It’s imperative to keep the asphalt warm so it can be pumped from the railcars to the storage tanks. A steam generator is often connected to the railcars through a series of piping. Hot oil is pumped from the hot oil heater, through the bundle of the steam generator. As water in the steam generator comes in contact with the hot bundle, steam is produced. The steam is then transported to the railcars, keeping the asphalt pliable and ready for pumping.
Looking to the future
In addition to building the highest-quality asphalt equipment, we can help you plan for future equipment needs. Whether you’re in the market to update a portion of your asphalt heating system or need a quote for a new customized asphalt heating system designed to suit your plant, our team can help. Contact us, request a quote, or call us at 715-748-5888.
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