February 21, 2008

Dampers and Expansion Joints Protect the $ Billion Systems-Hot Topic Thursday Morning

Jeff Korth and Chris Dyjak of Effox provided insights on the latest developments in dampers and expansion joints during the first Hot Topic Hour yesterday. Jeff explained that they were capacity constrained with 100,000 ft² of space at one location. Now as part of CECO there is 600,000 ft² at multiple locations. In addition CECO just acquired Fisher Klosterman which has 40,000 ft² of manufacturing space in China.

There is a lot of interest in the “Active Bypass Damper.” In a retrofit the existing stack is left in place. The active bypass damper can open within three to five seconds to allow flow either way through the old stack. This can prevent boiler explosions or implosions.

The design is complex to meet the safety and speed requirements. Alloy 276 construction is recommended due to the corrosion potential. The single blade airfoil is preferred over the double or tandem design because of the elimination of seal air.

Chris gave some good advice on expansion joint selection. If joints are going to be stored in the cold prior to installation, they should first be warmed. Specifiers should not add excess safety factors for thermal movement. This results in too much material and the material then folds. The folds are not protected by contact with the ambient air on one side and are subject to thermal damage.

There should be no insulation placed over the flexible elements. The surface needs to be in contact with the ambient air for heat dispersion. Externally insulating a belt where temperatures exceed the maximum continuous rating will cause a failure or significantly reduce the service life.

If ammonia slip exceeds 5 ppm, then Teflon or some substitute for fluroelastomers is recommended.

The balance of the hour was spent discussing the range of dampers and joints available in Europe and the U.S.  The following companies were discussed:

Damper companies whose branches are in the FGD Decision Tree.

 Expansion joint companies whose branches are in the FGD Decision Tree.

The Decision Tree will be updated to include the latest information. This will include specific references. Hundreds of KE Burgmann expansion joint references already appear. You can see them in various different queries in Utility Plans. They show up in the records for each unit but also in a general query of suppliers of various components.

The Effox power points can be viewed in the FGD Decision Tree as follows:

Jeff Korth and Chris Dyjak - Effox

Continuing Decision Process For: Products

Damper & Expansion Joint presentation by Jeff Korth and Chris Dyjak - Hot Topic Hour February 21, 2008

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/FGD_Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree/DescriptionTextLinks/Effox Hot Topic 2.21.08.htm
 

Pump Materials Improvements Result in Lower Maintenance and Operating Cost - Hot Topic Hour Thursday Afternoon

The first speaker was Folke Friesen of Evonik. He made recommendations for pump selection based on the decades of experience of his company (formerly Steag) in operating FGD pumps. He showed the wear problems associated with elastomeric linings. He also showed the wear problems experienced with duplex steel all metal pumps. In contrast the experience with ceramic pumps has been extremely good.  Pump life has been greatly extended and maintenance reduced.

Mike Agosti of Lawrence Pumps explained that his company imports the ceramic pumps from Düchting and then provides final assembly and shipment within the U.S. The latest model provides up to 75,000 gpm. By utilizing various particle sizes of silicon carbide it is possible to maximize the ratio of carbide to binder. This greatly improves wear resistance. Mike also showed performance graphs illustrating the loss in flow as the pump wears. A 33 percent loss in flow means that more pumps have to be in operation and therefore the energy consumption will be considerably higher.

Jim Burke of Weir provided the good news that manufacturing capacity is up and deliveries are now less than one year. Weir has continually improved the materials utilized in its pumps. A steady progression in lining improvements has led to a long life. The impeller material is a special high alloy steel which combines both wear and corrosion resistance. The impeller design provides high efficiency.

Also discussed were the designs and advantages of mechanical seals. The Weir GSL pumps are all designed to accept the cartridge seals from John Crane, Flow Serve and Burgmann.

Water flushing will prolong seal life but is not always an option. Weir has a valve (patent pending) which opens when pressurized and closes when pressure is removed. Water can be controlled with a valve connected to the thermocouple for automatic operation. It is important to flush pumps for as long as 20 minutes after a pump is taken off line. Many operators do not follow this practice and thereby shorten pump life.

The individual power points can be accessed at:

Continuing Decision Process For: Pumps

Folke Friesen – Evonik
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/FGD_Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree/DescriptionTextLinks/Evonik Energy Servcies pump experience.pdf

Mike Agosti – Lawrence Pumps

Continuing Decision Process For: Products

Hot Topic Hour February 21, 2008.

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/FGD_Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree/DescriptionTextLinks/FGD Pumps - Duchting Pumps.htm
 

Jim Burke - Weir

Continuing Decision Process For: Products

Hot Topic Hour February 21, 2008

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/FGD_Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree/DescriptionTextLinks/Hot Topic Hour Weir Pump Presentation.htm