Final Report Summary - SAFE HEAT (A novel conductive surface for efficient heating of bulk containers and drums)
Executive summary:
The main goals for the SAFE HEAT project have been to:
- launch and continue with the collaborative endeavour successfully;
- familiarise the partners with each other's capabilities and facilities;
- develop the final specifications for the proposed heating material;
- develop the final specifications for the proposed heating system;
- develop a thermodynamic model capable of predicting the heating rates of contents within a SAFE HEAT Intermediate bulk container (IBC);
- develop an internal heating layer to be applied to an IBC to allow for rapid heating of its contents;
- develop a flexible material that can be applied externally to an IBC to allow for rapid heating of an IBC or other material.
Project context and objectives:
Introduction, objectives and market needs:
Over 29 million moulded drums and IBCs were estimated to have been manufactured in Europe in 2008 (representing a 1.6 % average annual growth rate over a five year period from 2003 - source: IBC's taking over Drum Market, AMI, 2004) with the total number of plastic IBCs manufactured per annum in Western Europe in 2008 estimated to be 4.35 m units, representing 46 % of the total turnover of the blow moulded industrial transit market. Most of the IBC manufacturers, such as Schütz which has over 20 % of global market, are announcing new facilities worldwide, particularly in Asia where low cost production will influence the market as well as becoming financially driven by mergers and acquisitions. This emphasises the need for increased research and development (R&D) in this sector to generate novel and innovative products and technologies.
The chemicals industry, the leading rigid bulk packaging market, will require even more usage of IBCs as a result of robust pharmaceuticals demand; the increased presence of imports and the movement of key customers to developing regions. The food sector is one of the biggest users of IBCs and rising food production costs, along with other trends such as healthier food, prospects for convenience and prepared foods will push IBC demand up even further. Many materials become viscous at room temperature e.g. sugars, surfactants and a variety of chemicals. These materials can present customers with a number of challenges:
- the product cannot be discharged quickly enough from the IBC into the manufacturing process;
- as the IBC empties, the static head falls, reducing the flow rate;
- to keep production flowing, it is often necessary to replace the IBC before it is completely empty, meaning that product is either wasted / returned at cost to the user;
- increased energy consumption in inefficiently heating the IBC (e.g. in an oven);
- costs associated with cleaning such containers;
- existing heating solutions are typically slow and energy inefficient; relying on heating the exterior surface of the drum or IBC. There is no single product on the market which utilises internal heating of an IBC. Therefore, there is a need for the development of a heating solution that can heat the contents of an IBC quickly, efficiently and at a lower cost.
To meet this market need, SAFE HEAT has developed a novel coating layer which can be applied internally to an IBC to allow an internal heating capability. This will enable the contents of the container to be heated more quickly, efficiently and safely, at a heating rate of up to 4-6 degrees of Celsius per hour. It is estimated that by uptake of the SAFE HEAT technology by IBC project final report - 4 users (that require heating solutions) will equate to approximately 500 000 SAFE HEAT systems being sold (cumulatively by 2015).
Project results:
Work package (WP) 1: Thermodynamic modelling
The dynamics of heating an IBC were modelled. A 200-litre mild steel drum is cylinder-shaped and allows a two-dimensional (2D)-axisymmetric geometry in a plane between drum centre and wall. Modelling was done with two geometries, one following the actual container wall shape, the other a simple geometry with even walls. Following validation of the model, the software has been used to show the effects of an internal heating layer within a container.
WP2: Coating layer development
The development of a suitable compound for rotational and compression moulding applications which exhibits Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) characteristics was carried out. This involved investigations into fundamental factors involved in driving a PTC effect. A flexible version of the SAFE HEAT material was also developed for use in heating jackets which can be applied to the outside of containers.
WP3: Heating system
A system has been produced which consists of self-contained sheets of SAFE HEAT material, formed into plaques with electrodes moulded into them. These plaques can be connected directly to a 120v or 240v ac electrical supply using a standard plug and circuit breaker. The plaques' temperature is self-controlled / regulated by the inherent material characteristics. A number of these plaques were produced to be fitted to an IBC for heating trials.
WP4: Heating layer application
At the point when it was decided that the way forward would be to use plaques of SAFE HEAT material fixed to the sides of the IBC, a design was introduced which incorporated a handling frame to rotate and manoeuvre the IBC whilst jigs hold the plaques in place during adhesive setting. A prototype was made and trialled.
WP5: Field trials and validation
Trials have been carried out using a prototype IBC and a tank. These trials have been run constantly for periods of up to two weeks. The IBC had achieved its working temperature in less than one week and maintained it thereafter.
