Robert Sanderson

Strategies To Reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, BURNERS & COMBUSTION SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS

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N2: It’s so harmless, it makes up the majority of the air we breathe. But, once bonded with oxygen, the resulting compound can be dangerous to the environment and public health; as heat treaters know, keeping nitrogen oxide production levels low is a key part of complying with government requirements. When it comes to reducing nitrogen oxide levels, what options do heat treaters have?

This Technical Tuesday article written by Robert Sanderson, director of Business Development at Rockford Combustion, first appeared in Heat Treat Today's August 2022 Automotive print edition.

Robert Sanderson
Director of Business Development
Rockford Combustion

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a collection of highly reactive chemical compounds formed during combustion processes, partly from nitrogen compounds in the fuel, but mostly by direct combination of atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen in flames. One chemical reactant of NOx is nitrogen gas (N2). Formed by two nitrogen atoms, N2 lacks smell, color, and taste. N2 is also non-flammable and inactive at room temperature. In fact, N2 makes up 78% of our atmosphere, underscoring how little danger the compound, by itself, represents in the environment.

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However, when N2 reacts with oxygen (O), an assortment of nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can be formed. All forms of the nitrogen oxides taken together are referred to as NOx, with the measurements reported as equivalent to NO2. NOx formation can happen naturally such as during a lightning strike, biogenetically in agricultural fertilizer, or from fossil fuel powered cars (mobile) and industrial combustion systems (stationary). Combustion processes that form NOx by-products predominately create them as both NO and NO2.

In this article we will look at NOx formed from combustion processes, why NOx is dangerous both to the environment and public health, and what options operators of industrial combustion systems have to reduce NOx emissions in equipment fi red by natural gas, oil, or coal. We will also show how reducing NOx in certain combustion systems can increase energy efficiency to bolster return on investment.

NOx

As a pollutant, NOx represents a serious threat to human health and the environment. When NOx is mixed with organic compounds under UV light it will create reddish-brown smog (ozone). Smog that envelops cities during the summer often degrades air quality and can irritate lung tissue. Additionally, NOx has been linked to acid rain and high levels of NOx have been shown to damage ecosystems by making vegetation more susceptible to disease and frost damage.

During the 1990s, the use of natural gas in industrial combustion processes displaced coal and oil. This has led to a significant reduction in NOx emissions. At the same time, local and federal requirements grew increasingly stringent, including the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 that required major stationary sources of NOx to install and operate reasonably available control technology (RACT). Current regulations in some parts of the country are focused on NOx levels of 9 ppm (parts per million) or lower. Manufacturers have responded to these challenges by introducing ever-lower NOx capable burners and NOx control schemes.

What Are the Types of NOx 

As mentioned, whenever fossil fuel is burned, NOx can be formed. For that reason, motor vehicles by their sheer numbers are major contributors to NOx pollution. However, for the purpose of this article, we are narrowing the focus exclusively on NOx emitted by fuel-fired industrial combustion systems, such as boilers, furnaces, heaters, ovens, kilns, and dryers. NOx formed in high-temperature industrial systems can be broken down into three types: Fuel NOx, Thermal NOx, and Prompt NOx.

Fuel NOx

Although natural gas is typically free of fuel-bound nitrogen, nitrogen is often found in liquid and solid fuels. When nitrogen that is chemically bonded into fuel molecules is combusted, it directly converts to Fuel NOx. In fact, untreated fuel oil can contain as much as 1,000 ppm of fuel-bound nitrogen resulting in over 40 ppm NOx in exhaust. Ammonia (NH3) combustion is particularly difficult as it is essentially all fuel-bonded nitrogen, and fully converts to Fuel NOx. Hydrogen (H2) fuel combustion has no fuel-bound nitrogen and produces no Fuel NOx.

Thermal NOx

Sometimes called Zeldovich NOx, after the Russian physicist, Thermal NOx forms when airborne nitrogen and oxygen merge in high temperature zones. Thermal NOx constitutes most of the NOx formed during the combustion of gases and light oils. The formation of Thermal NOx is highly temperature dependent — basically the hotter the combustion the more Thermal NOx is formed. Thermal NOx generally begins to occur at about 1600°F, with formation rates escalating as the temperatures increase above this. But the formation of Thermal NOx is also dependent on pressure and residence time. Decreasing any of these three factors reduces Thermal NOx levels. Here, it is important to note that while natural gas is a cleaner burning hydrocarbon, all flames (including those of pure hydrogen) release heat. And any high temperature heat release has the potential to produce Thermal NOx. Many common Thermal NOx treatments utilize various methods to minimize temperatures in the hottest areas of the flame.

