For more than 50 years, SubCom® – a patented Submerged Combustion technology by Inproheat Industries Ltd. – has been a leading industrial liquid heating and evaporation solution.
SubCom® can offer process liquid and slurry heating thermal efficiency approaching 100 per cent. As a distinguishing feature, heat transfer via SubCom® is accomplished by direct contact between combustion product gases and the liquid. There are no heat transfer surfaces to foul, allowing SubCom® to heat scaling liquids without loss of performance due to exchanger surface plating.
With unrivaled efficiency and cost savings, SubCom® maintains a forward-thinking environmental approach that is compliant with the strictest emissions regulations.
For potash producers, SubCom® offers quality, performance, and critical advantages.
SubCom® has been integral to potash solution mining projects and for heating fresh water for amine flotation reagent mixing, and heating brine and process water for crystallizers.
Central to the potash industry appeal of SubCom® is its ability to handle highly corrosive and abrasive process streams. Furthermore, SubCom® units operate at atmospheric pressure, meaning that certified boiler operators are not required.
SubCom® can treat wastewater through evaporation, with capability to recover the evaporated water and heat. The higher thermal efficiencies from SubCom® will also reduce overall GHG emissions.
The value of SubCom® in the potash industry is exemplified through two notable Inproheat projects.
Following a flood at the Potash Corporation of America’s Patience Lake underground mine, a new SubCom® brine heater enabled successful potash recovery. In 2011, a new owner, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, contracted Inproheat to modernize the installation and increase the heating capacity. Four burners, all-new modular fuel trains with automated controls, and a new process control and burner safety management system were added. Now operated by Nutrien, this SubCom® system continues to support low-cost potash production.
In 2016, Compass Minerals commissioned a second SubCom® unit to expand Sulphate of Potash (SOP) and Magnesium Chloride production from brine taken from Utah’s Great Salt Lake. This newer system offers twice the capacity through two parallel SubCom® tanks, four low emissions burners of 15 MM Btu/h capacity each, and heat recovery units for high thermal efficiency.
Inproheat Industries Ltd. welcomes the opportunity to connect with potash producers, and work towards innovative SubCom® solutions for future and existing projects.
For more information, please contact Osama Shenouda, CEO of Inproheat Industries Ltd., at oshenouda@inproheat.com. Visit them online at inproheat.com.
