What is a Thermal Catalytic Oxidizer?
A thermal catalytic oxidizer is a thermal oxidation system–such as a regenerative thermal oxidizer or a recuperative thermal oxidizer–where a catalyst is added to the process to transform the exhaust for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) into CO2, water and excess heat which are safely released into the atmosphere.
Basically, this catalyst allows the VOCs and HAPs to be processed at a lower temperature which saves the customer a significant amount of money because they don’t have to buy the extra fuel and time necessary to heat the system to the much higher temperature to destroy them.
This can be a tricky process though. Catalysts must be carefully selected to work with specific compounds and the amounts of those compounds present in the process stream. If the process stream changes somehow, either by adding some other compound to the process stream, or adding more or less of the selected compounds to be treated into the process stream, the catalyst might not be as effective and can even fail to transform the contaminants at all.
Getting the Right Mix for a Thermal Catalytic Oxidizer
As you can see, adding a catalyst to a thermal oxidizer requires a lot of specialized knowledge and engineering skill to set up an effective thermal oxidizer system that destroys the VOCs and HAPs quickly, completely and at the lowest possible cost.
At Epcon, our project engineers can help select the best possible setup–whether it is a recuperative thermal oxidizer, a regenerative thermal oxidizer, or some other configuration–to process the VOCs. Because Epcon’s engineers have experience working with catalyst manufacturers all over the world, they know how to pair the right catalyst with the right thermal oxidizer equipment to help reduce your operating costs.
Many thermal oxidizers are designed without the use catalysts, as the cost to install and replace the catalyst in the system can be very expensive. However, sometimes a catalyst is necessary or produces the optimal solution to a unique process stream. Our engineers carefully assess the process and application, and then evaluate all options through engineering and cost studies to determine if a catalytic thermal oxidizer is the best solution for the customer’s operating needs.
Looking to Add a Catalyst to Your Thermal Oxidizer Setup?
Contact one of our thermal oxidizer engineering experts at (936) 273-3300, email us at epcon@epconlp.com, or complete our simple online contact form, to get the information you need. With over 40 years of thermal oxidizer design experience, Epcon knows how to select and engineer the perfect thermal oxidizer equipment and catalyst combination to minimize the cost of your air pollution control system.
What is an Industrial Conveyor Oven and What is It Used For?
An industrial conveyor oven is an industrial batch oven that moves the product to be processed through it on a conveyor system. Both industrial batch ovens and conveyor ovens do the same things: drying, powder coating finishing, heat treating, curing adhesives or coatings, and many other processes, however a customer might choose to get an industrial conveyor oven for some of these reasons:
High Volume Production
Demand for your product has grown so much that manufacturing your product one batch at a time is inefficient or is creating a bottleneck in the manufacturing process. It takes a lot of time to load, heat, cool and unload the product in a batch oven. An industrial conveyor oven allows the product to “flow through” the system. This often results in significant energy cost savings because of the waste involved with heating a batch oven, then allowing it to cool down and repeating the process.
Reduce Human Error and Improve Product Quality
Adding an industrial conveyor oven into an existing production line can significantly reduce and possibly even eliminate the need for an operator to be involved with the process. This may reduce operator errors and create a more consistent quality of product.
Features of Industrial Conveyor Ovens
Since there are thousands of different products requiring thousands of different heat-treatment processes, it is safe to say that most industrial conveyor ovens are unique.
The unique conveyor ovens need customized planning and design to assure that you get the results you want from your production process. Some of the customizations may include:
- Custom racks or hanging fixtures – These are highly customized in order to help keep the product in place during the heating process.
- Conveyors – There are several different ways to move your product through the industrial oven. Overhead conveyors, wire-mesh belts, and pusher dog-chain assemblies are just a few of the methods that can be incorporated to help move your product through the heating process.
- Guillotine doors – Help manage temperature within the oven.
Get the Best in Industrial Conveyor Oven Design at Epcon Industrial
At Epcon, we have over 40 years of experience in industrial oven design. Reach out to one of our industrial oven design experts today by completing our simple online Get a Quote form, call us at (936) 273-3300, or send us an email at epcon@epconlp.com.
What is the Difference Between a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer and a Recuperative Thermal Oxidizer?
