Manufacturing Asset Assessment & Planning (MA2P) is a comprehensive process and strategy to optimize the life cycle costs and improve the reliability of manufacturing assets. MA2P is a unique tool developed by Integrated Technologies Inc. to assess the physical condition, operational efficiency, impact of failure, and relative risk of failure for process equipment, physical plant, and plant systems. Life cycle costs and risk can be managed with effective planning. MA2P deliverables include a quantitative assessment of condition and risk and recommendations to reduce operational life cycle costs and mitigate risk. Investments in MA2P can extend the life of manufacturing assets, reduce the risk of business interruption and EH&S system failures, and dramatically improve operational efficiency.

A detailed audit report is generated for the wet process lines and wastewater treatment systems (as applicable). Each piece of equipment and the system is identified with a written description of the defect and rated. The risk table above is utilized to categorize the various components and system defects to establish a level of risk or importance based on the ratings and level of impact. The final report summary provides specific recommendations for corrective action and associated estimated costs.

Typical Report Segment:

Problem:
Tank T-400 Deoxidier liner is constructed of 316L stainless steel material and is not compatible with the mixed acid bath chemistry which includes HF. The liner (which replaced an earlier FRP liner) is expected to fail prematurely.

Level of Importance: Extremely High
Condition Rating: 3
Application Rating: 0
Impact Rating: I
Areas of Impact: P, S, M. H

Recommendation:
A flexible PVC drop-in liner (1/8″ thick) should be installed over the existing stanless steel liner. The saddle clips to hold the flight bar will require redesign. The drop shields and channel moats will require redesign and are coverd as a separate problem. A leak detector shoudl be installed between the PVC and stainless steel liners. A spare liner can be purchased for use in this tank or others for emergency for cost of approximately $13,000. Note: A more rebust solution would be to install a Koroseal liner but this would increase cost.

Estimated Cost (ROM): $35,000 (includes installation of drop-in liner, shipping and leak detection plus rental of temporary storage for five days.

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Integrated Technologies, Inc. is an industry-leading engineering, design, and consulting solutions firm based in Burlington, VT. We offer project planning and development, full-service engineering and design, project and construction management, and services during construction to the surfacing finishing and industrial manufacturing industries.

PROCESS VENTILATION OVERVIEW

Process ventilation is required in surface finishing facilities to comply with OSHA and environmental regulations to protect worker health and safety, and prevent corrosive and moisture laden vapors from accumulating in the shop atmosphere. Process ventilation is also required to protect adjacent process solutions from airborne contaminants and protect real assets (building systems and process equipment) from corrosive mists and vapors. Process ventilation can result in large energy consumption due to the need to heat, cool, filter, and/or dehumidify makeup air that is removed by the ventilation system and discharged outside the building. Efficient process ventilation design practices will reduce capital equipment costs, energy consumption, and overall operating costs.

Inefficient and oversized process ventilation systems increase the size and operating cost of the following:

• Process tank heating equipment
• Ventilation equipment and pollution control equipment
• Makeup air units (MAU’s)

MAUs are used to balance building air systems by replacing the air removed by the exhaust ventilation system. Effective integration of makeup air and ventilation system design is critical to the performance of the ventilation system.

The optimum time to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and operating costs of ventilation systems is during the initial design of the surface finishing system and facility; however, existing systems can almost always be effectively renovated and improved.

EXISTING PROCESS VENTILATION SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

Existing ventilation systems may be inadequate to properly protect workers or assets due to the following:

• Improper ventilation system design (capture efficiency, sizing, materials of construction, structural, and/or condensate drainage)
• Improper system balancing
• Design criteria changes:
  • Lower personal exposure limits (PEL) for specific chemistries
  • New chemistries have replaced the original chemistry in process tanks
• Parts, racks, and fixtures that interfere with the ventilation system
• Modifications to ventilation systems by the addition of new processes
• Lack of proper maintenance
• Inadequate makeup air supply

We recommend that existing surface finishing facilities have experienced technical staff or consultants review potential exposure issues and ventilation designs. The following questions should be answered to characterize the effectiveness of existing facility ventilation systems:

• What are the principal hazards (See Tables 1.0 and 2.0)?
• What hazards require stricter control?
• Are there any hazards that require periodic review for regulatory compliance?
• Has the ventilation system been designed to adequately mitigate the identified hazards?
• Has the ventilation system been tested and validated for proper air flow?
• Are odors present?
• Is mist or steam observed escaping from process tanks?
• Is there evidence of corrosion of process equipment or the building due to air emissions?
• Is there evidence of staining near process tanks from condensed vapors?

