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capital and operating cost savings over the outdated, existing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.