As the number of contaminants and their nature diversifies, the measurement of these contaminants becomes impossible. Unfortunately, the emissions from a typical edible oil deodorization system would fall into this category. Deodorization is the last major refining step in the processing of most edible oils.

The company wanted to achieve a very low level of emissions, aiming at 5 ppm. Design criteria included normal airflow of 60 scfm, peaking to a total flow of 240 scfm of HCl and air at various concentrations. The gas stream temperature was specified at l10°R The HCl was to be collected in a saleable form, preferably at 31.5 to 32% by weight concentration.

With process steam available at low cost from a captive plant, a detailed evaluation placed steam ejectors ahead of mechanical and hybrid vacuum systems. In actual performance and comparison tests, liquid ring pumps were unable to pull the desired vacuum.

At a fertilizer plant in coastal Indonesia, the first two of three Alfa Laval Type TVC (Thermal Vapor Compression) desalination units are at work, each turning seawater into 1680 m3/day of high-purity distillate for use as boiler makeup and process water. The two units were commissioned in December 2001 and have been running without problems ever since; a third plant, also rated at 1680 m3/day, is still in the installation stage.

Use these guidelines to improve the performance of steam jet water chillers and find hidden savings in your plant: For large, continuous flows of chilled water for a process plant, there is no more simple or reliable technology than the steam jet ejector (SJE) water chiller, often referred to as a steam jet refrigeration plant.

Mr. Tahvanainen heads up a staff of eight maintenance personnel and a supervisor. He is a mechanical engineer with a background in power production and thermodynamics.