Table 1.0 Determination of ACGIH Hazard Potential Standard Based Upon Hygienic Standards 
(See ACGIH Ventilation Handbook – Appendix A)

Hazard Potential	Gas & Vapor (ppm)	Mist (mg/m3)	Flash Point °F
A	0-10	0-0.1	–
B	11-100	0.11-1.0	<100
C	101-500	1.1-10	100-200
D	>500	>10	>200

Table 2.0 Determination of ACGIH Rate of Gas, Vapor or Mist Evolution Standard

Rate	Liquid  Temp °F	Degrees Below  Boiling Point °F	Relative Evaporation Rate* (Hours for 100% Evaporation)	Gassing**
1	>200	0-20	Fast (0-3)	High
2	150-200	21-50	Medium (3-12)	Medium
3	94-149	51-100	Slow (12-50)	Low
4	<94	>100	Nil (>50)	Nil

*Dry Time Relation (See ACGIH Ventilation Handbook – Appendix B) <5 Fast; 5-15 Medium; 15-75 Slow; >75 Nil

**Rate of gassing depends upon rate chemical or electrochemical activity, which is dependent upon the material treated and solution chemistry. This activity tends to increase with (1) amount of work in the tank, (2) concentration of solution in the tank, (3) temperature of solution in the tank, (4) current density applied to work in the tank in electrochemical tanks.

Some materials commonly found in surface finishing facilities are targeted for more stringent control. Periodic reviews of processes, with constituents such as chrome, nickel, and cobalt, are recommended.  Proper ventilation of these processes is essential; robust design approaches and/or increased ventilation rates may be required.

Some process solutions, such as chromic-sulfuric etches, aluminum etches and bright dips, and hard chromium plating solutions are notoriously difficult to effectively ventilate due to vigorous generation of mists and may warrant added devices such as enclosures, shields, and/or tank covers to isolate process tanks from workers and adjacent processes.

Observation of mist escaping or staining near the process tanks may indicate that the ventilation system is not performing adequately. These signs may indicate a worker exposure problem that testing can quantify. These same signs typically mean that the facility building and process equipment will require more frequent maintenance and repair, as corrosive vapors or mists, that are not effectively captured, may attack susceptible components of the building and equipment.

VENTILATION SYSTEM DESIGN REVIEW

A highly effective ventilation system contains many elements. A systematic review looks at each of the elements to ensure effective operation and should include the following:

• Process Conditions
  • Solution chemistry & operating parameters (concentration, temperature, and agitation)
  • Freeboard
  • Parts, racks & fixtures
  • Materials of construction (chemistry and temperature)
• Ventilation hoods, push air, covers, ducts, drains, structure, fans, blowers, and scrubbers, etc.
• Facility Conditions
  • Makeup air delivery
  • Air balance
  • Open doors & windows
  • Cross current air-flow
  • Airborne contaminants from adjacent manufacturing processes (dust, oil mist, etc.)
• Equipment and facility condition and maintenance
• Personnel and material traffic patterns

Review of the basic design analysis is important in order to determine if the system is capable of operating at a level sufficient to protect workers and to identify where changes are needed based upon the identified hazards. Design review includes the following:

• Process specific hazards
• Checking ventilation requirements based on hazard rating and the physical nature of the process (i.e. temperature, agitation chemical activity, tank size)
• Checking ventilation design factors based on ventilation rates and a number of ventilation design parameters, including:
  • Hood slot velocity
  • Hood slot size
  • Hood plenum depth
  • Duct velocity
  • Duct sizing
  • Push air rates
  • Push air manifold design
  • Cross currents in facility
  • Condensate drainage in hoods and ducts

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Varying ventilation rates, as a function of operating conditions, enhances energy efficiency. Process solution temperature and agitation can be controlled differently under active, standby, and inactive operating conditions which impact solution air hazard ratings and required ventilation rates. Automated covers, ventilation hood duct dampers, and automated push air manifolds can be integrated with process tanks to reduce ventilation rates based upon cover position (open or closed). Variable ventilation rate control may require ventilation and makeup air system fans to be equipped with variable frequency drives (VFD’s) to meet process ventilation demands and proper building pressure requirements.

Conducting a review and assessment of the ventilation system operation is paramount to improve system performance and reliability.  A typical review would address the following areas:

• Start-up procedures
• Operating procedures
• Work load and production schedules
• Process demand
• Shut-down procedures
• Redundancy or back-ups
• Periodic testing
• Preventive maintenance program

Comparing operation to design is important to assess process-specific functionality and to identify gap areas where operation and design do not match. A key part of the assessment is to examine the preventive maintenance program and look at data logging, operation outside the allowable limits, and down-time issues.
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Integrated Technologies, Inc. is an industry-leading engineering, design, and consulting solutions firm based in Burlington, VT. We offer project planning and development, full-service engineering and design, project and construction management, and services during construction to the surfacing finishing and industrial manufacturing industries.

Energy costs are typically a major component of overall operating and maintenance (O&M) costs in surface finishing plants and have a significant impact on plant profitability. Many plating plants in North America are aging, and equipment is in poor condition and inefficient. Much of the equipment in these plating plants is obsolete and based on old design principles. There are substantial opportunities for cost savings in a modern, renovated or constructed plating plant by planning for energy efficiency in plant design. A well designed plating plant will be optimized to reduce not only energy usage but all manufacturing wastes.

