Plastic Random Packing such as the Tripacks and Plastic Pall Ring manufactured by Kemflo are used in numerous applications such air scrubbing, air stripping, distillation and biological filtration to name a few. One of the most common application for plastic random packing is for use in cooling towers. A cooling tower is basically a specifically designed heat exchanger which function is to cool water from an industrial process or from an air conditioning condenser. Water that has been heated by an air conditioning condenser or industrial process is pumped into the cooling tower through a series of pipes. The heated water is introduced into the cooling tower through a network of spray nozzles located near the top of the system. The spray nozzles evenly distribute the heated water over a bed of fill or media. The bed of fill is typically plastic random media supported by a grate. The size of the packed bed depends on the volume of water and air. It is very important to ensure that the spray nozzles evenly distributes the water over the top of the plastic random packing to ensure maximum efficiency of the cooling tower system. The water flows through the bed of plastic random media. As the water is introduced through the plastic random packing the water is slowed and spreads throughout the packed bed which exposes the water to a much surface area as possible. This results in maximum air and water contact. When the air and water meet, a small amount of the water is evaporated which creates a cooling action. The cooled water is then pumped back to the condenser or industrial process equipment where it absorbs heat. The water is then recirculated back to the cooling tower to be cooled once again.

In a cooling tower the plastic random packing bed may be referred to as the heat transfer pack or the fill pack. The purpose of the plastic packing media is to provide sufficient surface area in which water and air flow can come in to contact and mix resulting in evaporative cooling. The Tripacks style of plastic random packing is commonly used in cooling tower application due to its geometric shape which prohibits voids within the packed bed. The Tri-Packs also provide significant service area. The Tri-Packs consist of ribs, struts and drop rods which give the packing excellent wetting qualities. It also helps to maintain even distribution of water and air throughout the packed bed resulting in efficient evaporation and cooling. The material of construction for the plastic packing media is typically polypropylene or PVC Polyvinylchloride.

Regular maintenance of the packed bed is important to ensure that the cooling tower is functioning properly. Dirty water and debris can cause fouling within the plastic random media and become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. The plastic random packing may be removed periodically for inspection. Any fouled packing can be either cleaned or replaced. Please refer to the Kempac website for plastic packing media cleaning tips and instructions.

For more information on Kemflo’s Tri-Packs style packing or our Plastic Pall Ring please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com.

Kemflo has been manufacturing high quality plastic injection molded parts and products since 1988. In addition to manufacturing KemFlo offers product design and engineering, prototyping, mold making and design, post molding capabilities and quality assurance program that id second to none. Expanding our capabilities and services to meet our customer’s needs has always been an important focus for KemFlo. Our primary goal at KemFlo is to provide cost effective product solutions with the highest level of quality for our customers. In order to achieve this we are constantly evaluating our customer’s needs to ensure that we have the capabilities and services to meet and exceed those needs.

KemFlo has a vast amount of experience in manufacturing numerous products and parts for multiple industries including Industrial, oil and gas, chemical, medical, agricultural, energy, construction, environmental and more.

Over the years Kemflo has added a number of value added services to meet our customer’s needs and requirements. KemFlo has added services such as hot stamping, assembly capabilities, special packaging and private labeling. Our customers want to receive their parts or products in the most efficient and cost effective way and KemFlo works closely with our customers to achieve this. We also have customers who buy and resale products that we manufacture and wish to have their information and logo on the product and or packaging for a variety of reasons. We can assist our customers with developing a product label that is specific to their company or our customer may provide us with their own label and or logo. This is a common practice regarding our plastic random packing product line where a customer may purchase the Tripack, Pall Ring or Plastic Saddle but want their own label attached to the boxes. A customer may also want the label to specify the job or project in which the product will be used. KemFlo’s Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddle style random packing can also be packaged in a variety of box sizes, poly bags and pallets in order to meet our customer’s needs. KemFlo also commonly private labels their thermoplastic pipe fittings, tank lids and tank accessories and medical products.

There are many advantages to private labeling products. Private labeling products gives the customer better control over the product from start to finish. Better control from ordering to shipping to re-ordering. It also reinforces their brand and company name at the end user level. Many distributors, OEMs and fabricators want to protect their customer base and brand name. They also want their products to be easily identified in the field and on project work sites. Private labeling is a good option to accomplish this and it is a true value added service that benefits and protects our customers. Please feel free to contact
KemFlo to discuss private labeling and special packaging or and other special requirement that you may have.

We are always happy to help our customers any way we can. For more information on KemFlo’s plastic random packing products such as the Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddle style packing or any other product that KemFlo manufactures please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com or give us a call.

One of the most important air scrubbing internal components is the random packing support. The design, configuration and positioning of the packing support is critical in ensuring optimal system performance. The specifics of a particular system, the design criteria as well as the cost will determine the packing support’s style, size, thickness and material of construction. The design criteria will help determine if a standard packing support is sufficient or will a gas injection packing support be required. The open area of a packing support must be designed such that the specified plastic random packing cannot fall through its openings. Whether the Tripack or Pall Ring packing is required for a specific system, the design of the packing support must consider the exact dimensions of the plastic tower packing. For example, if you are designing to support the 2” Pall Ring packing you can contact KemFlo for exact part dimensions. The operating temperature as well as the chemical or contaminate composition will determine the material of construction as it does for all air scrubbing internals. Materials of construction may include common metals, exotic metals, fiberglass, thermoplastics or even ceramics. In many cases the material of construction for the packing support will be the same as the tower packing.

