Case Study
Quench Oil Removal
The utilization of compressed air for “blow-off” is prevalent in many industries. In heat treating applications where the parts are oil-quenched for cooling, removal of the oil prior to cleaning, it is common that the processor uses a compressed air solution. Typically, the method is to drill holes in a pipe and apply compressed air across the components as they are mechanically conveyed. Compressed air solution is effective however, expensive to generate and can add a significant demand to the system.
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Estimated Annual Savings
$16,800
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Annual Cost Savings
81%
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Return on Investment in
8 Months
Application
The heat treatment processor was removing quench oil from metal fasteners.
- Pipe sizing = 55” long x 1 ¼” pipe with (50) 1/8” holes on 1” centers
- Compressed air requirement determined to be 190 cfm
- Equivalent compressor capacity in facility was 46 hp (37 KW)
- Annual operating cost for compressed air: $20,700
Solution
The Technical Solutions Group examined the application and offered an alternate solution.
- Low pressure, engineered air manifold with a single stage centrifugal blower
- Manifold was equipped with (13) 0.500” high efficiency nozzles on 4” centers
- Total air flow = 600 cfm, requiring 9 HP (7 KW)
- VFD was supplied to adjust the pressure to accommodate the size of product being cleaned
Benefits
New method removes more oil from the product. Washing process is more efficient which brings additional savings. A similar blower with an air knife is also used to assist with bulk water removal after the parts are washed.
Annual operating cost for the high efficiency blower and manifold system $ 3,900 (not including equipment maintenance). The estimated annual electrical savings is $16,800.
Capital equipment expense = $11,000 (not including installation)
Simple payback in 8 months
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