Dekker Vacuum Technologies finds itself competing in a unique market

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MICHIGAN CITY — Rick Dekker, chairman of Dekker Vacuum Technologies, 935 S. Woodland Ave., wants people to know the company that bears his name doesn’t make household vacuum cleaners.

Rather, the company manufactures and markets industrial vacuum technology that is completely different and substantially more powerful than a home vacuum cleaner.

The company’s machines have been used in power plants and in mining, petroleum refining, cheese processing and distilling whiskey.

The industrial vacuum systems the company manufactures are similar to the compressors commonly seen in manufacturing, but there is a major difference, Dekker said.

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“Our machines suck,” he said. “They don’t blow.”

It’s a description that can bring a smile to visitors, but Dekker is quick to point out the key difference between compressors and industrial vacuums. An air compressor takes air, and in the process of compressing it pushes the air to the application.

With vacuum technology, suction is created after the application. Air is drawn through the process. While the purpose of the vacuum pump is removing air or vapors, it also may pull in foreign material generated in the process. Dekker said his company has to be careful in its product design so that this material does not damage the inner workings of the vacuum system.

“We compete in a unique market that offers a wide variety of products” Dekker said. “What sets us apart is that our competitors try to fit their products to an application, while we’re solutions providers.”

If the customer’s needs fit what’s on the shelf at Dekker, fine. But if it doesn’t, Dekker will start from scratch and design a vacuum system that fits the customer’s needs. It’s been that way since Rick and his father, Jan, started the company in 1998.

The roots of Dekker’s family reach to Holland. His family moved to the United States in 1979 from South Africa, where his father was designing and building vacuum systems for that country’s gold industry.

“The political situation there was unstable,” said Dekker, and his father recognized it was time to leave the country. His father had met representatives from Sullair, who were in South Africa at the time marketing the company’s products. A relationship was formed and Dekker wound up moving to Michigan City to work for Sullair and its founder, Don Hoodes.

After Sullair was purchased by Sundstrand in the 1980s, Jan Dekker started his own company in partnership with an Italian company. Rick joined his father at that company in 1993.

“We broke away and in 1998 started Dekker Vacuum Technologies,” Dekker said from his second-floor office in the Michigan City Enterprise Center on Woodland Avenue on the city’s East Side.

At the time, the company had 10,000 square feet in the complex. That first year, Dekker said, the company lost money, but since then, it has turned a profit and grown to occupy 45,000 square feet, employing 40 skilled people.

In 2007, the company was listed by Inc. Magazine as one of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in America.

Dekker’s products are primarily sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This year, the company is expanding its sales into South America and reviewing opportunities in Europe and Asia.

Industries that use vacuum pumps are looking to efficiently refine a product, remove air or vapors from a manufacturing operation or remove a substance from soil, water or a product.

In a dentist’s office, when the dentist asks for suction, that’s a vacuum pump application, Dekker said. For the frozen concentrated orange juice industry, vacuum pumps remove water at a lower temperature so the orange juice concentrate retains its taste. In soil and groundwater remediation, vacuum systems remove contamination from soil or water.

Some of the machines made by the company are huge and need to be shipped by truck. Athers are small enough to be held in your hands. Regardless of the size, each is made by a small group of highly specialized employees who do everything from fabricate the parts to weld and assemble them.

Each machine is fully assembled and tested before it leaves Michigan City for the customer, Dekker said.

Dekker said the company has grown in recent years, and he has worked hard to make sure the company has the best people in place to continue that growth. He and his partner in the company, Jerry Geenen, senior vice president of engineering, hired Mark Cash in early 2009 as chief executive officer. Cash was previously with American Licorice in La Porte and prior to that at GM and Toyota. The most recent addition to the Dekker team is John Singer, director of sales and marketing. Singer previously was with Danaher, Rubbermaid and GE Lighting.

“My focus is to recruit the absolute best people into our operation,” Dekker said. “This has resulted in a team of people at Dekker that go above and beyond and continuously strive to improve the customer experience. I want to be able to spend my time capitalizing on my strengths, which include setting the future vision for the company.”

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Compressed Air Piping

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The purpose of the compressed air piping system is to deliver compressed air to the points of usage. The compressed air needs to be delivered with enough volume, appropriate quality, and pressure to properly power the components that use the compressed air. Compressed air is costly to manufacture. A poorly designed compressed air system can increase energy costs, promote equipment failure, reduce production efficiencies, and increase maintenance requirements. It is generally considered true that any additional costs spent improving the compressed air piping system will pay for themselves many times over the life of the system.

