Food Processing
No where in California are the new regulations more aggressive than in the Central Valley. In the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Management District, agricultural food processing plants are experiencing strict NOx Regulations and compliance deadlines. The case studies here examine customer applications and key challenges.
Honey Plant
PLC Controls Upgrade
San Bernardino, CA
New PLC control system regulates product flow and temperature levels.
The San Bernardino honey plant processes 100 percent all-natural honey in California and the Midwest. With existing controls, the honey plant was unable to adequately regulate honey flow due to fluctuating temperatures and honey levels. The company reviewed many controllers, but none established the proper level of honey needed in each tank.
After designing and installing a new PLC system, R.F. MacDonald Co. overcame the tank-level-control challenge with flange-mounted level transmitters. Installation of the Allen Bradley PLC control system and configuration of WonderWare monitoring software improved performance and offered an effective measurement solution. Read more
Keywords: PLC control system, Allen-Bradley, product flow, product mapping, temperature regulation, steam boiler, tank level control, level transmitters
J.R. Simplot Company
SCR Project & Control RetrofitHelm, CA
Boiler and gas train upgrades result in high efficiency and increased safety.
J. R. Simplot Company is one of the largest privately held food and agribusiness companies in the nation. The Lathrop-Helm facility produces high quality nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers for professionals in agriculture, the turf trade, nurseries, the feed business, and industrial applications.
The plant operated a 50kppm IWT auxiliary boiler to start their main boiler processes. Once the main boiler process generates enough heat to become self-sufficient, the auxiliary boiler goes off-line. The auxiliary boiler had been in use since the 1950s, and required emissions control improvement as well as upgrades to meet current code and safety requirements.
J.R. Simplot opted for a retrofit and upgrades to meet their requirements and contacted R.F. MacDonald Co. to assist with their equipment project. Read more
Keywords: APCD Regulations, boiler case studies, boiler projects, gas train, auxiliary boiler, boiler retrofit, SCR system, food processing boilers, auxiliary equipment, SJVAPCD requirements
Teasdale Foods
70,000pph, 5ppm NOx BPS Steam PlantAtwater, CA
New steam plant with SCR technology provides overall processing efficiency.
With roots traced back to the 1930s, Teasdale Quality Foods has been providing high quality, delicious products for more than 70 years. Located in the heart of California, they are recognized as a leader and innovator providing retail, food service, and industrial customers with a full line of Hominy and Dry Soak Beans.
Over time, their steam plant slowly deteriorated until they were running their entire operation on a single boiler with no economizer. As a result, the production process became inefficient and consumed high quantities of excess air. After entering negotiations with a private equity firm to sell their company, Teasdale Quality Foods set a goal to upgrade their boiler to meet current and future air quality regulations, but was unsure where to begin. Read more
Keywords: boiler feedwater pumps, SCR system, steam boiler plant, boiler case studies, CB Nebraska boiler, boiler projects, food processing boilers, SJVAPCD requirements, Haldor-Topsoe catalyst
Ingredion (formerly Corn Products)
Install SCR SystemStockton, CA
Supply and install an SCR system to operate with existing HRSG.
Ingredion is a world-leading ingredient solutions provider; turning corn, tapioca, wheat, potatoes, and other raw materials into a myriad of ingredients for the food, beverage, brewing, and pharmaceutical industries as well as numerous industrial sectors. With more than 10,000 employees worldwide, Ingredion serves customers in more than 60 diverse markets while remaining committed to supplying their customers with innovative ingredient solutions that are on-trend and in demand.
Ingredion’s Stockton processing plant is equipped with a gas turbine and cogen Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) that recaptures exhaust to generate electricity for the plant. Ingredion was interested in a new SCR system to reduce their NOx emissions from this process to below 9 ppm. Having used R.F. MacDonald Co. as a reliable provider of knowledge and service for their NOx-related issues in the past, Ingredion turned to R.F. MacDonald Co. once again to assist with their current SCR needs. Read more
Keywords: SCR system, boiler case studies, boiler projects, Haldor-Topsoe catalyst, SJVAPCD requirements, food processing boilers
J.G. Boswell Tomato Retube
Boiler RetubingButtonwillow, CA
Retubing of tomato processing boiler maintains harvest schedule.
J.G. Boswell is a tomato processing company that uses two Cleaver-Brooks industrial water tube boilers to process approximately 4,800 tons of fresh tomatoes per day. When the tomatoes are brought in from the field, they’re flash steam cooked and mashed into a paste. The paste is then packed into large wooden crates and shipped to the end user customer.
The boilers used for the flash steaming process are constantly exposed to the elements, so over time moisture can soak through the insulation and oxidize the tube sidings. Eventually, one of the deteriorated tubes ruptured, leaving the boiler inoperable just weeks before the harvest season. J.G. Boswell needed the whole side of their boiler retubed in less than two weeks, or they’d fall behind schedule and miss crucial deadlines. Read more
Keywords: boiler retubing, boiler case studies, boiler projects, food processing boilers, Cleaver Brooks watertube boiler, boiler service, boiler field service
Leprino Foods Lemoore West
Install SCR SystemLemoore, CA
New boiler using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to meet requirements.
