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Industrial Furnace Company Inc. has been in business since 1948. Industrial Furnace started as and remains a company that will work on any types of refractory lined furnace, vessel, or boiler.
The first large Multiple Hearth Furnace project performed by Industrial Furnace Co. was in 1965. IFCO was a sub-contractor to the Nichols Corporation to refractory line (3) 22’-3”x 8 hearth furnaces at the Big Blue WWTP in Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1982, former BSP engineer, Bill Mansfield started MHF Services in California. MHF Services concentrated on providing engineering services, inspection services, technical and scope writing services, the selling of alloy parts (rabble arms, rabble teeth, lute caps, etc.) and combustion equipment.
Meanwhile, from 1965-1987, IFCO teamed up with such multiple hearth furnace manufactures as Nichols, BSP. Zimpro, Bethlehem and Crouse to build many multiple hearth furnaces. A partial list of these projects can be found here.
By 1987, most of those companies folded or downsized because of a huge drop in demand for multiple hearth furnaces. It was obvious to the Lill family, that the demise of most of the multiple hearth furnace manufacturers left a niche market for repair and modifications to existing operations. In 1987, IFCO purchased MHF Services from Bill Mansfield and moved the operation to Rochester, New York. As a result, IFCO, with MHF Services, has grown to be the premier service provider for any type of multiple hearth furnace.
In 1990, MHF Services Div. of IFCO, started the engineering and design of turn key complete re-habilitation of multiple hearth furnaces starting with (2) Nichols 22’3” x 11 hearth sludge incinerators at the F.E. VanLare WWTP in Rochester, New York. Since then, complete rehabs have been performed for customers such as Auburn WWTP, Hartford WWTP, R.M. Clayton WWTP and others. These rehabilitation projects have included not only steel and refractory work, but new state of the art PLC based control systems, modern hi-tech scrubbers, flue gas recirculation (FGR), and EPA testing.
The first MHF manufactured by the MHF Services division of IFCO was a 25'-9" x 5 hearth furnace for Kingsford Charcoal in completed in 1994. In 1998, IFCO started the “Integration Services Division” thus bringing us into the 21st century of instrumentation and control technology, and giving us the ability to build a full turn-key furnace with state of the art controls without relying on outside contractors.
While the use of multiple hearth furnaces for the incineration of sewage sludge has declined somewhat in the past 20 years, new markets have emerged, and are creating a demand for new furnaces at an increasing rate.
Currently, there are about 150 multiple hearth operations in the country. Some of these operations have more than one furnace. Thus there are about 300 furnaces in operation in the United States. These range in size from 7’-0” OD to 25’-9” OD. They range from 4 to 16 hearths. In addition to these 150 plants, MHF Services Div. of IFCO, performs MHF work in Canada, Korea, Taiwan and Luxemburg.
IFCO, with the MHF Services and Integration Services divisions, is the only company in the United States that has it’s own crews to perform not only refractory installation, and also perform steel erection and rigging, steel repair, parts, mechanical and process engineering, instrumentation and control, combustion systems, off gas systems including the Envirocare Venturipak and the “FGR” Flue Gas Recirculation.
Having built furnaces for all of the major furnace manufacturers as well as having worked on over 60% of the American furnaces in existence, our experience has kept us aware of the issues and concerns of multiple hearth furnace owners and operators. We have constructed and rehabilitated furnaces in 47 American states (including Alaska), Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. As a result, we have seen numerous failure mechanisms and have brought long term solutions to these problems.
After working for all of the major Furnace and Incinerator manufacturers, MHF Services was established to streamline the industry by creating standardized parts and patterns. Shortly after its formation, the MHF Services division answered the requests of our customers by producing "drop-in" replacement parts for all MHF's. One specific example of this on Multiple Hearth Furnaces, is the IFCO out-hearth that is constructed from standard shaped firebrick (9" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2"). The IFCO out-hearth contains tailor made drop holes to efficiently control gas flows as well as maximized refractory zoning for increased hearth life. Because of the flexibility in the drop hole design, the out-hearth can be constructed from virtually any skew-brick ring design. The IFCO out-hearth is just one of the many examples of how our team of MHF specialists improved upon an existing design, part, or pattern. Furthermore, we have created new parts and patterns such as the MHF BURNER, IFCO skew rick, and the IFCO Door/arch system. MHF Services prides itself as being the only MHF Supplier and Installer in the world who is capable of supplying and installing any part needed for virtually all Multiple Hearth Furnaces.