The styles of packing supports include the standard grid style packing support and the gas injection packing support. The standard style packing support grid uses a grid or grate style design. This is considered a basic or simple design where standard grating is commonly utilized. It is critical that the support is designed so that the random packing does not fall through the openings of the support. This type of support is typically used in applications with low gas flow. The grate style packing support is supported on a support ledge and requires additional structural support as the overall size increases. The open area of a grate style packing support will range between 50 to 70% depending on the material and random tower packing required. The alternate style of random packing support is the gas injection support plate. The gas injection packing support plate is considered a high performance air scrubbing internal. The primary function of the gas injection support plate is the support the random packing and aid in liquid distribution. It is specifically designed to support the random tower packing with our impeding the gas flowing through the tower. The gas injection support plate accomplishes this by providing separate openings for the gas and the liquid. A slotted beam allows for gas flow at a higher level of the packed bed while the liquid flows towards the base of the support. The gas injection support plate typically offers an open area equal to 95% to 110% of the cross sectional of the tower. Like the standard grid packing support, the gas injection support plate requires a support ledge and requires additional structural support as the diameter of the tower increases. The gas injection support plate is a stronger design and will likely require less structural supports.

When designing a packing support feel free to contact KemFlo for specific information regarding our plastic random packing product line. KemFlo manufactures the Tripack, Pall Ring packing and saddle style packing in a variety of materials and sizes. Please visit www.kempac-packing.com for more information.

Contaminated ground water is one of the important challenges that we will face in the future. Over half of the United States population depends on groundwater as their source for drinking water. Groundwater is also a major source of water for irrigation. It is in everyone’s interest to protect ground water and ensure its use for generations to come. Unfortunately, groundwater is susceptible to pollutants. Man-made products such as oil, gas and chemicals may get into the groundwater making it unfit for human consumption. Drinking contaminated ground water can have very serious health effects such as hepatitis, dysentery and various forms of cancer. Ground water can also harm wildlife and vegetation. Sources of groundwater contamination include: Industrial storage tanks which may corrode, crack and develop leaks. There are over ten million storage tanks buried in the United states alone. Septic systems are another source. If a septic system is improperly designed or maintained it may leak bacteria, viruses, household chemicals and other contaminates into the soil and groundwater. Hazardous waste spills is another common source. Landfills that are not designed with the proper barrier or have a damaged barrier between the landfill and ground are a major concern. Wide spread use of chemicals and road slate can also eventually end up in groundwater.

Contaminated groundwater must be treated. One of the most efficient ways of treating groundwater is through a process call air stripping. Air stripping is the process of moving air through contaminated groundwater or surface water in a treatment system. Air Stripping removes contaminates from the water. In an air scrubber air passing through contaminated water helps evaporate contaminates faster and more efficiently. After treating the water, the air and chemical vapors are collected, and the vapors are either removed or vented.  Air stripping uses an air stripping column that contains a series of column internals including plastic random packing. The process forces air
through contaminated water and evaporates the contaminates. The most popular type of air stripper is a packed column air stripper which is a vertical tank filled with plastic random packing such as kempac’s Tri-Pack, plastic Pall Ring Packing or plastic Saddles. Contaminated water is pumped into the top of the column and sprayed over the plastic random packing material. The water trickles downward though the spaces between the plastic random packing. Air is blown into the bottom of the column.  As the air rises through the column it flows across the packing and contaminated water. The plastic random packing provides an area for the air and contaminated water to mix and helps to increase the rate of evaporation. The air is collected at the top of the column and can be released or treated while the water is collected at the bottom of the column and where it can be tested. This process can take months or even years depending on contamination concentrations and the amount of water required to be treated.  

Selecting the proper column internals is important when designing an air stripper.  Kemflo manufactures three types of plastic random packing that should be considered when designing an air stripper.  These packing include the Tri-Pack style, Pall Ring Packing and the Plastic Saddle. The Tri-Pack is available is 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Pall Ring Packing is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5”. The Plastic Saddle packing is available in 1”, 2” and 3”.  The Tri-Pack style is most commonly used plastic random packing in air stripping applications due to its unique design. The Tri-Pack is a spherical column packing that is constructed of a network of ribs, struts and drip rods. The Tri-Pack’s superior geometric shape and active surface area make it the ideal random packing for air stripping applications.  

For more information about kemflo’s Kempac plastic random packing product line please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com.

One of the most common applications for Kemflo’s Kempac plastic random media is biological filtration. Kemflo’s Tri-Pack style, Plastic Pall Ring or Plastic Saddle packing are ideal for use is biological filtration applications. From small systems to large systems Kemflo has a plastic random media for you.