The main difference between a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) and Recuperative Thermal Oxidizer is the different methods they use for heat recovery in the system. Regenerative Oxidizers pass hot exhaust gas and cooler inlet gas through one or more “heat exchanger beds” containing ceramic media. Recuperative Oxidizers pass hot exhaust through an air-to-air heat exchanger–typically through a shell and tube heat exchanger design–to heat the cooler inlet gas.
Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTOs)
Used to destroy Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as hydrocarbons, solvents and other hazardous air pollutants, Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers are the most common air pollution control equipment in use today.
Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers typically run at higher temperatures than Recuperative Thermal Oxidizers somewhere between 815 °C (1,500 F) to 980 °C (1,800 F) and have better heat recovery efficiency–up to 95%. Epcon achieves this through the use of multiple energy recovery chambers that use ceramic media to store the heat produced to be used to pre-heat other systems.
Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers work best when processing low VOC concentrations and require long, continuous operations. Some examples of where RTOs work best are for processes that require ventilation to work properly, such as paint booths, paper mills and printing facilities.
Thermal Recuperative Oxidizers
Thermal recuperative oxidizers are less commonly used than direct fired thermal oxidizers or regenerative thermal oxidizers, but are a natural evolution of the direct fired thermal oxidizer by adding primary and/or secondary heat recovery to the setup. They run cooler than RTOs, at about 760° C or 1400° F and have a much lower heat recovery efficiency, up to 80%. But they also tend to have a higher VOC destruction efficiency of 99.99% when compared to an RTO that can only produce a 99% destruction efficiency even in the best of conditions.
Adding a heat recovery system to an oxidation process can greatly reduce the amount of natural gas used within the process and result in a tremendous savings in energy costs. There are two types of heat recovery used by thermal recuperative oxidizers.
Primary heat recovery occurs when the process exhaust vent stream gets directed through a heat exchanger. This crosses the outlet of the oxidizer exhaust, before the inlet to the oxidizer. This recovers (recuperates) heat from the exhaust to pre-heat the air entering the combustion chamber, which reduces the amount of heating necessary for the process, as well as the gas needed to reach oxidation temperatures.
Secondary heat recovery occurs when you use waste heat from the oxidizer to support a secondary process such as providing heat for an industrial oven, or wash lines for multi-stage washers. This occurs when directing either fresh air or process air through a heat exchanger, which crosses the outlet of the oxidizer exhaust, and sends it to a secondary process. This recuperated heat from the exhaust is often enough to complete drying or curing operations. The energy savings alone can repay your investment in your equipment in one year’s time.
Recuperative Thermal Oxidizers work best for processes where waste liquids need to be treated, for animal feed production, coil coating, and automotive dyno testing.
Need a Thermal Oxidizer? Let Epcon Industrial Engineer the Perfect One for You!
Whether it is a regenerative or recuperative thermal oxidizer, Epcon has over 40 years of thermal oxidizer design experience and knows how to select and engineer the perfect air pollution control system for you. Give us a call at (936) 273-3300, email us at epcon@epconlp.com, or complete our simple online contact form to speak to a thermal oxidizer engineering expert today.
What is the Difference Between an Industrial Furnace and an Industrial Oven?
How the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries Use Industrial Ovens
5 Qualities to Look for in Excellent Thermal Oxidizer Manufacturers
Thermal oxidizers are complex, technical products that many companies depend on to keep their businesses running and in compliance with environmental regulations. But what qualities should you be looking for when selecting an excellent thermal oxidizer manufacturer? Here are some factors to consider:
1 – Industry Specific Knowledge
Thermal oxidizers are a mainstay in many different industries. This includes energy production, oil and natural gas production, chemical, pharmaceutical, and many types of industrial manufacturing just to name a few.
Each industry has its own set of unique challenges and guidelines and standards that need to be followed. An excellent thermal oxidizer manufacturer should have in-depth knowledge of, and practical hands-on experience working on projects within your industry.
2 – Dedicated Engineering Staff
Engineering is the most important component of a solid thermal oxidizer manufacturer. Without excellent chemical and mechanical engineers leading the development on your project, the likelihood of success is greatly reduced. The engineering staff should be involved in every part of the thermal oxidizer manufacturing process, from requirements gathering before the sales through support and service after the sale, having dedicated engineers familiar with your project is essential for its success.
