Sustainable painted gas engines and more
Neustart der Oberflächentechnik bei einem Hersteller von Anlagentechnik für die Energieindustrie
Energy efficiency and sustainability are not only an issue of operating costs and productivity, but have long been a customer requirement. That is why an international manufacturer of gas engines and plant technology for gas processing and its transport invested in a new start for its own surface technology.
Energy efficiency and sustainability are not only an issue when it comes to energy consumption; today's customers also place high demands on the surfaces for equipment and systems in the energy industry in terms of resource conservation. Innio, based in Jenbach in Tyrol, is a leading global supplier in the field of gas engines and in combined heat and power generation. Engines for alternative fuels and hydrogen are also already available. For example, gas emissions such as those from steel production or fertilizer manufacture can be captured, compressed and converted into energy. The company is also active in the field of gas extraction and processing. In these areas, the company has established a good international reputation with its Jenbacher and Waukesha product brands. During an analysis of the company's own production in the area of surface technology, it became clear that there was an urgent need to catch up with the state of the art. Especially since it very quickly became clear that it would be possible to significantly improve productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
Major investment in the surface
"We decided to make a major investment in the future of the site by modernizing the painting and sandblasting facilities. The existing facilities were from the 1970s, had high energy consumption and became inefficient over time. It was important for us that throughput figures, but also energy efficiency, could be increased accordingly," explains Hannes Ortner, project manager at Innio Jenbacher. After weighing up the options, Scheuch Ligno was chosen as the plant manufacturer. During the development of the concept, it became clear that two painting systems, two drying systems and one blasting system were required to achieve the desired goals. The air handling systems for painting, drying and blasting were supplied completely by Scheuch. From preliminary project planning to planning support in cooperation with the authorities to implementation, everything in this project came from a single source. An additional challenge during implementation was that the entire project had to be implemented during ongoing operations and a production shutdown was out of the question. "We were very satisfied with the handling. What convinced us most about Scheuch Ligno was the fast response time, the short communication channels, the agile project management and the handshake quality. We felt this very positively during implementation," emphasizes Ortner. The plants were built into the existing building and, despite not exactly ample space, it was possible to adapt them optimally to the production requirements. Sustainable, energy-efficient new plants replaced the old plants and their peripheral components without exception. A central element for increased productivity is now a continuous conveyor system from the wet-chemical pretreatment to the blasting system and through the painting rooms to the drying rooms and component removal. This means that, for the first time, the individual stations are seamlessly linked without manual conveying paths. In addition, a heavy-duty crane in the blast room facilitates the turning of heavy components.
Existing building - new equipment and energy-efficient air management.
In addition to flexibility, the cabins score with energy-efficient air management. On the one hand, highly efficient energy recovery systems have been integrated, with heat exchangers transferring the thermal energy of the warm exhaust air to the cold, incoming fresh air. The system is active not only in painting mode but also in drying mode, thus reducing energy requirements in all operating states. This system is combined with an energy-saving circuit that monitors the material flow in the painting system and reduces the overall system to minimum energy consumption during painting downtimes. Another feature is precise volume flow control in the painting area. This prevents the occurrence of uncontrolled overpressures or underpressures, which can be caused by the filter systems in the supply and exhaust air systems, becoming unevenly clogged during operation and use, resulting in fluctuations in the flow resistance and thus the volume flow. In such a case, dust and paint mist can be carried inside the paint booth, and solvent vapors and odors can also be carried into adjacent work areas. This can be prevented by an automatic airflow control system - the "automatic airflow control" from Scheuch - using a combination of precise sensor technology and intelligent control. In addition to the qualitative improvement of the cabin airflow, this also enables complication-free operation until the end of the life of each filter set and thus optimum utilization of the filter capacity. Not only for the working area, but also outdoors, there are now demanding sound insulation requirements on the part of the authorities. The emission points concerned, such as the exhaust air and the fresh air intake from the outside area, have been mitigated by means of precisely calculated sound-absorbing designs, so that the requirements of the authorities have not only been met but even successfully undercut. Pleasant working conditions are also ensured in the painting area, since even here the ventilation system produces a barely audible background noise.
Intelligent suction system
Due to increased custom and one-off production, the proportion of manual coating is increasing - both in the commercial and industrial sectors. The overspray from water-soluble or solvent-based paint produced during coating must be separated in the interest of low workplace and environmental pollution. In addition, keeping production areas clean of paint mist results in product quality improvements due to uniform and dust-free surfaces, accelerates material flow and increases throughput. Not to mention damage events that could be caused by solvent vapors in unfavorable constellations without effective extraction. Innio uses a floor extraction system, which allows the work area to be fully utilized while at the same time achieving optimum surface quality. This is ensured by uniform vertical extraction via extraction channels distributed throughout the floor area. Flexible surface treatment of different workpieces is thus possible from all sides. The supply air filter ceiling located directly above the extraction surfaces ensures optimum air flow and a pleasant operating climate. Scheuch installed the Selas Plus system as the extraction system at Innio. It comprises the complete extraction technology for the surface coating areas of spraying, drying and sanding. The range offers a high degree of adaptability to customer requirements and thus allows increasing quality demands to be met. The design of the plant technology is flexible and customized solutions can be developed together with the customer. Scheuch promises energy-saving operation, ease of operation and low maintenance are among the advantages of the system. Energy savings also result from heat recovery, recirculating air operation during drying, and the use of efficient fans. In addition, a separate room is available for drying at Innio to achieve higher quality requirements, but also because of the increasing use of water-based coatings. The temperature, air volume, recirculation rate, and operating mode can be precisely adapted to the properties of the coating. In addition to drying in separate drying rooms, the system technology allows a zone to be set up in the spray room for drying. Part of the supply or exhaust air is then used during painting to flash off the freshly painted parts in the parking area. The air volume and run-on time can be set variably. Special air technology designs for the paint store, including collection cups, exhaust fans, exhaust pipes and supply air openings complete the Selas Plus range.
Significant productivity gain and reduction of operating costs
The major investment in surface technology made by the gas engine manufacturer Innio for its Tyrolean site has resulted in a considerable gain in productivity, qualitative improvements and significant savings in operating costs in day-to-day coating practice. Especially in the current phase of exorbitant energy prices, the company benefits massively from every kilowatt hour of energy saved.