Anguil’s Oxidizer Helps Keep
Ethanol Production Green
A multi-million dollar contract was awarded to Anguil Environmental Systems Inc., a Milwaukee-based air-pollution control supplier, to assist a Nebraska ethanol production plant in meeting EPA regulatory requirements.

At the Nebraska ethanol plant, a 42-million-gallon expansion was certain to put the dry mill out of emission compliance for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_X), and particulate matter, all regulated by the EPA . Ethanol production facilities in the United States are permitted to operate under a “minor source” status as long as the total tonnage of key pollutants is below the 100 tons per year limit. However, operating restrictions, penalties and fines, and community pressures are forcing many plants to strive for the lowest possible emission levels, enabling future capacity expansions.

Anguil was chosen as the Nebraska ethanol plant’s emission-control-equipment provider after demonstrating its ability to provide a reliable, cost-effective solution that would provide high destruction efficiencies. The Nebraska plant selected Anguil’s regenerative thermal oxidizer as the best available control technology for the application based on the company’s reputation for low operating costs and high destruction rate efficiency.

At the facility, the pollution control device will consist of two side-by-side Anguil regenerative thermal oxidizers handling a process volumetric flow of 120,000 scfm. The system will achieve greater than 99 percent destruction rate efficiency for air pollutants and odorous emissions, with 95 percent thermal energy recovery, helping ensure low fuel usage. Portions of the equipment will be constructed of 304 stainless steel to protect against corrosion from the ethanol process stream. The project scope consists of equipment design, manufacturing, installation supervision, process integration and startup. Production on the oxidizer system has begun, and the project is expected online in April.

Course Shares Pump Reliability Secrets
Why do some U.S. refineries routinely achieve in excess of eight years pump mean time between failures, and others struggle to reach two years?

Engineers may learn how to extend pump MTBF by attending the "Pump Life Cycle Extension Short Course." Scheduled for January 17-19, in Houston, Texas, the short course, coordinated by the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M University , will explain how best-of-class pump users are consistently achieving superior run lengths, low maintenance expenditures, and safety reliability.

The course will be taught by practicing engineers whose experience includes involvement in pump specification, installation, reliability assessment, component upgrading, maintenance cost reduction, operation and troubleshooting. Course content is intended for all job functions that come in contact with process pumps, including operating technicians, maintenance professionals, project engineers, reliability engineers and managers.

Fluid Testing: It Pays to Pay Attention
Regular fluid testing can result in longer fluid life, more consistent system operation, decreased system maintenance and lower operating costs.

How to Use Immersion Heaters
The square flange immersion heater is used in industrial water boilers and storage tanks holding degreasing solvents, fuel oils, heat-transfer fluids and caustic solutions.

Keeping an Eye on Safety
Naturally, it is important to look carefully into risk assessment of a plant or process because the consequences have the potential to be severe. The results of a major failure on a combustion system could be catastrophic.

Bearings That Can Handle the Heat
The bearings on the dampers controlling airflow to two 535-MW coal-fired units at a power plant couldn’t handle the heat. High-temperature bearings solved the problem.

Compare Your Energy Prices
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Now that energy prices are varying as never before, you know that you have to watch them before they empty your wallet. More than that, you need a handy way to compare different offers. Whatever you are buying, your choice of best buy will often be thwarted. Why?

Open Coil Heaters Designed for High Flow Rates
Flow Torches are designed for high flow rates and low pressure drop due to their efficient design and minimal flow restrictions. Standard power, from 1 to 75 kW, is available for a range of applications such as hot air curtains, air drying, dehumidification, paint baking/drying, plastic curing, and exhaust gas heating. Airflow of up to 2,000 scfm and up to
3 psig can be handled by the 8" open coil heater. Maximum output temperature is 932°F (500°C), depending upon airflow.

Farnam Custom Products
(828) 684-3766

Fast-Response Mini Platinum RTD Sensor
Miniature ceramic wire-wound platinum temperature sensors from Heraeus Sensor Technology have small footprints Models KN1008 and KN3005, which have diameters of 0.8 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively, can be used in applications previously off-limits to wirewound elements due to size constraints. The sensors’ small diameters result in quick response times of less than 0.2 sec (T_0.5, water current 0.4 m/sec). Applications include laboratory freezers and ovens, chemical processing, power generation, thermoelectric devices, pH sensors, digital thermometers, calorimeters, flow sensors and gas detectors.

DWM & Associates Inc.
(732) 940-4400

Vaporizers
Designed for use in process industries such as chemical, petrochemical, textile and others, vaporizers are suited for applications that require large amounts of controlled heat at high temperatures with low operating pressures. Recirculating fluids such as Dowtherm A, Dowtherm J, and Therminol VP-1 can be maintained at temperatures as high as 750°F (399°C). Utilizing the vapor phase of these heat-transfer fluids promotes high heat transfer rates and close temperature control. Other liquids that can be vaporized include ammonia and liquified gases.

Gaumer Process Heaters, Systems & Controls
(800) 460-5200

Tubular Heat Exchanger
Thermo-T is designed to recover energy from industrial processes at temperatures up to 2000°F with up to 80 percent effectiveness. Built to handle high-temperatures and corrosive environments, the tubular heat exchanger can be constructed with 304L/316L/309S/310 stainless steels, C-276, 800HT and nickel alloys such as 600/601/625. Fully welded construction prevents cross-contamination. Integral thermal-expansion joints allow the heat-exchanging tubes to expand in high-temperature applications without causing excessive stress to the unit. Options include djustable tube size and spacing; single-pass and multi-pass models; and airflows from 3,000 to 30,000 scfm.

Des Champs Technologies
(540) 291-1111

Reflow Soldering System
Designed for use with lead-free alloys, Electrovert OmniFlex 10 includes features such as a standard closed-loop blower control and a chamber design that provides balanced airflow with minimal turbulence to improve heat transfer and reduce power and nitrogen consumption. A proprietary self-cleaning flux-extraction system, consisting of multiple collection units located within the heating sections, reduces maintenance intervals. The FES system continuously scrubs the process gas for unwanted particulates.

Speedline Technologies
(508) 520-0083

Transformer Oil Coolers
ForZair utilizes aluminum extruded fin-tubes and plate-fin technology to provide optimal heat transfer. Offered in forced-oil-to-forced-air, natural-convection-oil-to-water and forced-oil-to-water models, the coolers are engineered to meet the capacity, performance and space requirements of the specific application. A pre-engineered design simplifies manufacturing for rapid delivery. Hinged fan panels simplify access to the cooler and allow pressure-washing the fin surface to help maintain maximum performance of both the cooler and transformer.

Unifin International
(888) 451-0310