Purchasing new equipment — whether it is an entire industrial drying system or a new water heater for your home — is no small feat. Many factors should be considered.

Drying applications vary: from drying frac sand — a relatively simply process often performed for screening purposes — to applications like drying wetted primer in ammunition — a process that depends on accurate temperatures sustained over time. Yet, in drying applications from simple to complex, airflow and temperature uniformity makes a difference.

Many of the process industries — among them, food and beverage, chemical processing, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical and mining — use vast amounts of water and energy in their day-to-day operations. 

Lowering energy consumption can have a positive impact on the bottom line, and all plants can benefit from reduced operating costs. Any steam venting from the steam and condensate system is the top reason for lost energy in today’s steam systems. 

The importance of cold storage for certain chemical products, particularly organic peroxides, hit the headlines in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. When a plant outside Houston was flooded and lost power, it also lost its cold storage for the organic peroxide products produced at the site. As they warmed up, the surrounding area was evacuated in anticipation of the resulting explosions and toxic releases.

Mark it down: 2019 is going to be the year I keep my New Year’s resolution. And, all it took was a little technology. Could such simple swap work for you?

SPX Flow opened two bolting rental service centers in Louisiana. Located in the cities of Sulphur and Gonzales, the facilities offer calibration services for pump gauges, torque wrenches, clicker wrenches and pneumatic torque guns.

A third-party study by Special Pathogens Laboratory, a CDC-ELITE facility, demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) ions were effective at achieving a 6-log reduction of Legionella Pneumophila in less than 10 seconds after reaching an ORP +650 mv.

A batch processing feature is suited for OEMs and end users with thermal processes that seek to collect manufacturing part processing thermal data. With that in mind, Watlow introduced a batch processing feature for its F4T temperature and process controller and D4T datalogger.

After using a two-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) platform for several years, JPW Ovens and Furnaces wanted to take advantage of new technology to improve its design process. As a result, the manufacturer added systems from Autodesk Inventor, a supplier of three-dimensional tools. The software provides an almost complete illustration of what a product will look like before it is built, say the companies.

A manufacturer of engineered industrial fans and blowers added online ordering capabilities for replacement parts and manufactured components. The new web service from New York Blower simplifies and streamlines ordering, reduces human error when requesting items, and speeds delivery, says the company.

The Powder Coating Institute finalized the technical program for Power Coating 2019, which will be held April 1-4 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla. The four-day event offers a combination of training, keynote presentations, roundtable discussion, expert panels and social activities.

To satisfy customer demand, Hurst Boiler is manufacturing engineered packaged watertube boilers at its retooled factory on a 50-acre manufacturing campus in Coolidge, Ga. This product line extension complements the company’s wetback and dryback firetube, biomass and hybrid boiler manufacturing capabilities.

Babcock & Wilcox received combined purchase orders totaling more than $50 million for 11 industrial package boilers in the fourth quarter of 2018.

A truck-in oven with a maximum temperature rating of 650°F will be used to test parts used for downhole drilling in the oil-and-gas industry. The Gruenberg oven is constructed from a structural steel frame that supports the 304 stainless steel chamber liner and the exterior sheet metal. All interconnecting struts are noncontinuous, which keeps the exterior cool.

HJF, a Korean supplier of meat and sauces, invested in cooking equipment manufactured by Belgium’s Infrabaker International. The industrial oven was purchased to meet demand for grilled chicken breast.

A 350°F (177°C) shelf oven, manufactured by Grieve, is being used by a manufacturer for storing bottles of powder in a free-standing rack at its facility. A 1,000-cfm, 1-hp recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow to the workload, and 18 kW are installed in Nichrome wire heating elements.

ClearFire-H is designed for heating and process steam solutions and offered in sizes from 10 to 80 hp for 15 or 150 psig design steam pressure. According to the manufacturer, it produces 99 percent or better dry quality steam without a separator and is available with 10:1 turndown.

TraceNet Genesis system provides instant access to heat-trace circuit information, including circuit performance history, fault analysis and circuit drawings. Using this information, maintenance personnel can predict failures or quickly restore operations.

The Performance Series is suited for industrial applications ranging from 17,250 to 103,500 lb/hr (500 to 3000 hp).

Six inert gas cabinet ovens designed for the medical industry incorporate a cabinet oven design and allow for low PPM oxygen levels. The Blue M unitized ovens have a maximum temperature rating of 1100°F (593°C).

Series 8214 has a double-disc design with overtravel to provide redundant sealing for leaktight shutoff. Features include visual indication of open and shut position; proof of closure switch; and silicon-free construction.

The batch processing feature is suited for OEMs and end users with thermal processes who seek to collect manufacturing part processing thermal data. 

Drying system includes an integral baghouse dust collector positioned directly above the fluid bed drying zone. The configuration is designed to contain all of the fine particles entrained in the airstream and allow them to remain in the dryer for processing as product rather than collecting them remotely or accepting their loss as waste.