BALTIMORE (May 2, 12:20 p.m. EDT) — A new dryer could add some mystery to auxiliary equipment at NPE 2000.
Novatec Inc. will introduce a new dryer at NPE that operates without desiccants or moving parts, and uses an unspecified absorptive material taken from military applications.
Novatec officials declined to describe their new dryer in detail because they said the company's patent still is pending, but said the absorptive material acts as a filter.
The new dryer is designed for small applications requiring less than 120 pounds per hour of resin, and saves energy, has reduced maintenannce costs and improves drying quality, said Jack Doub, executive vice president of Baltimore-based Novatec.
For example, the dryer can save $5,100 a year for 120-pound-an-hour applications, compared with traditional desiccant dryers, assuming electricity costs of 7 cents per kilowatt hour, Doub said. The savings is $355 for applications with 5 pounds per hour of resin, he said.
The new technology, which has been used by the U.S. Navy to dry air-compressor lines since 1991, improves drying quality by providing a constant low dew point of at least minus 40° F, Doub said.
The Navy said it has not had to replace any of its absorptive material, Doub said. Novatec will offer a three-year warranty.
Novatec also will introduce a volume-based micro-auger feeder at NPE. The micro-auger is designed for metering color concentrates at up to 7½ pounds per hour, and has a smaller footprint than a traditional auger. The micro-auger has programmable screw speeds up to 125 rpm.
Novatec also has introduced a small gravimetric blender, the NovaBlend 100, for applications requiring up to 100 pounds per hour of blending. It introduced a new blender control, and a 6.2-horsepower, two-stage regenerative vacuum power unit for its pneumatic conveying pumps.