Prompt NOx

In 1971, Charles Fenimore proposed the concept of Prompt NOx. Prompt NOx occurs when N2 fuses with partially combusted fuel products early in a combustion process. Basically, Prompt NOx is the “leftover” NOx when both Thermal and Fuel NOx are accounted for. Although Prompt NOx represents a miniscule fraction of overall NOx in a combustion system, that fraction becomes in ever-greater proportion as other NOx control mechanisms are introduced. Prompt NOx is not thermally dependent which makes it difficult to design for. As such, it is often perceived as a source that cannot be easily controlled, hence suppression eff orts focus on reducing Thermal and Fuel NOx.

Why Is NOx Controlled?

Nitrogen oxides emitted into our atmosphere lead to increased air pollutants that irritate airways in the human respiratory system, among other health problems. Of course, air pollution impacts everyone but some of us are more susceptible: young children and seniors, those with asthma, and people working outdoors, for example. Even brief exposures to NOx can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis, leading to coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and hospital admissions. Long-term exposure to elevated concentrations of NOx may contribute to the development of asthma and potentially increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.1 A 2012 United Kingdom study concluded that air pollution related deaths were more than double those of traffic accidents.2 A related study in the United States came to similar conclusions.3

The key problem is ozone. When exposed to UV rays in sunlight, NOx molecules interact with volatile organic compounds (VOC) to form ground-level or “tropospheric” ozone (O3), also known as smog. Smog can damage lung tissue, and it is especially dangerous to people with respiratory illnesses that may experience more intense attacks. Ozone is also hard on plants and animals, damaging ecosystems and leading to reduced crop and forest yields. In the United States, ozone accounts for an estimated $9 billion in reduced corn and soybean production annually.4 It also kills many seedlings and damages foliage, making trees more susceptible to diseases, pests, and harsh weather. Finally, ozone acts as a powerful greenhouse gas, albeit much shorter lived than carbon dioxide.

In the presence of water droplets, nitrogen oxides form nitric acid, contributing to the problem of acid rain. Additionally, NOx deposition in the oceans provides phytoplankton with nutrients, worsening the issue of red tides and other harmful algal blooms. A closely related molecule can be created, nitrous oxide (N2O), another greenhouse gas that plays a role in climate change.

Abating NOx Emissions

In response to stringent environmental regulations, the combustion industry has made important strides in reducing combustion associated NOx, while simultaneously furthering energy efficiency. These steps include a host of new and emerging technologies and practical, proven operational tactics, like the following:

Fuel Switching

One simple method to reduce Fuel NOx emissions is to switch from a high nitrogen-bound content fuel to a fuel with reduced nitrogen content such as another distillate oil, or natural or hydrogen gas — which are essentially nitrogen free fuels. Changing fuels may necessitate changes to burners, fuel trains, and burner management systems as the alternate fuel will likely have different combustion characteristics and chemical properties.

Natural Gas Reburning (NGR)

NGR has proven to yield NOx reduction up to 75% from standard burners. NGR involves building a “gas-reburning zone” on top of the primary combustion zone where natural gas is injected. A fuel-rich region is created where NOx reacts to hydrocarbon radicals and molecular nitrogen is formed. This technique can be built into some burner designs as an integral operating property. Burners that use this NOx reduction method must be carefully sized and examined for operating inputs as their performance ranges are often restricted.

Low NOx Burners

Low NOx and Ultra-Low NOx burners have been shown to reduce emissions by up to 50% compared to standard burners. Greater reduction efficiencies can be achieved by combining the burner with flue gas recirculation (FGR, see below). Low NOx burners reduce peak flame temperature by combinations of induced recirculation zones, staged or delayed combustion zones, and reduced local oxygen concentrations. Downsides of these mechanisms are that these designs are typically more expensive than conventional burners, often require a larger footprint, and they may necessitate extensive furnace modifications. These solutions are popular with volumetric air heating and low temperature combustion processes.

