Case Studies
Solvent Recovery Project
Cadogans was responsible for the development and implementation of a project for the recovery of a solvent (furfural) from a refractory process. The process involved the mixing of a number of dry powders with a resin to form the basic refractory type material for the mix. The mix is then used to form refractory moulds. The solvent is used to assist the distribution of the resin through the mix. Most of the solvent is then evaporated off the mix in the dryer. Cadogans conducted trials and developed a process to recover the solvent after evaporation.
The project also required extensive trials to demonstrate the feasibility of the recovery process which involved the monitoring of solvent laden vapours and subsequent measurement.
The final plant also required the fixed installation of multi-point continuous solvent concentration monitors. This was required for process control and safety purposes.
Being a new application, the sampling and monitoring of the solvent required market research and assessment to decide on the suitability of available equipment. The system eventually selected involved trace heated gas sample lines with point of sample filtration. The samples were drawn to a central cabinet for final conditioning, measurement and logging. The system worked well but required significant maintenance effort particularly for the filtration and trace heating.
From experience gained on this project it was found that lengthy sample lines should be avoided and in-duct measurement is preferred for this type of application.
