Extrusion International 3-2023-USA

37 Extrusion International 3/2022 Cogeneration Technology Installed at the Plant in Louisiana Orion Engineered Carbons announced that cogenera- tion technology that produces renewable energy has been installed at its Ivanhoe plant in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, making the facility more efficient, re - liable and sustainable. The cogeneration system, which includes a steam tur- bine generator, uses the waste steam from the carbon black plant’s production process and converts it to elec- tricity. The energy can be used to power the facility as well as be exported to the local grid. “The new technology will reduce our reliance on the grid, which should result in less downtime at the plant and more consistent production,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “This is especially important in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S., where severe weather can pose a threat to the power supply. With this cogeneration sys- tem, we expect to be better able to continue safely oper- ating and producing the products our customers need.” Another anticipated benefit of the technology is im - proved equipment reliability. Any power failure can shut down the plant suddenly, causing fatigue and degrada- tion with carbon black production equipment, which re- quires significant cool-down and warm-up periods. Similar cogeneration technology is used at many of Orion’s plants worldwide. This is the second significant upgrade at the Ivanhoe plant in the last three years. In late 2021, Orion installed air emissions control technology that captures pollut- ants and converts them to sulfuric acid, commonly used in a wide range of products – from fertilizers and glue to dyes and car batteries. The project was a major mile- stone in Orion’s commitment to developing circular so- lutions for its waste streams. Orion Engineered Carbons orioncarbons.com Free Lab Trials Available for Extruding and Pelletizing Plastic Materials Bay Plastics Machinery (BPM), pioneers of pelletizing technology for more than 60 years, is opening its lab to customers and potential customers who would like to test processes and materials using Bay’s industry-lead- ing equipment and expertise. BPM, based in Bay City, Michigan, is offering free lab trials and offers two types of extruders, two models of pelletizers, and manual strand or auto strand pelletiz- ing capabilities. The equipment inventory available for evaluations includes: • A 53 mm twin-screw extruder for producing pellets 1 mm and larger. • A 30 mm single-screw extruder to produce micro pellets from 1 mm down to 0.2 mm – or as small as the application requires. • Z08 andAXP08midsize pelletizers, capable of produc- ing up to 40 1/8” strands simultaneously (typical lab trials for these pelletizers use dies from two to eight strands). • 9-foot and 20-foot WBX Series cooling systems; BPM’s water baths feature variable flows and heights for most extrusion line needs. • Various sizes of wet-cut water slides, with a self-con- tained recirculation/filtration system and a spin dryer. • 12-foot and 20-foot flash-off conveyor belt systems that dry and cool strands by removing moisture with evaporation, then conditioning strands with heat prior to pelletizing. “Customers and potential new customers who take advantage of this opportunity to profile their projects and test their materials in our labs have the opportunity to tap into a wealth of pelletizing knowledge,” said Jim Forgash, BPM Vice President of Sales. “We are experts in extrusion and pelletizing, and can help customers decide on the best machinery and equipment for their material needs.” BPM has developed a form for customers and pros- pects to fill out and return to take advantage of this new free lab trial service. The form is available on BPM’s website at: Bay Plastics Machinery bayplasticsmachinery.com