Petrochemical
Various petrochemical processes require the cooling of air or gas streams. One example is the cooling of air during the production of synthetic anhydrous ammonia. The efficiency and capacity of the air compressors used in the process can be increased by precooling the supply air. Cooling coils can be provided by Colmac for this application using any cooling medium including ammonia.
Mine Air Conditioning
Deep shaft mines require large amounts of cool air to keep air temperatures at safe levels for the miners. Shafts at the Hecla Lucky Friday silver mine in Northern Idaho state currently go as deep as 9,587 feet (2,922 m) below the surface where rock temperatures can reach 150 deg F (65 deg C). Highly specialized air conditioning systems send chilled water down to cooling coils deep in the mine shafts. Consequently these cooling coils must withstand extremely high working pressures. Colmac is capable of designing and building these high pressure coils according to the requirements of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.
Solvent Recovery
Solvents such as Dimethylacetamide (DMA) are used in the production of fibers such as spandex, in the adhesive industry, in the production of pharmaceuticals, and the production of PET film. Due to environmental as well as health and safety concerns, recovery of these solvents is critically important. Colmac can design and produce low temperature cooling coils capable of condensing and recovering these solvent (VOC) vapors. Corrosion resistant construction such as all 304 or 316 stainless steel is available.
Other solvents such as alcohol, hexane, ethanol, petroleum ether, methanol, and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) are used to extract essential oils from agricultural products such as soybeans, oilseeds such as rape and canola, espresso coffee beans, and marijuana. Various percentages of these solvents become vaporized during the extraction process depending on process temperatures and pressures and must be re-condensed and recovered. Contact your Colmac sales engineer for assistance with coil selection and price quotations.