Video Transcript

Power Video - PECO: Magnesium Oxide

Everyday incinerators, power plants, and other industries produce a poisonous gas known as Sulfur Dioxide. By burning sulfur laden coal, oil and trash contaminates are released that can irritate the eyes and respiratory systems of humans. They may also dissolve in water droplets to form acid rain, which can harm or even kill wildlife and vegetation. That's why government limits the amount of Sulfur Dioxide released into the atmosphere. Industry must comply or face fines and shutdowns. In order to help industry stay in compliance while saving money, downtime, and aggravation, HammerTek Corporation developed the Vortice Ell, better known as the Smart Elbow.

For this power plant to meet clean air standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, powdered Magnesium Oxide must be combined with water, and sprayed into a flue gas-scrubbing unit. The spray contacts the plant exhaust gases and washes the Sulfur Dioxide and other pollutants out of the fumes. Nature does the same with rain but unfortunately the resulting sulfurous liquid comes to the ground in the form of acid rain. In the gas scrubber the Magnesium Oxide combines with the acids and the collection tank catches and contains the resulting slurry. The slurry goes to dryers and the de-liquified powder is transferred to a recycling plant where it can be processed back to Magnesium Oxide and Hydrogen Sulfate. The Magnesium Oxide can be returned to the plant to be used again and again.

Everyday tons of Magnesium Oxide are transported pneumatically through these pipes in order to help eliminate the plant's harmful emissions. The problem, the abrasive materials erode the metal sweep elbows in the conveying line. The result, the plant's stainless steel elbows wore through about every four months, and caused leaks. Because of the pressure required for system operation even a pin-sized hole in a sweep elbow created an overwhelming cloud of dust, and a major mess. Plus when repairs shut down a system for an extended period the EPA may require the plant to shut down because the scrubbers can no longer eliminate the harmful emissions. The downtime can translate into considerable expenses. Frequent repairs add up. And so does the paperwork and cleanup required by the EPA.

But plant officials discovered HammerTek Smart Elbows made from a variety of alloys to meet application requirements. They can accomplish a change of direction in much less space than the conventional sweep elbow without any drop in system pressure, and they can withstand years of highly abrasive treatment without developing leaks that cause system failure or shutdown. For an industry that relies on pneumatic conveying lines to transport abrasive chemicals from one point to another, it's a smart way to turn the corner on dangerous emissions.

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