Chemical & Dye Processing
Chemical and dye processors are increasingly finding a need for large quantities of ice in their chemical mixing and reaction procedures. Ice has been used by many major chemical processing plants to control the temperature of chemicals during reaction, to add water to a process while cooling or for fast cooling to stop a timed reaction.
For faster cooling, ice is preferred to traditional jacketed tanks or external heat exchangers. Adding ice to a solution subjects it to a much larger cooling surface area, lowering temperatures in less time and maintaining better control. Ice can be fed continuously, or at specific times during batch processing.
Ice is now being used in a variety of applications:
- Organic dyes
- Manufacturing thermal sensitive paper coatings
- Dye processing
Fragmented ice supplied by VOGT® icemakers and delivery systems provides a quick pull down of temperature but unlike flake ice maintains the temperature for longer time periods ensuring stable temperature through the entire process.
Ice for Cooling
During the mixing process heat is generated in the reactors and a means to maintain a stable temperature is essential to the process. Ice can provide the required cooling using a variety of VOGT® icemakers. These systems also typically require ice storage and delivery systems for a complete automated system.
Recommended Ice Equipment
VOGT® has a complete line of equipment for processing operations including icemakers, ice storage systems, and delivery systems and controls. The Tube-Ice® and Turbo® product lines include plate ice makers, falling film chillers, Falling Film Chillers, circulating pumps delivery systems, and delivery systems. VOGT systems have been widely used in the chemical and dye industry for over 50 years.
Icemakers
VOGT ice machines offer a unique advantage over other ice making machinery due to unique freezing processes.
Tube-Ice icemakers
The Tube-Ice® systems circulate water through tubes and frozen from the outside in. As the water freezes, impurities are washed away. Ice from Vogt Tube-Ice machines is purer and contains as little as 1/3 the dissolved solids as the water from which it is made. (This unique design feature is valuable for freeze concentrating or solidifying compounds other than water, such as wax and paradichlorobenzene.) P series icemakers providing a round cylinder (tube) ice ranging in capacities from 5 to 110 tons of ice per day in R-404a and ammonia.
TURBO icemakers
The TURBO icemakers circulate water over the outside vertical stainless steel evaporator plates. Ice is formed on the surface of the plates. Ice is harvested periodically from the plates and discharged into screw conveyors for delivery to storage or process points. Ice thickness is controlled by easy to change via the programmable controller presets. Like the Tube-Ice models, as the water freezes, impurities are frozen out of the water and discharged by a blow down process to remove the concentrated impurities. As a result is purer and contains as little as 1/3 the dissolved solids as the water from which it is made. Plate icemakers can also be used to concentrate fluids and remove impurities. Modular C-Line series icemakers producing a fragmented ice on plate icemakers. The C-Line series uses a water defrost system to provide a dry sub-cooled ice. Capacities in 13 tons of ice per day per module with ammonia refrigeration. Modular (MHG) series icemakers providing a fragmented ice on plate icemakers. The MHG series use a hot gas defrost and produce higher capacity than the C-Line series in the same foot print. Capacities in 26 tons per day per module with either HFC Refrigerant or ammonia.
All product lines can be manufactured as “explosion proof” to meet the needs of processes located in hazardous environments. During the manufacture and design of this equipment, electrical controls and motors are customized for the particular needs of the customer. Call for more information on the use of ice in your chemical processing application.
Ice Storage Systems
Because of the large quantities of ice required icemakers are run for longer periods than the processing. The ice that is produced is stored for later use when processing is resumed. Systems without ice storage can be used. These systems make the ice and deliver it to the process as it is required. This method eliminates the ice storage system but required much larger icemakers to meet the instantaneous ice demand.
Ice Rake Systems
VOGT ice storage systems are suitable for all types of ice – tube, fragmented, flake due to tits rugged design. TURBO ice storage systems are available as ice rake systems. Each consists of a rotating rake assembly located inside a bin structure supplied with the rake assembly. The loading and unloading of the ice is controlled by a user friendly programmable controller to automatically load and unload the ice. Parameters for loading and delivering are easily changed to meet individual customer needs. All components and controls are provided in one complete package to meet the customer’s storage and delivery needs.
CB Rakes are available in three rake assembly sizes and 4 different capacities. Completely automatic loading and unloading of the ice through the use of a programmable logic controller to monitor all aspects of the rake system operation ensuring reliable operation. CB rakes range in capacities from 49 to 87 tons of ice.
Ice Delivery to Ice Storage and Mixing System
Ice can be delivered to the ice storage and processing by two methods: Screw conveyor (augers) Galvanized or stainless steel screw conveyors (augers) can be used to deliver ice from the icemaker to the ice storage bin (rake system) and form the ice rake to the mixing process – all automatically. Simple user friendly controls allow adjustments to the ice loading and unloading process to match the customer’s requirements. The speed of the screw conveyor(s) are selected to meet the delivery volume and rate required for the mixer. Pneumatic delivery systems consisting of a blower, diverter valve (for delivery to more than one process or reactor), rotary valve, after-cooler, cyclone to decelerate ice delivery to reactor and release the air transporting the ice, piping, and control systems.
Pneumatic systems
Pneumatic systems consist of a blower, rotary valve, two- and three-way diverter valves for delivery to more than one location, and control systems for delivering ice to more than one processing line. This USDA approvable equipment will deliver ice at necessary rates to the various locations. This equipment easily interfaces with ice machines and ice rakes to complete the system. Two-and three-way diverter make it possible to deliver ice to many different processing areas with a single delivery system with integrated controls to ensure safe and reliable operation. The custom system is designed to meet the needs for all aspects of the customer’s operation.
Unlike old pneumatic systems VOGT systems utilize large inlet and outlet silencer to reduce the noise to acceptable levels. Pneumatic systems are typically used for long transport distances or in application where space is limited in the process area. Ice is transported in small aluminum piping system to deliver the ice to one or more icing points in a minimum of space. Delivery rates of 15 to 40 tons per hour are typical and easily accomplished with the complete line of delivery system components.