Industrial Wax Manufacturer
Eliminates Hazard by Installing DCF Filters

• Eliminate Operator Intervention
• Provide Safe Work Environment
• Eliminate Cleaning Between Batch Runs
• Increase Production

Filter bags engorged with hot liquid wax were creating a safety hazard for employees at a U.S. based industrial wax manufacturing facility.

The company needed a safer filtration system, and installed a Ronningen-Petter® DCF Mechanically-Cleaned Filter to eliminate user intervention during bag change-outs.

The self-cleaning DCF filter also increased the wax manufacturer's productivity and final product quality.

Situation

The wax manufacturer makes industrial wax used in consumer wax products such as decorative candles. The final filtration stage eliminated fine particles of burnt wax through a multi-bag filter system. But the system presented some significant safety problems on the finishing line.

Wax kept at a temperature of 300°F during processing put line operators at risk for serious burns during the messy job of filter bag replacement.

Hot wax trapped in the filter bags caused injuries that resulted in downtime and worker's compensation claims.

In addition to the safety issues, the bag filter system was labor intensive and costly to run. Operators replaced an average of 300 bags per batch, and additional change-outs were required between batch runs.

Ronningen-Petter's Solution

Employee safety was a primary concern for the wax manufacturer, and the project's process engineer. They needed a filter system that was capable of filtering thick, viscous wax with minimal user intervention. Ideally, they wanted a filter that would also reduce or eliminate the need to buy, store, and continuously restock the media.

Based on an evaluation of the manufacturer's project objectives and their filtration process needs, Ronningen-Petter recommended a DCF mechanically cleaned filter. DCF's patented design eliminates bags and their associated risks and expense.

Like bag filters, the DCF is a pressurized filter system, but it is self-cleaning and uses permanent, stainless steel media in place of cloth bags. Filtrate flows from top down and from the inside of the media outward. A spring-loaded cleaning disc travels up and down the inside of the filter media collecting contaminants. The downward pressure of the liquid and the continuous scraping of the disc combine to force contaminates to the bottom of the filter where they are eliminated through a purge chamber.

A DCF model 800 was installed on the manufacturer's finishing line, replacing a multi-bag filter system. After just 30 days of operation, the DCF had proven itself an ideal solution.

Results

The DCF filter eliminated the need to change bags. The automated system eliminated operator intervention during bag change-outs and created a safer environment for its employees.

Worker's compensation claims dropped. Downtime previously used for change outs could now be used to extend the filtration process--increasing productivity and throughput. The wax manufacturer also eliminated a significant operational expense--they no longer replaced 300 bags for each batch of wax processed.

The manufacturer ultimately installed three DCF-800 filters at its facility--and is currently planning to replace 25 additional filters on mixing tanks, storage tanks, and at other stages of its production process.

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