Opting for the right plastic centrifugal fan can make all the difference to your plant’s operations. And that’s why one of our customers – the maintenance provider of a leading plastic (polyethylene) bottle recycling plant in the Netherlands that processes up to 75,000 tonnes a year – recently approached us with an extraction-related challenge. The company is responsible for cleaning and recycling plastic bottles. However, due to the rigorous nature of cleaning these products require, this type of process usually leaches a significant amount of caustic, sodium hydroxide fumes. Naturally, a solution had to be found.
Acids and bases have what is known as a corrosive effect, i.e. they damage material surfaces. That’s why acids and bases are also frequently used to clean dirt from surfaces. In this case, they are used to clean old plastic bottles. The plastic from these bottles, after it’s been cleaned and shredded, is intended for reuse in the production of food packaging.
The advantage to sodium hydroxide (also known as lye or caustic soda) is that it’s extremely thorough; plastic bottles cleaned with it can be reused worry-free. Aside from cleaning plastic, though, it also leached fumes into the air, damaging the nearby washing lines in the process. Consequently, it didn’t take long before internal damage to various materials and objects at the plant was discovered.
Working with our customer, we decided to install plastic centrifugal fans for sodium hydroxide fumes in the plant. These welded fans, especially designed for the chemical industry, are completely chemical resistant. In total, we’ve supplied six different types, with two of the series’ largest featuring in the pictures.
These PP welded fans are two 900 mm RMVs, equipped with 6-pole 11 kW motors. Before delivery, we installed the plastic fans in an acoustic enclosure, equipped with flexible connections, so that the customer could easily install them on site. The overall dimensions of this acoustic enclosure were 2500 mm long, 1500 mm wide and 2500 mm high. Lastly, all centrifugal fans were equipped with a PP impeller, HDPE housing, and stainless steel mounting materials.
Slingerland plastic centrifugal fans effectively prevent internal damage to your washing line’s components. At the end of the day, highly aggressive processes require robust, chemically resistant solutions.
Are you in a similar predicament? Would you like to talk with our experts at a no-obligation consultation? Please contact us. We’re happy to help!
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