Oil and gas specialised equipment supplier Energas Technologies will launch its new Apek-mini thermal oil heater onto the South African market next month, says Energas product engineer Laetitia Botha.
Manufactured in 2014 by thermal oil, thermal oil systems, heat recovery and plant modern-isation expert HTT, the Apek-mini represents a new class of efficient heat generation, she says.
Already successfully installed at several plants worldwide, the Apek-mini can be used on any plant where thermal oil is used to supply heat of up to 350 °C.
The heater is currently used in various industrial sectors, such as the chemicals, textile, food, metal, rubber, mineral oil, wood and printing industries.
“Technology that was pre-viously reserved for large plants can now be used in plants with a capacity as low as 300 kW using the Apek-mini,” says Botha.
She explains that the unit uses excess heat generated during process heating to preheat the combustion air of the thermal oil heater, which further increases its efficiency.
The Apek-mini recovers energy from hot waste gases and its system components have been designed to fully reduce waste-gas pollutants. Energy efficiency of the heater is increased from 85% to 96% through the waste-heat recovery, adds Botha.
She further explains that the firing system, the preheating of air and the air supply are the basic principles guiding the unique workings of the Apek-mini.
The firing system uses the latest burner technology and, coupled with electronic control and a low-nitrous oxide burner tip assembly, it also significantly reduces waste-gas pollutants.
Air is preheated and precisely controlled by an internal bypass flap, which is also available with a controlled drive.
The cold air fan, which is installed at the air preheater, supplies air for preheating and carries a highly efficient motor. It is also compact to save space.
Further, the system is available in vertical or horizontal configurations for adaptability and additional space saving, says Botha.
She adds that the Apek-mini is also easy to retrofit and almost all the heat generated by the system is used, resulting in a distinct increase in efficiency.
The heater was developed in response to a need for smaller operations to have access to adaptable heating technology.
“Preheating the combustion air of smaller units’ burners presented a challenge to us. However, through research and development, technology was engineered to make the Apek-mini a one-of-a-kind product that can do just that,” concludes Botha.