WP6: Innovation related activities
The two potential routes are new built and retrofit. It was decided that the retrofit option would not be commercially viable because there would be very little cost saving compared to a new unit. The two would be similar in cost to produce apart from the inner container in the retrofit. The inner container of the retrofit would require cleaning which would reduce the difference even further. It was suggested and agreed that the consortium should concentrate on new build as one option, and on cleaning, disinfection and refurbishment of used SAFE HEAT IBCs as the second option, rather than retrofitting standard IBCs.
WP7: Consortium management
Because of delays caused mainly by problems in obtaining and using the Comsol software along with hold-ups in materials supply, a six-month extension was granted on 31 May 2011. This gave a revised finish date of 30 September 2011.
The consortium has held four meetings during this reporting period. The first was held at LMK Thermosafe's premises in Haverhill and the other three were hosted by UK MatRI in Melton Mowbray. The reason for this was because MatRI was carrying out a lot of work at this time on IBCs, and it was not practical to transport to meetings to show the other partners.
Potential impact:
Potential impact and main dissemination activities and exploitation results
It is estimated that the SAFE HEAT technology can potentially save 335 GW (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and 686 GW (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) per annum at a cost saving of EUR 50 million (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and EUR 103 million (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) per annum, equating to a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of 0.14 million tonnes (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and 0.30 million tonnes (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) of CO2 per annum across Europe.
The Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)s within the consortium have agreed that further product enhancement is required before the services of a patent attorney are employed, as the current pre-production prototype would be very narrowly defined and have limited scope for licensing. Thus, the consortium has agreed that to reveal the work at its current point of development would be premature. A better strategy is to keep all work confidential until the further validation work and is complete and protected.
The challenge in the market will be to maximise returns while minimising market entry costs. The options available will include (in increasing order of value-added):
1. Licensing: Generally recommended where we have no profile in the market and the market is difficult to enter (e.g. because it is heavily regulated) even at the materials supply level. In these circumstances the relatively low value achieved by licensing is more than compensated for by the low cost of entering the market through this route.
2. Materials supply: By supplying the SAFE HEAT material alone, we secure the value of the basic manufacturing process without having to become a component supplier. This can be beneficial where such markets are difficult to enter.
3. Component supply: Here we would supply a complete SAFE HEAT component ready to install. This would have higher value than the supply of material, but would still not require us to have direct access to the market.
4. Product supply: This requires us to be able to undertake (or control) the whole manufacturing process and to supply the market with finished, heated IBCs. Markets for which this is an option are likely to be close to our existing markets.
Project website: http://www.safeheat.eu
The main goals for the SAFE HEAT project have been to:
- launch and continue with the collaborative endeavour successfully;
- familiarise the partners with each other's capabilities and facilities;
- develop the final specifications for the proposed heating material;
- develop the final specifications for the proposed heating system;
- develop a thermodynamic model capable of predicting the heating rates of contents within a SAFE HEAT Intermediate bulk container (IBC);
- develop an internal heating layer to be applied to an IBC to allow for rapid heating of its contents;
- develop a flexible material that can be applied externally to an IBC to allow for rapid heating of an IBC or other material.
Project context and objectives:
Introduction, objectives and market needs:
Over 29 million moulded drums and IBCs were estimated to have been manufactured in Europe in 2008 (representing a 1.6 % average annual growth rate over a five year period from 2003 - source: IBC's taking over Drum Market, AMI, 2004) with the total number of plastic IBCs manufactured per annum in Western Europe in 2008 estimated to be 4.35 m units, representing 46 % of the total turnover of the blow moulded industrial transit market. Most of the IBC manufacturers, such as Schütz which has over 20 % of global market, are announcing new facilities worldwide, particularly in Asia where low cost production will influence the market as well as becoming financially driven by mergers and acquisitions. This emphasises the need for increased research and development (R&D) in this sector to generate novel and innovative products and technologies.
The chemicals industry, the leading rigid bulk packaging market, will require even more usage of IBCs as a result of robust pharmaceuticals demand; the increased presence of imports and the movement of key customers to developing regions. The food sector is one of the biggest users of IBCs and rising food production costs, along with other trends such as healthier food, prospects for convenience and prepared foods will push IBC demand up even further. Many materials become viscous at room temperature e.g. sugars, surfactants and a variety of chemicals. These materials can present customers with a number of challenges:
- the product cannot be discharged quickly enough from the IBC into the manufacturing process;
- as the IBC empties, the static head falls, reducing the flow rate;
- to keep production flowing, it is often necessary to replace the IBC before it is completely empty, meaning that product is either wasted / returned at cost to the user;
- increased energy consumption in inefficiently heating the IBC (e.g. in an oven);
- costs associated with cleaning such containers;
- existing heating solutions are typically slow and energy inefficient; relying on heating the exterior surface of the drum or IBC. There is no single product on the market which utilises internal heating of an IBC. Therefore, there is a need for the development of a heating solution that can heat the contents of an IBC quickly, efficiently and at a lower cost.
