Waste-to-energy plant ARN: Plastic particles in the condenser of a diaper recycling plant

About the Project

Recycling is at the heart of what ARN does. Their Diaper Recycling Plant processes disposable diapers and other incontinence products into plastic granulate. The process operates as follows: diapers are treated in three reactors using steam at 40 bar pressure. Once a batch is complete, the steam is released into an adjacent reactor to recharge it. When the pressure reaches approximately 12 bar, the steam is directed to the condenser. As the steam cools, plastic particles carried within it begin to adhere and cause blockages in the condenser.

To eliminate these plastic particles from the released steam, ARN invested in the so-called Blue Tower Technology. For its seamless integration into the existing facility, the waste-to-energy plant enlisted the expertise of Vicoma.

Vicoma’s Role

Vicoma was responsible for designing a new routing for the steam piping. The existing structure had to remain largely untouched. An additional requirement was that the piping should be relatively easy to dismantle. To address this, we developed intelligent flange connections. To prevent the plastic particles from clumping and sticking together during cooling, the length of the blow-off pipes needed to be kept short. Furthermore, the agitators in the reactors had to be removable from above.

With these parameters in place, Vicoma got to work. ARN approved our design following a detailed review. Vicoma then refined the solution, producing detailed isometric drawings of the pipe sections.

Result

Thanks to our pragmatic approach, ARN received the design they had envisioned. Our in-depth knowledge of piping systems, combined with extensive experience using Plant3D and performing piping stress calculations, ensured the project’s success.

We delivered the 3D model, the isometric drawings, and a comprehensive stress calculation report; providing a solid foundation for implementation.

All delivered within budget and on schedule.