Finally Available! - Stainless Steel Resin Traps

After many requests, Res-Kem now has stainless steel resin traps available!  So, in addition to our standard PVC and CPVC resin traps, we now offer them in 304SS and 316SS.

304 Stainless Steel Traps Each Rated for 210 gpm Flow

The end connections have Van Stone Flanges for maximum installation flexibility.  All stainless steel units are fabricated to the customer's exact dimensions and flow requirements.  Each unit is hydro-tested to 160 psig. 
 

Why You Need a Resin Trap
Many water treatment processes use small granular, plastic, powdered, pelletized and/or crystalline media in a pressure vessel. Over the years, complex screens, slotted pipes, perforated plates, molded devices, etc. have been engineered to keep the media in the vessel. Through corrosion, chemical attack, thermal damage, rapid flow changes, system age and/or water hammer, these distribution systems will be damaged.

Example of a PVC Hub and Lateral Distribution System Installed in New Steel Tank

When the distribution systems are damaged, the ion exchange resin or other media will get into the water distribution system contaminating and/or destroying downstream RO membranes, expensive membrane filters, pumps, tanks, piping, processes and any product touched by this contaminated water.

Where Should You Install a Resin Trap? A resin trap should be installed in the product water line of most resin and media based water treatment equipment like: Softeners, Dealkalizers, Condensate Polishers, Demineralizers, Carbon Filters, Sand Filters,
Portable DI Tanks, Greensand Filters,and/or Multi-Media Filters.

Also, a resin trap should be considered in the backwash lines of most ion exchange and carbon systems because temperature related flow changes can cause these expensive materials to be sent down the drain.  

What is a Resin Trap?
A resin trap is a simple, protective sieving device to insure ion exchange resin or other filtration media does not leave the water treatment equipment, and travel downstream where it doesn’t belong. It offers a stainless steel wedge-wire screen with slots small enough to retain upstream ion exchange resins or other filtration media. The number and size of the openings are designed to keep the pressure drop to a ∆P=2 psi at the rated flow rate. A clear acrylic sleeve or borosilicate glass will visually indicate whether there is an upstream problem. A small ball valve allows for recycling of resin or media after the problem has been repaired.

Since the slots in the wedge wire are 0.010 inches, 254 micron, a resin trap protects, but does not replace, downstream cartridge filters, bag filters and membrane filters which generally have a much lower micron ratings.

For Additional Information:
Technical and Sizing Information of a Resin Trap
Stainless Steel Resin Trap Bulletin
PVC and CPVC Resin Trap Bulletin 
Res-Kem's Complete Line of Industrial Water Treatment Equipment

Second Condensate Polishing System Shipping to a North Carolina University

Res-Kem is shipping the second of two condensate polishing systems to a leading private university in North Carolina next week.  This is the second of two systems sold to this same university in the past year and a half.  This system treats 400 gpm of dirty condensate.

Res-Kem's Dual 54 inch Sodium Cycle Cycle Condensate Polishers

To improve the ROI, through energy savings, this system is designed with a separate source of cold water for backwash, brine draw and slow rinse.

What is the Res-Kem water treatment application?	Sodium cycle condensate polishing to remove iron and hardness
What are the operating conditions?	Flow: 400 gpm Pressure: 30-100 psi Temperature: 200F Continuous
What is the system configuration?	Dual tank, parallel operation 54” in diameter tanks
What ion exchange resin was used?	47 cubic feet of Purolite C-150 highly cross-linked macroporous cation exchange resin in each tank
Materials of construction?	316 SS ASME code with a 150 psig design pressure 316 SS Hub and Lateral 316 SS Subsurface Wash Distributor 316 SS Schedule 40 Welded face piping
Type of Valves and Actuators?	Bray McCannalok Series 41 with Series 93 pneumatic actuators with manual override
Special Features?	Subsurface wash Cold water used for separate source backwash, brine draw and slow rinse Condensate fast rinse 316 Stainless resin traps after each system

Additional Information:
Listing of Condensate Polishers Built by Res-Kem
Online Catalog of Res-Kem Condensate Polishing Equipment
Condensate Polisher Technical Bulletin
Condensate Polisher Application Checklist 
Purolite C-150 Technical Bulletin
For Technical Help From a Res-Kem Sales and Application Engineer

Downloadable Catalog of Water Treatment Equipment Updated

For 2012, we updated our downloadable industrial water treatment catalog.  (Given the number of equipment choices we provide, the catalog file is very large, so please be patient during the download.)



Res-Kem's Industrial Water Treatment Equipment Catalog for 2012

 In addition to the updated XL, CL and ML Series RO system bulletins list in my previous post, we have updated the two bed demineralizer sections of our catalog to include all of the standard sized DI systems up to 96" in diameter.

To many water treatment system choices?  Contact us for help!

Condensate Polisher Shipped to a Virginia University

This past month, we have built and sent another condensate polisher to a major university in Virginia. This stainless steel system with carbon steel piping is designed to treat 175 gpm and designed to operate at 100 psig and 200 F. The system has dual ASME-code 36 inch diameter tanks. The piping is Schedule 80 carbon steel with flanged connections.
The system has stainless steel ion exchange resin traps on each vessel to protect equipment downstream from catastrophic underdrain damage.

The valves used where Bray butterfly valves with air actuators and handwheel overrides. The system used AquaMatic Controllers.

Resin Traps-Insurance for Industrial Water Systems

Recently, Res-Kem published a white paper entitled "Inexpensive Insurance for Water Treatment Systems-Resin Traps" by Ron Madden. In this white paper, three examples demonstrate how resin traps act as inexpensive insurance for costly problems that can develop when ion exchange resin reaches downstream process areas, process equipment, or the product. Depending upon the plant or process, the payback can be nearly instantaneous!


Summary:
A simple resin trap, long favored by experienced operators of water treatment
equipment, is an inexpensive form of insurance being used more frequently in water treatment systems. Should an internal lateral break or otherwise fail, resin traps eliminate the possibility of ion exchange resin or other filtration media leaving water treatment equipment where it belongs, and prevent it from traveling downstream where it does not belong. Install a resin trap. Like insurance, do not wait until catastrophe strikes to see the value.

Examples:
The three examples are from:

An automotive plant where the resin trap was installed AFTER a plant shutdown

A poultry plant where the resin trap was installed AFTER a plant shutdown and quarantine of millions of pounds of processed chicken

A refinery installed BEFORE a problem occur ed