Advanced Odour Control Technology for Railway Tie Creosote Treatment Production Plants

Altech Technology Systems (Canada) supplies three (3) skid mounted fully automated System REITHER™ VenturiAir Scrubber Systems, for controlling creosote vapour odours from railway tie creosote treatment vessels for a major railway tie company with 10 plants across the United States.

Large volumes of creosote vapours are released to atmosphere when the access doors of the treatment vessels are opened to inset and extract railway ties. Creosote, largely composed of napthalene, the main ingredient in mothballs, has a very low odour threshold limit which can travel for long distances. Acting as a responsible corporate neighbour, the company investigated odour control technologies looking for a cost effective, high efficiency scrubber design for this application.   Due to the high variations in air flow when the access doors are opened and closed they needed a scrubber system that would operate at high efficiency under varying air flows. System REITHER Variable Venturi Air Scrubber patented design was selected as the best available scrubber technology for this application. ALTECH’s engineering group designed an elaborate fully automated scrubber control system which incorporated: two induction fans, VFD, automated venturi actuator operated through a PLC to handle the varying inlet air flows and maintain high removal efficiencies, as was needed for this application.   Based on the successful performance and reduced creosote odour levels at the plants where the scrubbers have been installed, the company is asking ALTECH to supply all 10 railway tie creosote treatment plants with the same scrubber design.