Reduced Oxygen Concentration

Under certain conditions NOx emissions will diminish in a near linear fashion with decreasing excess air. Decreasing the extraneous available oxygen in the combustion zone lengthens the flame, resulting in a slower heat release rate per unit flame volume. Keep in mind that if excess air falls below a threshold value, combustion efficiency may decrease due to incomplete mixing. This is a popular method of NOx control on tube fired burners, reducing furnaces, and other applications where combustion air is fully isolated from the process, allowing for precise management of oxygen levels.

Steam/Water Injection

As we discussed earlier, lowering the local oxygen concentration will slow combustion and reduce developed flame temperature, therefore decreasing the formation of Thermal NOx. One method to achieve this result is to inject a small amount of water or steam into the vicinity of the flame. The water will absorb heat as steam is formed, which lowers the flame temperature. Additionally, the steam displaces the available oxygen, which slows the rate of combustion and further lowers the flame temperature. This method is effective, but generally lowers the combustion efficiency by 2% as the water molecules absorb some of the thermal energy. The effects of trace minerals in the water should also be considered.

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)

Ultra-Low NOx emissions (sub-5 ppm NOx requirement) are achieved with the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. SCR is a post-combustion method that involves injecting an ammoniacal reagent such as ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or urea in the presence of a catalyst to convert NOx to harmless nitrogen and oxygen in the exhaust gasses. Ammonia-free solutions utilizing urea are an option for users averse to handling and storing ammonia. It is not unusual for an SCR unit to reduce incoming flue NOx levels from 30 ppm to below 5 ppm, or by upwards of 95% reductions of higher inlet concentrations. And they can lower the electrical load by reducing fan requirements compared to flue gas recirculation. Catalyst costs have steadily dropped since SCR’s introduction in the 1960s, yet transaction expenses generally make SCR a costly NOx reduction strategy. A common issue is ammonia breakthrough that can occur when excess reagent for various reasons “slips” past the catalyst unreacted. Some jurisdictions have limits not only for NOx emission limits but also for ammonia slip, complicating the use of SCR as an abatement strategy.

Selective Catalytic Reduction with Economizers

Incorporating an extended-surface economizer with SCR delivers low NOx emissions and higher system efficiency, lowering operational costs. The SCR is the first phase of the system, converting NOx to nitrogen and oxygen. The second phase is a finned tube economizer, capturing and redirecting wasted heat back via heat transfer to feedwater or makeup water. Increasing efficiency by one or two percentage points can amount to measurable cost savings. Users of this two-phase system also report higher turndowns (the ratio of maximum to minimum firing rate), more stable flames, and faster response times to load swings.

Flue Gas Recirculation (FGR)

FGR (5 ppm to 20 ppm NOx requirement) is a well-attested, pollution-reducing technology that reduces thermal NOx by decreasing the burner flame temperature and slows the combustion reaction. In the FGR process, a portion of flue gases generated during combustion is redirected to the burner with fresh air, which helps to cool down the flame’s peak temperature and slows combustion reactions, thereby reducing the formation of NOx. One downside of FGR is that flue gas recirculation requires electrical energy for additional air handling. Another issue is that not all thermal processes can use FGR, for example, if the flue gases are too hot or too high in oxygen.

Benefits of NOx control technologies range from lowering your business’s carbon footprint to maximizing fuel efficiency. When it comes to reducing nitrogen oxide levels, selection of options will depend on your thermal processing systems, site-specific conditions, and regulatory and economic considerations. With so many ways to control NOx levels, heat treaters can choose the option that works best for them.

 

References

[1] “Basic Information about NO2,” EPA.gov, United States Environmental Protection Agency, June 2022, https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution/basic-information-about-no2.

[2] Roland Pease, “Traffic pollution kills 5,000 a year in UK, says study,” BBC.com, BBC News, June 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17704116.

[3] Fabio Caiazzo et al. “Air pollution and early deaths in the United States. Part I: Quantifying the impact of major sectors in 2005,” Atmospheric Environment 79 (2013): 198-208, June 2022, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231013004548.

[4] Justin M. McGrath et al, “An analysis of ozone damage to historical maize and soybean yields in the United States,” June 2022, https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1509777112.

