A custom-engineered solution...
...integrating refurbished components with new
When a large southeastern U.S. textile company recently wanted to dry-process and sell a byproduct at one of their processing plants (vs. wasting it), they also wanted to maximize their ROI by investing wisely in their plant upgrades.
Louisville Dryer’s application engineers are drying and processing specialists who professionally assess an existing plant’s abilities (and limitations). Then they advise the plant owner-operators how to increase their production, expand their processing options, and maximize their profits.
The Integrated Solution
Upon meeting with the textile company’s production engineers and plant manager, assessing their current operations and hearing their budgetary goals, the Louisville Dryer applications engineers customized a solution by integrating refurbished components (in this case, a reconditioned rotary steam tube dryer) with new ones (air handling system components).
At the core of their proposed solution was a previously used steam tube dryer which had been successfully commissioned and used for years by an East-coast silica gel processor. When that company needed a drying unit with a higher grade of stainless steel for processing a different material, they purchased a new larger steam tube dryer from Louisville Dryer Company.
Through examination and testing, Louisville Dryer engineers determined that this used peripheral-discharge unit had retained its strong fundamentals of sound steam tube drying and was thus an ideal candidate for custom retrofitting for a different application at another customer’s plant. Specifically, this used steam tube dryer was refurbished to serve as the core component of the solution for the textile producer.
Custom-Refurbishing and Testing of the Used Steam Tube Dryer
While the experienced Louisville Dryer shop fabricators built the exhaust system (a forced-draft duct heater with fans and cyclone), the refurbishing work they performed on the used steam tube dryer included:
- removal of exterior insulation
- tightening of internal gaps
- grinding of tires
- refurbishing of trunnion bases
- re-machining of trunnions
- installation of new seal rings, gears, vent hoses, retainer gaskets, bearings
At strategic phases of the dryer overhaul, experienced quality control teams performed precision hydrostatic testing (for leaks) and ultrasonic thickness readings (of shell and tubes).
Installation, Commissioning, and Customer Satisfaction
In addition to providing the engineering design, shop refurbishing, and lab testing of this comprehensive plant solution, Louisville Dryer Co. also lead the installation and commissioning of this steam tube dryer and exhaust system. Their field engineers were onsite for each phase of installing the trunnion bases, housing, steam tube dryer, heater, fans and cyclone – overseeing the installation and startup processes to ensure that their client’s needs and expectations were fully met – which they were.
Had the leaders of this textile producer not sought the material handling expertise of Louisville Dryer Company, they indicated that they would not have been able to proceed with their plant expansion project. Through Louisville Dryer’s application know-how and custom-engineered integration of refurbished and new components, the customer successfully achieved their project goals for between one-third to one-half the cost of buying a new steam tube dryer.
And by sewing up this customized textile industry solution, Louisville Dryer Company once again proved that they provide the drying and processing industry with the premier and Lowest Cost per Revolution solutions.
