Spangler Candy Is Sweet On Miura Boilers
Dum Dum Pops manufacturer is already tasting success after switching to Miura boilers to maximize efficiency and reduce fuel costs.

Spangler Candy Co., headquartered in Bryan, Ohio, has been in business for more than 100 years and today manufactures more than 8 million Dum Dum Pops daily, along with over 1.5 million candy canes and more than 600,000 Saf-T-Pops per day.

Generating steam for manufacturing purposes, efficiently and cost-effectively, is one of the responsibilities of Paul Gackel, P.E., director of facilities/utilities. So when it was time to switch out four of the company’s five firetube steam boilers, which were generating up to 900 BHP, Paul called his dealer, Combustion Mechanical of Fort Wayne, Ind., and asked them to look into current boiler technology that could support the operation while also reducing fuel costs.

“Combustion Mechanical did a lot of research and came up with Miura Boiler as the company that would satisfy our needs,” said Gackel. “So, off we went to visit their North American manufacturing operations in Brantford, Canada. We were impressed.”

What convinced Gackel and the team from Combustion Mechanical to select New York-based Miura was the attention to detail, the overall “heavy-dutiness” of the product and the potential for saving oil and gas costs.

“We were running a pretty efficient operation, but with Miura technology, we estimated an additional 10 to 20 percent fuel saving, and that really got our attention,” Gackel added.

Spangler Candy switched out four of its five current boilers between Thanksgiving and Christmas, relying on Industrial Contracting & Engineering in Angola, Ind., to handle the assignment. There was no downtime and no production delay.

By year end, the four Miura Boiler EX Series 200 BHP horsepower units were operating as expected. EX Series boilers are dual fuel fired using natural gas, propane or No. 2 fuel oil. Depending on the model, NO_X rating is available as low as 30 ppm.

All Miura Boilers produce steam in 5 min. using the exclusive floating head design, an advance that results in gas and oil savings of up to 20 percent. In a multiple installation (MI), Miura boilers can be turned on or off as needed, allowing Spangler to meet peak demand hours while operating at greater efficiency throughout the day and reducing wear and tear. Miura boilers also require less space and have an online maintenance system with a “sliding window feature” that records an event four seconds before it occurs, so it can be diagnosed and corrected faster.

“I felt very confident that we would satisfy our needs with Miura boilers and achieve the fuel cost savings that would enhance our productivity,” added Gackel. “The first month we could test actual fuel costs ‘apples to apples’ was February 2007 [as compared to February 2006]. The results suggested a savings of 14.87 percent on fuel costs and the additional benefit or conserving natural resources.”

Gackel went on to discuss how primary pressure-regulating valves helped to make a big difference in achieving maximum efficiency. “Miura boilers can step down easily and having good control of output pressure made a big difference for us in achieving our goals. Plus, even though the Miura technology was new to our operators, they did seem to like it a lot more than our previous boiler, since with the self-diagnostics there was a lot less to go wrong.”

Eclipse Sponsors Ethanol Racing Team
Eclipse Inc. has entered into a sponsor partnership with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and the Ethanol Indy Racing Team.

“We believe that it is important to study, understand and develop alternative energy sources," said Doug Perks, chairman of the board and CEO of Rockford, Ill.-based company. "Eclipse has many customers who use our products and systems in the ethanol production process, and we are pleased to announce that we have joined in a sponsor partnership of the first 100 percent ethanol racing team. As Eclipse continues to develop energy efficient technologies and solutions for our customers, this new partnership demonstrates our commitment to the ethanol industry.”

The IndyCar series is at the forefront of a push for renewable energy with its switch to 100 percent fuel grade ethanol for the 2007 season. This decision makes the IndyCar series the first motorsport series to run ethanol. Ethanol is a 100 percent renewable fuel, distilled from corn and other high-starch crops. By the end of 2007, nearly 140 plants in the United States will be producing approximately seven billion gallons of ethanol annually.

Eclipse is part of Rahal-Letterman Racing, sponsoring Jeff Simmons and the No. 17 Team Ethanol Car.

Hot Water vs. Electric Heat Tracing
A confectionery plant commissioned an investment study to compare the total installed and total operating costs of both hot water heating and electrical heat-tracing systems for process temperature maintenance of a chocolate-carrying pipeline.