Compressor Discharge Piping

Discharge piping from a compressor without an integral aftercooler can have very high temperatures. The pipe that is installed here must be able to handle these temperatures. The high temperatures can also cause thermal expansion of the pipe, which can add stress to the pipe. Check the compressor manufacturer's recommendations on discharge piping. Install a liquid filled pressure gauge, a thermometer, and a thermowell in the discharge airline before the aftercooler. Proper support and/or flexible discharge pipe can eliminate strain.

Condensate Control

Condensation control must be considered when installing a compressed air piping system. Drip legs should be installed at all low points in the system. A drip leg is an extension of pipe below the airline, which is used to collect condensation in the pipe. At the end of the drip leg a drain trap should be installed. Preferably an automatic drain will be used (see drain valves section for a complete description of the type of drain valves available).

To eliminate oil, condensate, or cooling water (if the water-cooled aftercooler leaks), a low point drain should be installed in the discharge pipe before the aftercooler. Be sure to connect the aftercooler outlet to the separator inlet when connecting the aftercooler and the moisture separator together. If they are not connected properly, it will result in either poor aftercooling or poor separation.

The main header pipe in the system should be sloped downward in the direction of the compressed air flow. A general rule of thumb is 1" per 10 feet of pipe. The reason for the slope is to direct the condensation to a low point in the compressed air piping system where it can be collected and removed.

Make sure that the piping following the aftercooler slopes downward into the bottom connection of the air receiver. This helps with the condensate drainage, as well as if the water-cooled aftercooler develops a water leak internally. It would drain toward the receiver and not the compressor.

Another method of controlling the condensation is to take all branch connections from the top of the airline. This eliminates condensation from entering the branch connection and allows the condensation continue to the low points in the system.

Pressure Drop

Pressure drop in a compressed air system is a critical factor. Pressure drop is caused by friction of the compressed air flowing against the inside of the pipe and through valves, tees, elbows and other components that make up a complete compressed air piping system. Pressure drop can be affected by pipe size, type of pipes used, the number and type of valves, couplings, and bends in the system. Each header or main should be furnished with outlets as close as possible to the point of application. This avoids significant pressure drops through the hose and allows shorter hose lengths to be used. To avoid carryover of condensed moisture to tools, outlets should be taken from the top of the pipeline. Larger pipe sizes, shorter pipe and hose lengths, smooth wall pipe, long radius swept tees, and long radius elbows all help reduce pressure drop within a compressed air piping system.

In recent years several manufacturers have developed piping systems especially for compressed air (fig. P1-2). These compressed air piping systems typically have smooth walls, are lightweight, and reduce the installation costs associated with copper and threaded pipe. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for installing these systems. 

Loop Pipe System

The layout of the system can also affect the compressed air system. A very efficient compressed air piping system design is a loop design. The loop design (fig. P1-3) allows airflow in two directions to a point of use. This can cut the overall pipe length to a point in half that reduces pressure drop. It also means that a large volume user of compressed air in a system may not starve users downstream since they can draw air from another direction. In many cases a balance line is also recommended which provides another source of air.

Reducing the velocity of the airflow through the compressed air piping system is another benefit of the loop design. In cases where there is a large volume user an auxiliary receiver can be installed. This reduces the velocity, which reduces the friction against the pipe walls and reduces pressure drop. Receivers should be positioned close to the far ends or at points of infrequent heavy use of long distribution lines. Many peak demands for air are short-lived, and storage capacity near these points helps avoid excessive pressure drop and may allow a smaller compressor to be used.

Piping materials

Common piping materials used in a compressed air system include copper, aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel. Compressed air piping systems that are 2" or smaller utilize copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Pipe and fitting connections are typically threaded. Piping systems that are 4" or larger utilize carbon or stainless steel with flanged pipe and fittings.

Note: Plastic piping may be used on compressed air systems, however caution must used since many plastic materials are not compatible with all compressor lubricants. Ultraviolet light (sun light) may also reduce the useful service life of some plastic materials. Installation must follow the manufacturer's instructions.

It is always better to oversize the compressed air piping system you choose to install. This reduces pressure drop, which will pay for itself, and it allows for expansion of the system.

