How One Petrochemical Plant Eliminated Costly Maintenance with Reliable Wastewater Preheating
Problem: Heat exchanger failed every 2-3 months due to solvent damage
Solution: Replaced with a Hydro-Thermal K614 Hydroheater®
Results: Two years of flawless operation, saving $30K-$35K
PROBLEM
A petrochemical plant in Illinois needed to preheat a wastewater stream before it reached their main clarifiers. This stream contained organic solvents that rapidly degraded heat exchangers, leading to frequent maintenance and requiring costly steam to water bundles to be replaced every 2-3 months. The plant sought a more reliable heating solution with lower maintenance demands.
The plant had previously made some upgrades in the wastewater treatment part of their facility and installed a K613 Hydroheater®. They had success with the Hydroheater and decided to return to Hydro-Thermal for a solution to the new issue, since unlike the previous system, this one operated under higher pressure and needed to heat the water close to its boiling point at the outlet.
SOLUTION
The plant replaced its heat exchanger with the larger K614 Hydroheater®. This solution provided the necessary heating capacity to reliably increase the temperature of 270 GPM (1,022 L/min) of wastewater by 60°F (33°C), even during the cold winter.
The system is a pumpless recirculation application, meaning the flow is driven solely by the steam entering the heater. To achieve the required steam delivery of 10,000 lbs/h (4,536 kg/h) of 260 psig (17.9 bar) steam superheated to 440°F (227°C) and a 50°F (28°C) maximum temperature rise, the appropriate solution was the larger K614 Hydroheater, which can handle flows of approximately 680 GPM (2,574 L/min). The side stream being heated is a 6” (152 mm) line, with an inlet temperature of 90°C (194°F) and a maximum discharge temperature of 107°C (225°F).
Following up with the customer regularly since installation, the heater has operated without downtime or maintenance, exceeding expectations.
RESULTS
The new K614 Hydroheater has run flawlessly for almost 2 years with zero downtime or maintenance issues. This reliability has led to an estimated cost savings of $30,000-$35,000 by eliminating frequent maintenance and replacement parts.
This successful implementation has provided the petrochemical plant with a durable and efficient heating solution, eliminating recurring maintenance challenges from their previous heat exchanger and opening opportunities for further process improvements.
A contract specialty chemical manufacturer required a heater that would precisely control the temperature of the jacket water for a 2000 gallon glass-lined reactor. This particular vessel is used to produce a variety of products the company manufactures. For this reason, the tempered water loop is required to provide complete control flexibility while maintaining precise temperature limits. Due to a previous circumstance, the company was very sensitive to eliminating the potential for thermal shock to the glass lining.
Fluid: Water
Circulation Rate: 125 GPM [28 m³/hr]
Initial Batch Temperature: 50-80°F [10-27°C]
Max. Batch Temperature: to 190°F [88°C]
Jacket Water Temperature: to 310°F [154°C]
Temperature Rise per Pass: 0-30°
Steam Supply Pressure: 100 PSIG [6.9 barg] at 338°F [170°C]
SOLUTION
The internal modulation of steam of the K410AD Hydroheater® provides precise control of temperature and complete range ability while eliminating steam hammer and instability. It operates smoothly over a wide range of heating requirements encountered with batch reactors and is installed as the final control element in the tempered water loop, instantly responding to temperature needs for heating or cooling. The precise control the Hydroheater affords over jacket temperature eliminates the potential for damage to the glass lining from thermal shock. Maintaining a liquid phase in the vessel jacket throughout the entire batch cycle ensures a quick response to batch requirements as well as simplifies the design, installation and tuning of the system.
The tempered water loop was installed with a Hydroheater in accordance with Hydro-Thermal’s recommendations. Precise control of batch temperature within 1°F has been accomplished without the problems of overshoot. Exothermic reactions are precisely controlled and damage to temperature sensitive batches has been eliminated.
If you are looking for a new precise method to provide precision jacketed reactor heating, fill out our Hydroheater quote form today.
GOAL
• Meet temperature rise requirements • Complete control flexibility • Eliminate potential of thermal shock to glass lining
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Installed K410AD Hydroheater • Precise temperature control • Eliminated hammer and instability • Eliminated chance of damage to glass lining
This plant is located in the southern USA where it is warm for the majority of the year. During the short winter, heaters are needed to heat water and maintain a constant temperature in three outdoor holding tanks. Two of the holding tanks contain acrylic acids and the other contains acrylamide acid. If these chemicals are not kept at a constant temperature they can freeze and the thawing process could be hazardous or ruin the product. In order to ensure the safety of their employees and maintain a quality product, the M108 Hydroheaters offered the company a dependable heater it sought to keep a constant temperature. Since 1993, the company has been using three Hydroheaters (one for each holding tank), after several years of worry-free operation, the heaters needed maintenance due to wear and they reached back out to Hydro-Thermal to see what their options were.