3 – Maintenance and Support
Getting a thermal oxidizer constructed, installed, up and running is only a small part of the process. Once a thermal oxidizer is active, problems with the process or the hardware will be uncovered. And adjustments, such as replacing parts, re-piping or re-wiring, or modifying a process to improve heat transfer effectiveness or fuel consumption rates will be necessary to make sure that the thermal oxidizer setup is working well.
Having the ability to work on-site to test, troubleshoot and resolve problems is essential in an excellent thermal oxidizer manufacturer. The manufacturer should also be able to train your staff in the proper and safe use of the equipment as well as be available to answer any questions you might have about the installation.
4 – Experience with Different Types of Thermal Oxidizers
There are several different types of thermal oxidizers that can be employed based on a client’s specific needs. Selecting a regenerative thermal oxidizer, a recuperative thermal oxidizer or a catalytic oxidizer is an important decision and a good thermal oxidizer manufacturer should have a lot of experience with each approach to thermal oxidation.
5 – Ability to Customize Solutions
In thermal oxidizer manufacturing, there are no “out of the box” solutions. Every installation will have a unique set of challenges, requirements and environmental factors to consider. So, your thermal oxidizer manufacturer must be able to identify and address these issues quickly and translate them into requirements for your installation.
Epcon is the Excellent Thermal Oxidizer Manufacturer You Are Looking For
At Epcon Industrial Systems, we specialize designing and building “uncommon systems for uncommon applications.” Let our engineering team put together thermal oxidizer design that meets your specific needs. For more information, complete our simple Get a Quote form, call us at (936) 273-3300, or send us an email at epcon@epconlp.com.
Epcon Delivers World-Class Custom Thermal Deoilers
We have been busy lately delivering custom industrial ovens, direct fired thermal oxidizers, but we’ve recently delivered several custom thermal deoilers based on our patented method of coupling heat processing systems and air pollution control systems to deliver these results.
One of the thermal deoilers was delivered to a company providing stamping oil cleaning services for HVAC furnace and A/C coil and automotive heater core industries, is based on an Oxidizer/Oven patented-Epcon® system and features a burner-less deoiler, a cooling zone, multiple conveyors and platforms. The unit has a built-in secondary heat recovery system that uses a shell and tube heat exchanger design, to recycle the heat from the oxidizer back into the burner-less oven.
The Result: This system’s efficiency has significantly reduced cost by more than 30% when comparing the old method of aqueous cleaning to the thermal deoiling process. This deoiler also eliminated toxic waste water and reduced water consumption as well.
Another system recently delivered by the Epcon engineering team is an integral thermal deoiler design, based on one of Epcon’s patents utilizing a thermal oxidizer and thermal deoiler for the oven. This thermal deoiler is also burner-less and utilizes the secondary heat from the oxidizer. The thermal oxidizer a shell and tube heat exchanger design that reduced the fuel consumption of the oxidizer. In addition, a secondary heat recovery system, that incorporated a plate and shell heat which supplies the heat necessary to operate the burner-less oven.
The Result: This system’s efficiency has significantly reduced fuel consumption and operating cost by over 30%, as well as reduced the amount of water usage and eliminated the production of toxic waste water.
Epcon Industrial Systems also delivered a thermal deoiler to a major HVAC equipment supplier. This integrated system consisted of a processing oven to clean the residual oil present in the HVAC coils, combined with an air pollution control system thermal oxidizer to destroy the solvents evaporated during thermal cleaning process. This processing oven features a dual lane conveyor system with a precision lane adjustment mechanism, and unique air distribution nozzles arrangement to offer high and low-pressure air impingement over specific areas of the HVAC coil. The combination of a higher recirculation rate and turbulence in the Oven processing chamber allowed the end user to achieve proper cleaning of parts in 20% less time.
The unique design of the integrated oven-oxidizer system offered a highly energy efficient solution by using air pollution control equipment as a heat source to the processing oven. The recuperative-style thermal oxidizer with primary and secondary heat recovery arrangements were used to design a “burner-less” oven configuration to recover waste heat generated in the oxidizer.
The Result: This new, optimized system configuration resulted into energy savings of 5.5 MMBTU per hour, which saved the company about $125,000 per year, a much higher ROI than anticipated. Epcon’s patented method of coupling heat processing systems and air pollution control systems is a prime example of how Epcon’s thermal engineering can create significant cost savings by making the process more efficient.
