June 3rd, 2013

Air Handling Efficiency Ratings that Really Matter

Mechanical Draft FanIncreasingly, RFPs for air handling systems stress the need for efficiency. We’ve seen and responded to quite a lot of these requests, developing a host of strategies for addressing efficiency concerns for existing systems, as well as designing all-new, bleeding-edge draft systems that raise the bar.

In reviewing all of these RFPs, we’ve found that there aren’t any clear or common criteria for defining mechanical draft fan efficiency. That’s why the chief engineer in our air handling division, Moni Talukder, set out to evaluate all the different terms people use, determining which efficiency ratings really matter when evaluating air handling systems.

Read his article in Plant Engineering to find out the specifics. Or call us at 1-888-663-2028 and we’ll be happy to discuss the particular needs of your air handling system.

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September 26th, 2012

Optimize Your Draft System

In one plant, design flaws in its baghouse fans were causing them to run at only 15.6-percent fan efficiency, costing the facility over $500,000 in unnecessary operating costs annually. Retrofitting the baghouse ID fans with optimized specs paid off with an eight-month return on investment. Air Handling

Advice to optimize draft systems isn’t just a lot of hot air; real potential savings could be going up in smoke, and causing emissions problems in the bargain. There are six primary areas of draft systems to evaluate, and six smart tips for optimizing them.

Redesign Ducting

Inadequately designed ducting can be a significant source of loss in a fuel burning system. Improvements can include installing turning vanes, maximizing length for diverging and converging flows, redesigning compound elbows, and removing obstructions in the flow path.

Improve Inlet and Outlet Conditions

Fan inlets and outlets are in a subset of ducting, but are crucial to consider for draft system optimization. Site limitations make duplicating laboratory conditions in which the fan was rated impossible, but careful design can reduce velocity distortion and “fan effects,” improving flow. Points of importance:

• Ductwork turns should be in direction of fan rotation

• Use turning vanes to make velocity profile as uniform as possible

• Long, straight duct sections on inlet and outlet

• Three equivalent duct diameters in length or more at fan discharge

“Right-Size” Fan Equipment

Oversized fans often require considerable inlet dampening, which is inefficient.  If volumetric flow rate is overstated, the fan will be too wide, creating opportunity for unstable operation.  If pressure is overstated, the fan will require excessive dampening.  Design for too little flow rate or pressure will leave the fan short and unable to provide peak draft requirements. Often, fans can be tipped or de-tipped to enhance performance, altering the effective diameter of the impeller without changing its effective width.

Verify Proper Fan Installation

Fans must be installed and calibrated according to manufacturer’s instructions. One critical area is where the inlet cone mates to the eye of the rotating assembly.  Setting the cone too far away may cause a gap and excessive re-circulation. Inserting the cone too far into the eye may cause flow separation at the inlet and a reduction in volumetric flow rate.

Use the Right Fan Control: Dampers or Variable Speed Operation

Most system fans for base-loaded applications, with little to no swing in performance requirements, are controlled by dampers on the inlet box, or by radial vane dampers in the inlet cone. On some such systems, radial dampers can reduce horsepower consumption by as much as 3 percent over the inlet box type. Where there are wide variations in process and fan operations, variable speed control may be a better option. An inverter duty electric motor with an adjustable frequency drive can provide 10-to-1 turndowns for a reasonable initial investment.

Upgrade Blades

Changing blade design can give immediate payback in capacity or efficiency. Typical blade designs include radial, radial tip, forward curved, flat backward inclined, backward curved, and airfoil. Radial blades are the least efficient. Airfoil blades are the most efficient, with approximately 15-percent difference in the amount of power required to do the same amount of work.

There are potentially large operational savings with a rapid rate of return if you know where to look in a draft system. Even small investments can pay huge returns, while also reducing your carbon footprint. ProcessBarron has over 20 years of experience in the field of fuel systems, and can handle every stage of optimizing draft systems, from design and engineering to installation, maintenance and repair. Visit our Air Handling page on the web at http://www.processbarron.com/air-handling-systems.

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September 19th, 2012

Shutdown Prep: Are You Missing the Boat on Preventive Maintenance?

Scheduled maintenance outages are critical windows of opportunity for any power generation plant to upgrade or retrofit sections of a system to meet today’s standards and regulations for efficiency and emissions. Fundamental assessments of and adjustments to fuel delivery and draft systems can pay big dividends, without the huge capital replacement costs of upgrading to a new boiler system.

Fuel Delivery and Overfire Air Systems

A common cause of emissions issues is inconsistent fuel flow. With stoker coal-fired boilers, this will show up as uneven mounds on the boiler grate. It results in excessive levels of unburned carbon (UBC) being blown by the combustion air into the exhaust gas draft system, raising NOx and CO2 levels, and increasing particulate matter and greenhouse gases.

