Small investment
Small investment in big innovation: magnetic fuel treatment technology
October 2008
In these energy conscious times, magnetic fuel treatment technology is one solution to improving factory energy efficiency. Nicola Martin discovers how such technology can cut costs and lower CO2 emissions – without huge capital investment.
Our uncertain economy means that staying competitive can be increasingly difficult. One of the most feasible ways to do so is to cut costs by improving energy efficiency. Rising gas and oil prices may be a blow to business, but they do mean that successfully reducing fuel consumption can lead to real monetary savings.
While investing in state-of-the-art boilers or furnaces is the most obvious way to reduce a factory’s energy consumption, the huge capital investment involved means that it is simply not a viable option for most companies. An alternative is to retrofit the existing equipment using an innovative device that can be installed cheaply and easily.
Paul Finnegan, Commercial Director of energy saving technology specialists, Maxsys Ltd, comments: “The market is definitely opening up to innovative technologies. Businesses are welcoming technologies that can boost their energy efficiency. As long as they can be sure that the device is proven to reduce fuel costs and can deliver payback relatively quickly, they are very keen to embrace energy efficiency.”
After more than ten years of working with researchers at Midlands Universities, Maxsys sought to develop an energy saving device that was also a low-maintenance investment. The result was the Maxsys Fuel Systems, patented in 2003. Although the Fuel Systems involve complicated magnetic fuel treatment technology, they are simple to install and use. They have no moving parts and an electrical supply is not required.
The key benefit of the Maxsys Fuel Systems is the substantial savings that they generate: end users can expect a 5%+ reduction in fuel consumption. Over the last five years, Maxsys has installed its Fuel Systems at factories in a range of sectors across Europe - including food and drink, automotive, chemicals and paper. Companies have found that the Fuel Systems typically deliver payback in less than two years. Some businesses, such as Findus, DS Smith and Dow Chemical, report that the payback time is even shorter.
But what’s the technology behind this energy saving measure? The Maxsys Fuel Systems are magnetic fuel treatment devices that affect nanoparticles (particularly Fe00H – iron oxyhydroxides) within fuel. They cause the nanoparticles to aggregate (or cluster) together based on a number of complex factors, including the strength of the magnetic field, the dwell time, fuel type, pressure and how the magnetic field is applied.
The aggregation of nanoparticles is a widely observed phenomenon in scientific research, in industry and in the natural world. Perhaps less well known is that a magnetic field can also affect the aggregation of particles, even when they are not highly magnetic. Under normal conditions, nanoparticles cling to and foul surfaces (heat exchangers, burners, etc.) before and after combustion, which reduces heat transfer efficiency. Magnetic fuel technology makes it difficult for the larger, aggregated fuel particles to deposit on surfaces, and so prevents fouling and increases efficiency. Kevin Kendall, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, confirmed that the Maxsys Fuel Systems cause ferrous nanoparticles in fuels to aggregate from a size of 20 nm to a size of approximately 200 nm.
Fitting a magnetic fuel treatment system to a boiler increases its thermal efficiency, allowing the fuel input to be reduced for a given steam output. This improvement is achieved via a combination of factors. Firstly, flame temperature rises, increasing the efficiency of radiative heat transfer in the firebox and ultimately reducing stack temperature. In addition, there is evidence that the (admittedly small) levels of unburnt fuel in the stack gas are reduced, a fact manifested most significantly by the measured reduction in CO2 levels in the flue gas.
This reduction in unburnt fuel clearly increases the heat output per unit of burnt fuel, while the reduction in CO2 levels opens the potential to reduce excess air levels without generating dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide. With an increasing amount of government pressure on industry to reduce its carbon emissions, the Fuel Systems provide a timely solution for improving a company’s environmental profile.
For Dow Chemical‘ facility in King’s Lynn, which is an IPCC-regulated site, gas consumption was becoming a cause for concern. The company has committed to reducing energy intensity by 25% between 2005 and 2015. A Maxsys Fuel System was fitted to the site’s Blohm & Voss boiler in order to aid this effort. A series of fuel meter readings collected before and after fitting confirmed that average gas consumption at site was 5.2% lower following the installation of the Fuel System. As a result, the system is on schedule to provide payback on the investment in just 10 months.
DS Smith Speciality Packaging, a leading manufacturer of corrugated packaging, uses two Danks gas fired boilers to generate heat at its Launceston factory. Replacement of the boilers was not an option, so DS Smith installed Maxsys Fuel Systems to each of the boilers in order to improve energy efficiency.
Steve Porter, the site’s Quality Manager, says: “Not only have we reduced our carbon emissions by cutting gas consumption by 5.8%, we have also made substantial financial savings in the 12 months since installation.” The new technology also helped the plant carry off the top prize in the paper and packaging category of the National Green Apple Awards 2007, which recognises environmental achievement.
Findus, a top name in frozen foods, has a plant on Tyne & Wear that operates on a large scale and, requires three boilers fuelled by natural gas. Installing the Maxsys Fuel Systems at the site made a big difference.
Kevin Prior from Findus comments: “Trials and calculations conducted before and after the installation of the Fuel Systems concluded that we had gained a 6.6% reduction in gas consumption. Naturally, we are delighted with this outcome and it will enable us to achieve payback within 12 months. The reduction in CO2 output is also welcome. The site is constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact as part of our Climate Change Levy agreement.”
The mounting price of fuel, along with tightening government legislation to cut CO2 emissions, indicates that reducing energy consumption is not a measure that can be postponed. Magnetic fuel treatment systems, such as the Maxsys Fuel Systems, have not only allowed factories to reduce carbon emissions, but in these financially stricken times, they have also provided a way to ease the burden of rising fuel costs.
The article can be looked at in the Factory Equipment Magazine, October 2008, p30.