Provide a complete interior and exterior inspection service. The written report discusses current problems, forecasts possible future concerns, and provides long term solutions.
We offer a full range of engineering services related to furnaces and combustion systems. Our core capabilities center around complete mechanical and process engineering for full furnace systems from concept analysis, through laboratory testing, equipment design, field installation, to start up and training. This full system expertise also translates into qualifications in specific areas where existing or potential problems may develop. These would include such areas as emissions controls, combustion systems, rabbling patterns, or materials of construction. Some examples of recent studies are:
In addition, we work with a number of engineers across the country whose specialized abilities we can bring to bear on a project as the need may arise. Our knowledge of the industry, furnaces, and the individual skills and strengths of people in the industry allow us to provide the highest level of knowledge that can be applied to your project.
Our on going technical support team helps keep your new furnace installation in top shape, and can rejuvenate an older furnace to top efficiency. We offer full inspections, (top-to-bottom, inside and out) with a complete written report. Our technicians not only adjust burners, but continually check and recalculate the burner settings. We have made a lot of innovations in furnace design and operation over the years, and we constantly search for ways to apply these ideas, or to develop new solutions.
Finally, we stress that all of our technical work has one common ingredient--common sense. Our company began as a construction concern many years ago. As we have evolved and grown, manufacturing and engineering have become a significant part of our business, but we try never to lose sight of what we learned in the field--that engineered solutions have to work in practice as well as on paper.
» Download a line sheet on our Engineering and Technical Services
Improved Sludge Furnace operating modes and equipment modifications to:
Engineering analyses and on-site operational testing to identify and demonstrate corrective operating modes to solve airflow and temperature control problems, increase capacity, or to achieve emission compliance.
Facility equipment evaluations and emission control upgrade studies.
Clean Air Act Title V CO and NOx Major / Minor Source assessments and emission compliance analyses.
Stack Emission Performance Testing design, pre-test, test management, and technical assistance services.
IFCO maintains two pilot furnaces at our Rochester, New York, facility. The first is a 36" O.D.x (4) hearths multiple hearth furnace, with continuous feed capabilities. It has recently been relined with new refractory, refitted with the latest in automatic controls, and provisions have made for indirect firing if required. The other unit is a small muffle furnace which can be used for batch testing.
The multiple hearth furnace is available for use in our lab, or it can be moved to the customers location for on-site testing. Modifications can be made to match specific needs of the process to be tested. The furnace can be operated either by the customer's personnel or ours. Some examples of tests that have been run in the furnace include de-lacquering of aluminum chips and processing of mineral powder in a pure nitrogen atmosphere.
Our Integration Services division was formed in November 1992 to serve the automation market in the justification, specification, design and integration of process control, computer integrated manufacturing and monitoring systems.
We provide design engineering, equipment, installation, and programming for a full range of automation systems. Our projects can be as small as converting a single device from manual to automatic, or PLC control, or as large as providing full-scale turn-key distributed control packages for entire thermal processing systems.
We in corporate the latest technology to rehabilitate older Multiple Hearth Furnaces to perform equally, or better than newer furnaces with modern equipment. One success story is our recently completed project at the RM Clayton Plant in Atlanta, Georgia.
Click here to view a graph showing the dramatic improvements
We are the exclusive installers of Chavond Barry Engineering Corporation’s patented FGR technology. FGR Systems move flue gas from the feed hearth of a multiple hearth incinerator to a hearth below the volatile burning hearth. The following are some of the benefits of this state of the art technology.
Added Stability -Operators report that the incinerator is more stable. They need to pay less attention to the incinerator each hour and still maintain control.
Extended Life -Another benefit is anticipated extended refractory and casting life. Maintaining steady temperatures is the best way to preserve the incinerator's refractory and castings.
Higher Incineration Rates -Through the benefit of added stability, it is now possible to operate closer to the limits of the auxiliary equipment. The operators are able to operate closer to the upper limits of the ID fan and scrubber since there is less need to save room for upsets.
