Case study - Printing: Flexographic
Problem
A flexographic converter needed to expand its business by adding an 8-color CI printing press to its existing press lines, and planned to add a second press later. The increase in emissions and flow from the new press was beyond the capacity of the existing 10-year old catalytic oxidizer. The customer needed a way to maintain compliance at an affordable cost.
Action
After a thorough technical evaluation, Anguil Environmental Systems was selected to provide a cost-effective turnkey solution. Anguil's 12,000 SCFM (18,925 NM3/Hr) Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) ensured regulatory compliance and provided significant capital and operating cost savings over the outdated, existing oxidizer and the replacement proposals of several other potential suppliers.
Solution
A converter's decision to expand capacity is often made more complicated by a necessary investment in air polluton control equipment. Anguil's customer-specific engineering, stressing air volume reduction and improving emissions capture, provided the customer with an affordable and flexible solution. Rather than an off-the-shelf product, Anguil designed a solution from the ground up, a solution driven by the customer's desire for a system that could manage future plant growth and maintain low operating costs.
After analyzing the customer's process, Anguil recommended a 12,000 SCFM (18,925 NM3/Hr) RTO engineered for 98% destruction efficiency. In the Anguil Twin Bed RTO, the exhaust from the printing presses is heated as it passes through stoneware beds located in an energy recovery chamber. The process air moves from the recovery chamber toward the combustion chamber, where the VOCs are then oxidized, releasing energy into the second energy recovery chamber. A flow-control valve switches the air flow direction so both energy recovery beds are fully utilized, thereby reducing any auxiliary fuel requirement. This system is designed for heat recovery of over 95% and is self-sustaining, requiring no auxiliary fuel addition even with low VOC loadings. The efficient energy recovery means the Anguil RTO has lower operating costs than other emission treatment methods.
Anguil's innovative system utilizes advanced, high-temperature structured ceramic media in the energy recovery chambers to provide higher airflow capacity than traditional saddle packing. The structured media and Anguil's unique energy recovery chamber design were essential to providing an extremely low pressure drop through the oxidation system; the low pressure drop means the system will have lower horsepower consumption and operating costs.
The Anguil RTO system design with every high heat recovery and minimal pressure drop provided significant energy savings over the competitor's RTO designs and the customer's existing catalytic oxidizer. Anguil's extensive experience in the printing industry further reduced the cost of an emission control system for the customer. In a key move, Anguil's application engineers designed process modifications that allowed over 50% of the exhaust air from the presses to be re-circulated back into the press supply fans. By recirculating the air, Anguil reduced the volume of air that needed to be treated and, therefore, was able to reduce the size and capital and operating cost of the RTO.
A major concern for printers is capturing fugitive emissions from their printing process. While many companies offer oxidizers that can destroy VOCs, few companies can match Anguil's application-specific engineering. Anguil was able to greatly improve the capture of fugitive emissions for this customer by addressing two major sources of emissions: the last color deck and the overhead tunnel dryer. Anguil improved the ink pan covers to reduce fugitive vapors coming off the ink roll and enclosed the open web lead between the last print deck and tunnel dryer to capture the fugitive vapors. Anguil designed a 100% Permanent Total Enclosure (PTE) for the printing area, to be constructed at a later date. The PTE will automatically improve the volume of controlled emissions and provide the customer with emission credits that can be applied toward the installation of a future press.
An additional concern was space restrictions: the customer needed to fit the new equipment in the narrow footprint of an unused loading dock ramp. Anguil's design expertise and inherent flexibility allowed for the valves to be located underneath the heat recovery chambers and the burner mounted on the top of the RTO. This design allowed the system to be installed within 12 inches of the building wall and to fit in the tight space constraint.
By providing single-source, custom solutions, Anguil is able to design to the unique requirements of every customer. Anguil provided on-time turnkey installation, guaranteeing customer satisfaction and reducing the printer's direct time commitment, allowing him to concentrate on operating his business. The system was installed on site and Anguil re-worked existing ducts and installed new ductwork as necessary. The customer quickly discovered that not all RTOs and oxidation systems are created equal. Anguil's customer-specific approach provided immediate capital savings and provided extremely low operating costs. This customer already knew about Anguil's manufacturing integrity: the catalytic system that had served the company so well for over ten years was designed and manufactured by Anguil.
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