About the Author: Throughout Robert’s 32+ years of experience within the combustion field, he has been involved in the automotive, abatement-oxidation, aerospace, agriculture, food and beverage, HVAC, heat treating, glass, asphalt, pyrolysis, reducing furnaces, dryers, immersion heaters, and power generation industries. He has formerly worked with Eclipse, Honeywell, and Haden, Inc. and now brings systems integration, as well as the application experience of how systems interact in various environments to Rockford Combustion as the director of business development. Robert is a member of the NFPA-86 technical committee.

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Prevent Catastrophic Fuel-Delivery Accidents: On Valve Safety Trains in Heat Treating Equipment

/ BURNERS & COMBUSTION SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM PUMPS GAUGES VALVES TECHNICAL CONTENT

Robert Sanderson, PE, Rockford Systems, LLC

This article on the critical role of valve safety trains in the prevention of catastrophic fuel-delivery accidents at heat treating facilities is authored by Robert Sanderson, P.E., Director of Business Development in the Combustion Safety division of Rockford Systems, LLC, based in Rockford, Illinois. Valve safety trains require regular inspections, maintenance, and training.

Heat treating, a thermal process used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material or coating, is a high-temperature operation that involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme temperatures, to modify a material’s physical properties — making it harder or softer, for example. Applications for heat treating are virtually endless, but at the heart of all thermal processes is the valve safety train.

These fuel-delivery devices maintain consistent conditions of gasses into furnaces, ovens, dryers, and boilers, among others, making them crucial in assuring safe ignition, operation, and shutdown. Equally important, they keep gas out of the system whenever equipment is cycled or shut off.

A valve safety train isn’t a single piece of equipment. Instead, it has many components including regulators, in-line strainers (“sediment traps”), safety shut-off valves (SSOV), manual valves (MV), pressure switches, and test fittings logically linked to a burner management system.

Flame-sensing components make sure that flames are present when they are supposed to be, and not at the wrong time. Other components may consist of leak-test systems, gauges, and pilot gas controls. At a minimum, there are two crucial gas pressure switches in a valve safety train, one for low pressure and one for high pressure. The low gas pressure switch ensures the minimum gas pressure necessary to operate is present. As you would assume, it will shut off fuel to the burner if the gas pressure is below the setpoint. The high gas pressure switch ensures excessive pressure is not present. It too will shut off fuel if the gas pressure is too high. Both switches must be proven safe to permit operation. Additionally, there will be an air pressure switch to ensure sufficient airflow is present to support burner operation.

Some systems have supplementary pressure switches, such as a valve-proving pressure switch. Switches such as these are typically used to enhance safety or provide other safety aspects specific to that application’s needs. A multitude of sensors within the valve safety train — pressure switches, flame detectors, position indicators — and isolation and relief valves work together in concert to prevent accidents.

Valve safety trains must be compliant with all applicable local and national codes, standards, and insurance requirements. The most common of these for North America are NFPA, NEMA, CSA, UL, FM. Annual testing and preventive maintenance are not only an NPFA requirement, but also oftentimes required by insurance agencies, equipment manufacturers, and national standards, including ANSI, ASME, and NEC.

Set Your Trap

The primary function of a valve safety train is to reliably isolate the inlet fuel from the appliance. Safety shut-off valves are purposely selected to do this. To protect these valves, the initial section of a safety train is used to condition the fuel and remove debris that could potentially damage or hinder all downstream safety components.

The first conditioning step is a sediment trap (a.k.a. dirt leg, drip leg). This trap captures large debris and pipe scale and provides a collection well for pipe condensates. The proper orientation of a sediment trap is at the bottom of a vertical feed. This downwards flow arrangement promotes the capture of debris and condensate into the trap. A horizontal feed across a sediment trap is an improper application. The second conditioning step is a flow strainer or filter element. These devices are fine particulate sieves. The removal of fine particulates from the fuel stream further protect the downstream safety devices from particulate erosion and abrasion. Taken together these conditioning steps remove particulates and condensates that might block, hinder, erode, or otherwise compromise the safety features of the downstream devices.

The Explosive Force of a Bomb

Owing to the presence of hazardous vapors and gases, a poorly designed or inadequately maintained safety train can lead to catastrophic accidents, ranging from explosions and fires to employee injuries and death. When this explosive force is unleashed, the shock wave carries equipment, debris, materials, pipes, and burning temperatures in all directions with tremendous force.

