New Gear Equipment Wood Panels
Dürr acquisition of Megtec expands portfolio in exhaust air-purification technology

Dürr will present an expanded portfolio of exhaust air-purification at LIGNA 2019. It is the world’s leading trade fair for woodworking and wood processing plant, machinery and tools. With the acquisition of Megtec, Dürr combined the environmental resources of both companies and created a single-source supply platform offering a complete solution for the engineered wood products industry. Clean air solutions from Dürr address regulations such as the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency. They are also in compliance with European as well as the forthcoming stricter German Technical Instructions for Air Quality Control (TA Luft) regulations.

Treatment and processing of wood gives rise to different emissions. The main pollutants are wood dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrocarbons. For many years Megtec’s core expertise has been the effective control of VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from dryers and press vents in the engineered wood products industry. With the newly expanded range of environmental solutions, Dürr now provides an even stronger global platform for serving customers. At LIGNA, Dürr will present its expanded suite of environmental control technologies and services needed for this industry.

99% hazardous exhaust control

Regenerative thermal and catalytic oxidizers control VOCs and HAPs. Dürr’s CleanSwitch regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) (see picture 1) is a highly efficient solution for VOC destruction. It has an annihilation efficiency of 99 per cent or more and a thermal efficiency of 95 to 97 per cent. The successful deployment of CleanSwitch in a yellow pine OSB dryer application in Southern U.S. has delivered a VOC destruction efficiency up to 99 per cent. The product properties are the very latest, well matched to the highest standards and guarantee durability. Alkali-resistant heat exchange media and corrosion-resistant materials of construction match the specific application and help maximize uptime and equipment life. The engineered ceramic heat recovery beds offer a low-pressure drop and excellent bed-washing characteristics. The electric motor valve drive provides quiet operation and is reliable in virtually all climate conditions. In addition, the modular construction minimizes installation time.

High reliability and performance

The venturi and cyclonic pre-scrubber designs from Dürr ensure water saturation of exhaust stream, as well as achieving considerable removal of coarse filterable particulates. This step is important in many applications to reduce particulate build-up on the connecting ductwork and downstream wet ESP. The wet ESP can, therefore, operate at a higher corona power for improved collection efficiency. Pre-cleaning of coarse particulates allows for a longer period between washdowns.

A dry ESP is used in the control of particulates on biomass-based heat generators. Additional particulate control is provided by pulse jet fabric filters (baghouses) and cyclonic dust collectors. This ESP of Dürr has high reliability and performance, a design utilizing proven collector-plate designs, rigid discharge electrodes, and top-mounted electrically driven, externally maintainable collector and discharge electrode rappers.

Integrated solution

Together with Megtec, Dürr’s environmental control solutions include turnkey installations as well as equipment rebuilds, upgrades, preventive maintenance programs and energy optimization services. The company has installed thousands of easy to use and clean oxidizer systems in many process industries across the globe. It is also experienced in engineering and service for exhaust air-purification systems, including those from other manufacturers. Dürr leverages its process knowledge and technology capabilities to deliver an integrated solution for dryers with a complete system including scrubber, wet ESP and RTO (see picture 2).

Photo 2: A total integrated solution, featuring scrubber, wet ESP and RTO by Dürr ensures system optimization.

“With our broader geographic reach, expanded product portfolio, and increased base of skilled field technicians, the joining together of Dürr and Megtec makes it possible for us to be even closer to our customers in the engineered wood products industry,” said Rodney Schwartz, vice-president sales and business development of Dürr’s environmental technology division in the Americas. “Delivering responsive service is critical for our customers. With short response times and fast solutions, we make a decisive contribution to ensuring that our customers’ equipment is up and running all day, every day.”

Dürr will present its air-pollution control technologies at LIGNA in Hanover, Germany, from May 27-31 in hall 26, booth D08/2. As a further part of the company’s products, Dürr will also present its application technology for painting in the wood industry. It will be exhibited in hall 14 at the booth of HOMAG, the world market leader for machinery and equipment for the woodworking industry, which is part of the Dürr Group.

The Dürr Group is one of the world’s leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with extensive expertise in automation and digitization/Industry 4.0. Its products, systems and services enable highly efficient manufacturing processes in different industries. The Dürr Group supplies sectors like the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical and woodworking industries. It generated sales of €3.87 billion in 2018. In October 2018, the Dürr Group acquired the industrial environmental technology business of U.S.-based company Babcock & Wilcox, comprising the Megtec and Universal brands. Since then, it has over 16,400 employees and 108 business locations in 32 countries. The Group operates in the market with five divisions:

• Paint and Final Assembly Systems: paint shops and final assembly systems for the automotive industry
• Application Technology: robot technologies for the automated application of paint, sealants and adhesives
• Clean Technology Systems: air pollution control, noise abatement systems and battery coating lines
• Measuring and Process Systems: balancing equipment as well as assembly, testing and filling technology
• Woodworking Machinery and Systems: machinery and equipment for the woodworking industry