25 ton/hr filtration and pelletizing system commissioned by Nordson BKG™ adjacent to Lotte’s existing

15-Apr-14

Nearing completion at Lotte Chemical UK’s well-known Wilton site is a 200,000 metric ton PET resin plant that includes a 25 ton/hr filtration and pelletizing system now being commissioned by Nordson BKG™. The new plant, adjacent to Lotte’s existing PET facility, is due for startup later this year. The £60 mln project will more than double the capacity for PET at the Wilton site. At its heart is the BKG CrystallCut® system, which saves energy by re-using the heat from the polymer melt in the pelletizing step to crystallize the pellets at a later stage in an integrated process. Also supplied by BKG is a screen changer in Nordson Kreyenborg’s POLY series. “CrystallCut technology is employed in operations ranging from small-scale extrusion and recycling facilities to world-scale resin plants like that of Lotte Chemicals,” said David Bargery, project manager for Nordson BKG. “In every case the system saves substantial amounts of energy by avoiding the need to reheat the PET for crystallizing. In addition, it prevents clumping of amorphous PET and yields an enhanced crystalline structure that results in lower energy costs for re-melting the material.” The patented CrystallCut system is an integrated network that incorporates underwater pelletizing, drying, and crystallizing. After the polymer has been cut at the pelletizer die face, it is transported to a centrifugal pellet dryer where the water is separated and the polymer dried. The material exits the pellet dryer and is discharged on a specially designed centrifugal dryer outlet hopper where the conversion from amorphous to crystallized material occurs. Throughout this process there is precise control of material temperatures, preventing production and quality problems caused by insufficient crystallization and excess levels of amorphous material.