To meet this market need, SAFE HEAT has developed a novel coating layer which can be applied internally to an IBC to allow an internal heating capability. This will enable the contents of the container to be heated more quickly, efficiently and safely, at a heating rate of up to 4-6 degrees of Celsius per hour. It is estimated that by uptake of the SAFE HEAT technology by IBC project final report - 4 users (that require heating solutions) will equate to approximately 500 000 SAFE HEAT systems being sold (cumulatively by 2015).
Project results:
Work package (WP) 1: Thermodynamic modelling
The dynamics of heating an IBC were modelled. A 200-litre mild steel drum is cylinder-shaped and allows a two-dimensional (2D)-axisymmetric geometry in a plane between drum centre and wall. Modelling was done with two geometries, one following the actual container wall shape, the other a simple geometry with even walls. Following validation of the model, the software has been used to show the effects of an internal heating layer within a container.
WP2: Coating layer development
The development of a suitable compound for rotational and compression moulding applications which exhibits Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) characteristics was carried out. This involved investigations into fundamental factors involved in driving a PTC effect. A flexible version of the SAFE HEAT material was also developed for use in heating jackets which can be applied to the outside of containers.
WP3: Heating system
A system has been produced which consists of self-contained sheets of SAFE HEAT material, formed into plaques with electrodes moulded into them. These plaques can be connected directly to a 120v or 240v ac electrical supply using a standard plug and circuit breaker. The plaques' temperature is self-controlled / regulated by the inherent material characteristics. A number of these plaques were produced to be fitted to an IBC for heating trials.
WP4: Heating layer application
At the point when it was decided that the way forward would be to use plaques of SAFE HEAT material fixed to the sides of the IBC, a design was introduced which incorporated a handling frame to rotate and manoeuvre the IBC whilst jigs hold the plaques in place during adhesive setting. A prototype was made and trialled.
WP5: Field trials and validation
Trials have been carried out using a prototype IBC and a tank. These trials have been run constantly for periods of up to two weeks. The IBC had achieved its working temperature in less than one week and maintained it thereafter.
WP6: Innovation related activities
The two potential routes are new built and retrofit. It was decided that the retrofit option would not be commercially viable because there would be very little cost saving compared to a new unit. The two would be similar in cost to produce apart from the inner container in the retrofit. The inner container of the retrofit would require cleaning which would reduce the difference even further. It was suggested and agreed that the consortium should concentrate on new build as one option, and on cleaning, disinfection and refurbishment of used SAFE HEAT IBCs as the second option, rather than retrofitting standard IBCs.
WP7: Consortium management
Because of delays caused mainly by problems in obtaining and using the Comsol software along with hold-ups in materials supply, a six-month extension was granted on 31 May 2011. This gave a revised finish date of 30 September 2011.
The consortium has held four meetings during this reporting period. The first was held at LMK Thermosafe's premises in Haverhill and the other three were hosted by UK MatRI in Melton Mowbray. The reason for this was because MatRI was carrying out a lot of work at this time on IBCs, and it was not practical to transport to meetings to show the other partners.
Potential impact:
Potential impact and main dissemination activities and exploitation results
It is estimated that the SAFE HEAT technology can potentially save 335 GW (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and 686 GW (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) per annum at a cost saving of EUR 50 million (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and EUR 103 million (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) per annum, equating to a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of 0.14 million tonnes (heating to 50 degrees of Celsius) and 0.30 million tonnes (heating to 80 degrees of Celsius) of CO2 per annum across Europe.
The Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)s within the consortium have agreed that further product enhancement is required before the services of a patent attorney are employed, as the current pre-production prototype would be very narrowly defined and have limited scope for licensing. Thus, the consortium has agreed that to reveal the work at its current point of development would be premature. A better strategy is to keep all work confidential until the further validation work and is complete and protected.
The challenge in the market will be to maximise returns while minimising market entry costs. The options available will include (in increasing order of value-added):
1. Licensing: Generally recommended where we have no profile in the market and the market is difficult to enter (e.g. because it is heavily regulated) even at the materials supply level. In these circumstances the relatively low value achieved by licensing is more than compensated for by the low cost of entering the market through this route.
2. Materials supply: By supplying the SAFE HEAT material alone, we secure the value of the basic manufacturing process without having to become a component supplier. This can be beneficial where such markets are difficult to enter.
3. Component supply: Here we would supply a complete SAFE HEAT component ready to install. This would have higher value than the supply of material, but would still not require us to have direct access to the market.
4. Product supply: This requires us to be able to undertake (or control) the whole manufacturing process and to supply the market with finished, heated IBCs. Markets for which this is an option are likely to be close to our existing markets.
Project website: http://www.safeheat.eu