In this issue ofProcess Heating, we bring
you a lineup of articles intended to educate you about your process equipment,
help you evaluate your choices, and then help you elect the option best suited
to your needs.
First up is “Know Your Inputs” by Steve Jaasund of the Geoenergy Division of
A.H. Lundberg Associates, Bellevue, Wash. As Jaasund cautions, system inputs
define regenerative thermal oxidizer operation. So, the best way to optimize
performance is to understand your oxidizer inputs: your fuel, your VOC-laden
gas stream to be oxidized, and the particulate in that stream. Even in
so-called particulate-free streams, there is always some particulate matter in
an emission stream, Jaasund asserts. The quantity may be negligible, but it is
present, and must be addressed in the oxidizer design to optimize
performance.
A thorough understanding of its pasteurization processes helped one almond
processor take an unconventional yet effective approach to cooling and drying
its products. “Nutty Ideas Pay Off,” a case history from Milburn, N.J.-based
Kason Corp., explains how Hilltop Ranch, a top 10 almond processor based in
Ballico, Calif., implemented circular fluid-bed drying systems to dry and cool
its almonds post-pasteurization. Without cooling and drying, the steam-treated
nuts would become too soft and have a shorter shelf-life. Selecting circular
systems allowed Hilltop to achieve effective drying and cooling in half the
floor space that more conventional units would have required.
In “Bean Cuisine Machine,” Jim McMahon, a technology writer based in Simi
Valley, Calif., details the evolution of dried bean hydration and blanching
systems. McMahon notes that as the flexible packaging trend has spread
throughout the food processing industry, so has the demand for a fully hydrated
and cooked bean obtained through continuous blanching. He describes the technologies
used and how managing time and temperature affects final product quality.
Heat and temperature play a critical role in nearly all process applications,
and plastics is no exception. In “Water, Water Everywhere,” Pat Klingberg of
AEC Inc., Wood Dale, Ill., asserts that handling water management issues is a
critical step in setting up any effective plastics process. As Klingberg notes,
water’s involvement is critical in maintaining consistent resin temperatures,
plasticating rates, mold temperatures and cycle times. Klingberg looks at water
recycling using a cooling tower or central chiller to close the loop between
the process and the water source. The choice depends on what temperatures are
required to properly control the process, he explains.
Finally, in “So Many Heat Exchangers, So Little Time,” Michael Maletta with GF
Piping Systems, Tustin, Calif., acknowledges that when selecting a heat
exchanger to solve heating or cooling process needs, there are many options and
variables to consider. Determining the heat exchanger style and material that
are optimal for an application should be the first and most important step, he
says. To evaluate that effectively, the fluid, thermal performance, temperature
and pressure limits, pressure drop, fluid flow capacity, maintenance issues and
expansion plans must all be considered.
Linda Becker
Associate Publisher & Editor
BeckerL@bnpmedia.com
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