Overview

We custom design heating systems according to plant requirements. The Beta Heating System pictured here uses hot water to heat the three pickling solutions: Caustic Cleaning, Pickling, and Pre-flux. The hot water is run through a separate heat exchanger for each solution. The three process solutions are heated while being pumped through their separate exchangers. The exchangers are located outside of the processing tanks so that servicing is easier and tank capacity is not reduced by heating hardware. Another advantage of this configuration is the elimination of damage to the heat exchangers from work pieces inside the pickling tanks.

The temperature in each of these can be independently controlled. The hot water is heated from combustion gasses passing by an additional heat exchanger. A steam heat exchanger is provided to heat the water in case the combustion gasses are not available or insufficient. The entire system is controlled by a PLC, which automatically makes adjustments for variations in thermal loading. Adjustments to set points, such as tank temperatures, are made by entering numerical parameters into the PanelView display screen, which looks like a computer screen.

Theory of Operation

Each of the three processing solutions is heated in the same way. A heat exchanger is fed hot water on one side, and process solution on the other. The process solution is continuously pumped through the heat exchanger, but the flow of hot water can be interrupted by an automated valve. By opening and closing this valve, the system regulates the temperature of the process solution. The temperature of each solution before it goes through the heat exchanger is continuously read by a temperature sensor. Based on these temperature readings, the PLC decides when and how long to open the hot water valve.

The hot water is continuously pumped through two additional heat exchangers. The heat source for one of these is the combustion gasses which would normally be discharged out of a smokestack. Such gasses may come from the gas burners used to heat a galvanizing zinc kettle, from an annealing furnace, or from an electric arc or blast furnace. Since this heat exchanger (called the flue heat exchanger) uses heat that would normally be thrown away, it is using free energy. The heat source for the second exchanger is boiler steam. This second exchanger can supplement or supply the entire heat necessary in the event the heat requirements of the process tanks exceed the amount of heat recovered from the flue.

If you would like to receive a no-obligation proposal for a Heating and Heat Recovery System, please contact us or one of our representatives.

last updated April, 2003