Most modern biological filters have a bed of plastic random media over which wastewater is continuously distributed. The plastic random media bed can range in depth from one to more than ten meters deep. Wastewater is applied uniformly over the plastic random media by filter feeds and distribution systems. An underdrain system is provided to collect filter effluent for transport to a clarifier for solids separation. A biological filter does not actually purify wastewater by any filtering or straining action, but by absorption and biological oxidation of the soluble. Organic matter in the wastewater.

Wastewater applied to a biological filter usually has undergone primary treatment to remove suspended solids that can plug the filter, and to remove suspended biochemical oxygen demand or BOD that reduces filter organic loading. The function of the filter is to convert soluble and colloidal organics to settleable solids. These solids are then separated from the wastewater in a postfilter clarifier. The conversion of the soluble and colloidal organics to settleable solids is accomplished biochemically. As wastewater is applied, a biological film develops on the plastic random media. The biological film is responsible for the decomposition of the organic matter in wastewater. The film is a jelly-like slime composed of a very large and diverse population of living organisms including bacteria, protozoa, algae, worms, and insect larvae. The microorganisms that comprise the biological film use the organic matter in wastewater as their food source and the oxygen in the wastewater to metabolize this food. Oxygen is dissolved into the wastewater from the air that circulates through the filter. Metabolism of the organic matter entails numerous complex biochemical reactions within the cells of the microorganisms. Some filer organisms feed on complex substances in the wastewater and produce new cell material and compounds as waste byproducts. The process continues until the final waste products can no longer be used as food by any of the filter microorganisms.

To ensure fast, odor free decomposition of wastewater organics, the filter must remain aerobic. Sufficiently dissolved oxygen must be present in the wastewater at it trickles through the plastic random media. Although dissolved oxygen is only slightly soluble in wastewater, it is constantly being consumed by the microorganisms. Therefore, Oxygen must constantly be available for dissolution into the wastewater. This oxygen comes from the air that circulates through the filter. If there is insufficient air circulation, odorous anaerobic conditions will develop and treatment efficiency will decrease. Filters are classified as low or standard, intermediate rate, high rate or super high rate. Further designations such as single stage, two stage, series and parallel describe the hydraulic flow patterns. Super high rate filters involve plastic random media. Super high rate filters are loaded at hydraulic rates between 140,000 and 840,000 meters squared and organic loadings up to 4.5 kg/m. The major differences between super high and high rate filters are greater hydraulic loadings and greater filter depths. The greater depths are possible because lighter plastic random media is used.

For more information on Kemflo’s Tri-Pack style, Plastic Pall Ring or Plastic Saddle please visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com.

Distillation is a common application where KemFlo’s plastic random media is utilized. KemFlo’s plastic random media has many advantages including overall efficiency, corrosion resistance, durability and weight. KemFlo manufactures their plastic random media under the Kempac brand name and offer a Tri-Pack style, plastic Pall Ring and plastic Saddle packing. All three packing styles are available in three different sizes and a variety of resins. Available resins include Polypropylene, Polypropylene with glass, CPVC, PVC, PVDF and more.

Distillation is a commonly used process for separating mixtures based on differences in the conditions required to change phase of components of the mixture. To separate a mixture of liquids, the liquid can be heated to force components, which have different boiling points, into the gas phase. The gas is then condensed back into liquid form and collected. Repeating the process on the collected liquid to improve the purity of the product is called double distillation. Although the term is most commonly applied to liquids, the reverse process can be used to separate gases by liquefying components using changes in temperature and or pressure. A plant that performs distillation is called a distillery. The column used to perform distillation is called a still. A crude oil refinery is a group of industrial facilities that turns crude oil and other inputs into finished petroleum products. A refinery’s capacity refers to the maximum amount of crude oil designed to flow into the distillation unit of a refinery, also known as the crude unit.

The diagram above presents a stylized version of the distillation process. Crude oil is made up of a mixture of hydrocarbons, and the distillation process aims to separate this crude oil into broad categories of its component hydrocarbons, or “fractions.” Crude oil is first heated and then put into a distillation column, also known as a still, where different products boil off and are recovered at different temperatures. Lighter products, such as butane and other liquid petroleum (LPG), gasoline blending components, and naphtha, are recovered at the lowest temperatures. Mid-range products include jet fuel, kerosene, and distillates (such as home heating oil and diesel fuel). The heaviest products such as residual fuel oil are recovered at temperatures sometimes over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The simplest refineries stop at this point. Although not shown in the simplified diagram above, most refineries in the United States reprocess the heavier fractions into lighter products to maximize the output of the most desirable products using more sophisticated refining equipment such as catalytic crackers, reformers, and cokers.

Packed bed columns may be used for distillation of vapor liquid mixtures. Random packing media provides a large surface area for vapor liquid contact, which increases the column’s effectiveness. The style of plastic random packing that is utilized in a distillation column can affect the overall efficiency of a unit so special consideration should be given to the selection of random media during the design stage of a distillation unit. KemFlo offer the Tri-Pack style packing in 1”, 2” and 3.5”, the plastic Pall Ring in 1, 2” and 3.5”, and the plastic Saddle packing in 1” 2” and 3”. Please contact Kemflo or visit our website at www.kempac-packing.com for more information on our plastic tower packing.