One upgrade that often can be carried out during a maintenance outage is installation of proper fuel-feed equipment to deliver a consistent fuel flow. Another is a properly sized overfire air system, which recaptures and burns much of the UBC before it can reach the fly ash, releasing additional BTUs and while minimizing particulate carryover. Using computational fluid dynamic modeling can help pinpoint airflow and combustion problems for determining the exactly amount and location of overfire air system needed to maximize the effect on combustion.

One facility, the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, realized reductions in NOx emissions of 30 to 44 percent, depending on production levels, from a retrofit for an overfire air system and an enhanced burner mixer, the combination designed by using computational fluid dynamics modeling,.

Fans and Draft Systems

Many plants today have draft systems that are 30-50 years old, and retrofitting components such as ineffective impeller blade designs with more modern and efficient blades can result in major reductions in carbon emissions and fan horsepower demands. 

One utility plant had an oversized primary fan, creating problems with vibration and flow control. Installing an optimized primary fan along with new dampers helped bring carbon emissions down by 2,443 metric tons per year, generated $48,500 in energy savings, and allowed the plant to sell megawatts back to the grid, reaping another $161,700 annually.

Make the most of your scheduled down time. ProcessBarron has over 20 years of experience in the field of fuel systems, and can handle every stage of retrofits and upgrades, from design and engineering—including computational fluid dynamic modeling—to installation, maintenance and repair. Visit our Preventive Maintenance page on the web at http://www.processbarron.com/field-technical-services/preventative-maintenance.

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September 10th, 2012

Fuel Handling in the Power Industry: Considerations for Handling Diverse Fuel Sources

In its World Energy Outlook 2011 Executive Summary, the International Energy Agency projected that supplies of biofuels for energy would triple by 2035, reaching an equivalent of 4 million barrels of oil per day, fueled by subsidies of up to $1.4 trillion.

As the world explores every possibility for answering ever-increasing demands for energy, there’s a growing trend in the U.S. power industry toward converting traditional coal plants to biomass plants, or to plants that can handle a combination of biofuels and solid fuels. Every conversion, large or small, affects the entire power-generation chain, from fuel feed to air flow to ash handling.

While conversions can pay big dividends in the long view, both financially and environmentally, the process is costly, and there are many potential pitfalls waiting to trip up firms that have little or no experience in the unique technologies of biomass firing. Systems designed for co-firing biomass and solid fuels present special problems in engineering feed systems that keep a steady and consistent flow to the boiler, maintain power output, and meet emissions standards.

Direct co-firing often involves the use of biomass in pellet form, to match coal’s burn specs, and it takes well-grounded experience to design an efficient system that can handle factors such as premixing the biomass and fossil fuel.

Indirect co-firing conversions are more involved and require a greater investment, with separate systems for coal and biomass, but can give greater results over the long term with the best of both worlds.

Biofuels for indirect co-firing can consist of a variety of forms, from sawdust and chips to bark, putting demands on a feed system that simply aren’t present with coal. A fuel-feed system for biomass also should be custom planned for the size and needs of the facility, utilizing components such as underpile drag chain reclaimers, screw reclaimers, or radial stacker reclaimers, according to the fuel demands and available budgets for adaptation—including necessary redundancy or back-up for fail-safe operation.

Whether for direct or indirect co-firing, fuel feeds and boilers alike must be optimized to take the higher volume associated with biomass, as well as erosion and corrosion not common with coal, caused by foreign particles and impurities such as dirt and sand.

Given the scope and necessary capital investment for any biomass conversion, there is one quality that should be sought, above all others, in choosing a company to carry out the project: experience. Process Barron has over 20 years of experience in the field of biomass fuel systems, and can handle every stage of biomass adaptation, from design and engineering to installation, maintenance and repair. Visit our Biomass Solutions page on the web at http://www.processbarron.com/biomass.

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December 2nd, 2011

Equipment Spotlight: Material Handling Conveyors

Understanding the differences between material handling conveyor systems can help you avoid system failures and unnecessary design complexities that can reduce reliability and increase cost.

 

Drag Chain Conveyors

Generally used in dust-tight environments, drag chain conveyors are ideal for handling hot, abrasive and/or corrosive material, and when a shift in elevation is required. There are two common types of drag chain conveyors – single chain strand and multiple chain strand.  Dual strand drag conveyors are effective for handling both solid particles and large particles in a bottom ash removal system.  However, they can present design challenges in the form of uneven drag chain elongation – an issue that can present maintenance and operational challenges.

