Plant shutdowns and emergency maintenance at any chemical plant, refinery or manufacturing facility across the country creates many challenges for those involved. Whether the shutdown is planned or not, proper planning is critical to successfully completing the job.

Planning ahead to meet any potential shutdown or maintenance situation can save a facility significant time and money. Planning ahead can also help ensure that the proper products and equipment are available when needed. Keeping an inventory of long lead time or hard to find products can give a facility a major advantage in managing shutdown and emergency maintenance jobs.

An emergency inventory may or may not be possible for many facilities due to a variety of reasons such as cost and storage room for the inventory. KemFlo understands the challenges that facilities around the world face which is why we have significantly increased our manufacturing capabilities for producing the Tri-Packs, Saddle style and Pall Ring packing products. We have also increased the inventory levels for our plastic random packing in order to meet these demands. We also have several distribution locations for our plastic random packing which gives us a logistical advantage.

It is difficult to inventory the Tri-Packs, Saddle and Pall Ring packing in every available resin which includes polypropylene Polyethylene, Polypropylene with glass, CPVC, Kynar, Tefzel, Teflon, Halar and more. KemFlo addresses this in several ways. First, KemFlo has the most advanced injection molding equipment on the market today allowing us to produce high quality plastic random packing at a very fast rate. Secondly, KemFlo makes an investment in multiple raw material resin types so even if we do not have the Tri-Pack, Saddle style or Pall Ring packing in stock we can manufacture it quickly and efficiently.

Air scrubber internals are a very critical product so when a shutdown occurs it is very important to have access to all components especially the plastic scrubber packing. Whether the air scrubber internals include the Tripacks, Saddle style or Pall Ring packing, KemFlo has you covered.

In addition to our fast and efficiency production capabilities, our substantial inventory and several distribution locations, KemFlo employs a team of customer service experts who can assist in emergency and critical situations. Our customer service team works with customer to ensure the fastest and most cost effective shipping method available. They also keep the customer informed in regards to the progress of their specific order which allows the customer to plan and schedule the installation of the plastic random packing.

When is comes to plant shutdowns and emergency maintenance situations we know the importance of working closely with our customers to help ensure that their project or job is completed safely and efficiently. What ever size requirement you may have for plastic scrubber packing KemFlo can help. KemFlo’s Kempac plastic random packing is available in multiple sizes. The Tripacks are available in 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Pall Ring packing is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Saddle style plastic scrubber packing is available in 1”, 2” and 3”.

For more information on KemFlo’s Tripacks, Saddle style and Pall Ring packing please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com .

Having to troubleshoot air scrubber internals can be a complex process because there are so many things that can contribute to an under performing system. Air scrubber internals are typically designed based on very specific process data and performance parameters. Many details must be considered in the design and selection on Air scrubber internals such as material selection, configuration of the part and cost to name a few. All scrubber internals must be designed to work to gather in order to achieve maximum efficiency. Because there are so many factors involved in designing air scrubber internals troubleshooting an under-performing system can be complex and time consuming.

The first task that should be addressed when troubleshooting an air scrubber is to confirm and check all calculations and design data. In some cases a simple adjustment in the scrubber pressure or liquid rate may fix the efficiency issue. You can also consider making adjustments to the systems operations and settings. Secondary equipment such as blowers and pumps should also be tested to ensure that they are performing per their specific specifications.

It is important to check all process piping and connections for leaks. Leaks in piping, fittings or any other connection may result in significant pressure drop adversely affecting air scrubber’s performance. Another consideration when trouble shooting is the recirculation liquid. The solids concentration in the recirculation liquid may be too high and may require bleed-off and an increase in fresh water.  Air scrubbers and air scrubber internals may also be susceptible to corrosion which can lead to an increased amount of abrasive solids in the system which can cause plugging which affects the system’s pressure and may cause damage throughout the air scrubber. It is important to monitor the system’s PH levels in order to reduce corrosion.

A detailed inspection of the air scrubber internals may also be in order while troubleshooting. Each individual air scrubber internal including the mist eliminator, liquid distributor, bed limited, packing support, plastic random packing or any other internal may need to be inspected to confirm the design and check for damage. There are a number of potential issues related to the plastic random packing in a system. The plastic random packing or scrubber media is a very critical air scrubber internal because it provides an area for liquid and air contact.

The following are problems or concerns with respect to scrubber packed beds. If the system is experiencing water rate and pressure issues it may be because the liquid distributor is not evenly or fully distributing liquid over the bed of plastic random packing. The operator should check for plugs and confirm the liquid distributor’s pattern if possible. The packed bed may also flood if the liquid or gas flow is too high.

Careful inspection of the plastic random packing should also be done. The scrubber packing bed may become plugged due to solids. There are types of plastic random packing that are less susceptible to plugging such as the Kempac Tri-Pack or Pall Ring packing. Both the Tri-Pack and Pall Ring packing are specifically designed to prevent build-up and plugging. The chances of having to troubleshoot your air scrubber and air scrubber internals can be greatly reduced by implementing a maintenance program.

