Techne IFB-131, Operator'S Manual

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I F B - 1 3 1 O P E R A T O R ’ S M A N U A L
PAGE 10
During operation the correct fluidising air flow must be determined by visually
inspecting the surface of the fluidised bath. When the fluidised bath is heated the air within the
bath expands; it is therefore necessary to decrease the amount of air supplied to the bath during
the heat up period to ensure that the bath is correctly fluidised at all times.
A control system with automatic air control is also available. This system is
designed to automatically adjust the fluidising air flow rate as the bath heats up. This allows the
system to be operated without supervision and is useful in applications where it is
advantageous to preheat the bath prior to the start of the working day.
The system is programmed to feed a set amount of fluidising air to the bath between
room temperature and 200°C. When the bath reaches this temperature, the amount of air feed
to the bath is reduced and held at constant value until the temperature of the bath exceeds
400°C, at which point a further adjustment is made.
A non-standard version of this industrial fluidised bath is available for applications
where continued treatment of components contaminated by PVC and other halogenated
polymers is envisaged. This version is manufactured from materials that resist the effects of
corrosion which are experienced when processing the above polymers.
The compressed air supply to the fluidised bath must be clean, dry, and free from
oil.
When used for processing items which may emit toxic or inflammable fumes it is
essential that an adequate fume extraction system be installed.
The extraction system must be correctly sized to ensure that any toxic fumes are
removed from the working environment.
To eliminate the risk of spontaneous ignition the concentration of inflammable fumes
above the bath and within the exhaust duct work must be kept below the Lower Explosive Limit.
A later section of this manual details the various fume treatment equipment that is available, and
how it should be installed and adjusted.