The following incidences provide just a few examples of why it is important to purchase the highest quality valve safety train and to keep it professionally maintained, inspected, and tested.

  • In 2018, a furnace explosion at a Massachusetts vacuum systems plant killed two men and injured firefighters as a result of fuel malfunction.
  • In Japan, an automobile manufacturer lost tens of millions of dollars when it was forced to shut down production for nearly a month after a gas-fueled furnace exploded due to flammable fumes building up in the tank.
  • In a Wisconsin bakery, an employee was seriously injured when he ignited an oven’s gas and was struck by a door that was blown off. A malfunctioning valve had allowed natural gas to build up inside the oven.
  • In 2017, a van-sized boiler exploded at a St. Louis box company, killing three people and injuring four others. The powerful, gas-fueled explosion launched the equipment more than 500 feet into the air.
  • In 2016, a boiler explosion in a packaging factory in Bangladesh enveloped the five-story building in flames, killing 23 people.

Two Dangers: Valves and Vents

Valves are mechanical devices that rely upon seats and seals to create mechanical barriers to control flow. Over time, these barriers wear out for a variety of

Glassblowing Furnace with Pipes

reasons, whether it is age, abrasion, erosion, chemical attack, fatigue or temperature. Increased wear contributes to leaks, and leaks lead to failures and hazards. Defective valves can allow gas to leak into a furnace even when the furnace is not in operation. Then, when the furnace is later turned on, a destructive explosion could occur.

Testing a valve’s integrity is an evaluation of current barrier conditions and may be used to identify a valve that is wearing out prior to failure. As such, annual valve leakage tests are an important aspect of a safety valve train inspection program. Along with annual testing, valves should be examined during the initial startup of the burner system, or whenever the valve maintenance is performed. Only trained, experienced combustion technicians should conduct these tests.

Improper venting is another danger. Here is the problem: Numerous components in a valve safety train require an atmospheric reference for accurate operation. Many of these devices, however, can fail in modes that permit fuel to escape from these same atmospheric points. Unless these components are listed as “ventless,” vent lines are necessary. Vent lines must be correctly engineered, installed, and routed to appropriate and approved locations. In addition, building penetrations must be sealed, pipes must be supported, and the vent terminations must be protected from the elements and insects. In short, vent lines are another point of potential failure for the system.

Even when vent lines are properly installed, building pressures can vary sufficiently enough that they prevent optimal burner performance. Building pressures often vary with seasonal, daily weather, and manufacturing needs, further complicating matters. Condensate in vent lines can collect and drain to low points or into the devices themselves. Heating, cooling, and building exhausters are known to influence building pressures and device responses, but so can opening and closing of delivery doors for shipping and receiving. Hence a burner once tuned for optimal operation might not be appropriately tuned for the opposite season’s operation.

The smart alternative to traditional vented valve trains is a ventless system that will improve factory safety and enhance burner operation. Ventless systems reference and experience the same room conditions where the burners are located, resulting in more stable year-round operating conditions, regardless of what is happening outside. Additionally, ventless designs typically save on total installation costs, remove leaky building penetrations, eliminate terminations that could be blocked by insects, snow or ice, improve inspection access, and ensure a fail-safe emergency response.

Final Thoughts

Valve safety trains are critical to the operation of combustion systems. Despite being used daily in thousands of industrial facilities, awareness of their purpose and function may be dangerously absent because on-site training is minimal or informal. To many employees on the plant floor, this series of valves, piping, wires, and switches is simply too complex to take the time to understand. What is known can be dangerously misunderstood.

Understanding of fuel-fired equipment, especially the valve safety train, is necessary to prevent explosions, injuries, and property damage. The truth is, although valve safety trains are required to be check regularly, they are rarely inspected, especially when maintenance budgets are cut. And while codes require training, they offer very little in terms of specific directions.

As a safety professional, the onus is on you. You and your staff must have a core level of knowledge regarding safe practices of valve safety trains, even if a contractor will be doing the preventive maintenance work. Most accidents and explosions are due to human error and a lack of training when an unknowing employee, for example, attempts to bypass a safety control. Preventive maintenance is essential to counter equipment deterioration, as is the documentation of annual inspection, recording switch set points, maintaining panel drawings, and verifying purge times. Accidents happen when this type of documentation is not available. Don’t wait for a near-miss or accident to upgrade your valve safety train.