Leprino Foods, is a world leader in premium-quality cheese manufacturing and the largest U.S. exporter of whey products. Leprino mozzarella cheese, cheese blends, and pizza cheese are made especially for pizzeria and foodservice operators, frozen food manufacturers and private label cheese packagers.
The Lemoore facility was planning a large expansion to a 500,000 sq. ft. cheese-making and whey-processing facility that is one of the world’s largest cheese plants today. This expanded plant would require additional steam for processing. R.F. MacDonald Co. worked in conjunction with the facility engineers to deliver and install a boiler system that would meet the plant’s production demands as well as the new Ultra-Low NOx requirements of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control district. Read more
Keywords: SJVAPCD requirements, boiler case studies, boiler projects, food processing boilers, SCR system, boiler maintenance
Hilmar Cheese Company
Boiler Retrofit and ReplacementHilmar, CA
Retrofit and replace existing boilers to meet low NOx emissions requirements.
The Hilmar Cheese Company site in California annually produces more cheese from one site than any other manufacturer in the world. The production facility converts over 20,000,000 lbs per day of high-quality milk into a variety of cheese products. They specialize in the production of cheddar and natural American cheeses utilized by private label and national brand companies, producing more than 1.9 million pounds of cheese each day.
The plant was required to lower their NOx emissions to comply with the San Joaquin Valley District regulations. In addition, the customer wanted to use this opportunity to also increase their existing steam capacity. Read more
Keywords: low emission burners, boiler room accessories, boiler case studies, boiler projects, food processing boilers, boiler retrofit, SJVAPCD requirements, boiler installation services
ConAgra Foods
Boiler ReplacementModesto, CA
Replace existing boiler to meet low NOx emissions requirements.
ConAgra Foods is one of North America’s largest packaged foods companies with products available in supermarkets as well as restaurants and food service establishments. One process involves a DL68 Watertube Boiler that supplies steam to a frozen vegetable facility for the Flash Carrot Peeler. For this specific process, carrots are loaded into a bin that rotates slowly while being quickly pressurized to 200 PSI and then vented to explode the skin off the carrot. The carrot peeler would require 20,000 PPH for 10 seconds every minute and a half. This cycle is repeated 24hrs a day.
The DL68 Watertube Boiler was 30 years old and had trouble handling the drastic change in load. In addition, new regulations imposed by the Air District retrofit rule would now require NOx emission levels of 9ppm. Read more
Keywords: boiler case studies, boiler projects, food processing boilers, SJVAPCD requirements, boiler replacement, firetube boilers, boiler installation
J.G. Boswell Tomato Company
Boiler RetrofitButtonwillow, CA
Retrofit existing boilers to meet low NOx emissions requirements.
Two Cleaver Brooks Industrial Watertube boilers are responsible for plant operations that include processing approximately 4,800 tons/day of fresh tomatoes with a 240,000 pph peak steam demand at 350 psig saturated conditions. The boilers were originally supplied in the year 2000 with burners designed to meet the then current San Joaquin Unified Air Pollution Control District Rule 4306 requiring units over 20 mmbtu/hr to operate at less than 9 ppm NOx.
In 2007, the Air District began workshops with the intent to further limit NOx emissions. With this new rule pending, J.G. Boswell approached R.F. MacDonald Co requesting a solution that would allow the boilers to operate below the new limits of 6 ppm NOx and 50 ppm CO and to review energy saving options related to this upgrade. Read more
Keywords: boiler retrofit, boiler case studies, food procession boilers, boiler projects, burner retrofit package, flue gas recirculation, SCR system, SJVAPCD requirements
Aseptic Solutions USA
Optimized Boiler PackageCorona, CA
New boiler package to stabilize and optimize boiler operation
Aseptic Solutions USA, located in Corona, CA, is a premier state-of-the-art beverage bottling facility that specializes in co-packing nutritional products, dietary supplements, and organic and premium juices.
Boilers in this facility are necessary for providing steam for “flash” sterilization in which the products are sterilized at an increased temperature for a shorter period of time, thus allowing Aseptic Solutions to kill off all microorganisms while preserving the natural taste, aroma, vitamins, and nutrients of the product.
After experiencing an incident with their previous water tube boiler, Aseptic Solutions approached R.F. MacDonald Co. for a solution to better meet their facility needs. Read more
Keywords: optimized boiler package, boiler case studies, food processing boilers, boiler projects, boiler steam efficiency, condensing economizer boilers, boiler installation services, boiler rental, SCAQMD requirements
Clement Pappas & Co., Inc.
Super Boiler Prototype InstallationOntario, CA
Installation of ultra low NOx super boiler prototype
The Super Boiler, a prototype design initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy along with the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and Cleaver-Brooks, Inc. was developed to answer the increasing demand for more efficient industrial steam technology. Clement Pappas is a beverage bottling plant in Ontario, CA.
Boilers at this facility are responsible for producing the steam essential to pasteurize the many beverages they package. This location, which has been in operation since 2003, was selected as the second test site for the Cleaver-Brooks 300-BHP Super Boiler with R.F. MacDonald Co. providing installation and service for the unit. Previously, the site was operating off of a Cleaver- Brooks 600 HP boiler, which currently remains on-site in standby mode. Read more
Keywords: super boiler, boiler case studies, boiler projects, food processing boilers, boiler service, boiler installation, SCAQMD requirements
