What can material processors do when their aged and worn rotary dryer needs replacing and yet, since it was originally installed, structural steel or even a complete building has been erected around it? Now that the dryer needs to be replaced, both the dryer and the entire process operation are in a tight spot!
Yet Louisville Dryer Company has provided several customers the ideal solution for such challenging circumstances. LDC custom-builds sectionalized replacement dryers which are produced and completely assembled in their factories, then disassembled and shipped to the customer’s site, and then rebuilt onsite by LDC’s team with exacting precision. The new sectionalized dryer replaces the old dryer that had been cut up and removed from ‘inside the bottle’ using heavy lifting equipment including gantry cranes.
How they do it.
- They are assembled in our ASME facility typically using flanges with machined pin holes and dowels, disassembled and shipped, and then precisely reassembled at the customer site.
- Initial alignment is achieved using bolts through the flanges, and then further fine tuning is done using dial indicators before the sections are permanently welded together.
- Precise sectional welding is another area where LDC expertise shines - as they maintain the specified shell runout and take into account weld draw (distortion of the metal from welding).
The Louisville Dryer installation and commissioning teams ensure that the new unit and all related components are properly installed, precisely balanced and optimally performing.
Some of our numerous projects for which we have provided Sectionalized Rotary Dryer Replacements.
Challenges of Building Sectionalized Dryers
Some of the engineering challenges of a sectionalized dryer solution include:
- Design it with the fewest number of shell sections
- Avoid locating a welding seam in the middle of a tire or gear tube support
- Maintain the specified shell runout, taking into account weld draw
Ideal Solution for Processing Companies who are in a Tight Spot
While sectionalized rotary replacement dryers are more expensive than monolithic rotary dryers, they can be designed to either match or exceed the production rate of the original dryer. And they can often serve as the ideal solution for material processing companies who require such design ingenuity to resolve their space limitations and equipment challenges.
As LDC has proven time and time again - and as confirmed by thousands of satisfied customers. Louisville Dryer Company is the team who can help you and your dryer get out of a tight spot.