Fluid: Water
Flow Rates: 50 GPM [11 m³/hr]
Initial Temperature: 33°F [1°C]
Outlet Temperature: 75°F [24°C]
Steam Pressure: 324 PSIG [22 barg]
SOLUTION
The company decided to purchase three M108 Hydroheaters instead of rebuilding their old units. The application was critical so the company decided it was better to replace the heaters instead of risking their employee’s safety and ruining the product. The chemical company is happy with the precise temperature control and minimal maintenance, which is why they decided to repurchase heaters from Hydro-Thermal. The chemical company is also now aware that yearly maintenance is recommended on all heaters so that they continue working effectively and efficiently. The install went smoothly and the company is anticipating the winter months when they get to turn on the new heaters.
Looking for Chemical Holding Tank Heating Systems?
Get in touch with us today to help you keep potentially dangerous chemical tanks at a precise temperature with our direct steam injection jet cookers. Contact us or fill out a jet cooker quote form to begin the process for a safer chemical tank heating solution.
GOAL
• Maintain constant temperature in outdoor climate • Maintain product quality
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Installed (3) M108 Hydroheaters • Precise temperature control • New installs eliminated safety risk to employees • Maintained product quality • Minimal maintenance
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A large pet food processor with headquarters in St. Louis, MO, USA, needed to replace a legacy sparge system used to cook meat slurry for its high level brand dog food. The old sparger cooking system did not hit proper temperature and, at times, could not hold the temperature for the needed time. This was a major issue as reaching proper temperature is important for a consistent and uniform cook. It was also plagued with burn on and plugging of the system, requiring constant shutdown to fix the problem.
Flow Rate: 100 GPM [23 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 32°F [0°C]
Discharge Temperature: 187°F [86°C]
Steam Supply Pressure: 60 PSIG [4.1 barg]
SOLUTION
Preceding 1995, this company purchased its first direct steam injection Hydroheaters for flavoring applications. Because they were pleased with the temperature control and low maintenance of the other units in the plant, they chose dual A210 Sanitary Hydroheater® systems for this mission critical meat slurry cooking application.
The dual Sanitary Hydroheater systems provided significant improvements for the plant by:
• Passing meat slurry through to be thawed, mixed and then uniformly cooked to a tight temperature control of ±1°F • Constant up-time due to reliability and temperature control • Meat slurry consistency is maintained and no plugging occurs
GOAL
• Hit and hold proper temperature • Achieve a consistent and uniform cook • Eliminate burn-on and plugging
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Achieved uniform cook • Tight temperature control • No plugging or burn-on • Low maintenance
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
Tests have shown that when the shower water is about 122°F [50°C] the detergents and microbicides dispersants are most effective. This is true whether the washing system is continuous, intermittent or whether felts are washed during shutdown periods. It’s essential that felts be kept as clean as possible to not only prolong their life, but more importantly, to maintain paper machine production speeds and minimize downtime.
Engineered for Maximum Efficiency
There are no frills in this felt washing water heating system. It was designed to give dependable service, quicker response and assure delivery of heated water at the temperature desired. Felt cleaning schedules never need to be worked around any warm-up periods or shutdown delays. Heating starts instantly and stops instantly. At the same time, it is completely safe because raw steam never contacts the felt. Water must be flowing through the flow switch before the steam supply is turned ‘on.’ The steam supply valve is closed immediately should therebe an interruption in water flow.
Low Cost
An automatic Hydroheater is the heart of the system. It quietly heats the water while it modulates the steam flow. High velocity steam produces the turbulence for instantaneous heating and prevents scaling of internal surfaces. The two-response temperature controller senses the heated water temperature just downstream of the automatic Hydroheater and provides the output pressure for precise control. The other two items in this system, one flow switch and one solenoid operated steam valve, work together to prevent any steam from coming in contact with the felt. As soon as water flows through the flow switch, its circuit is closed, energizing the steam solenoid. Only then does steam flow to the automatic Hydroheater.
Dependable System has Wide Acceptance
Many paper mills are using this low cost controlled felt washing water heater system with automatic Hydroheaters. Some of them have been in operation for 10 or 15 years without any major maintenance or parts replacement. When this system is used, felt washing water heating problems will be solved.
