Case Studies / Testimonials

Problem:	Plant emissions were OVER the emission cap during full production.
Equipment:	Catalytic Recuperative Oxidizer 12,000 scfm capacity (1994 vintage) Installed: 2003 Location: New York

Before: 9,000 scfm catalytic recuperative unit prior to removal and refurbishing.

After: Refurbished, upgraded 12,000 scfm catalytic recuperative oxidizer treating flexographic printing emissions.

Project Details:
Plant operations at this printer already exceeded emission caps with all presses running, forced this successful Flexographic printer to run at less than full capacity. Their existing catalytic system was max ’d out with only 4 of their 6 presses running. This made it difficult to handle the large amount of growth they had been experiencing. The worst part: they were forced to sub-contract work to their competitors to address the limitation of their existing oxidizer. To meet their projected sales growth they decided to replace some of their older presses with wider, faster presses. These faster presses also resulted in increased total exhaust flow from the facility, requiring more emission control capacity. To install the presses, additional oxidizer capacity would be required.

The requirement for their location was 95% VOC destruction with their mix of alcohols, acetates, and ethers. There current total exhaust rate from the 6 presses was 12,000 scfm @ 125F. For worker comfort they also wanted to increase the exhaust rates by 25% from their facility, which was classified as a permanent total enclosure (PTE). In addition, they wanted to be pro-active and plan for future growth. The current oxidizer provided between 8,000 and 9,000 scfm of capacity. The total desired flow rate was 21,000 scfm to handle one or two more presses.

Solution Provided by Kono Kogs, Inc.
Kono Kogs was contacted prior to the purchase of the presses and asked to recommend an oxidizer for their specific needs. Kono Kogs inspected the existing oxidizer, analyzed its performance at their typical ink coverage, and recommended a catalytic system. The catalytic system was half the cost of a new catalytic or RTO system, and it was small enough to fit in the tight constraints of the facility. A catalytic system would operate nearly fuel free at most conditions.

The customer was concerned about limiting their flexibility in the event one oxidizer is down for maintenance. Due to the special capabilities of each press, tying a press to a single oxidizer could jeopardize deliveries if the oxidizer were off-line for any reason (maintenance, failure, etc.) and the dedicated press could not operate. To avoid this issue we proposed to mechanically and electrically tie together our oxidizer with the existing system, allowing any of the 6 (plus 2 future) presses to be treated by either, or both oxidizers. Our experience with operating systems in parallel would help this customer avoid production downtime on any press. The flexibility of the interface also would allow the new oxidizer to be installed and brought on line with only a one-time, 3 hour, down time to make the switch over.

In addition to supplying the oxidizer we also provided installation supervision, utilizing the printer’s preferred contractors, resulting in a significant installation cost savings. We provided duct layout and sizing diagrams, gas piping diagrams, concrete specifications, and electrical wirepull drawings to allow their contractors to complete the work with only minimal guidance.

Equipment / Services Provided by Kono Kogs, Inc.:

• Refurbished, warranted Catalytic Recuperative oxidizer
• Total parallel capacity of 21,000 scfm
• Low cost, high quality oxidizer at less than 50% of new equipment cost
• Energy efficient (70% HX) low temp 600F operation
• Integrated Kono Kogs oxidizer to allow both oxidizers to run in parallel, resulting in a smooth switch over, reduced utility cost, and reduced maintenance downtime.
• Low maintenance, long life bead catalyst
• Included installation supervision, permit assistance, in addition to troubleshooting the existing oxidizer to reduce fuel usage and increase VOC destruction.
• Guaranteed 97% VOC destruction; field tests not yet complete