A Georgia-based provider of natural gas measurement and control products and solutions has announced the acquisition of a distribution and service center for the natural gas industry, extending its capabilities for heat treating manufacturers.
“We’re excited to welcome the Tri-State team to Equipment Controls,” said Jeb Bell, president of Equipment Controls Company. “Tri-State has built its reputation on a foundation of exceptional service. Their motto, ‘The Service Matters,’ resonates with our values, and we’re eager to extend that level of service to our customers.”
“We look forward to our future with ECCO. Our shared vision and complementary strengths will enable us to deliver exceptional value to our customers and the natural gas industry as a whole,” said Paul Hayes, president of Tri-State Meter and Regulator Service, Inc.
ECCO will be keeping Tri-State’s brand, team, offices, products, and service offerings.
This press release is available in its original form here.
During the day-to-day operation of heat treat departments, many habits are formed and procedures followed that sometimes are done simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. One of the great benefits of having a community of heat treaters is to challenge those habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat TreatToday‘s 101 Heat TreatTips, tips and tricks that come from some of the industry’s foremost experts, were initially published in the FNA 2018 Special Print Edition, as a way to make the benefits of that community available to as many people as possible. This special edition is available in a digital format here.
In today’s Technical Tuesday, we continue an intermittent series of posts drawn from the 101 tips. The category for this post is Industrial Gases, and today’s tip #39 comes from Dan Herring, “The Heat Treat Doctor®”, of The Herring Group.
Heat TreatTip #39
How to Install an Ammonia System
Dan Herring, “The Heat Treat Doctor®”, of The Herring Group
One of the keys to any successful ammonia system installation in the heat treat shop is to find a supplier who is capable of providing premium grade (also known as metallurgical grade) anhydrous ammonia. This product has little or no water, which could contaminate your process. Look for a specification of 99.995% ammonia.
Once you have picked a supplier, there are several choices when it comes to ammonia storage. For the lowest product price, you should consider a tank of at least 10,000 gallons (43,000 pounds of ammonia.) This allows you to purchase full 38,000-pound tanker trucks of ammonia to reduce your supply costs. One pound of ammonia yields 22.5 cubic feet of vapor or 45 cubic feet of dissociated ammonia (75% H2, 25% N2).
In most states, you must comply with these standards if you have more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on site. So, you need to make sure you comply with OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) and EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP).
The second option is to keep below the 10,000-pound threshold by installing a 1,000 gallon (4,400-pound capacity) or a 2,000 gallon (8,800-pound capacity) storage tank. Pricing for ammonia into these tanks runs about 50% higher in the smaller quantities. Even with the lower inventory, you will need to comply with OSHA 1910.111 and any applicable state, city, or county laws. It is critical to check with local agencies to make sure you are in full compliance with these regulations.
Another option for smaller usages are ammonia cylinders, but if stored inside the factory, special containment cabinets are required. Check with your ammonia supplier for the details.
With regard to the installation, in most cases, you need to pour a foundation for the tank, provide electricity to the tank for a sidearm vaporizer (used to maintain pressure in the tank since you will be withdrawing ammonia vapor to the process) and provide piping from the tank to your process. Most suppliers can lease the tank and valves/attachments for a nominal monthly fee depending on your ammonia consumption. You can also add a telemetry unit that allows your supplier to monitor your tank level via an Internet site. You will need to install a water shower near the tank and have gas masks close to the tank. It is a good idea to provide a fence around the tank if your company does not have security. Your supplier should provide hazardous awareness training for ammonia.
You can expect relatively trouble-free operation from a properly installed and well-maintained ammonia supply. Maintenance problems, other than an occasional paint job, are usually minimal but good inspection (including all valving) and frequent leak checks are mandatory. The tank should be visually inspected yearly, probably by your supplier, and the pressure relief valves should be changed every five years.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the expert who submitted the Tip or contact Heat TreatToday directly. If you have a heat treat tip that you’d like to share, please send to the editor, and we’ll put it in the queue for our next Heat TreatTipsissue.
A leading U.S. supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases has recently made moves to increase the company’s bulk gas production and distribution through building and expansion projects and an acquisition of a distributor of industrial gases and welding supplies.
Pascal Vinet, Chief Executive Officer of Airgas, Inc. and Air Liquide Executive Committee Member
Airgas Air Separation Unit
Airgas, an Air Liquide company, announced the plans to build two new air separation units (ASUs) that increase bulk gas production in the Midwest and Northeast. The two new ASUs, along with previously announced production facilities under construction in North Carolina (on-stream late 2019) and Southern California, will produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for use in customer applications that include heat treating, metal fabrication, and combustion enhancement.
In addition, Air Liquide announced that Airgas has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TA Corporate Holdings, Inc. (“Tech Air), a large independent distributor of industrial gases and welding supplies. Founded in 1935, Tech Air is a major distributor of industrial, medical and specialty packaged gases, welding equipment, and supplies. Tech Air is owned by CI Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, and Tech Air management.
“With the construction of these two new ASUs, Airgas will deliver on our Air Liquide integration strategy to grow our independent production of bulk gases, to gain efficiencies in our dynamic supply chain, and to deliver product supply reliability to our customers,” said Pascal Vinet, Chief Executive Officer of Airgas, Inc. and Air Liquide Executive Committee Member.
Regarding the Tech Air acquisition, Vinet said, “Growth through acquisition has been a key component of Airgas’ business model and remains a core part of our long term strategy. We look forward to welcoming the Tech Air team to Airgas, and integrating their complementary capabilities and resources to enhance service for our customers.”
Many heat treat processes require protective or process gases. These gases often require careful monitoring. One of the protective and/or process gases used in many heat treat applications is an endothermic atmosphere which is made up largely of CO, CO2, H2, and N2. This article is about the creation and proper monitoring of endothermic atmospheres.
In an atmosphere furnace, the proper mix of these gases can help facilitate changes in the metal such as proper hardness and strength, resistance to temperature, or improved tensile strength to mention a few. Without careful control of temperature, time and atmosphere, metals can experience unwanted changes in properties such as hydrogen embrittlement, surface bluing, soot formation, oxidation, and decarburization. With such critical outcomes in the balance, it is necessary to control the endothermic gas.
An excerpt:
“In order for the required metal treatment to be a success, you must control and monitor the gas composition with extreme care. The concentrations of gases, CO₂, H₂O, CH₄, N₂, H₂ and CO, that make up the endothermic gas atmosphere should be measured in order to aid the prevention of unwanted reactions and ensure that the endogas generator and the furnace are operating normally.”
