SPECIAL FEATURE – CRYOCOOLERS AND HEAT EXCHANGERS SPECIAL FEATURE

evolve from here? Whilst Brouwers “There is more need for path cleanliness. In focus... said that the company’s plans were cryogenic cold at a certain Awe confirmed that CAS has also confidential, he did say that it sees noticed a drastic upturn in demand possibilities in the market in terms of place, at a certain moment, for heat exchanger technology in the Cryocoolers and heat exchangers systems with a higher output compared at a certain time...” LNG sector, highlighting, “Natural with the output that its technology gas processors are morphing from By Rhea Healy can provide at the moment. “That markets, as well as customer bases in the successfully generating and capturing might be a combination of increasing LNG sector. these materials to rolling them out to the hether it’s heating media up the output of our existing technology Jeffery Awe, Marketing Director at marketplace on a massive scale. As the or cooling it down, time is of and systems, but it will also be in CAS, confirmed that the LNG sector is LNG and compressed natural gas (CNG) the essence in the industrial combination with the development of currently the most ‘vibrant’ in terms of industries continue to expand, we’d like gas industry. Companies and new systems. Ultimately, our main goal demand for the company’s technology, to parallel that growth trajectory in our Wengineers need gases and liquid gases to is to be recognised by our customers as along with its traditional industrial gas CAST-X line. Plus, across all our key be in the correct state, at the right time, the cryogenic service provider in onsite and cryogas markets. Awe explained markets, we have seen strong demand on demand. cryogenic cooling solutions,” he said. that CAS’s strength lies in the design for higher temperatures, with many All cryogenic air separation plants features and functional benefits of its customers seeking 500-600°C ranges.” rely on the humble heat exchanger at the Vibrant products, specifically the company’s In response, Awe exclusively revealed heart of their operation and cryocoolers Another company that has ridden CAST-X Heater line which can safely to gasworld that CAS is about to launch are essential pieces of apparatus in the LNG sector’s ramp-up is Cast heat flammable media – even under its CAST-X ‘HT’ (High Temp), which temperature-critical operations for Aluminum Solutions (CAS). The extremely high pressures. features a bronze heater body instead of such instances. Both are widely used US-based business designs and Inside each CAST-X Heater is a thick- aluminium and can maintain operating throughout the industrial gas industry manufactures heating devices for walled, helical-coiled, seamless 316 temperatures of up to 600°C. and emerging markets like the LNG large-scale industrial gas processors, stainless steel flow-tube (some models “It’s an evolutionary product that takes sector and ‘greener’ applications are cryogenic gas are equipped with two tubes), which the proven ‘isolated flow-path’ design of opening up a whole new realm of processors are cast directly into the aluminium our existing CAST-X Heaters and gives it possibilities for the technologies. and several heater body. These flow-tubes keep the opportunity to thrive in a new set of This In Focus… explores the end-user the heated media isolated from the applications under hotter, more rigorous technological trends that are heating element and other components, conditions. It’s all about adapting to underpinning the development of allowing CAST-X Heaters to changing conditions,” Awe explained. heat exchangers and cryocoolers and safely heat flammable highlights some of the innovative ways gases and liquids. Evolution companies in the industry are using Each flow-tube is also Cryoquip LLC, a Cryogenic Industries these crucial technologies to optimise capable of withstanding company, has also evolved its product their service offerings. © CAS | CAST-X circulation heaters. tremendous operating line to cater for added market demands pressures, which is of in this field. As one of the world’s Extreme critical importance in leading designers and fabricators of Stirling Cryogenics is a leading from -100°C to -225°C. The engine- to develop new, innovative cryogenic the LNG and cryogenic cryogenic heat exchange systems, its specialist in standalone cryogenic like technology features a piston with cooling solutions.” markets. capabilities span the entire spectrum of cooling solutions, largely down to the a cold, copper head module on top. “If you look at the cryogenic need in Additionally, cryogenic equipment. success of its Stirling cryogenerator and Displacing a helium medium as a gas the world, the requirement for cryogenic isolating the media As Energy Sales Manager Chase cryogenic expertise, having launched then creates a pressure difference and cold and real extreme cold increases in stainless steel Wendt explained, “Whether it’s a small its first standalone liquid nitrogen creates cold through a thermodynamic on a yearly basis,” he continued. “If you tubes is an effective ambient air vaporizer for a welding system into the market back in 1955. Its loop. The cold is then stored in the head look at LNG (onshore and offshore) and contamination- supply shop or the largest LNG re- technology is based on the Stirling cycle, and is used to liquefy the gas that floats biogas opportunities that are emerging prevention feature, gasification systems in the world, each a thermodynamic closed cycle that was through it. Within just a five-minute in the market, but also in healthcare making the CAST-X heat exchanger is selected, engineered invented in 1816 by Robert Stirling. start-up time, the cryogenerator can especially in developing countries, there range compatible with and manufactured to customer The Stirling cryogenerator is the liquefy gases on demand. is more need for cryogenic cold at a food, medical and other specifications.” heart and key component of Stirling CEO François Brouwers signified, certain place, at a certain moment, at sterile applications. In terms of market trends, Wendt Cryogenics’ portfolio and is used across “The cryogenerator is really the central a certain time.” For example, Stirling According to Awe, identified that the main growth driver the world in advanced technological point of our technology, most of our Cryogenics delivered six modules of its few other heaters offer for Cryoquip within the industrial machinery to cool gases and liquids equipment is built around it. But we StirLNG-4 cryogenerator for the first this combination of gas industry has been the demand down to cryogenic temperatures. have also gained a lot of cryogenic LNG barge in the US last year. flammable media for greater precision manufacturing It provides cooling power in the expertise over the last decades and we So where, technologically, could compatibility, high techniques that require higher purity range of 50-6,000 watts at temperatures are using that technological expertise Stirling Cryogenics’ flagship technology © CAS | PUR-X circulation heaters. pressure capacity, and flow- environments. He also highlighted

