Marspec Welcomes Jeffery Grizzle

Marspec is very pleased to announce that Jeffery Grizzle has joined the company in the capacity of inside sales and marketing specialist.

Jeffery is focused on outreach efforts to help customers find new energy efficiencies with Miura boilers. We welcome Jeffery to the Marspec team!

Marspec to Supply New Condensing Economizer

Marspec Technical Products has been selected to provide a new Sidel Systems condensing economizer to a North Mississippi manufacturing facility.

This new economizer will supply up to 120 gallons per minute of 'free' hot water for the process. The economizer acts as a water heater that takes advantage of the heat in the steam boiler's flue gas to provide this hot water. Heat that is now going up the stack to the atmosphere will now be harnessed to make hot process water.

Currently, the customer is running a steam boiler and supplying this steam to a heat exchanger to produce hot water. Marspec estimates that the customer will slash their natural gas bill by over $250,000.00 per year and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 4.1 million pounds annually - the equivalent of removing 357 passenger cars from the highway, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Steam Traps with Wheels

While we're on the subject of steam traps, here is a photo of a steam trap cart Marspec developed for a customer that unloaded railcars of asphalt. The previous practice was to simply allow the steam to blow through the coils. In addition to causing a great deal of noise, it took almost 48 hours to bring the asphalt to pumping temperature. The cost of steam used for each car was staggering - about $2,600.00.

Marspec showed the customer how much could be saved on each railcar by using properly sized and selected steam traps - nearly $2,300.00 per car. Marspec even devised an innovative steam trap solution that eliminated the need to spot the cars precisely to connect the steam traps.

A rubber-tired platform became a portable steam trap station. With two TLV JS7X steam traps, each car could be brought to temperature in less than 6 hours.

Marspec can design an energy saving solution for your tough challenges, too.

A Better Way to Install Steam Traps

Marspec Technical Products was recently awarded an order for the design and construction of a steam trap manifold for an Alabama manufacturer of thermoplastic products.

Originally, the customer used different types of steam traps from various manufacturers without knowledge of how the traps would affect production. Marspec's Craig Simons and Wayne Hoggle performed a walk-through survey focusing on improvements to reduce energy usage and improve productivity. The team realized that by using correctly selected steam traps in a well thought out installation, the facility could cut the amount of steam used per unit of production.

Craig and Wayne recommended that the customer install TLV J-series free float steam traps and SpeedWrap high tech thermal insulation. The TLV J-series team traps are unequaled in removing air and large slugs of condensate on batch processes. Reduced startup time means more production and improved profitability. The SpeedWrap insulation product keeps more of the condensate's heat in the line for return to the boiler. Hotter returned condensate means less fuel is needed to create steam.

Marspec was given the go ahead to develop the manifold in the photos. In a matter of days, the Marspec shop assembled the manifold and added the removable insulation.

Marspec can design a unique steam trap manifold for your plant, too.

Low Hanging Fruit of Energy Savings- 13 Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Energy Bills

We have numerous ways for you reduce your energy consumption without breaking the bank. Check out this 'bakers dozen' of easy, low cost ways to cut your energy consumption:

Steam Trap Survey A common 1” stainless steel disc type steam trap that has failed open can easily waste 100 lbs/hr of steam. If your steam costs $10.00 per thousand pounds, this trap is wasting over $8,000.00 per year. A steam trap survey using the TLV TrapMan System provides the most accurate analysis of trap performance and allows maintenance to be prioritized based on economic payback. Estimated Payback 3-6 Weeks

Heat Exchanger Drainage Most heat exchangers are oversized for their application, and improper drainage causes a back-up of condensate, resulting in lost production and damage to equipment. Protect your heat exchangers by making sure they are properly drained. Marspec and TLV can provide a predicted stall point for your system to allow you to properly size traps and pumps for heat exchangers. Estimated Payback 3-6 Months

Small Piping Insulation Insulation of heating and cooling piping is an easy way to reduce energy costs. However, many people ignore smaller lines or compact systems where tight piping arrangements prevent proper insulation. A single foot of 1” uninsulated, 100 psi steam line will cost over $80.00 per year in lost energy (based on $10.00 per thousand pound steam). SpeedWrap is a highly efficient, water-resistant and re-usable insulation for valve stations, steam trap stations, molding presses, and other difficult applications.
Estimated Payback 3-6 Months

Blowdown Heat Recovery Surface, or continuous boiler blowdown systems protect boilers by removing dissolved solids at or near the surface of the water level. In those cases where the blowdown goes directly to a drain or a blowdown separator, valuable energy and cooling water is wasted. Installing a blowdown heat recovery system can recover these costs and provide "free heat" for feed water and other heating systems. For example, a 300HP boiler with a blowdown rate of approximately 5% will waste nearly $15,000.00 per year in fuel costs. Contact your Marspec at 1-800-233-1394 to find out how much you can save with a custom built blowdown heat recovery system.
Estimated Payback 3-6 Months

Heat Transfer Compound Use Zeemax heat transfer compound on process tracers. According to research done by testing laboratories, Zeemax improves the flow of heat by up to 7 times. Experiments have shown that the heat transfer coefficients for bare steam tracers have ranges from 1 to 5 BTU/HR-sq. ft.°F. “U” factors for steam tracers with heat transfer compound are in the range of 45 (BTU/HR-sq FT-°F).This means that less heat is lost due to air gaps and poor contact with the pipe surface. Zeemax trowel grade can be easily applied to existing tracer lines. Traced lines come up to temperature more quickly and require less steam to maintain the target temperature.
Estimated Payback 6-12 Months

