ProTec™ Blades
Our product, Proven Technology Customized Blades or ProTec™ Blades, is unique in the turbomachinery world in that our compressor or blower airfoils are custom tailored for each individual customer to best meet their specific blast furnace or process needs. This results in a different set of optimum airfoils for every blower model, and sometimes different designs for the same blower model. Our airfoil designs are based on decades of successful experience and are much superior to the OEM’s design both in performance and reliability.
We offer higher reliability plus many combinations of:
- Higher Efficiency
- Increased Flow
- Increased Surge Line
By designing and validating the world’s highest efficiency aircraft and industrial engine compressors, TurboVision has the necessary expertise and experience to improve substantially an existing axial compressor or blower by redesigning its airfoils (ProTec™ Blades) and modifying its control system (ProTec™ Controls) with a new add-on customized control unit that continuously minimizes the energy input to the blower and steam turbine drive unit while ensuring surge-free and stable operation.
Typical benefits of ProTec™ Blades and ProTec™ Controls in a blast furnace blower are:
- Efficiency increase of 4 points – since blower energy represents 4-6% of pig iron production costs, this results in savings of about $0.40 per ton, or $1 million per year for a 2.5 million ton per year furnace ($10.5 million present value of cumulative energy cost savings over a 25 year period), at minimal cost if airfoils are changed at the normal replacement interval
- Flow increase of 10% to support furnace volume increases – the cost of a new blower could be avoided for the cost of a set of blading
- Less risk of airfoil failure for higher reliability and durability
- Larger operational envelope for greater process flexibility
- Minimal expense – airfoils can be changed at the scheduled airfoil replacement interval
The exact benefits vary on a case-to-case basis and are custom tailored to best meet each individual customer’s specific furnace needs.
TurboVision ensures high reliability. Commercial jet aircraft engines are typically 15 to 150 times more reliable than industrial engines due to the need for extreme safety, and the members of TurboVision have extensive experience designing those aircraft engines. That experience is reflected in every set of ProTec™ Blades and ProTec™ Controls, thus incorporating ProTec™ Blades and Controls will improve blower reliability. TurboVision engineers also have extensive experience designing heavy-duty industrial compressors that must operate for long periods in extreme environments, including compressors that pump blast furnace gas, so we understand what is necessary to ensure the airfoils and controls are reliable.
As a support option, TurboVision offers our ProTec™ Remote Monitoring system. This real-time “expert” system monitors the operation of anything from individual blower units to entire blast furnace systems 24/7/365. Not only can the system warn of impending problems long before they become real problems to facilitate robust preventative maintenance, but it can also identify the most likely cause of the problem. Additionally, because the ProTec™ Remote Monitoring system is physics-based, it can further optimize blast furnace system processes continually for increased productivity and reduced cost.
The advanced technology used in the ProTec™ Remote Monitoring system is the same as used for real-time remote monitoring of commercial jet engines where problems are diagnosed in-flight, and any required maintenance actions are usually in the hands of the ground crew before the plane lands. Such monitoring systems also continually minimize engine life cycle costs by avoiding problems and extending maintenance intervals.
ProTec™ Remote Monitoring is like having highly trained and experienced experts on-site 24/7/365 continuously monitoring blast furnace systems and other systems.