Energy is consumed in surface finishing processes in a variety of ways, including: process solution heating and cooling, part drying, fluid transfer, material handling, rectification, solution agitation and filtration, ventilation and makeup air processing, and water and wastewater treatment. Assessment of these existing processes provides information for estimating the savings/payback opportunity for energy efficiency process improvement.

General approaches to reducing energy usage include:

• Right-Size Equipment: Tanks and other equipment are often oversized, and smaller equipment can often meet process needs at much lower energy load. Oversized fans and blowers can waste enormous energy.
• Orient Process Tanks Vertically: Vertically oriented tanks have a lower open surface area to volume ratio than horizontal tanks and heat loss and ventilation requirements are reduced.
• Manage Process Readiness: Process equipment can be cycled automatically between inactive, standby, and active operating modes, based on the production schedule, so that processes are ready for production only when needed and energy usage is minimized when there is reduced or zero production demand. Operating variables that should be controlled include: process solution temperatures, agitation, filtration, and ventilation.
• Optimize Time, Concentration, and Temperature: Optimize process solution concentration and temperature and cycle time balance for synergistic impacts on heating & cooling, ventilation needs, solution dragout, operating hours, and production throughput.
• Optimize Plating Current Density: Plating efficiency varies as a function of current density and solution operating parameters.
• Manage Process Solution & Rinse Agitation: Process solutions are often over-agitated and rinses only need to be agitated when parts are in the rinse tank. Use more efficient regenerative blowers rather than compressed air for agitation.
• Use Push-Pull Ventilation: Push-Pull ventilation operates at lower ventilation rates and is often more effective when ventilation systems are designed correctly.
• Insulate Process Tanks & Piping: Generally tanks and piping operating with fluids ≥ 140°F or below 70°F should be insulated for energy efficiency.
• Minimize Piping & Ventilation Duct Runs: Optimize piping layouts to reduce the total length of plant piping runs and minimize heating & cooling losses and pump energy. Optimize ventilation duct layouts to reduce fan energy.
• Utilize Automatic Tank Covers: Automatic tank covers and ventilation dampers can be integrated to ramp down ventilation when covers are closed to minimize surface heat loss and ventilation requirements. Covers are normally open only when loading and unloading process tanks.
• Design Part Dryers for Energy Efficiency: Design dryers with air recirculation. Avoid the use of compressed air for part blow-off. Right size fans and blowers.
• Replace Inefficient Equipment: Energy efficient pumps, fans, and motors can be well worth the investment. Incremental gains in the efficiency of rectifiers can be worth the investment. Older boilers, chillers, and compressors are notoriously inefficient.
• Optimize Work Flow: Arrange processes for good overall work flow and material handling efficiency.
• Maintain Equipment: Equipment that is leaking, wearing out, improperly installed, or past due on maintenance can result in significant increased energy consumption and reduced equipment life.
• Keep a Clean House: Good housekeeping is one of the best investments a plant can make. Regular equipment wash-down can mitigate the effects of equipment exposure to corrosive chemicals, maintain peak performance of equipment and extend equipment life.
• Minimize Rework: All energy used in rework is a waste.

Energy efficiency should be assessed process-by-process, and systematically over entire surface finishing process and support system areas, to identify a full range of improvements and cost-savings potential. It is important to quantify existing process energy usage and costs and compare on a life cycle basis to proposed process improvements. Investment in process automation and control systems can provide excellent returns, with increased ability to efficiently manage overall process systems and reduce energy usage.

Surface finishing energy efficiency projects should consider energy usage, losses, and efficiency and the potential for improvement in:

• Piping systems – solution circulation and transfer, steam, condensate, chilled water, hot water, low pressure air, compressed air
• Process tanks – surface, sidewall, and bottom losses
• Process heating and cooling systems
• Boilers, chillers, and compressors
• Process ventilation and makeup air systems
• Process automation and control systems
• Process operating ranges – chemistry and operating temperature
• Hoists and other material handling systems
• Rectifiers and bussing, flight bars, and saddles
• Anodes and cathodes
• Process solution pumping, filtration, agitation, and purification systems
• Part drying and heat treatment systems
• Fans and blowers
• Plant HVAC and lighting systems
Project energy reductions, and other cost savings, depend on existing and planned future surface finishing processes and production requirements; age and condition of existing equipment; process area and facility usage flexibility and constraints; project funding availability; and project phasing logistics. Overall energy improvement project return on investment is often enhanced by other benefits that can simultaneously be gained with effective process improvement practices, well-designed equipment, and automation systems, including: reduced labor, materials, water, wastewater, hazardous and nonhazardous waste generation, and improved production capacity, capability, reliability, flexibility, and efficiency. It is important to take an integrated look at overall savings potential in order to reap the maximum benefits from an energy-efficiency improvement project and to allow the best potential for continuous process improvement and savings.

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Integrated Technologies, Inc. is an industry-leading engineering, design, and consulting solutions firm based in Burlington, VT. We offer project planning and development, full-service engineering and design, project and construction management, and services during construction to the surfacing finishing and industrial manufacturing industries.