Compressed Air and Gas Surveys Compressed air and gas system leaks will cost thousands of dollars per year. Undetected, these leaks will waste energy, reduce productivity and threaten plant safety. One of Marspec’s industrial customers found ‘silent’ compressed air and gas leaks totaling over $72,000.00 in wasted energy – most of which were in threaded fittings or tube fittings. Marspec can provide compressed air and gas leak detection surveys tailored to meet any compressed air user’s needs.
Estimated Payback 6-12 Months

Energy Recovery Ventilators The latest ASHRAE indoor air quality (IAQ) standards require that large volumes of fresh, outdoor air are brought into the HVAC system. Most building managers have never imagined how much cooling and heating costs go into handling fresh outdoor air, and bringing it into the system's set temperature. Meanwhile, the energy used to heat or cool the exhausted air is completely wasted. Marspec provides BPE energy recovery ventilator systems that use exhausted air to pre-heat or pre-cool fresh air, without mixing the two air streams. The BPE system can provide both sensible and latent heat recovery, recover up to 90% of the energy that would normally be lost in most systems, and has an energy efficiency ratio (EER) three times that of comparable heat recovery systems using heat wheels and desiccant wheels. Contact Marspec to find out how you can significantly reduce your energy costs with BPE energy recovery ventilators.
Estimated Payback 6-12 Months

Custom Insulation Blankets Large valve bodies, feed water tanks and other equipment are often left without proper insulation because of their special shapes or maintenance considerations. Marspec can provide special configurations of removable/reusable insulating jackets to reduce energy costs and to prevent burns to operating personnel. Contact Marspec to see how we can improve your system efficiency through insulation of special equipment and piping configurations.
Estimated Payback 3-6 Months

Automate Steam Tracers Automate steam tracers on outdoor process tracing lines with Therm-Omega-Tech US/A valves from Marspec Technical Products. Commonly used caustic soda concentrations need to be traced when the outdoor temperature drops to below 70°F. There are many nights in the spring and fall when caustic lines need supplemental heat but then do not need it during the daytime. Most facilities will turn on the tracing on the first cool night but then leave it on until late spring. The US/A valve will energize steam tracers only when the ambient temperature triggers the valve to open. As the ambient temperature increases during the day, the valve shuts off the steam supply. A single US/A valve can control up to 10 process tracers.
Estimated Payback 6-12 Months

Insulation Effectiveness Surveys Insulation effectiveness surveys can help find poorly-insulated lines that add cost to your energy bills. Marspec can inspect a small section of a process area to determine the effectiveness of the current insulation. Since Marspec is not a supplier of traditional insulation, we can inspect your insulation as an unbiased auditor. The payback can be significant depending on the particulars of your facility.
Estimated Payback 12-18 Months

Automatic Freeze Protection Valves Use Thermotech freeze protection valves on safety showers instead of electrical tracing to prevent freezing. Freeze protection valves are self powered and open to drain only enough water that is in danger of freezing. The drained water is replaced by warmer resupply water from insulated or underground piping. These automatic valves reduce your power demand and are fail safe.
Estimated Payback 12-18 Months

Energy Assessments Facilities can begin the process of reducing energy use and meeting energy reduction goals by applying for an energy assessment performed by Marspec's DOE Certified Energy Expert. Our "energy savings team" will conduct energy assessments and recommend ways to conserve energy and reduce your carbon footprint. the study will identify key opportunities for savings by focusing on energy-intensive systems such as process heating and cooling, steam, pumps, fans, and compressed air.
Estimated Payback 3-6 Months

Water Heating Marspec can provide a custom-made hot water heater for your plant or facility. Facility steam is used to heat the water and flows through a system that includes a correctly-sized heat exchanger, control valves, piping and free float steam traps. A Marspec system is custom built to meet specific needs – there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ offering for Marspec customers.
Estimated Payback 6-12 Months

ASHRAE Addresses the Role of HVAC&R Systems in Infectious Disease Transmission

As health and school officials deal with a second wave of the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, new information is available on the health consequences of exposure to such airborne infectious diseases and the implications on the design, installation and operation of HVAC&R systems.

"While the long-standing public health view is that influenza transmission occurs through direct contact or large droplets, newer data suggests it also occurs through the airborne route, meaning HVAC&R systems may contribute far more to transmission of the disease and, potentially, to reduction of that same transmission risk," said Gordon Holness, president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) that developed the guidance.

The swine flue has spread to nearly 170 countries, resulting in 1,154 deaths and some 160,000 illnesses since the first reported case in the spring of 2009. With a better understanding of ventilation's effect on the transmission of disease, future incidents on the H1N1 virus may now be easier to prevent, according to Holness. He mentions several technical solutions that are available to assist in avoiding transmission, such as: dilution ventilation, airflow strategies, room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source control, filtration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.

ASHRAE's Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document addresses the impact of ventilation on disease transmission, and can be read at www.ashrae.org/positiondocuments.

Marspec offers state of the art, energy recovery ventilation manufactured by Building Performance Equipment, Inc. To find out more about this technology, please visit: http://marspec.com/indoor_air_quality.html.

Source:

ASHRAE Press Release
August 31, 2009
Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
jdunlop@ashrae.org

Marspec Provides Plastic Lined Pipe for New Auto Assembly Plant

Marspec Technical Products was chosen to provide a Crane-Resistoflex Teflon lined piping system for a new auto assembly plant under construction in Mississippi. The project engineers specified Crane-Resistoflex in part due to its reputation for long service life and advanced manufacturing techniques employed by the North Carolina based company.

Marspec provided drawing takeoff and bill of material generation as well as complete spool fabrication services. All piping components were shipped according to the contractors demanding schedule. Marspec was even able to suggest ways to reduce the overall cost of the project while maintaining the environmental integrity demanded by the facility owner.