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This article appeared in the June 2017 issue of GasWorld Magazine. that product capacity demands are increasing, while the equipment being For more information on the line of CAST-X Circulation Heaters, please contact Cast Aluminum Solutions: selected is moving towards a smaller size and meeting stricter environmental regulations. www.CastAluminumSolutions.com In the energy sector, he revealed that [email protected] the main driver for growth has been the push for more efficient, green fuel Tel: 630-879-2696 (USA) sources with lower emission footprints. “This is a global market – the world Cast Aluminum Solutions serves OEMs and end-users with precision-engineered heat-transfer solutions. is turning to fuel sources such as The CAST-X line is available in several sizes, with a variety of circuitry, tubing and enclosure options. natural gas and hydrogen to replace conventional fuels,” Wendt emphasised. Located near Chicago in Batavia, IL, Cast Aluminum Solutions serves customers worldwide through our So having amassed over 50 years network of application engineers, representatives and distributors. CAS Engineers work directly with of engineering experience, how has customers to develop practical, reliable solutions to critical heating applications. Cryoquip’s product range developed to meet these major marketplace demands? Wendt said, “As the world evolves and moves away from conventional fuels CAS is an ISO 9001 Certified company. towards cleaner burning alternatives, our product lines are responding. In the energy sector alone, we have © CRYOQUIP transformed our products into more Engineering Expertise • Operational Excellence • Speed to Market mobile and compact designs which are field-ready, including skidded virtual example,” Wendt emphasised. ice and the other 60% is vented as gas pipeline systems.” “The technological future of the heat during the manufacturing process.

exchanger lies with properly identifying By utilising the vented CO2 gas

“The heat exchanger the complete environmental and stream in exchange with the liquid CO2 will become increasingly operating envelope of the system it will - and by controlling the heat exchange be a part of.” process - Cold Jet’s equipment produces subject to dynamics from “The heat exchanger will become an improved liquid CO2 yield when the rest of the system increasingly more subject to dynamics compared with the traditional dry ice from the rest of the system along manufacturing process. along with more stringent with more stringent environmental As a result, Cold Jet has reduced the environmental conditions” conditions,” he concluded. amount of liquid CO2 needed to produce one unit of dry ice by approximately 10% “Our designs have also become Innovation – a simple calculation that translates into more integrated,” he continued. “In Whilst Cold Jet might not be a company interesting cost savings in the long run our Fuel Fired (VFTU) water bath name that you would traditionally for dry ice producers. series for instance, the evolution of our associate with the subject matter of this Arvid Nielsen, Head of Global combustion technology is providing feature, the dry ice innovator has been Technology and Engineering at Cold much larger heat input rates within the using heat exchangers to enhance the Jet, underlined, “We have succeeded in same size package from just 10 years attractiveness and economic viability of scaling and controlling the process in a ago, all the while reducing emissions its product portfolio. standard operating dry ice pelletizer or output.” Over the past five years, Cold Jet has slice/block maker starting at capacities With the global demand intensifying been using a specially designed heat from 120kg per hour up to 1,000kgs per for lower emissions and higher exchanger in its dry ice manufacturing h ou r.” efficiencies, Cryoquip believes future equipment to utilise the traditional Nielsen also believes that heat opportunities for heat exchanger wasted cooling energy from the snow exchanger technology will become an equipment lie within the ‘green’ future. conversion process. During a standard integrated standard in dry ice machinery “The target is the lowest emissions dry ice manufacturing process and at in the future – yet another application in possible, which is driving further normal commercial carbon dioxide which these technologies are proving to growth in the development of LNG (CO2) supply pressure, around 40% of be ‘essential’ tools for optimising overall gw systems and hydrogen fuel cells, for the liquid CO2 is turned into solid dry yield and efficiency.

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