Heating chambers with high capacities and short warm-up times

A producer of special chemicals located in Wesel, Germany required six heating chambers with especially high capacities and short warm-up times to achieve maximal throughput. Different material properties and resulting special requirements and local conditions demanded an anything but commonplace solution.

In an effort to adjust the chambers to the narrow space conditions, building sketches had to be taken into account during the planning phase. The usual gate structure consisting of double doors was not an option due to the narrow aisle width. As sliding doors are not suitable for 4m high chambers, roll-up doors have been installed.

The circulation fan stops automatically when the doors roll up. This way not only the installation room but also the members of staff are protected from evaporations that are potentially hazardous to health. Due to this measures, the chambers' explosion protection could be reduced from zone 1 to zone 2.

The already existing steam system has been used as the chambers' heating element. The chambers are operated with recirculating air.

Sump pallets in compliance with the Water Protection Act meet all regulations concerning water law requiring units in which substances are handled to be as secure as storage units.

Making the most out of the confined space in the showroom was not the only challenge that presented itself.

Furthermore, the chamber had to be lowered through an erection opening in the roof of the building, 28m up in the air. Owing to its size, the chamber had to be apportioned in the middle.

The roll-up door could not remain in the upper half of the chamber due to the unbalanced weight distribution that would cause. As a result, all six chambers had to be lifted into the building in three individual parts each. They were assembled on-site and moved to their designated place in the production hall.