Embedded Files
Consumer Food Manufacturer Expands Production and Meets Strict Air Quality Control Standards
Controlled Environment was called in to a West Coast food manufacturer to design a system that would meet strict air quality control standards in one of the toughest regions in the country; South Coast Air Quality Management District in California. And at the same time this customer was expanding production. This food manufacturer produced meatballs and they were adding a hot dog line, using a liquid smoke process. We recommended a Retox Two-Bed regenerative oxidizer system rated at 12,000 scfm. This unit was sized to handle the existing meatball line, the new hot dog line and a future addition of a second meatball line. Controlled Environment has done several systems in this area of the country and in order to meet their strict air quality control standards, the Retox unit that we recommended does not produce any NOx. The Retox unit uses a natural gas injection system to maintain proper temperatures in the combustion chamber and there is no burner or flame of any kind. Several years ago the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) recognized the Retox unit as “NOx Free.”
One of the significant design concerns for this application involved heavy moisture laden airstreams. During a normal day even in the summer, one could stand near a process exhaust stack and feel like it was raining. Airstream wet bulbs were near 1000F. In order to handle the large quantity of moisture, we designed two drop out boxes ahead of the inlet to the regenerative oxidizer. In addition to this, the ductwork needed to be installed so that the condensate would drain to a central location and drains were installed in the inlet plenum of the Retox unit. By using this approach, the Retox System performed well beyond expectations.
In order for this overall system to function as one integrated unit, Controlled Environment worked closely with the manufacturer of the process equipment for the Hot Dog line. Alkar located in Lodi, Wisconsin has been providing food processing equipment for over 50 years. Our engineers worked closely with Alkar engineers to ensure that the Retox system that we provided worked seamlessly with the new hot dog line. Our pressure control system for the Retox Unit was finely tuned to only remove the quantity of process exhaust that the hot dog line emitted. The end result is that the Hot Dog line did not know that there was an additional piece of equipment attached downstream. The Customer and the SCAQMD were quite satisfied with overall performance of the system. The customer was very pleased with the low maintenance costs and very low operating costs of the system.
Article by:
David Swinehart
VP of Engr.
Controlled Environment Engineering
Page updated
Report abuse