As facilities across the country prepare for the upcoming Fall turnaround season, they face many new challenges. The COVID virus has caused disruptions in raw material availability, manufacturing, logistics and labor shortages. It has also changed the way business is done so facilities, manufactures and suppliers have had to adapt. Planning ahead this turnaround season will be critical to the success of upcoming projects but as we all know emergency situations happen.

Quick turn requirements during turnarounds are very common and can create enormous complications. In many turnaround situations process equipment and components cannot be inspected until the equipment is offline. If during the inspection it is determined that the plastic random packing needs to be replaced there is typically a narrow window of time to have the plastic tower packing on site and installed.

That is why KemFlo is working hard to ensure that sufficient inventory levels of the Tri-Packs, Pall Rings and Saddle
style plastic random packing. Resin manufacturers around the world are experiencing major material shortages of common and specialty resins. Many resin manufacturers have filed force majeures and have customers on resin allocation. This has resulted in higher raw material cost  and extended lead times. KemFlo is working closely with our network of suppliers to ensure raw material availability and adequate inventory levels of our plastic random  packing products as well as our other product lines such as our AIK tank lids, fittings, medical products and custom products.

In addition to working closely with our supplier network KemFlo has recently purchased a new facility in Houston, Texas which gives us an increased capacity for inventory and helps to keep lead times to a minimum. The Gulf Coast Region is a hotbed for industrial and manufacturing facility turnarounds. Our Houston distribution center gives us an advantage in servicing the Gulf Coast Region as well as the entire United States of America. It also allows us to better serve our international customers with easy access to the Port of Houston as well as many air freight options. Informing our customer base about potential supply chain issues in regards to plastic tower packing is another step that KemFlo is taking to help them plan in advance for potential turnarounds.

We are also gathering market information that will help us determine and predict our customer’s demand for  specific tower packing styles, sizes and materials of construction. It is important that suppliers, manufacturers and end-users work together as a team in order to minimize product lead times and project schedule disruptions. Communication between all parties in the supply chain network can result in more efficient turnaround process.

Kemflo manufactures the Tri-Packs, Pall Ring and Saddle style packing in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes and in a variety of resins including Polypropylene, CPVC, PVDF, Tefzel and more. Kemflo also offers manufacturing of custom plastic random packing configurations. For more information on KemFlo’s Tri-Packs, Pall Ring or Saddle style plastic  tower packing please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or call us at 905-832-1217.

KemFlo, best known for manufacturing plastic random packing, is pleased to announce that they are opening a new facility in Houston this Fall. This addition will not only increase our capabilities in servicing the United States of America, it will also allow us to better service our international customers as well. Increased demand for KemFlo’s plastic random packing products such as the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddles has facilitated the opening of the new facility in Houston, Texas. The new facility will help ensure that our customers continue to receive high quality products in a timely manner.

Houston, Texas was selected for the new location based on its proximity to major chemical plants along the Gulf Coast and its many logistical advantages to servicing the Southern United States of America. The new facility will be located just West of town in the Katy area and will act as both a distribution center and manufacturing facility with complete injection molding capabilities. In addition to manufacturing plastic tower packing we will also produce other products such as tank lids, bulkhead fittings and vents. KemFlo also plans to offer custom injection molding at the new Houston facility.

Since 1988 KemFlo has developed a reputation for quality and service. The same quality assurance and controls that kemFlo customers have become a custom to, will be implemented at the new facility. While traditional products such as KemFlo’s plastic random packing line will be the backbone of the Houston plant, KemFlo will work to develop new business through their custom products division. Product design and engineering will be a key focus of our Houston facility. We will be expanding our design and engineering services by utilizing the latest technology and adding to our talented engineering staff. KemFlo has extensive experience in prototyping and mold design experience which will help expand our custom products group. We also have extensive experience in working with a wide range of thermoplastics such as Polypropylene, PVC, CPVC, HDPE, ABS, Kynar, PFA, Tefzel and more. All raw material used in our manufacturing process is traceable to its source which is vital to quality control. Post molding capabilities will also be available at our new facility including ultrasonic welding, hot stamping, heat insertion and machining.

Quality assurance will continue to be a major focus at all Kemflo facilities. Quality assurance starts when a product is first introduced then goes through a detailed review process whereby the product application is evaluated for fit and function, engineering requirements and product validation. This philosophy will be brought to Houston. KemFlo is committed to meeting the quality objectives and standards expected by our customers. Products are produced under the guidelines and certification requirements set out by industry standards. We will continue and expand on our goal of providing cost effective product solutions with the highest level of quality for our customers.

For more information on products manufactured by KemFlo such as the Tri-Pack and Pall Rind plastic random packing please visit our web site at www.kempac-packing.com.

