Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer for the Fire Retardant Industry

Trinity Air Technologieshrop Grumman is a major player in the Air Force's C-17 transport aircraft program. Among other aircraft parts, Northrop Grumman manufactures nacelles for the C-17. Nacelles cover the jet engines located under the wings of the plane. They are sprayed with a special fire retardant which contains silicone and Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOC's, that could pollute the air if improperly released. In order to comply with the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Northrop Grumman had to find a way to safely and successfully destroy the VOC's. The silicone in the fire retardant posed another problem. If any of the silicone escaped from the spray coating area, it would attach itself to other aircraft parts. It cannot be removed and paint cannot adhere to contaminated parts.

A Trinity Contractors team designed the DUAL-BED Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer specifically for Northrop Grumman. The DUAL-BED RTO recovers up to 95% of the heat generated and destroys more than 98% of all VOC's reducing the customer's cost to about $12.50 an hour rather than $158.00 an hour. Upon completing the fabrication and installation of the DUAL-BED RTO, Trinity crews then trained Northrop Grumman personnel on how to operate the unit safely and effectively. Trinity is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to make sure the RTO operates smoothly.

The RTO has safety monitors that are in constant operation. If the monitors sense something outside normal specifications, the silicone spray coatings valve will automatically shut down. This safety feature was incorporated into the computerized logic control sequence specifically for the customer. Trinity delivered a top of the line quality product, on time, under budget, that has met the VOC destruction criteria in order to satisfy Northrop Grumman, The Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and the United States Environmental Protection Agency requirements. Trinity Contractors received an Award of Merit from the North Texas chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors in the Public Works/Environmental category in 1998. <%=company%>,2425 Dillard,Grand Prairie, Texas 75051