Technologies

Our patented SubCom technologies were developed to handle clean, dirty and corrosive fluid heating and evaporative processes. Suitable for unattended operation in remote locations these systems do not require a certified operator. They offer a cost effective alternative to boiler / heat exchanger systems and direct steam injection.

The Combustion Challenge
While the use of fossil fuels has helped industrialization enormously, there is now a marginal increase of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere. And yet we must sustain the industries that support our modern economies. This is the challenge. Many industries need to heat large volumes of water and many other solutions. This usually requires a combustion process. In my experience, throughout years of designing and building combustion systems I found there is one combustion process capable of heating large volumes of industrial solutions and reducing GHG emissions, that process is submerged combustion.

94.5% efficient 10MM BTU/h process water heating system for photo paper manufacturing in the USA Necessity drives innovation and nothing teaches better than the cold hard realities of tried and tested field experience. At Inproheat Industries, we chose submerged combustion for many installations we designed over the years because we believed it would work, it was more responsible, and it delivered better efficiencies that would result in cost savings for our clients. Through practical application and controlled testing in our own facilities we developed proprietary systems and processes that make it possible to use submerged combustion in applications that had not been considered before. All of our SubCom installations have exceeded expectations. In addition, the continuous product improvements over the years make this technology the most responsible and most efficient industrial solution heating process available.

Cutaway view of a SubCom submerged combustion liquid heating / evaporation system. The Process The process is a highly energy efficient method of heating or evaporating large quantities of liquids – often dirty or corrosive – by forcing the products of combustion directly through the liquid. The heat transfer occurs between the high temperature (>2,500°F / 1,375°C) gas bubbles as they collapse while travelling through the solution, so there are no heat transfer surfaces to foul. When the gases are finally allowed to exhaust they exit at the same temperature as the heated solution, and at atmospheric pressure. With conventional methods the heat exchange is indirect and the products of combustion are wastefully exhausted directly into the atmosphere at considerable temperatures. Submerged combustion is used to heat or evaporate liquids and slurries, with efficiencies up to 99%. Other typical industrial liquid heating systems reach only 80% efficiency. SubCom systems operate with low pressure, and are inherently safe. Fully automatic, they are very well suited for use in remote locations without an operator attending. The patented design features ensure there is very little maintenance required. This further enhances the cost efficiencies and return on investment of these systems.

Design Benefits

98.5% efficient 6MM BTU/h effluent pond heating system at a uranium mine in Canada.

Save on Fuel Costs

• SubCom systems are 15% to 30% more fuel efficient than boilers resulting in an equivalent reduction in greenhouse gases. And the systems are as efficient on day 10,000 as they are on day one because there are no heat transfer surfaces to foul and reduce heat transfer efficiency.

Save on Additional Process Costs

• No pre-treatment of the solution is required because there are no heat transfer surfaces to plug or foul; the heat is conveyed via gas bubbles dispersed directly through the liquid-to-be-heated.

• No post-treatment of the solution is required because there is no dilution of the solution-to-be-heated; no new liquid is injected into the process, as there is with direct steam injection.

14MM BTU/h log pond water heating system for a wood veneer plant in Canada.

Save on Maintenance Costs

• The systems are low maintenance because there are few wearable parts and there are no heat transfer surfaces to plug, foul or corrode.

Save on Manpower Costs

• No operator certification is required because SubCom is not a pressure vessel, and the systems are simple in their design and operation.

Recover Clean Water for Reuse

• When used for evaporation, the evaporated water can be condensed and reused in other processes onsite.

Be Safe

• SubCom systems are inherently safe because the combustion process is completely contained by inflammable liquid, and the exhaust gases exit at near ambient liquid temperature. Exhaust temperatures are typically 200°F to 300°F (100°C to 150°C) less than boiler systems.

We chose submerged combustion... because we believed it would work, it was more responsible, and it delivered better efficiencies that would result in cost savings for our clients.

Necessity drives innovation and nothing teaches better than in the cold hard realities of tried and tested field experience.