 

Key features of a drag chain conveyors:

  • Designed for vertically pulling materials such as coal, wood, TDF, lime and other materials while maintaining particle integrity.
  • Engineered with multiple inlets and discharge points for maximum efficiency.

 

Screw Conveyors

Also known as an auger conveyor, the screw conveyor utilizes a flighting (a rotating helical screw blade, usually within a tube) to transfer liquid or granular materials. Ideal for handling a wide variety of materials from biomass to sludge-like substances, screw conveyors typically feature enclosed housing to prevent leakage and compact designs that allows for relatively easy installation.

Key features of a screw conveyor:

  • Can be a very economical method of conveying when space allows.
  • Can be operated with the flow of material inclined upward.

 

Belt Conveyor

Widely known for being the most economical method for conveying solid materials over long distances, a belt conveyor can be constructed to work independently or in tandem with other conveyors as part of a more complex fuel handling system.  Belt conveyors are flexible enough to handle varying elevations and can operate over short or long distances. This type of conveyor is ideal for handling dry materials, as debris from damp or sticky material can stick or clump to system components.

 

Key features of a belt conveyor:

  • Transport a large variety of materials size, composition and capacity.
  • Flexibility for loading and discharging of materials.
  • Improved reliability due to fewer moving parts.

 

Regardless of the specifics of your setup, reliable conveyor solutions must be fabricated with highly-specialized alloys and coatings to withstand a wide array of environmental factors. ProcessBarron designs, fabricates and installs material handling conveyors that reduce maintenance requirements and maximize efficiency – including redesigning or retrofitting existing systems.

 

Contact ProcessBarron to learn more about how our custom fabricated material handling conveyors can improve efficiency and maximize your material handling operations.

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October 19th, 2011

Simple Solutions for Ash Handling Systems

Cliff Moss, VP for Materials Handling at ProcessBarron, detailed challenges and simple solutions for ash handling systems in the September issue of Biomass Products and Technology.  His article “Biomass Ash Handling: Simplifying the Challenges” details common pitfalls and simple solutions that can improve reliability, reduce downtime and minimize maintenance costs.  Article excerpt:

 

Bottom Ash and Fly Ash Systems

Some mills have ash systems that collect bottom ash material with their fly ash collection system. Adding the bottom ash to the fly ash collection often requires a cumbersome system to take the bottom ash to the back side of the boiler where the fly ash system is located.  Adding these systems together as one system has proven to be very unreliable and difficult to maintain. The ash particle characteristics and properties of bottom ash and fly ash are very different and therefore have different conveying principles. Trying to incorporate both in one conveyor design creates too much cost, complexity, and tradeoffs in design reliability.

 

The problem these mills encounter with their ash system is that the bottom and siftings hopper material (ash, rocks, sand, clinker, and wood) does not work well in a fly ash system arrangement. When this material is mixed with the fly ash it requires the conveyors downstream to have a more complicated design such as dual strand drag chain conveyorverses single strand drag chain conveyor arrangement.  It also causes difficulties in the ash silo and conditioning system designs due to the solid bottom ash particles entrained with the fly ash particles.

 

The best way to avoid these problems is to treat the bottom and sifting hopper material as bottom ash, and handle it separately from the fly ash. Keeping these systems separate allows for a system that will operate very predictably and reliably for each of these two very different types of material/ash. Additionally, this will require the least amount of conveyors and minimize the total length of the required conveyors…

 

For more insight, download the full article in the ProcessBarron Knowledge Base.

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September 8th, 2011

Five Important Reasons Preventative Maintenance Makes Perfect Sense

Preventative Maintenance. Those two words alone imply the benefit of this practice, but many in the industrial industry abide by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule. Below are five important reasons that Preventative Maintenance makes sense.

  1. Plant Safety

    In order to avoid injuries to your equipment operators, it is important that the equipment used is maintained at the highest standards. Regularly scheduled preventative maintenance can confirm that the machine is working properly and avoid emergency situations and outages, which, in terms of safety concerns, may be too late.

  2. Efficiency

    Preventative maintenance assures the efficiency and speed of your equipment. Over time normal wear and tear can result in diminishing efficiency. By planning for scheduled maintenance, the energy and life of your equipment is conserved. Additionally, any kind of maintenance causes less strain if it has gone through regular maintenance programs.

  3. Immediate Savings

    For many reasons, money can be saved when conducting preventative vs. emergency maintenance. One, preventative maintenance costs less to facilitate than a large repair or replacement. Additionally, knowing when a scheduled shutdown will occur allows you to staff accordingly.

