Shannon reusable insulation brings safety, energy savings for NDS

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. – January 16, 2020 – Shannon Global Energy Solutions, the world-leading designer, and maker of reusable thermal and acoustic insulation, and Richmond, Calif., Calpacific Equipment Company, a distributor of steam and hot water equipment and systems, have installed a thermal and reusable blanket insulation system on a Davis-Standard extruder operated by NDS, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of stormwater management products that also manufacturers efficient irrigation- and flow-management products. NDS uses this extruder to manufacture polyethylene irrigation tubing. NDS supplies a wholesale network and sells its consumer brands, such as Raindrip, through Lowe’s, Menards and True Value among others.

“The focus of the project with Shannon and Calpacific was worker safety, but we quickly learned covering our line’s extruder heads with removable-reusable insulation blankets saved energy,” said Charles Eisenhauer, plant manager for NDS.

 Davis-Standard extruder blanketed with Shannon reusable insulation at an NDS facility in Fresno, Calif.

“We did a safety-risk assessment on our extruder and realized when our workers swap out pins and dyes to manufacture different size pipe, they get very close to the machine’s extruder heads, which can reach temperatures of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.”

NDS contacted Calpacific for help, and the distributor surveyed and measured the extruder and determined Shannon could manufacture custom, reusable insulation blankets for the extruder heads linked to both the 3.5-inch extruders.

“Once the blankets were on the extruder heads, the surface temperature of the blanket was 127 degrees Fahrenheit,” added Eisenhauer. “With Shannon blankets on the extruder heads, our machine’s heaters weren’t doing as much work to keep the polyethylene at an optimal temperature; we noticed the heaters were cycling on and off more. That was an energy savings for us right there.”

“With Shannon blanket insulation, any surface covered will show an estimated heat loss reduction of 85 percent,” says Dennis Welsch, president of Calpacific Equipment Company. “The objective for NDS was improving safety, which this project clearly did. But the energy payback on the investment in the blankets will be less than 12 months. That savings continues as long as the blankets last, which can be up to 30 years.”

 IR images of the extruder with the blankets in place show the exposed surface (see arrow) is 149.5 C; the adjoining insulated surface is 53 C.

For design and specifying engineers, the recommended blanket for plastics extrusion and blow molding equipment is Shannon blanket design LT550SG, which includes a sewn blanket construction and belting system to protect workers from high temperatures and facilitate quick and frequent removal.

About Shannon Global Energy Solutions

Since 1988, Shannon has engineered and manufactured insulation solutions for energy conservation, thermal efficiency, noise reduction and safety. With its CAD-CNC-ERP approach to design and manufacturing, Shannon is the world leader for reusable insulation.