Problem
It's not just about increasing production for Fredman Bag's
president, Tim Fredman Jr., it's also about being a environmentally
conscious neighbor. A converter's decision to expand their capacity
is often made more complicated by a corresponding need to invest in
air pollution control equipment. Recent expansions had Fredman Bag
making major investments in their air pollution control equipment
not only to meet EPA (Environment Protection Agency) regulations
but also keep their reputation as a good neighbor.
Action
Fredman Bag, a Milwaukee-based flexible packaging converter
purchased a new, eight-color, gearless CI-flexo press from Uteco
Converting in 2003 to adapt to their customer's growing needs,
enhancing their product offering and delivery capabilities. The
gearless-press runs at faster speeds with a higher resolution,
printing a superior-quality product and increasing production for
Fredman Bag by nearly 40%.
The VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and HAPs (Hazardous Air
Pollutants) emitted by a printing press are not only harmful to the
environment but also people who breathe them. Fredman Bag had been
using an Anguil 6,000scfm Catalytic Oxidizer as an effective means
of air pollution control before their expansion but the increase in
emissions and flow from the new press was beyond the capacity of
the existing 10-year old oxidizer. After serious consideration,
Fredman again turned to Anguil Environmental Systems, also a
Milwaukee based firm, to address their pollution control needs.
Solution
Anguil's application-specific engineering, stressing air volume
reduction, energy-efficiency and improved emissions capture
provides an affordable and flexible solution. Taking into
consideration future growth, a 12,000 SCFM Regenerative Thermal
Oxidizer (RTO) was selected to ensure regulatory compliance.
The Anguil RTO technology provides significant operating cost
savings.
The Anguil Two-Bed RTO heats exhaust
air from the printing presses as is passes through beds of ceramic
media located in an energy recovery chamber. The process air
moves from the recovery chamber toward the combustion chamber,
where the VOCs are oxidized, releasing energy into the second
energy recovery chamber. A diverter valve switches the
airflow direction so both energy recovery beds alternately store
and release energy to minimize operating costs by reducing any
auxiliary fuel requirement. This system is designed for heat
recovery of over 95% and is self-sustaining, requiring little if
any auxiliary fuel even with low VOC loadings. This
energy-efficient recovery means the Anguil RTO offers lower
operating costs over other emission treatment methods. As a
result of Fredman's decision to go with the energy-efficient Anguil
oxidizer, the company was eligible for Wisconsin Energy's, Focus on
Energy program. The incentives they received allowed them to
go ahead with the project sooner than they had initially hoped.
Lost production was another concern for Tim Fredman, Jr.
Air pollution control equipment doesn't increase a manufacturer's
bottom dollar like other capital equipment does but it can often
cost them significantly in downtime. Anguil took careful
measures to assure that there were no disruptions in Fredman's
process. By utilizing existing ductwork, preparing
accordingly and coordinating with the customer, Anguil was able to
install the complete system in under three days. The oxidizer
was delivered to Fredman Bag on a Thursday during a scheduled
maintenance shutdown, installation was complete by Saturday and
start-up was done that same day, saving the converter any lost
production.
The Anguil system can be monitored and controlled 24/7 from
remote locations for ease of trouble shooting and adjustments,
eliminating unnecessary service calls. It has a high
volumetric turndown capacity to minimize operating costs during
process idle, downtime or on weekends. The Anguil oxidizer
has been operating, maintenance free at 99% destruction rate
efficiency since start-up. A trouble free air pollution
control system allows Tim Fredman Jr. to concentrate on production
and sales, knowing his company is in compliance with the
Environmental Protection Agency.