Valeant thermal oxidizer heat recovery system

Abstract

SĀFF Engineering has been commissioned by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International to propose a suitable heat recovery system for their thermal oxidizer system. The following report presents the full design process undertaken including the final Gantt chart in Appendix E. Three main design concepts were chosen as best suited for the project based on the concept screening process outlined in Appendix A. The first design, the waste heat boiler, was deemed infeasible as no suitable designs could be reached. The second concept, the direct-contact recuperator, was found to be ill-suited for Valeant's facility as the required outlet water temperatures were too high to capture the latent heat of the TOX flue gases. Finally, a suitable design was reached for the thermal fluid loop concept. Thermal Energy International was responsible for the design and specification of the major equipment while SĀFF Engineering specified the minor equipment for the thermal fluid loop system. A thorough cost analysis was performed and the system was estimated to cost $673,672.89 with an annual maintenance cost of $6,740.00. The projected savings from the project were $257,332.54 per year, which translates into a payback period of approximately 2.65 years. Thus, SĀFF Engineering recommends implementing the thermal fluid loop design from Thermal Energy International.