Environmental Applications of Industrial Microwave Heating

Titel der Präsentation, Abschnitt oder Kolumnentitel, Arial 12 Punkt, fett Microwave Commercialisation Club (MCC), University of York, UK, April 26, 2018

Jens Hofmann, Muegge GmbH

1 1

Environmental Applications of

Industrial Microwave Heating and

Plasma Technology

Microwave Commercialisation Club (MCC), University of York, UK, April 26, 2018


Jens Hofmann

2 Microwave Commercialisation Club (MCC), University of York, UK, April 26, 2018


The Company

MUEGGE GMBH

Hochstrasse 4 – 6

D - 64385 Reichelsheim

Germany

fon +49 6164 - 9307 - 0

fax +49 6164 - 9307 - 93

mail [email protected]

web www.muegge.de

web www.applied-microwave.de

web www.meyerburger.com



Photovoltaics

•Power Supplies

•Magnetron Heads

•Measurement Equipment

•MW Transitions

Plasma Technology

•Plasma Line

•Plasma Array

•RPS Source

•APS System

•Plasma Systems

Industrial Heating

•Power Supplies

•Magnetron Heads

•Waveguide Components


Environmental

•Applicators

•Generators


•Customized Solutions

Trading Goods

•Magnetrons

•Waveguide Components

•Spares

Service

Consulting

•24 Hour Hotline

•Service

•Start up

•Training

MUEGGE provides innovative products and technology solutions to our

customers worldwide and across many applications.

MUEGGE Business Areas

http://lokrantzconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/consult-1.jpg



MW-Generators 915/2450/5800MHz Plasma Systems

Waveguide Components Consulting

Magnetrons Service and Start-Up‘s

MW-Measurement Devices Workshops and Training

Plasma-Components Rental MW-Equipment

Products



Environmental applications of industrial microwave heating in

renewable energies and industrial microwave heating

food industry

construction materials

recycling and biocompatible materials

Environmental applications of microwave plasma technology in

pyrolysis and waste gas abatement

barrier layers on and sterilization of food packaging materials

Summary

Content



Applications of Microwave Heating

100 kW / 915 MHz microwave power supply with external magnetron head

Industries:

• Chemical

• Ceramics

• Pharmaceutical

• Medical

• Environmental

• Building & Construction

Materials

• Rubber & Plastic

• Paper & Wood

• Food

• Vacuum-Drying

• Sterilization

• Pasteurization

…and many more

Industrial applications at 915 MHz, 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz



7

Generator 4 x 100 kW at 915 MHz

• Switch mode technology

• Customized design

• Mounted in a container for off-shore use

Example for application of high-power

microwave technology in a customized project



Example: heating and drying

in pharmacy and rubber industry

Fields of application:

drying

heating

annealing



9

Microwave systems for

bio/environmental technology

at 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz

• Renewable energy

• Biofuel, bio diesel, biogas

• Environmental technology

• Abatement systems

• Waste gas purification

Example: high-power microwave systems

for renewable energies

and environmental technology





food industry






Summary

Content



Example: food processing

Cooking of meatballs

36 kW (12 x 3kW) 2.45 GHz

Combined process of cooking and

pasteurisation of food in trays

100 kW (100 x 1kW) in a pressurized tunnel



Example: microwave freeze drying

• 3-20 times shorter drying time

• Maintaining aromas, vitamins, flavors, etc.

• Microwave freeze drying of 100 kg batches of entire fruits

within 4-8 h

More economical process by microwave technology



Industrial microwave heating for pasteurization

and sterilization of food:

Coaxial Slot Antenna

Directed power distribution

High selectivity due to multiple “heating

rows”





food industry






Summary

Content



MW-Power 300…1000 kW, 915 MHz

Heating up to 80ºC

LVL veneer billet production

Microwave shortens the process time in

the hydraulic press

15

Example: heating and drying of wood



16

Example: selective drying of moisture nests

in multilayer sanitary ceramic parts

Flexible microwave transmission line facilitates

targeted positioning of the microwave launcher

for selective drying of moisture nests

Targeted microwave heating showing

moisture nests with different moisture

content by increased temperature

Flexible microwave

transmission line

Flexible microwave transmission line

connected to coaxial high-power

microwave iso-launcher



17

Example: heating and drying

glass melting



18

Example: stabilization of foams

used as heat and sound insulation

Microwave heating for foaming and stabilization of polyurethane and

melamine foams used as heat and sound insulation

Foam with fine bubbles is obtained by homogeneous heating

with fan-shaped microwave power splitter

Distribution of electrical field

15 mm above fan-shaped

power splitter





food industry






Summary

Content



Pyrolysis of

biomass, domestic waste, scrap tires and

used oil

to functional bio char, bio fuels (both light

and heavy fuels) and volatile compounds

20

Prototype powered with 60 kW microwave (2.45 GHz),

capacity: 100 kg of waste per hour

Example: pyrolysis and recycling

Recycling of PTFE enriched with microwave

susceptor SiC in an eddy current reactor

Up to 93 wt% yield of monomers

tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene,

used for production of new fluorine-based

polymers



L

L = 60 mm

21

Microwave injection system

(extruder block)

Extruder block integrated

into twin-screw extruder

Example: microwave-assisted reactive extrusion

of metal-free polylactic acid (PLA)

