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Return To Main Page Anhydrous Ammonia, Nebraska Doctrine of Equivalents... Inside the Laminator. Something you needed to know. Making NH3 and TAPPKTS delivery. Reviewing the Exactrix® 2KC, Series 3, Weigh Master with Laminator technology. How do they build it? Why do they build it? Where can I buy it? Who figured out NH3 Flow? Why is 1% CV of application important? What is .002 repeatability?
Exactrix® Laminator in Series 3.
A filter element with over 100 sq.in. of open area allows low pressure drop at high velocity flow of 40 swaps per minute. Aluminum end caps with view windows allow inspection….large magnets are installed to improve filtration service interval. The filter element at 40 mesh and 100 mesh is seldom serviced in the application season, About every 1,000 hours or one year or 250,000 gallons of NH3 is typical. The internal magnets are visually inspected through the double ended view window. A hairy iron deposit forming in the shape of the powerful magnetic field indicates a loaded up magnet. A magnet that is functional. It may indicate a service point. A large view window on each side is very critical to understand NH3 flows.
This is seven gallons of Laminator capacity at 6 swaps per minute or max 42 gallons per minute or every 10 seconds a full exchange. Maximum flow is 65 gallons per minute or the maximum flow of a 1 inch 350 lb. per minute Mass Meter. The term Laminator means laminar flow or non-turbulent flow traveling to the pump inlet. The Laminator has anywhere from 1 minute of storage at 7 gallons per minute of flow to an average of about 28 to 30 gallons per minute or 15 seconds of heat exchange. The Exactrix 2KC series 3 Laminator must reduce the entrained bubbles to liquid state NH3 and with the mass meter regulating, the sliding vane 3 inch pump rpm will drop from 320 RPM to 220 RPM at 28 gallons per minute. This feature also requires a pressure increase to 220 psi above the tank pressure. That is a big if…..the tank valves must be properly sized making high quality delivery of NH3, or no vaporization by the valves. Typically twin 2 inch Exactrix valves are required to go to 42 gallons per minute at full 220 psi pressure differential. That takes about 15 horsepower and high quality hydraulic motor with a full torque curve…or a top end torque at 330 rpm.
A heavy Exactrix Laminator is shown. More cooling fin weight is added to store energy by using heavier fins than typical. The Heavy Laminator is designed for heat recovery at high flows to 65 gallons per minute past the 1 inch Micro Motion Mass Flow Meter… The Laminator chill primes in about 1 minute with 1 gallon of NH3 flow from the vaporizer filter. This starts the heat exchange flywheel effect into the heavy heat transfer fins. The fins pull or move the heat out of the NH3 flow going through the 3 inch diameter tube to the pump. Once running about 5 minutes the Laminator heat exchange flywheel is running a small amount at .1 gallon per minute. This low flow is used to maintain the chilling action. It takes about 1 minute to start the Laminator energy storage for the flywheel effect. After about 5 minutes the Laminator runs steady at .1 gallon per minute of vaporizer flow of NH3. In actual use the vaporizer flow is often turned off if tank pressures are above 90 psi. How do we know if the Laminator is functioning well…..the key is Mass Flow and weighing the material flow. Turbulent flow is created by bubbles in the NH3 flow creates a bouncy readout at the controller. The bubbles or NH3 stretching out to the boiling point. Small non visible bubbles are entrained and indicated by the Mass Meter as an off target bulk density of the NH3 flow. As the NH3 is chilled the bubbles collapse. The micro sized voids in the NH3 go away with lowering temperature of the NH3 flow. The NH3 weighs 5.14 lbs. per gallon at temperatures of 60 degrees F. A visual indication of good chilling is frost on the Laminator housing body. But the Mass Meter tells the real story. This is why the MM 1700 transmitter is being moved into the cab in 2020. With the Mass Meter telling the pump how fast to turn the operator will study pump RPM at nominal application rates and ground speeds. If the pump RPM can be reduced by activating a second vaporizer supply source valve there is an opportunity to clean up turbulent flow into the pump. The doubling orifice is used with the Timed Bleed feature. This provides additional vaporizer flow into the Laminator and may reduce pump RPM. If pump rpm improves to a lower speed the main supply orifice is increased for an equivalent diameter for more vaporizer coolant flow. Almost always producers are able to hit the flow chilling optimization with about .1 gallons of NH3 coolant flow. The Exactrix goal is liquid application flow at .002 repeatability in all flow ranges. This tiny .002 amount is 20 lbs. NH3 in 10,000 lbs. NH3 applied that is not properly measured.
Full length fin welding transfers heat from the NH3 flow into the vaporizer fin a temperatures of 10 to -10F. The Heavy fin construction assures maximum heat transfer.
Magnets shown through view windows are a service indicator. View Windows Are Critical. Aluminum end caps with view windows allow inspection….large magnets are installed to improve filtration service interval. The filter element at 40 mesh and 100 mesh is seldom serviced in the application season, About every 1 year or 250,000 gallons of NH3 is typical. The internal magnets are visually inspected through the double ended view window. A hairy magnetic field or infested loaded up magnet may indicate a service point. A view window is very critical to understand NH3 flows
The 2KC, Series 3 Mass Flow, Laminator system. This is a 15 horsepower hydraulic motor with maximum torque at 330 rpm. Electronic control of Laminator Flow with a follow up tachometer determines Laminator efficiency. This high water mark system produces pressure differentials of 220 psi….or maximum NH3 injection pressures to 350 psi at 130 psi tank pressure.
Going to the highest levels of crop production efficiency.
Under the Doctrine of Equivalents, in Nebraska fertilizer and application efficiency goes way up. It is possible to get top efficiency of nutrient handling with on farm storage…any time of the day….and in tough weather conditions with maximum DTO Hazmat safety. In Spokane, Setting up a new 3,500 gallon NH3 delivery truck inclusive of 1,500 gallons Liquid APP and KTS plus micros and water.
DOT, Hazmat qualified drivers assure safe delivery. On time delivery, and lowest production cost over a broad area. An ideal approach in heavy traffic areas. Ideal for long distance farms with big elevation changes.
The Doctrine of Equivalents requires on farm storage of NH3.
Built for 60 plus years of service.
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