Need More Information About Thermal Deoiler Systems?
Are you looking for a thermal deoiler system that will reduce your energy consumption and cost? Give us a call at (936) 273-3300, email us at epcon@epconlp.com, or complete our simple online contact form to reach out to one of our experts today.
3 Common Features of Custom Industrial Ovens
3 Common Features of Custom Industrial Ovens
The number of industrial oven designs are almost as limitless as the number of industries and individual companies that use them. But there are some common features that you see used in customized industrial oven design:
Different Fuel/Heat Sources
Depending on your location, industry, or specific operating requirements, your custom industrial oven design can support a variety of different fuel sources. This can be electric, gas or even use an alternative fuel source.
Air Flow Configuration
A critical component of a custom industrial oven is the duct work that controls the air flow through the process. Since the heat source for this process is delivered by forced air convection (most of the time), this has a significant impact on the overall industrial oven design. The air duct configuration also can help determine if the material being processed is large–a typical configuration is an air supply duct on the side (or horizontal) and a return air duct on the ceiling of the oven (or vertical). For smaller batches of material, a typical air duct pattern uses as “straight through” airflow, either going from top to bottom or from one side to the other on the unit.
Conveyors
The industrial conveyor oven is customized to allow product to move continuously through a system. This is key when stopping production to “load” the oven is just not practical and slows down the process. Conveyors are also a key component of an automated system which moves product through it in a specific sequence. Some examples of this type of use would be for composite curing, powder coat finishing and pharmaceutical applications.
Epcon Specializes in Custom Industrial Ovens
At Epcon Industrial Systems, we specialize designing and building “uncommon systems for uncommon applications.” We can create an industrial oven design that meets your specific needs. For more information, complete our simple Get a Quote form, call us at (936) 273-3300, or send us an email at epcon@epconlp.com.
5 Reasons You Might Need a Rental Thermal Oxidizer
5 Reasons You Might Need a Rental Thermal Oxidizer
Why would you ever need to rent a thermal oxidizer? You cannot run your factory if you don’t have one in place, the environmental laws forbid it, and it is a critical part of your business, so what are some of the circumstances when you might consider renting a thermal oxidizer?
1 – Emergency
If your factory is damaged as the result of a natural disaster such as a severe storm, earthquake or other catastrophe, you need to get production back online as quickly as possible, and if the repairs are extensive, you may need a temporary Thermal Oxidizer to bridge the gap until the repairs or replacement of the air pollution control equipment has been completed. This is an excellent situation for rental Thermal Oxidizer.
2 – Maintenance or Replacement of an Air Pollution Control System
If your main Thermal Oxidizer needs to be taken out of service because of routine maintenance or part replacement, that doesn’t mean that you can shut down production. Every minute that the air pollution control system is off-line generates costly downtime. Rental Thermal Oxidizers are the perfect solution to meet such a
short-term need. Contact Epcon Industrial, get trailer mounted oxidizer, complete the service or repair, and then send the oxidizer back when finished. A simple and inexpensive solution to potentially expensive production downtime.
3 – Temporary Use
For Research and Development projects, where Thermal Oxidizers are needed for a short period of time, anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. Thermal Oxidizer rental is a better solution than buying the Thermal Oxidizer for a short period of time.
4 – “Try It Before You Buy It”
Maybe you want to run a pilot test on a specific type of Thermal Oxidizer to make sure that a particular equipment package will meet your long-term production needs. A pilot program that uses rental Thermal Oxidizers can help you find the perfect air pollution control solution for your production.
5 – Remediation
Some jobs require a rental Thermal Oxidizer on site to deal with contaminated soil and water. Once the site has been successfully decontaminated the job is done and you don’t need a Thermal Oxidizer any longer. Rental Thermal Oxidizers are the perfect solution for these situations, especially a mobile, trailer-mounted oxidizer.
Looking for Rental Thermal Oxidizers?
Then be sure to check out Epcon’s full range of rental regenerative and recuperative thermal oxidizers. All of them, including trailer-mounted oxidizers are fully inspected and backed by our tech support and available for immediate delivery. For more information, just give us a call at (936) 273-3300, send us an email at epcon@epconlp.com, or complete our simple Get a Quote form to contact a rental thermal oxidizer expert today.