I have been researching a lot lately into methods of recovering heat from the corrugated pipe extrusion process. With all the focus on energy recovery, I am surprised at the lack of information or developed technology I can find on the subject.
When you consider the amount of heat we take out of the pipe after extrusion, you have to believe there is a use for it.
Their is the obvious technology of using waste hot air or water to preheat the resin entering the extrusion process, this is simple and has been done for years. What I am trying to find is a technology that turns our waste heat into a mechanical energy.
I have come across information on the Stirling engine. This is a technology that generates mechanical energy from low temperature heat sources, and has been known for over a century. What I haven’t been able to find is a company that has developed this technology around waste heat temperatures in the 90 – 120 F range.
I also wonder why the chiller technologies have not been developed for a reverse process to cooling. I have read that it is possible to use low temperature waste heat to drive a compressor, and as such you could drive a generator set to produce electricity, recycling it back into the plant. It seems so simple, but so far I haven’t found any suppliers.
So, this is a topic I am really interested in, but have had great difficulty finding information. If you have some direction for me, or can add some ideas to recycling heat in an extrusion plant I would be excited to read your comments.
Unicor GmbH April 2010 newsletter is availale at the Unicor website. You can find it at http://www.unicor.com/newsletter/2010-1/
Unicor UC1800 corrugator
In it they discuss their fall agents meeting in Bamberg, an article on their high speed UC125 corrugator for the production of cable protection pipe, and another article on their UC1800 for the production of large sewer pipe.
Unicor continue to offer inovative solutions for their customers with a dedication to machinery development that some would say is unsurpassed by their competitors.
If you have specific questions about the articles in the Unicor newsletter and are located in North America get in touch with me.
I read with a chuckle this add that Corma sent around the world today in an email blast. I was surprised to see Corma claiming “The first perforator ever to accomodate in-line couplings”.
Corma HSC series 2 perforator
I first became aware of the Valley Gear slotting perforator in the late 90’s which had a slotter spindle retraction system allowing an in-line coupler to pass by the cutting heads without the bell itself being perforated.
I am aware Valley Gear have a number of US patents on their perforators that deal with many of the mechanics that would be similar to the design Corma are promoting to have invented.
You can view these patents for yourself by going to any of the numerous patent search sites and looking up any of the following patents.
If you are looking at the Corma HSC Series 2 perforator ask the hard questions of Corma about the state of existing patents governing the design. As a buyer I would definetly want their guarantee that the design is free from infringing other patents, and I would ask them to indemnify me from harm if as a user I was drawn into patent litigation.
If you find this topic interesting, or better still have some comments about the subject please take the time to add a comment and I’ll get it on the blog in quick time.
Beware on this design.