Faster polymerization

with microwave energy

increased molecular

weight of PLA

Time related temperature profiles

directly after microwave injection

into the extruder block





food industry





Barrier layers on and sterilization of food packaging materials

Summary

Content



Atmospheric pressure microwave plasma system

at 915 MHz: functional model

rectangular waveguide

gas turbulence device

axial gas

injection

quartz tube

tube acting as

electromagnetic shield

hot gas

plasma

water-cooled

adapter flange



1.0

m

915 MHz

30 kW

Functional layout of the 915 MHz / 75 kW microwave plasma

system


at 915 MHz: functional layout




at 915 MHz: 75 kW system used for pyrolysis

Temperature of air (flow rate of 2000 l/min) at the outlet of the 75 kW microwave plasma system

gas temperature [°C]

waveguide temperature [°C]

microwave power [kW]

Achieved operating

performance with

2000 l/min compressed air

(incl. cooling air) at 75 kW



10 20 30 40 50 60 70 800

20

40

60

80

100

1,0 kW

1,5 kW

2,0 kW

Abbaura

te [%

]

Propan [mg]propane [mg]

degra

dation r

ate

[%

]

Gas flow: 75 sl/min, different admixtures of propane to air

100% degradation of hydrocarbons easily feasible

Decomposition of volatile organic compounds



1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.50

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

CF4 admixture:

50.19 mg

100.31 mg

150.56 mg

250.94 mg

DR

E [%

]


DRE: Decomposition Removal Efficiency Gas flow: 25 sl/min

Almost 100% DRE

achievable for CF4 - air

mixtures when being

plasma treated with

3.0 kW microwave power

@ 2.45 GHz.

Decomposition of perfluorinated

volatile organic compounds





food industry






Summary

Content



The Duo-Plasmaline provides unique possibilities for large area plasma treatment.

Duo-Plasmaline Technology

Plasma

Vacuum chamber

Quartz tube

Inner conductor of the coaxial line

Outer conductor of the coaxial line

Substrate

Substrate-holder

Pressure range:

Typical: 10 - 1000 Pa Pulse mode: < 2000 Pa

ECR: 0,1 - 10 Pa (Pulse power 5kW)



30

The length of the

plasma column

mainly depends on

the microwave

power.

Mic

row

av

e p

ow

er

Duo-Plasmaline Technology



Duo-Plasmaline XXL with a length of 3.5 m

Easy scalability of the

Duo-Plasmaline

Large area plasma systems

Duo-Plasmaline XXL



A combination of Duo-Plasmalines can be used to

obtain a two dimensional plasma array.

Single sources as well as 2, 4 and 8 or even more

Duo-Plasmalines arranged in parallel are available

for

plasma assisted surface treatment like

surface activating

etching and

deposition

Array 120 cm x 80 cm

including gas supply / gas shower

8 compact microwave power heads

16 kW MW-power

Duo-Plasmaline Large Area Plasma Array



Additional requirements to

be met by the SiOx barrier

coating:

Flexibility

Transparency

Good adhesion to

the surface of the

polymer

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 180001

10

100

1000

O2 p

art

icle

flu

x [

cm

3/(

m2 x

24

h x

ba

r)]

time [s]

PP foil, uncoated

PP foil with 35 nm SiOx coating

reduction in O2 permeability

by a factor of 100

Single barrier layer 35 nm in thickness reduces oxygen permeability of polypropylene by already a

factor of 100.

Deposition of gas diffusion layers

for polymer food packaging materials

Development of SiOx gas

diffusion barriers for PP food

containers:



0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 6000010

12

1013

1014

1015

1016

1017

multilayer barrier films

single barriere layer

uncoated polyethylene

tolu

en

e f

lux d

en

sity [m

ole

cule

s / c

m2 s

]

time [s]

CH/CF-layers deposited on PE as barrier against organic solvents

reduction by a factor of 3000 !

Applications:

Fuel tanks and other

containers for (organic)

solvents made of

polymers

Polymer materials

(e.g. food packaging) to

protect from diffusion of

plasticisers

…

Multi-layer barrier films on polymers

as barrier against organic solvents



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1010

0

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

Co

lon

y f

orm

ing

un

its

Time of plasma treatment [s]

Bacillus subtilis

Aspergillus niger

Bacillus stearothermophilus

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Plasma source:

Microwave power:

Distance sample-source:

Working pressure:

Working gas:

Gas flow:

Planartron

600 W

0 cm

20 Pa

air

20 sccm

Spore reduction of 4-5 orders of magnitude in < 1 s

Synergy of the

inactivation effects of UV

light and radicals

produced by the plasma

leads to short and efficient

plasma sterilisation

results.

Bacillus subtilis

Aspergillus niger

Plasma sterilisation





food industry






Summary

Content





food industry



Environmental applications of microwave plasma technology


barrier layers on and sterilization of food packaging material

Summary

Content



Snapshot – industrial microwave heating in “food, construction materials, recycling and biocompatible materials”

Microwave technology is the key component for the OEMs who supply machinery and

plants for the food, construction materials, renewable energies and environmental

industries

Food Construction

materials

Recycling Biocompatible Materials



1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5 3,0 3,50

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

CF4-Beimischung:

50.19 mg

100.31 mg

150.56 mg

250.94 mg

DR

E [%

]

Mikrowellenleistung [kW]

DRE of almost 100 %

Waste gas abatement (e.g. CF4)

Plasma chemistry

(e.g. pyrolysis,

decomposition of H2O)

CH4


Snapshot – microwave plasma technology in “pyrolysis and waste gas abatement”

Atmospheric Plasma

System (APS)



Sterilisation

Coatings and … … Functionalisation

Snapshot – microwave plasma technology in “barrier layers on and sterilization of polymer food packaging materials”

Duo-Plasmaline



Thank you very much for your

attention!

MUEGGE GmbH

Hochstrasse 4-6

D-64385 Reichelsheim

Germany

Documents

Environmental Applications of Industrial Microwave Heating