Scrubber tower packing is an essential part of the system by providing an area for liquid and gas contact. Without proper or sufficient liquid gas contact a scrubber will not produce the designed results and could result it costly repairs and redesigns. Special consideration should be given to the selection of scrubber tower packing. Things to consider when evaluating and selecting scrubber tower packing include. Size, configuration, surface area, weight, void space and material of construction.

Scrubber Tower packing is manufactured in a variety of materials including thermoplastics, metals and ceramics. To determine the most suitable material of construction for your random packing the operating temperature and the composition of the gas and liquid must be considered. Applications that involve higher temperatures or highly corrosive elements may require high performance or exotic materials. For example, KemFlo manufactures plastic random packing in a variety of thermoplastic resins such as general purpose polypropylene, NSF polypropylene, polypropylene with glass, Polyvinylchloride, CPVC, PVDF, Tefzel and more in order to accommodate a wide variety of application. Make sure that the raw material used to manufacture the plastic random packing that you are utilizing is traceable back to the resin batch from which it was made. All of KemFlo’s plastic tower packing is traceable back to the resin manufacturer’s batch. In general metal packing may be made from a variety of materials including stainless steel, Inconel, Hastelloy and more.

The configuration or design of a specific tower packing varies greatly. Scrubber tower packing is designed to maximize efficiency and to be strong enough to withstand an acceptable amount of exposure to pressure, temperature, weight and flow. The purpose of scrubber packing is to provide surface area for liquid and gas contact but also provide enough open area as to not restrict flow. There are basic styles of scrubber tower packing to choose from and there are high performance tower packings. KemFlo manufactures several basic or traditional styles of plastic random packing including the Pall Ring and Saddle style. The Pall Ring is a barrel shaped or ring shaped packing that features an open wall construction which helps to maintain even liquid distribution. Kemflo manufactures the Pall Ring in three different sizes including 1”, 2” and 3.5”. Saddle style plastic random packing has serrated edges which promote high mass transfer rates. KemFlo manufactures the Saddle in 1”, 2” and 3” sizes. For those looking for more out of their scrubber tower packing KemFlo offers the Tri-Pack which is a high-performance plastic random packing. The Tri-Pack is a hollow spherical scrubber packing which is uniquely designed. The Tri-Pack offers a superior geometric shape which promotes high mass transfer rates. The spherical shape of the Tri-Pack also allows each part to roll into the packed position without creating any void spaces within the packed bed. The Tri-Pack offers an excellent surface area to void space ratio and is the most efficient plastic random packing on the market today. The Tri-Pack is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes.

Kemflo has been manufacturing plastic random packing since the 1980s and had developed a worldwide reputation for quality and efficiency.  Kemflo’s vast experience in injection molding a wide range of thermoplastics sets it apart from other plastic random packing manufacturers. Kemflo produces multiple styles of plastic tower packing including the Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddle style random packing. Each plastic random packing style is available in three different sizes and a variety of resins.  Some of the resins that Kemflo manufactures their plastic tower packing in include polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene with glass fill, polyvinylchloride, CPVC, Kynar, Tefzel, Teflon and Halar. Other resins are available upon request. Working with a vast array of thermoplastic resins, including high performance resins, requires skill, experience and a very high level of quality assurance.  Everything from the design of the mold and tooling to the final product requires strict oversite and quality assurance in order to produce Kempac plastic random packing. Kemflo’s random packing molds are subject to a strict maintenance schedule which ensures a quality product and greatly reduces the chances of a product flaw. 

One of the most common flaws associated with plastic random packing is flashing.  Flashing is excess resin attached to a finished part.  Flashing can be caused by a variety of things including mold damage, improperly supported mold, uneven flow in the cavity of the tool, clamp pressure too low or high, overfilling the mold cavity or resin viscosity too low.  Flashing is a problem for plastic tower packing because it may add excessive surface area to the random packing bed which is designed based on very specific physical properties of the random packing.  Excessive flashing also may create uneven liquid and gas flow and contact in a column resulting in an inefficient or under performing system.

An imperfection on a few individual plastic random packing parts my not seem like a serious thing but high performance random packing such as the Tri-Pack is typically utilized in critical applications that are designed around tight specifications.  KemFlo has an inhouse maintenance crew who is dedicated to ensuring that all molds and tools are in excellent working condition.  Another critical element in ensuring that Kemflo produces the highest quality plastic random packing on the market today is our resin selection.  Utilizing high end resins is critical in producing quality packing and ensuring optimal product life.  KemFlo utilizes only high end resins that are all traceable back to their production batch to make their plastic tower packing.  Many manufactures of plastic random tower packing do not offer products that are traceable all the way back to the raw material or resin.  Kemflo’s quality control program continues to utilize state of the art technology to ensure our customers always receive high quality plastic random packing.  Kemflo manufactures the Tri-Pack in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes, the Pall Ring in 1”, 2” and 3.5” and the Saddle Packing Style in 1”, 2” and 3”.