The Problem...
Refuse Contains Paper, Corrugated
and Wooden Trash
The Trane Company of Tyler, TX, is a leading manufacturer of central
air conditioning and heat pumps and produces 14,000 pounds of trash
a day. This refuse contains paper, corrugated and wooden trash which
includes 10-foot-long wood pallets. It was obvious to Trane's management
that expending funds to haul away trash was not only costly, it was
wasteful because they were throwing away a possibly valuable energy
source. They selected an incineration system that would burn trash to
feed a boiler producing steam for the manufacturing process.
The Solution...
A BloApCo Model 3G-4066 Heavy-Duty Shredder and
Scrap Handling
System
To
produce a homogenous feed for the incinerator and ensure even heat output,
Richard Berkhouse, Trane's facilities manager, looked at several shredders
and conveyors. Trane specified a BloApCo Model 3G-4066 heavy-duty shredder
and scrap handling system. Loads can be fed
directly into the system using a forklift or cart dumper. The system
includes a 25-foot-long by 5-foot-wide shredder infeed conveyor that
can hold three or four loads of trash. This allowed the system operator
a place to separate out any unwanted trash, including bottles, cans,
metal strapping, etc. The BloApCo "Pierce-and-Tear"
shredder reduces trash volume by 75% and produces little dust or noise.
According to Berkhouse,
"It has enabled us to cut our labor content. It gets the trash off the
floor and it gives us a highly efficient means of trash disposal." At
an average consumption rate of 14,000 pounds/day, the system saved Trane
$216,000 a year, beginning in 1984, in gas costs. Berkhouse monitored
the system very carefully for the first few years. He said the payback
was less than three years. His suggestion to others is, "Always ask
a vendor for references from someone who's had the equipment for at
least five years." Now in operation
for nine years, Berkhouse calls the BloApCo conveyor and shredder "one
tough piece of equipment. The only maintenance had been on the conveyor
belt...nothing else at all."
Trane Company of Tyler, Texas