KemFlo specializes in the manufacturing of plastic random packing which is utilized in air scrubbing, air stripping and other mass transfer applications. KemFlo is unique in that they have the ability to manufacture their plastic random packing in a variety of resins. While Polypropylene is the most common resin used in manufacturing plastic random packing, KemFlo also manufactures plastic random packing in specialty resins such as CPVC, PVDF, Polypropylene with glass, PFA and more. Please visit our website or call us for a complete list of available resins. Kemflo offers three different styles of scrubber packing, the Tri-Pack style, Pall Ring and Saddle. The Tri-Pack is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Pall Ring is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Saddle is available in 1”, 2” and 3”. While the packing type and size is one of the most important elements in the design of a scrubber there are other important components to consider such as packing supports, bed limiters, mist eliminators, liquid distributors and feed pipes.

Feed pipes are the initial stage of the distribution system and is vital to the performance of other components in a scrubber. The feed pipe typically consists of a header and may also include branches depending on the design. The header may be manufactured in plastic, metal or fiberglass. Another important component is the liquid distributor which ensures even distribution of a liquid over the packed bed of a scrubber column. Proper installation of the liquid distributor is critical to the performance of a system Ensuring that the liquid distributor is level during installation is very important in order to ensure proper distribution of liquid over the packed bed. The packing in a scrubber sits directly on the packing support and is held in place with a bed limiter which is installed directly above the packed bed. For example, KemFlo’s Tri-Pack packing would be sandwiched between a packing support and bed limiter ensuring proper positing of the packing and preventing the Tri-Pack from falling into the bottom of the system and creating pump issues or being blown into the upper levels of the scrubber and interfering with the performance of other components. Lastly the mist eliminator is used to remove mist from a gas stream. A mist eliminator typically consists of layers or coils of knitted wire mesh held together by support grids on the top and bottom. The wire mesh and support grids are typically available in metal alloys and plastics.

While the plastic random packing is only one of the critical components of a scrubber, KemFlo ensures that their plastic random packing is manufactured with the highest quality materials utilizing the latest technology. Whether a customer selects the Tri-Pack, Pall Ring or plastic Saddles are they getting the highest quality packing on the market. All of KemFlo’s resins can be traced back to the supplier’s specific resin batch ensuring a high level of quality control. For more information on KemFlo’s Tri-Pack, Pall Ring or Plastic Saddle please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or give us a call.

KemFlo is known for manufacturing plastic tower packing in multiple configurations and in a variety of resins. In addition to manufacturing the highest quality plastic random packing on the market under the Kempac brand name, KemFlo also has the capabilities to manufacture custom plastic random packing to your specific specification. Kemflo can take your product from design to production. The process includes product design / engineering, prototyping, mold design, mold making, production and quality assurance.

Product Design:

Kemflo offers complete design and engineering services. Our engineering staff will work closely with you to ensure that your plastic random packing is designed in the most efficient and cost effective way possible. KemFlo works with the latest in computer aided design software. KemFlo’s engineering department utilizes both 2D platform as well as the most advanced 3D software such as SolidWorks, Siemens PLD and Pro Engineer. KemFlo’s 31 years of experience in engineering combined with the latest software technology allows us to provide our customers with the best in engineering solutions.

Prototyping:

Kemflo’s 3D printer allows us to build models of your plastic random packing using Soluble Supported Technology. Our engineers can use this tool to evaluate design concepts and test model for from, fit and functionality. Kemflo has the ability to produce quick models which can be used to change, adjust and improve the product. We also offer SLA and SLS prototyping as an alterative to 3D printing. KemFlo offers cost effective machined prototypes as well as low volume production parts for testing before making an investment in tooling.

Mold Design and Mold making:

KemFlo has extensive mold design and mold making experience. This allow us to provide our customers with quality cost effective tooling solutions. Our experience ranges from single cavity low volume production molds to high efficiency multicavity hot runner molds. The knowledge of mold design, resin selection and the experience in product engineering is key to the success of a project. Our tool department can repair, refurbish and modify molds in-house to reduce production down time to a minimum. Adhering to production schedules is an essential part of our customer satisfaction policy.

Production:

Our process knowledge covers a wide range of thermoplastics which is essential in the production of plastic tower packing. We specialize in producing rigid and flexible parts in variety of resins including but not limited to Polypropylene, Polyethylene, CPVC, PVDF (Kynar), Teflon, Tefzel and more. Our production facility features over 20 injection molding machines ranging from 90 to 850 tons.

Quality Assurance:

Kemflo’s quality assurance process starts when a product is first introduced. A review process is conducted whereby the plastic random packing is evaluated for fit, form and function. We have complete testing facilities for product validation and will meet any requirements necessary to meet our customer’s expectations.