Hubner Industries sought a clean, efficient, and reliable fuel for its drying operation. The company previously relied on propane because the location is not served by a gas utility. The dryers require a large quantity of fuel in a short period of time, typically two months per year. When operating on propane, the dryers experienced heavy carbon buildup on flame rods that required frequent in-season maintenance to clean and keep operational.
WITH KINETREX LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS
Maintenance costs can vary greatly between fuels. When evaluating fuel choice, an operation should look at each fuels maintenance costs and unit price to capture the true operational cost of the fuel. For energy-intensive industries, it is critical to understand how fuel choice can affect plant operations.
“BY SWITCHING FROM PROPANE TO LNG, WE SAVED HALF, IF NOT MORE, ON IN-SEASON MAINTENANCE COSTS.”
GREG SMITH, GENERAL MANAGER, HUBNER INDUSTRIES, LLC
“THE BURNERS BURNT MUCH CLEANER WITH LNG THAN PROPANE; WITH LNG, THERE WAS A BLUE FLAME INSTEAD OF THE TYPICAL YELLOW FLAME THAT YOU GET WITH PROPANE..”
– BOB HUBNER, OWNER, HUBNER INDUSTRIES, LLC
Using LNG instead of propane, Hubner reduced their in-season maintenance costs by over 50%. LNG provided a cleaner, more consistent burn that resulted in less cleaning of flame rods, reduced labor and downtime thus creating greater operational efficiencies.
The LNG system commissioning at Hubner was executed seamlessly. This included the coordination of field engineers, scheduling fuel deliveries, and transporting LNG via Kinetrex Energy Transportation (KET). Kinetrex delivered 17 loads (840 Dth per load) over two months resulting in reliable gas service for Hubner.
The LNG system proved an easily-installed, cost-effective means of reducing the company’s maintenance costs.
Kinetrex introduced a virtual pipeline of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with mobile, onsite storage and vaporization to meet the challenges faced by Hubner. LNG is a cleaner burn than propane and does not leave behind carbon residue. As a result, Hubner reduced their in- season maintenance 50% or more. The cleaner burn of LNG also yielded an equivalent temperature rise to propane.
Kinetrex LNG production easily met Hubner’s significant fuel demand. Kinetrex is the largest LNG manufacturer in the Midwest, with 24 million gallons of storage capacity and two LNG manufacturing plants.
Hubner received a turnkey LNG system from Kinetrex at no cost, which included mobile storage and vaporization, installation, and ongoing LNG system operation. Minimal site preparation and space were needed for the setup.