MECS® OCAP™
Non-Welded Heat Exchanger
MECS® OCAP™(Open Channel Air Preheater) is a non-welded heat exchanger that increases the overall thermal efficiency of plant applications by recovering heat from hot gas streams, which may otherwise be stack-vented to atmosphere. The recovered heat from one gas stream is used to heat or preheat another, preparing it for use in other processes. Energy efficiency is optimized, yielding valuable process savings and boosting the cost-effectiveness of the plant.
Backed by our extensive work with clients in the fertilizer, refining, non-ferrous metals, general chemicals, and coal gasification industries, dedicated Elessent Clean Technologies engineers can custom-design and furnish an OCAP™ solution to meet your application needs, yielding optimum performance and energy efficiency.
MECS® OCAP™ Non-Welded Heat Exchanger technology
A MODULAR DESIGN FOR OPTIMAL FLEXIBILITY
All MECS® gas-to-gas heat exchangers — including MECS® OCAP™ air preheaters — feature a compact, modular design and long service life. The units are shop-fabricated to ensure quality, and trucked as individual blocks or complete modules. With their compact size and weight, installation and field setup are much simpler than with conventional heat exchangers.
The MECS® OCAP™ Non-Welded Heat Exchanger is available in both cross-flow and counter-flow configurations. Our modular approach enables us to offer one of the most flexible and efficient flow arrangements available, as well as the freedom to select appropriate materials of construction for each heat transfer zone. This modular approach also makes it possible to expand the unit easily to accommodate future increases in capacity.
UNIQUE DESIGN FEATURES AND DISTINCT ADVANTAGES
The OCAP™ Non-Welded Heat Exchanger features a non-welded, "floating" plate pack contained within a rigid housing. This design permits thermal expansion and contraction with minimal stress on the unit’s components, to handle cycling applications with ease. A patented compression strip assembly provides a tight metal-to-metal seal. This design reduces stress and extends the life of the OCAP™ unit. Our uniquely constructed plates are nested together with directional ribs providing support throughout the plate pack to form the OCAP™ gas flow passages.
The OCAP™ Non-Welded Heat Exchanger design offers additional advantages over conventional exchangers:
- Generous plate clearances allow for ease of inspection
- Ability to inspect and clean both sides of the exchanger
- No tubes to vibrate or to cause acoustic resonance
- Floating plate pack to handle differential thermal expansion
- Rigid heavy-duty frame assembly for long service life
- Material "mix-and-match" construction
- High efficiency
COLD END INSULATOR™ TECHNOLOGY TO PREVENT CONDENSATION
In certain cases, where the flue gas contains a significant amount of sulfur, the first pass (the "cold end" of the preheater) can be constructed to contain our proprietary Cold End Insulator™ (CEI) technology. This increases the heat transfer plate metal temperature in the cold corner of the air preheater, resulting in a condensation-free operation of the MECS® OCAP™ Non-Welded Heat Exchanger.
Our MECS® OCAP™ units provide reliability and durability in even the most difficult applications:
- Fired heaters
- Fume incineration
- DeNOx
- Boilers
- Incinerators
- Dryers
- Gas coolers
- Air preheating
