UNIC Systems already supplies rotating drum tunnel dryers to a major player in the wooden board manufacturing market. Their customers’ specification for a new tunnel dryer was very demanding. To dry between 20 to 30 tonnes of saturated wood shavings per hour, with a final relative humidity of between 0.5 to 1.5%, requiring in excess of 32000 kJ/kg specific heat capacity.
Faced with these requirements, Günter Kikillis Managing Director of UNIC Systems, dismissed conventional mechanical steam traps. “We knew that the only option for the removal of large volumes of condensate were conventional float traps.
Due to the rotation of the drum, the action of this type of mechanical steam trap would be completely compromised. We needed an innovative solution”.
EBE Engineering has been supplying venturi orifice steam traps for over a decade. When approached by UNIC Systems it was clear that a bespoke solution was necessary. Nigel Egginton Managing Director of EBE Engineering explained, “We had worked with UNIC Systems on previous projects but the new tunnel dryer required a complete rethink. We knew that the venturi orifice technology would work but we needed an innovative design that could be incorporated into the overall concept.”
Starting with a blank canvas, EBE Engineering set about applying the knowledge gained over many years dealing with industrial end users. The result of this experience produced the revolutionary ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam trap. Unlike any other venturi orifice steam trap on the market, the entire trap, including the flanges, was made from a single casting in high grade stainless steel. Applying the latest finite element analysis and fluid flow modelling for the casting, the steam traps integrity is ensured to the highest level.
"We are planning the development of even bigger dryers and the ECOFLOW will be the first choice for future designs"
Nigel Egginton elaborated “By incorporating a completely cast housing we were able to develop a modular concept for the steam trap.It enables us to cover a much larger range of capacities and different flanges in the same steam trap body.”
The key to success has been the efficient operation of the ECOFLOW venturi orifice trap, as Günter Kikillis explained “The customer operates older steam heated rotating drum dryers but we have seen a double digit energy saving with the new design in comparison to these older models. Condensate removal through the new ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam traps from EBE Engineering has contributed to this impressive improvement. We are planning the development of even bigger dryers and the ECOFLOW will be the first choice for future designs”.
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