Corrosion-resistant piping should be used with any compressed air piping system using oil-free compressors. A non-lubricated system will experience corrosion from the moisture in the warm air, contaminating products and control systems, if this type of piping is not used.

Turning Air Compressors Into An Energy Source

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The rise in energy prices is an unwelcome reality in today’s manufacturing and business environment. While the rate of price increases for natural gas, heating oil, and other sources may vary from year to year, the upward trajectory is clear. Energy cost reduction strategies are vital to staying competitive.

One important way operational efficiencies can be increased is by harnessing heat from compressed air systems, which are a major component of industrial energy consumption.

The heat generated by compressed air systems can be a very good source of energy savings. In fact, 100 percent of the electrical energy used by an industrial air compressor is converted into heat. 96 percent of this heat can be recovered (the balance remains in the compressed air or radiates from the compressor into the immediate surroundings).

Too often that heat is lost to the ambient environment through the compressor cooling system. The good news is that nearly all of this thermal energy can be recovered and put to useful work to significantly lower a facility’s energy costs.

The most common compressor equipment found in manufacturing plants today is the air-cooled, lubricated rotary screw design. The amount of heat recovered using these systems will vary if the compressor has a variable load, but in general, very good results will be achieved when the baseload air compressor package is an oil-injected rotary screw type design, operating at 185 degrees F or higher.

Oil-free rotary screw compressors are also well-suited for heat recovery activities. As with other compressor systems, the input electrical energy is converted into heat and because they operate at much higher internal temperatures than oil-injected compressors, they produce greater discharge airend temperatures (typically 300 degreesF and higher). 

By integrating standard HVAC ductwork and controls, warm air from compressors can be harnessed for many purposes. Capturing warm air is simply accomplished by ducting the air from the compressor package to an area that requires heating. The air is heated by passing it across the compressor’s aftercooler and lubricant cooler. This extracts heat from both the compressed air and the lubricant, both improving air quality and extending lubricant life. Nearly all current models have cabinets that channel airflow through the compressor, and many current designs exhaust warm air out the top of the unit. This simplifies adapting compressors to space heating to merely installing ducting and (sometimes) a supplemental fan to handle duct loading and to eliminate back pressure on the compressor cooling fan.

With rotary screw compressors running at full load, it is possible to “harvest” approximately 50,000 BTUs of energy per hour for each 100 cfm of capacity. This value is based on 80 percent recoverable heat from the compressor and a conversion factor of 2,545 BTU/bhp-hr, although recovery efficiencies of up to 90 percent are frequently attained. The resulting air temperatures are often 30 to 40 degrees F higher than the cooling air inlet.

Space heating can be regulated easily using thermostatically controlled, motorized louver flaps for venting, to maintain a consistent room temperature. When heating is not required, the hot air can be ducted outside the building to reduce cooling costs.

Rejected heat can also be used to heat water or other fluids. Air-cooled, oil-injected compressors can be used to heat water or other process fluids. Oil-injected and oil-free water-cooled compressors can also be used for this type of heat recovery. The best efficiencies are usually obtained from water-cooled installations. These systems can effectively discharge water at temperatures reaching 160 degrees F. Discharged cooling water is connected directly to a continuous process heating application for year-round energy savings (such as a heating boiler’s return circuit).

 

The key to heat recovery effectiveness with water-cooled compressors is attaining a “thermal match” between the heat being recovered and the heat that is needed on a regular (hourly) basis. The temperature range and the approach temperature must be in line. This needs to be an engineered solution.

Most process applications in production facilities can benefit from heat recovery from compressed air systems throughout the year, not just during the cold weather months. In most space heating applications, heat is required during three seasons and during the warmer months, removing the heat of compression will make compressor room temperatures much more comfortable. Maintaining proper ambient conditions will also improve compressor efficiency and facilitate air treatment. Moreover, controlling operating temperatures will extend compressor air equipment life.

Generally, the larger the system, the faster the payback, but payback on heat recovery also depends on the amount of rejected heat that can be used and the cost of the alternative energy source. After factoring in the installation cost, it’s possible that smaller systems will not provide enough recoverable BTUs of energy to make the investment worthwhile.

Beyond energy savings, an important argument can also be made that heat recovery activities benefit the environment, as they reduce the carbon footprint of a plant. As energy policies and regulations continue to evolve in the United States and other countries, these considerations are only expected to become more important. It is only by evolving with these regulations and embracing alternative ways to recover energy wherever possible that compressed air system users can hope to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of each BTU they pay for.