By recirculating the hot gas to the lower hearths we maintain a high enough temperature to complete the burnout. Since the introduction of FGR, there have been no "sludge balls" found in the ash from either installations in Woonsocket, RI or New Haven, CT. It has been noted that the ash is finer and free from lumps and clinkers. Difficulties with the pneumatic ash transfer system at Woonsocket have been eliminated. The fine ash passes easily through the conveying system without clogging.
For more information on FGR systems, please contact one of our service representatives. Click here (http://www.chavond-barry.com/fgr.htm) to visit Chavond-Barry’s website. Performance Data Reports are available upon request. Also, we can arrange field visits to plants with FGR systems.
With special shaped refractory brick deliveries approaching 52 weeks and the costs of these specialty shapes rising exponentially, we developed our own standard-shaped out-hearth constructed of all 9"x4 1/2"x2 1/2" series firebrick. Naturally, it’s called the IFCO Out-Hearth. We are the only supplier to offer standard shape refractory brick hearths for all multiple hearth furnaces.
We also offer prescription drop holes, altered to the customer's specifications, for better gas flows throughout the multiple hearth furnace process loop. Our Skew backs are a contiguous ring of interlocking shapes fastened to the furnace shell. maximum strength is assured while the longest life is expected. Highest resistance to slippage is accomplished.
Owner/Operators enjoy more online time and reduced costs of stockpiling at their warehouses. Standard shapes are made under the most controlled manufacturing processes for sizing, materials composition, and firing which assures uniformity in the hearth and the best bang for the buck.
When properly installed, within the strict company standards that our craftsman provide, our hearth system is the dome structure that the Herreshoff model first sought and all have pursued since the multiple hearth furnace concept was born.
Our 100,000 square foot warehouse stocks a full line of refractory products as well as furnace parts and castings. Our facility enables us to keep our customer's furnace downtime at a minimum and maintain an operation where saved time is saved money.
After years of being a supplier of parts and castings, MHF Services incorporated a division that has complete parts available for all of the manufactured multiple hearth furnaces in existence.
We have our own patterns for all of the major castings that multiple hearth furnace operators require in their day to day operations such as rabble arms, teeth, lute caps, bearing assembly sets/parts. Our pattern services team can reproduce and/or improve patterns. Our foundry and machine shop pour grey iron and ductile steel as well as stainless castings in any quantity. For our customers who are currently using cast iron or ductile parts, MHF Services will work with you to develop better alloys for your operation that will result in longer life and lower overall operating costs.
In summary, because of the direct purchasing ability and our large customer base, MHF Services can buy in quantity. As a result we offer low prices that are equal to or better than OEM parts, as well as providing prompt service.
We supply and install combustion systems for all types of industrial furnaces.
Please note that we are a distributing installer for Fives North American and as a result, we are able to pass on discounted pricing to our customers.
The following is an example of our ability to meet the specialized needs of our customers.
The MHF Burner
In response to the desires of our customers, we are constantly trying to improve current products and inventing new ones. A real success story is our MHF Burner that was developed in conjunction with Fives North American. The MHF Burner is a non-slag burner that offers better turn down ratios, better mixing in the combustion zone, and easier disassembly when necessary.
» Download a bulletin on the MHF Burner
We supply and install gas scrubbing systems for furnace applications that exceed current and future air quality control standards for biosolid incinerators and dryers.
Our field refractory experiences have given us the tools necessary to develop a better system for door jambs and arch replacement. The door area refractories facilitate maximum protection, best access, and stability.
Another innovation is our improved burner tile for the older burners. Our burner tile is manufactured from a very dense and high purity/high alumina, non-wetting refractory material. The burner block is extremely resistant to chemical attack and thermal spalling. Our burner cone configuration produces a flame pattern that limits slagging and provides the best heat distribution throughout the combustion zone. When our service professionals install these materials around one of our prescription-cut mandrills or into a door system, the advancements are remarkable.
Contact your local service representative to learn more about these and other upgrades available for your furnace.
Employees complete the OSHA HAZWOPER Training Course as well as an IFCO training course to maintain knowledge in all areas of their fields.
The following are some of the manifold operations and applications for a Multiple Hearth Furnace (MHF).
