WEB EXCLUSIVE!!<br>Performance Contracts Reduce Abatement Costs For Paint and Coatings
Attention is typically given to regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) performance by paint and coatings manufacturers only when a specific problem or fault shuts down the system or when the system is out of compliance. Opportunities to reduce the operating cost of an RTO by improving the energy efficiency are often ignored. Because of the rapidly increasing cost of natural gas, the incentive to evaluate and improve RTO efficiency before any maintenance problems occur has never been greater. If the temperature rise across an RTO is about 140 ºF or greater, energy-recovery projects can usually be justified based on the utility savings alone. (Whether an energy efficiency project can pay for itself is a function of temperature rise and pressure drop across an RTO, the air volume being treated, and the annual hours of RTO operation. Other factors may also have an impact.)
One major concern with any energy-saving project is one of predicted savings vs. actual results. How can a plant be sure that the savings estimated during the project-approval stage are in fact realized after the project is completed? Are the predicted savings based on realistic assumptions? And more importantly, will the system continue to be operated at both startup as well as in the foreseeable future in such a way that the savings are truly maximized?