  4. Long-term Savings

    During an emergency shutdown situation, the immediacy required can cause both parts and labor to be priced at a premium, if they are available at all. Preventative maintenance also allows your equipment to run at higher capacities for longer, allowing you to get the most from your investments.

  5. Time Savings

    Preventative maintenance procedures, for the most part, take less time to complete than emergency repairs and replacements. Also, because you can plan for equipment outages during maintenance, you can avoid an outage when you need the machine the most.

For more information on scheduling a routine system of preventative maintenance, contact ProcessBarron.

 

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July 15th, 2011

Three Ways to Streamline Your Shutdown

Scheduled shutdowns can often become a plant’s most expensive project. From the expense of equipment maintenance to the loss of production, downtime can significantly magnify financial strain. However, there are ways you can mitigate the costs of routine maintenance. Here are three tips:

 

1. Plan in Advance Shutdown pre-planning increases your efficiency and productivity. An important component in advance planning is communication. Ensure that everyone involved in the scheduled shutdown is aware of their role and ask for their feedback on each component of the shutdown process. Your shutdown plan should include:

  • Contingency plans for uncertainties
  • Timeline and anticipated outcome for each phase of the project
  • Identification of project roles, shift schedule, and project milestones
  • List of necessary equipment
  • Post-shutdown plan

2. Prioritize Your Activities Take stock of what maintenance activities will be conducted during your shutdown. Prioritize projects that will take longer than others or are pre-requisites for other phases. Strategic thinking can significantly reduce the risk of mid-project scope changes.

3. Outsource When Needed Sometimes outsourcing experienced professionals is the best solution to minimize downtime. Companies that are experts in shutdown management and plant maintenance can exponentially increase your productivity and reduce the impact of production loss.

 

By planning and prioritizing in advance, your shutdown season can be more productive and result in higher longevity for your plant’s equipment. Outsourcing shutdown management to an experienced company like ProcessBarron can lead to greater efficiency for the entire process. Contact us for a consultation on preventive maintenance and shutdown field services.

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June 3rd, 2011

Three Characteristics of a True Turnkey Service Provider

As the industry trends more toward the utilization of turnkey services, it seems that a lot of companies have begun to hang out their own Turnkey Solutions shingles. How can you tell if you are working with a true turnkey service provider? Here are three things to look for.

 

Process

When evaluating a turnkey provider, consider the process the company uses. Is it comprehensive? At ProcessBarron, we begin with a thorough evaluation and carry it through to execution. We go beyond treating symptoms and work to identify the source of the problem. This detailed evaluation guides us through the engineering, installation and execution phases, providing you with a holistic cure, instead of a band aid solution.

Staffing

Using a turnkey provider should eradicate the need for subcontractors. When you work with a true full-service provider, your life should get easier – your project more manageable. Your turnkey provider should provide and manage all personnel needed to complete a project. This means that you are dealing with one vendor, rather than a different contact for each part of the job.

Resources

A true turnkey provider’s services should also include all the resources necessary to execute a project. ProcessBarron possesses a complete in-house fabrication shop. From engineers to draftsmen to crews on-call, we can handle every nuance of your project at every turn.

 

At ProcessBarron, we take our claim to be a turnkey service provider to heart. It isn’t an industry catch phrase, but our continual commitment to our customers. Contact us today to see why we are the industry’s total systems solutions provider.

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April 30th, 2011

Equipment Spotlight: Double Dump Valve

Valves are the gatekeepers of the ash handling system. Even the slightest inefficiencies can greatly impact productivity, so it is important to understand the aspects of different valves options.  With Double-Dump Valves, you can expect:

  • Less Deterioration. While rotary valves are a good option for many applications, they also experience constant attrition between the blades and housing.  The double-dump valve design reduces, if not eliminates, this erosion.  Double-dump valves are highly abrasion, heat and corrosion resistant — making them able to handle more abrasive materials in more extreme conditions, with less deterioration. This lack of friction also contributes to a reduction in air or gas leakage, and product longevity.
  • Less Leakage. It is well-known that rotary valves will leak when a system is in operation. In certain situations, this leakage can have great adverse effects on the product flow and system performance. This is not the case with double dump valves. Because of a double dump valve’s dual chamber design, back flow of air or gas is prevented, while material flow is maximized. Thus, leakage is reduced, if not eliminated altogether.
  • Less Downtime. Productivity is a key performance indicator for any plant.  The more you can decrease downtime, the better.  Since removal of the valve is not necessary for cleaning, repair and maintenance tasks, the construction of ProcessBarron’s double-dump valve makes routine maintenance easier and faster.

At ProcessBarron, we engineer Double-Dump Valves to keep ash handling systems operating at maximum efficiency.  Contact ProcessBarron today for an ash handling system evaluation.

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