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
An upper Midwest, USA, specialty paper mill, that has been in business for over 125 years, needed to heat whitewater and fresh water tanks for paper machines that make multiple grade changes each day. They needed to heat a 25,000 gallon [95,000 Liters] fresh water tank from 40°F [4°C] to 130°F [55°C] for use as whitewater make-up at grade change. The time to temperature it took for the water to reach temperature often exceeded 2 hours. The in-tank sparging system was very slow to heat the tank and running the paper machine cold at startup. This often caused an outage of spec paper and lost production. It also required extensive maintenance.
1 – Heat fresh water during tank fill
Fluid: Fresh Water (mill water)
Flow Rate: 900 GPM [204 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 40-60°F [4-16°C]
ΔT: 22°F [-6°C]
2 – Recirculate side stream until 25,000 gallon tank reaches target temperature. Tank must reach temperature in 2 hours
Several options were presented to this mill. The solution they chose was a Solaris® S206 in-line heater for fresh water or tank recirculation. The Solaris, with its straight-through design is appropriate for several types of applications, and it fit well here because of the easy in-line installation with the existing fresh water line and high-turndown capability.
The tank currently fills 20°F [-7°C] hotter than the old sparge system and total time to temperature of 135°F [57°C] is less than 2 hours. The improved paper machine start-up time on grade changes has resulted in reduced broke generation and less time to change over grades.
GOAL
• Precise temperature control • Instantaneous hot water on demand for grade changes • Eliminate lost production • Eliminate extensive maintenance
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Precise temperature control • 20% hotter water on startup • Increased production • Eliminated extensive maintenance
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
A large Midwest, USA, pet food processor needed to replace their large shell and tube heat exchanger that supplied hot water to a tank and then out to a large recirculation system. Scaling was a major issue on the heat exchanger as well as high energy usage. The plant also needed to make sure it had enough hot water at the right temperature for peak usage hours.
A 4-inch EZ Heater® three-way valve was installed which now supplies hot water on demand for their processing floor. This system supplies hot water instantaneously for hose stations, spray bars, spray balls in tanks and general wash-down needs. The EZ Heater never clogs or fouls and only requires a once-a-year maintenance schedule. The company now saves energy and maintenance time. Their uptime has greatly increased and, as a result, so has their production.
GOAL
• Eliminate scaling • Reduce energy usage • Precise hot water on demand at peak usage hours
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Instantaneous hot water on demand • No clogging or fouling • Low maintenance • Increased uptime and production
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
A pet food processor division of a conglomerate manufacturer featuring 50 leadership brands wanted to improve their process at the spray bar of the extruder and needed to maintain the proper viscosity of the meat slurry. Another main objective was to implement sustainability initiatives per their corporate plan.
At this location, an inefficient sparging system was in use that had trouble holding the proper water temperature. In addition, this system took up a lot of space and wasted energy. This company also needed better temperature control at the extruder for a more consistent product viscosity.
A 1.0” EZ Heater® Skid System was installed to produce 195°F water at the spray bars of the extruder. The EZ Heater holds water temperature to within ±1°F assuring consistent and proper product quality.
The viscosity of the meat slurry in the extruder produces proper kibbles with moisture levels within process parameters and the EZ Heater saves space. The sparge system took up 4 times as much floor space as the EZ Skid™ and needed more clearance for maintenance work.
The company is pleased with the results as they positively affect their sustainability efforts. The energy required at the boiler for steam is 7% less than with the old system and the company is saving over $10,000/yr in energy costs. Also, maintenance at the sparge tank is no longer an issue and the peripheral equipment needs less attention because it is no longer damaged due to steam vibration.
GOAL
• Maintain proper viscosity of meat slurry • Implement sustainability initiatives • Accurate temperature control • Reduce footprint • Decrease energy costs
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Improved product quality with consistent, uniform cook • Precise temperature control • Saving over $10,000/yr in energy costs • Successfully implemented sustainability initiatives • Reduced maintenance
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
A power plant was looking to improve their lime slaking process for flue gas desulphurization and cleaning. They needed to: instantly meet and maintain precise temperature control for proper mixing of slurry, increase production with reduced cycle times, and reduce energy costs.
Flow Rate: 80-110 GPM [22-30 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 33-75°F [1-24°C]
Discharge Temperature: 80-95°F [27-35°C]
Target Mix Temperature: 60°F [16°C]
Water Inlet Pressure: 135 PSIG [9.3 barg]
SOLUTION
Hydro-Thermal’s EZ Heater model H2020 EHS System was installed in this facility for the slaker water heating process.