Condition Monitoring
Improves Predictive Maintenance
Plants go to great lengths to understand production processes. It makes sense to apply the same rigor to understanding equipment critical to those processes.

Improve Your Boiler’s Efficiency
Simple steps are all that are needed to improve combustion efficiency, minimize blowdown and recover heat from your boiler.

Thermal Fluid Pumps for 650 to 750°F Service
Pumps for higher temperature service require particular features for best performance. Applying these features to pumps used in lower temperature service will enhance their performance as well.

Valve View
Over the past few years, much attention has been given to the pros and cons of the types of ceramic media used in regenerative thermal oxidizers. Other critical aspects of the system such as dampers and burners have not been widely addressed.

Diagnosis: Institutional Amnesia
Site Registration or Log In Required to View
Visits to a number of plants this year have identified a common problem when it comes to energy conservation in their ovens and furnaces. They’ve got institutional amnesia -- as organizations, they don’t remember what they need to do to keep their equipment running at top efficiency.

Infrared Sensor
Series 56 adds a 2 µm range product to the Modline 5 product family along with lower temperature capabilities (122 to 1,472°F [50 to 800°C]). The units are designed to assist with temperature measurement in lower-temperature rubber, thick plastic or textile applications as well as spot welding or induction heat metal-treating applications. A thermoelectronically cooled detector and internal self-calibration features help ensure accuracy. Features include a stainless steel, NEMA 4 rated housing to protect against corrosion and humidity; high-temperature cable; and sealed electrical connectors and electronics.

Ircon Inc.
(800) 323-7660

Mold Temperature Controller
Hydra offers a choice of pump and heater combinations matched to specific needs. The high-speed controller and direct heating and cooling ensure fast response and tight control. The pressurized system circulates plain water through the mold for heat transfer. Pressurization of the water allows temperatures up to 250°F (121°C). The microprocessor control provides accuracy to ±1°F with an adaptive self-tuning PID and two large digital displays for setting and reading system temperatures. By automatically cooling process water to 90°F (32°C), the unit may extend seal life and minimize hose temperatures.

IMS Co.
(800) 537-5375

Portable Gas Detector
Infrared cartridge options have been added to the multigas Lumidor Impact Pro. One of three infrared sensors can be chosen as one of the four sensors that come standard in a four-sensor, multi-gas cartridge. Two infrared sensors monitor for methane and other hydrocarbons and a third sensor option measures for percentage volume of carbon dioxide. The cartridge also includes a sensor that measures for oxygen levels and two sensors for a range of user-selected toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

Honeywell Analytics
(847) 955-8389

Walk-In Oven
The gas-fired, 350°F (177°C) jumbo walk-in oven is used for batch processing large composite structures. Workspace dimensions of No. 996 measure 10' wide by 8' high by 32' deep. The unit offers 1.2 million BTU/hr installed in a modulating natural gas burner to heat the unit, while 49,000 cfm total from two 20 hp recirculating blowers provide combination airflow to workloads. The batch oven has 4" insulated walls throughout and removable top-mounted heat chamber. The oven body is split into four sections for shipment with mating angle iron frames to ease field reassembly.

Grieve Corp.
(847) 546-8225

High-Speed Compact Infrared Thermometers
Series IR-CA covers medium and high temperature ranges using an InGaAs or Si detecting element. The non-contact, high-speed (3 ms) compact infrared thermometer, with a converting function, has digital temperature display, parameter-setting keys and direct viewfinder. The unit can be placed virtually anywhere due to a large distance factor.

Chino Works America
(888) 321-9118

Ceramic Adhesives
Resbond 940 is intended for high-temperature (3,000°F [1,649°C]) bonding, sealing and encapsulating applications. Low-to-high thermal expansion, ultra-high temperature, machinable, super-fast setting, metallic-based and electrically or thermally conductive grades are available. The ceramic material adheres to quartz, cordierite, fused silica, glassware, ceramics and metals. It cures in 4 to 8 hr at room temperature or in 5 min at 175°F (79°C) and offers chemical and thermal shock resistance.

Cotronics Corp.
(718) 646-7996