Integrated System with Prime and Finish Ovens, Thermal Oxidizer and Heat Recovery for a Coil Coating Application

Project No 1480

The Challenge

Meeting current federal and state regulations can often compromise fuel costs and operational efficiency, leaving companies spending more money and time than necessary to fix a specific problem. One recent Epcon customer in the metal processing industry was looking to replace a coating line Ovens & standalone Thermal Oxidizer system.

The Solution

A viable solution we have found to this particular problem is custom engineering Air Pollution Control equipment to work in conjunction with Heat Processing equipment. For example, coupling a multi-zone Oven with one or two Heat Exchangers and a standalone Oxidizer to maximize operational cost and productivity. When engineered properly, these custom systems have proven fuel reduction by as much as 50% while simultaneously maintaining compliance with air emissions regulations.

After extensive evaluation and consideration of the existing system operation, we implemented the use of a combination system layout, consisting of a 3-Zone Prime Oven & 4-Zone Finish Oven with a single standalone Thermal Oxidizer system, along with the secondary heat recovery system.

The Results

The new system ultimately resulted in total savings of $320,000 per year on fuel cost alone. This allowed the facility to pay off their investment in less than a 5-year period, thus earning an even higher ROI on their combination system than anticipated.