Let's continue the discussion about using oxidizers in real life applications to see working examples of how monitoring them helps you stay safe, save energy & cut costs.

An international supplier of pre-painted metal was installing a new regenerative thermal oxidizer on their coil coating line, but the RTO manufacturer would not allow the oxidizer to be started up without solvent vapor analyzers being online and working properly. They had old LFL analyzers but they had been offline for a number of years & the delivery time for some of the spare parts would take weeks or even months. These long delivery times would hinder the speed of the RTO commissioning and their production schedule.

  • For immediate action we suggested that they purchase new PrevEx Flammability Analyzers. The Company chose to buy one PrevEx analyzer to see how it would perform. They immediately saw the time and cost benefits of the new system: quicker response time, stand-alone independent system that required no controller or associated wiring, automatic calibration eliminating manual adjustments as well as predictive maintenance & on-board diagnostics for easy troubleshooting. After this successful installation they chose to purchase several more.

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The pharmaceutical process involves coating products with a mixture of solvents (IPA, ethanol & acetate) and then heating them in batch ovens. The solvents evaporate off in the heating process and are collected and fed into a main duct that feeds into the thermal oxidizer for destruction. NFPA 86, the National Fire Protection Association's Standard for the Safe Operation of Ovens and Furnaces defines direct-fired thermal oxidizers as Class A Furnaces mandating the use of continuous Flammability Analyzers on inlet streams exceeding 25% LFL. The analyzer’s job is to activate warning and danger alarms before the inlet stream reaches 50% LFL. This can save the oxidizer from destruction by fire or explosion. Operation above 50% LFL is not permitted.

  • The Company wanted to use IR sensors to monitor the flammability of the batch oven exhaust streams going into the oxidizer. But the since the application was multi-solvent and the process conditions were rugged, they selected PrevEx Flammability Analyzers. These analyzers offered a number of advantages over the IR.

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A global manufacturer of web handling, air flotation drying, process thermal management and emission control systems, wanted to measure the LFL concentration of the VOC gases at the inlet of the oxidizer to prevent the oxidizer from accepting a dangerous concentration of VOCs that could get rich enough to ignite or explode.

The volume of process gas, and the velocity of transport, is such that an accurate and fast-responding analyzer is required to measure the %LFL and, upon a high concentration, give an alarm, which is then linked to corrective action, such as venting to atmosphere.

  • The AcuPro Infrared Analyzer was chosen for this application because it is a cost-effective solution offering excellent value. The analyzer is accurate for reading Methane, does not require oxygen to operate and has a fast response time, allowing for corrective action to be taken upon alarm so as to prevent process upset. It needs no additional fuel to operate and has many low maintenance features to ensure safety under the demands of this environment.

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