Haarlem, 24 March 2015
New insulation material helps Loders Croklaan
with saving
IOI Loders Croklaan has successfully finished a test with insulation of vertical leaf
filters (VLF). Vertical leaf filters are barrels with filter plates for filtering oils and fats of
impurities. Insulation of the lids of these VLFs is difficult, but potentially very effective.
That’s why IOI has been testing whether good insulation is attainable and practical.
The new insulation saves energy costs and makes working safer and more enjoyable.
The payback period (not unimportant either) is around two and a half years. Dirk
Mulder, engineer with the Maasvlakte branch of IOI Loders Croklaan, says, “We intend
to insulate all remaining filter lids as well”.
Vertical Leaf Filters are an integral part of the refining process of vegetable oil. The filters are usually
only equipped with wall insulation consisting of stone wool and plating. The lids, with their many
pointy protrusions, are used intensively, so they’re usually insulated. Insulation reduces the usability
of the lids when opening and closing. The lack of insulation, however, has three important
disadvantages. Because of the high temperature of the oil during the filtering process (between
85°C and 110°C), much energy is simply lost. The heat that is released heats the room to unbearable
temperatures, which doesn’t improve working conditions. The temperature is generally so high that
touching the metal lids can even lead to burns. Plenty of reasons, then, to insulate, but only if there
were a type of material available that doesn’t have the disadvantages of conventional insulation.
During an MVO theme meeting on insulation back in June 2014, three producers of insulation
material explained the performance of their products. The elastomer Conti Thermo-Protect of the
firm Chabel was the most striking. The insulation performance increases with the temperature, and
it’s suited perfectly to difficult places. Because the material can be applied in malleable form, it can
be applied easily to places with complicated shapes, like valves. The quality and durability of the
material ensure that no separate protection is needed: it is water-repellent, doesn’t break easily,
and if it does break, it’s easy to replace. Those aspects are often left out in maintenance and repair
work, which leads to energy loss. Using this material in environments with high temperatures also
contributes to comfort and safety by preventing burns. In summer it can become unbearably hot in
the manufacturing hall, and opening all the ventilation shutters only barely creates acceptable
temperatures. The ventilation that is required to create that temperature obviously adds to energy
loss.
1
Chabel B.V. - Van Nesstraat 81 – 2024 DM Haarlem – The Netherlands
www.chabel.nl – Tel.: +31237370554
Dirk Mulder has not made his decision lightly. The supplier was to show during the test
that the fatty acids in the oil would not affect the insulation material. Dirk says, “When we
open and turn away the lid of the filter, there is a chance that oil with fatty acids leaks
onto the insulation material. If the material suffers from that, the insulation is gone in no
time”. That’s why the supplier has subjected the material to an endurance test, and the
results show that the material resists the most aggressive fatty acids well, such as
coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil. During the test, the material was submerged in
liquid oil of 100°C for 28 days. At the start, and every 7 days after that, the hardness,
elasticity, weight and volume of the material were measured.
Then we tested the appliance of the new material. We first applied several test strips of
various levels of thickness (up to 20 mm) and with various types of glue. Based on the
results, we decided to isolate the first filter, which took 1 day. First we applied big plates
to the large areas, and then the spaces between the plates were filled with malleable
insulation material. This malleable substance was then applied and smoothed over with a
putty knife. All of this was done while the filter was operational. This was essential,
because the high temperature contributes to the hardening (vulcanising) of the insulation
material. As a result, stopping the process is not necessary. After 24 hours the material
has reached its final strength.
The images of the heat camera show how much temperature reduction is reached.
Before insulation, the walls and the lid are about 94°C. In figure 2 it becomes clear that
after insulation the temperature of the walls and lid has decreased to around 57°C: a
reduction of 37°C.
figure 1: filter before insulation
figure 2: filter after insulation
figure 3: filter with insulation
Currently VLF lids with this type of insulation material have also been insulated with con colleagues.
Dirk Mulder says, “Our calculations show that with these adjustments we realised ±3kW of energy.
The costs that were required for these adjustments will be earned back within 2.5 years”.
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Chabel B.V. - Van Nesstraat 81 – 2024 DM Haarlem – The Netherlands
www.chabel.nl – Tel.: +31237370554