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A Dozen & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

A Dozen & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • Dustin Lawhon was recently promoted to Regional Sales Manager at Paulo, responsible for establishing relationships with new customers in the Great Lakes Region.
  • A manufacturer of metal components for the automotive industry recently inaugurated its new plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Gestamp‘s new plant for manufacturing chassis parts will be equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for hot stamping and hydroforming, among other technologies.
  • A large oil pipeline project in South America will have its nickel-based, flat-rolled products supplied by Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI), with shipments beginning in second quarter 2019 and scheduled to be completed by year-end.
  • A company providing machine safeguarding solutions announced that it has launched a new Combustion Safety division that provides turnkey solutions for organizations that use thermal processes in their operations. Rockford Systems LLC‘s new expanded division will be led by Robert Sanderson P.E. who has been appointed to the position of Director of Business Development.
  • A mutual cooperation has been declared for the realization of a revolutionary concept for a significantly CO2-reduced steel production, commonly developed by two companies: Tenova–a company of the Techint Group specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries–and Salzgitter AG– among the leaders in innovative and sustainable steel and technology products. The name of the concept is SALCOS (SAlzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking) and its aim is to undergo a stepwise transformation process of the integrated steelmaking route, moving from carbon-intensive steel production based on Blast-Furnaces towards a Direct Reduction and Electric Arc Furnace route, including the flexible incremental utilization of hydrogen. This concept is capable of reducing CO2 emissions up to 95% with respect to the entire steel production route.

  • Vacuum heat treating has been added to Paulo’s Monterrey Division plant which has been focusing on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing since startup. Since startup processing has been focused on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing.  Adding vacuum equipment is the first step to expanding critical aerospace brazing to include both argon and nitrogen quenching.  The working zone measures 48”x48”x48” with a 3500lb capacity and a maximum temperature of 2400F. The installation will include tempering and testing equipment to support both annealing and hardening processes for a variety of materials.
  • Timothy J. Harris will join ATI as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, effective May 6, 2019.
  • A Cleveland-based distributor of heat treat furnaces, pumps, and products, Mountain Rep, has partnered with RÜBIG, an Austrian industrial furnace manufacturer.
  • Andrew Yazot will move from his position as International Sales Manager for Ipsen to Midwest Regional Sales Owner, effective immediately. In this position Yazot covers nine states in the Midwest, replacing former Midwest Regional Sales Owner Matt Clinite, who was promoted to Ipsen Customer Service Sales Manager last month. Yazot, who joined the company in 2009, holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has worked in technical sales for more than two decades.

Equipment Chatter

  • A 2200°F (1200°C) crucible furnace was shipped to a company in the energy industry by Lindberg/MPH. The crucible furnace may be used for a number of applications and processes, including annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, hardening, melting, metalizing, normalizing, sintering, solution treating, and stress relieving.
  • A southeastern US manufacturer of various items used in the production of heavy equipment and transportation devices has purchased a dual chamber heat treating furnace from L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc. The furnace will be used to heat treat the tooling used to manufacture these items.
  • A cooling chamber is currently being used for cooling oven trucks of steel parts at the customer’s facility. The No. 807 was supplied by Grieve Corporation.
  • A manufacturer in the composite industry has purchased a natural gas-fired heavy duty walk-in furnace from Wisconsin Oven Corporation.

Kudos Chatter

  • An aerospace maintenance and heat treatment manufacturer based in Elizabeth, Indiana, has launched a new website in order to reach clients across the U.S. and internationally. SAS-INC. is made up of Simpson Alloy Services Inc. and Simpson Aerospace Services.
  • GE Aviation was selected by Aviation Week & Space Technology as a winner of the 62nd annual Laureate Awards, honoring extraordinary achievements in aerospace.
  • PhoenixTM Ltd has been accredited in accordance with recognized International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017, general requirements for competence in testing or calibration laboratories.
  • Aleris has been recognized for the second consecutive year with the accredited supplier award by Airbus at a Supply Chain and Quality Improvement Program (SQIP) event in Toulouse, France.
  • Cambridge Heat Treating Inc. CFO Cheryl Mortimer is the recipient of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund and was recognized at an event with Ontario MP Bryan May. Cambridge Heat Treatment Inc. was selected to receive a contribution of up to $100,000 through the WEF program.

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

 

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