 

SABA Success Story

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To learn more about Wilden AODD pumps, please visit: http://www.wildenpump.com - Manufacturing adhesives and sealants can tax many pump types, but SABA Dinxperlo B.V., one of Europe's leading independent producers of high-quality adhesives and sealants, has optimized its manufacturing process through the use of air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pump technology from Wilden® Pump & Engineering Co. SABA began using Wilden T8 Series AODD Pumps more than 20 years ago, some of which are still in operation, and continues to find great success with the brand, including the Original™ and Advanced ™ Series PX4/PX8 and PX400/PX800 models that feature the innovative Pro-Flo X™ Air Distribution System (ADS).

Maag Offers Solutions for Various Critical Pumping, Filtration and Pelletizing Applications

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Through its various brands, Maag is the leading manufacturer and provider of gear pumps, filtration systems, pelletizing systems and control systems for use in the plastics, petrochemical and food-processing industries. Maag's innovative vacorex® Generation 6 Gear Pump sets a new standard in extrusion-pump operation in polymerization and joins the extrex® GP/HP/HV and RB/RV(Q) and HydrolubS models in giving Maag the industry leader in extrusion and compounding, elastomer processing and industrial processing applications. Maag also offers the best in polymerization filtration systems, including industry-leading slide-plate, single-piston and double-piston screen changer models, along with a complete array of filter cavities. Maag's pelletizing systems include the SPHERO® 350, M-USG and PRIMO 200E, which are leaders in both underwater and strand pelletizing. Finally, Maag's maax® family of control systems are the top automated solutions for clearing extrusion lines. Maag backs all of its products with worldwide service and support, including grinding and pump-repair centers on four continents and sales offices on six continents.

PSG® to Feature Innovative Pumping Technology at IFAT 2014

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PSG® is pleased to announce that several of its operating companies will be exhibiting their pumping technologies at IFAT 2014 in Hall A6, Stand 214. IFAT -- which is one of the world's leading trade fairs for water, sewage and raw-materials management -- will be held from May 5-9 in Munich, Germany. The PSG companies that will be present include: Almatec®, Neptune™, Wilden® and Abaque®.

New Heavy-Duty Submersible Slurry Pump Line

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EBARA Fluid Handling, a leading provider of water and wastewater pumps, pump products and services, has added a new line of heavy duty submersible slurry pumps designed to handle corrosive and abrasive slurries in the harshest conditions.

Several unique design features are built in to the EBARA model ENZX slurry pumps that increase the efficient and effective pumping of slurries and lowers operating cost and wear on the pump. Durable construction extends wear life in corrosive environments with the ability to handle concentration of solids up to 30 percent. The pump stand and inlet screen are constructed of heavy-duty 304 stainless steel. High chrome components on the model ENZX carry a 56.8 hardness on the Rockwell scale and are extremely abrasion and corrosion resistant including the complete wet end, enclosed impeller, (upper and lower) wear liners, agitator, casing and ANSI flanged elbow.

The high chrome agitator fitted on the end of main impeller mixes the settled solid material with liquid into a highly concentrated slurry allowing the pump to lift the liquid and solid together, and eliminates pump clogging and suspends solids for cleaner sumps. The enclosed, high chrome impeller also provides higher efficiencies and extended wear life. Double mechanical seals with silicon carbide faces safely operate in oil chamber away from pumped slurry providing for extended wear life. High chrome iron replaceable wear liners are located above and below the impeller, avoiding costly casing replacement due to excessive wear.

High efficiency motors are three phase, 460 volt with integral thermal overload and seal leak protection and ship with standard 40’ length UL listed and CSA approved cables. Standard (UL listed/CSA approved) control panels, built specifically for the ENZX models, are available and designed to operate and control all protection devices on the pump.

The ENZX is available from 2 to 6 inches and with horsepower ranges from 7.5 to 30 HP, flows up to 1200 GPM and head to 140 feet, including a two stage, high head model that incorporates a dual impeller. EBARA’s model ENZX pumps are designed to easily retrofit into existing installations and for easy maintenance. ENZX slurry pumps are engineered for the toughest conditions and ideal for applications with abrasive and caustic slurries including mining, wastewater, industrial, mineral processing, power utilities, clean-up sumps and dewatering applications.

For product information and specifications, please see the ENZX product page.