Chemical Engineering June 2010 - 20

Source: Niagara Blower
Newsfront
Dry air
ibility and, where strongly exothermic
reactions are used, it can help maintain
a stable temperature and aid in
difficult reactions.
" It's a boost that will help with
what they are trying to do today, in
that liquid nitrogen can cool an intermediate
heat transfer fluid in a flexible
way, " explains Schmidt. " Users
Spray
water
Cold
process
fluid
out
Moist air
Hot
process
fluid in
Process
fluid
inside tubes
Water
Reservoir basin
Recirculation pump
Exhaust
fan
Moist air
Figure 3. The basic principle of
Niagara's WSAC technology is that
heat is rejected by means of latent
(evaporative) heat transfer. This illustration
demonstrates how it works
will acquire fast cool times
using only the liquid nitrogen
that's required, based entirely
on the refrigeration load
needed for that reaction. "
In size reduction processes,
heat is generated by the friction
necessary to crush the material.
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Circle 21 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/29251-21
20 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2010
rial being processed suffer in quality
due to the creation of heat, but it also
wastes electricity when 99% of the
electrical energy is being converted
into heat and only 1% is converted
into crushing energy.
In cases like this, liquid nitrogen
can be introduced into the mill with
the product that's being reduced to
provide partial cooling and remove
the heat generated by the milling
system. " This allows more energy to
be focused on the size reduction process
and assists in getting smaller
particles in cases where heat generation
may agglomerate particles, " says
Schmidt. Better still is that liquid nitrogen
can be used only when needed
based on external temperature and
climate conditions (think summer
months when the outside ambient
temperatures are higher).
However, processors have to consider
whether industrial gases will
work for their needs. " Processors still
have to look at the application and
balance fixed and variable costs, " says
Schmidt. " The trade off lies in the high
capital investment and fixed costs over
the lifetime of newly purchased mechanical
equipment, and those same
cost areas for liquid nitrogen, which
has lower upfront costs, but a running
variable cost based on how much
liquid nitrogen will be needed over
a lifetime. If nitrogen can be reused
elsewhere in the process, then the economics
become more favorable. "
Still, she says, an innovative technology
may exist for a particular need
as industrial gas providers strive to
take what is learned in one industry
and apply it to another. " We look at
it as cross fertilization of industries, "
says Schmidt. " The solutions we provide
in one industry can often be
taken into another industry to solve a
similar problem. "
■
Joy LePree
http://www.sulzerchemtech.com http://adlinks.che.com/29251-21 http://www.Che.Com
Chemical Engineering June 2010

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