PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2015

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 24 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 03/15 www.petpla.net Nordson Kreyenborg screen changer cartridge increases filter life by a factor of nine in a Starlinger recoSTAR line PET recycling line requires less maintenance and improved quality A Nordson Kreyenborg screen changer filter cartridge that was designed to resist deformation and enhance polymer flow has enabled the European operator of a Starlinger recy- cling technology high-throughput PET recycling line to reduce the frequency of filter replacement and improve pellet quality. A Starlinger recoSTAR PET 165 HC iV+ recycling line, installed in a “bottle-to-bottle” recycling line at a European company, includes a Nordson Kreyenborg K-SWE-4K-75/RS screen changer located between the extruder and the underwater pelletizer. The line, which operates “24/7/365,” converts PET bottle flakes to rPET with positive opinion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for re-use in bottles with adjustable IV (intrinsic viscosity) levels, depending on application. When Starlinger’s customer replaced a standard filter medium in the screen changer with the new Nordson Kreyenborg filter cartridge, the filter life was lengthened from eight to 72 hours, according to Christian Lovranich, head of process engineering at Starlinger recycling technology. Besides prolong- ing filter life, advances in specifications and design of the new filter cartridge also address the requirements of high- throughput systems, such as the 1400 to 1600 kg/h (3,086 to 3,527 lb./hr.) Starlinger line. “The larger filter area of the cartridge and the elimination of stagnation zones reduce pressure variations that can detract from pellet quality,” said Mr. Lovranich, who further asserts that there is less material lost in backflushing, and no metal impurities. As well as the increase in screen life, a 40% reduction of the backflush amount compared to the previous system (a conventional backflush filter) was achieved. The resulting waste reduction alone led to a short pay-back of the replacement investment. The available filter area is 1672 cm 2 (260 sq.in. ) and the filtration fineness is 50 m with the used screens. The structure of the new filter car- tridge is intended to prevent pressure loss and deformation of the steel filter fabric, or screen medium, and to enable it to withstand the high mechanical stresses encountered during produc- tion startup, according to Christian Schröder, research and applications engineer for Nordson PPS GmbH. “Our new filter cartridge is an alter- native to standard filter discs, in which surface area is increased through pleat- ing of the filter fabric—that is, installa- tion of the fabric in a wave or wrinkle pattern instead of being flat,” he said. “The pleating makes the fabric suscep- tible to mechanical stresses, which can reduce the efficiency of melt filtration by causing the pleated layers to be pushed together or squeezed during process- ing. This also reduces the working life of the filter.” Starlinger PET recycling sys- tems produce food-safe rPET and are approved for use in food applications by many brand owners as well as various national and international authorities. www.starlinger.com Wide range of solutions: from individual modules to turnkey projects... '03 */5&3/"5*0/"- 4"-&4 ʰ ʰ t 888 403&." *5 t 4"-&4ʴ403&." *5 MACHINERY FOR THE RECYCLYNG INDUSTRY 22040 ANZANO DEL PARCO CO ITALY WASHING PLANTS FOR : #055-&4 t '*-.4 t 5)&3.0'03.4 t $3"5&4 t '*#&34 t &5$ . NEW HIGH DENSITYWASHING REACTOR FLEXIBILITY AND CLEANLINESS t