Installation of the unit has proven the inherent advantages of its design with:
• Better product quality with precise temperature control • Instantaneous hot water on demand with adjustable flow rates • Increased production time due to faster product heating • 28% time and energy savings compared to previous heating technologies
GOAL
• Precise temperature control • Reduce cycle times • Reduce energy costs
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Precise temperature control • Hot water on demand • Increased production • 28% more time and energy savings
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
A container board manufacturer and paper mill needed a heater to precisely control the temperature of the Kraft stock prior to bleaching to maximize chemical efficiency and minimize bleaching costs. Hydro- Thermal® was contacted to design a Hydroheater® to replace a current direct contact steam heating system, an adaptation of a static mixer. Stress cracking in the mixer was caused due to inadequate condensing capabilities, rough operation and vibration. Steam hammering on startup was severe enough to compromise the mixer and associated piping supports.
Hydro-Thermal engineers determined that in order to meet the stock flow requirements, a larger Hydroheater would be requiredthan had been previously designed. With winter fast approaching, and with it the complications caused by lower temperatures, Hydro-Thermal was faced with designing and manufacturing a custom Hydroheater in only four months. The decision was made to fabricate the new Hydroheater rather than use stainless castings. Delivery and installation were accomplished three weeks ahead of schedule. The Kraft stock temperature is precisely controlled within 1°F [.5°C]. All hammering and vibration problems have been eliminated completely, and after six months of operation, no downtime has
A major pulp and paper company needed to unload rail cars filled with sodium chlorate using tempered water to dissolve the NaClO3 and create the proper solution strength. They use an elemental chlorine-free process for bleaching in their pulp mills. Traditional ECF replaces elemental chlorine with chlorine dioxide in the bleaching process.
10-20% of the product can remain undissolved in railcars and then returned to the chemical manufacturer if the water is not at the proper temperature. This company wanted to improve their railcar unloading process by eliminating loss of product due to inconsistent temperature control. They also had to maintain safety restrictions derived from the highly corrosive and hazardous material.
Flow Rate: Up to 1200 GPM [273 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 30°F [-1°C]
Discharge Temperature: 190°F [88°C]
Steam Supply Pressure: 60 PSIG [4 barg]
SOLUTION
The solution was to use a K414AS series Hydroheater® with a 316 body, 2205 duplex head (high nickel alloy) and a titanium stem plug. It now dissolves the NaClO3 with precise and consistent 190°F hot water. The Hydroheater replaced competitive direct steam injection heaters that cost significantly more to maintain due to the entire unit being unnecessarily cast in titanium.
A railcar carries $50,000-$60,000 of NaClO3. This pulp mill goes through 1 railcar/day and they have been saving an estimated 10% of $50,000 ($5,000) a day, or $30,000 a week. With the cost of the K414AS, they averaged a two-week Return on Investment (ROI).
Improve Your ROI During Sodium Chlorate Car Unloading
Hydro-Thermal’s direct steam injection products can help you get a larger ROI. Our Jetcookers can help achieve precise temp controls & eliminate your sodium chlorate loss. Request a quote to improve your railcar unloading ROI today.
GOAL
• Precise temperature control • Eliminate product loss • Improve workplace safety
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Precise temperature control • Reduced maintenance time and costs • Eliminated product loss • Improved safety • Two week ROI
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
A bleached paper and board mill in North Carolina, USA, needed to provide consistent green liquor temperature to two causticizing lines in the recovery process. The mill operates two causticizing and lime kiln lines and heats green liquor to each line. Precise temperature control of the green liquor to the slaker is crucial to a smooth operation.
HEATER 1
Fluid: Green Liquor
Flow Rates: 600-1000 GPM [136-227 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 165°F [74°C]
Discharge Temperature: 180-185°F [82-85°C]
Steam Supply Pressure: 150 PSIG [10.3 barg]
HEATER2
Fluid: Green Liquor
Flow Rates: 1200-2400 GPM [273-545 m³/hr]
Inlet Temperature: 160°F [71°C]
Discharge Temperature: 185°F [85°C]
Steam Supply Pressure: 150 PSIG [10.3 barg]
SOLUTION
Hydro-Thermal has supplied a K414AN and K415AN Hydroheaters for the two differing production rates of the causticizing lines. The first orders were 23 years ago and have been operating a Hydroheater for green liquor since. The mill is pleased with the consistent performance of the heaters and has developed a preventative maintenance plan to rebuild the heaters annually to ensure uninterrupted operation – per the mill “we probably over do it (with preventative maintenance) but it’s a critical operation so we can’t take a chance”. The mill purchased an upgraded model in the K515AN in 2009 to replace the K415AN and is continuing with the same performance.
GOAL
• Precise temperature control • Smooth operation
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Precise temperature control • Uninterrupted operation • Eliminated downtime due to maintenance
“We probably over do it (with preventative maintenance) but it’s a critical operation so we can’t take a chance.”– Mill Maintenance Mgr.
Are you wondering what applications are ideal for direct steam injection? Visit our industries page to learn more about industries and applications.
