OAR Box 1313 

Prepped by LaTeia Shed 

Document Number: 

31) ll-B-5 

Docket Number: 

A-88-02 

Printed 6/12/2008 9:03:28 AM Sheet 31 of 99 

P.1 
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or-s-5 

CY 

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P.2 

A-88-02 

MIDWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

4505 Creedmoor Road 

*.•:;*'>Raleigh, N.C. 27612 

, Telephone (919) 781-5750 

J87 L 

Date: April 9, 1986 

(Finalized May 2, 1986) 

Subject: Site Visit—Steel Heddle 

Chromium Electroplating NESHAP 

EPA Contract 68-02-3817; ESED Project 85/02a 

MRI Project 7717-K 

From: Randy Strait 

To: Al Vervaert 

ESED/ISB/SSS (MD-13) 

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711 

I. Purpose 

The purpose of this site visit was to gather background information 

about the chromium electroplating operation at this plant and to determine 

the suitability of this plant for chromium emissions testing. 

II. Place and Date 

Steel Heddle 

Post Office Box 1867 

Greenville, South Carolina 29602 

(803) 244-4110 

March 13, 1986 

III. Attendees 

Steel Heddle 

Steven A. Ramsey, Corporate Safety Director 

U. S. Environmental Protection Aqency 

Al Vervaert, ISB 

Midwest Research Institute 

Randy Strait 

/• 

Principal Laboratories 425 Volker Boulevard. Kansas City, Missouri 6411 
P.3 

IV. Discussion 

We arrived at the plant at 1:30 p.m. The visit consisted of a tour 

of the plating shop and a discussion about the hard chromium 

electroplating operation and chromium emission capture and control 

equipment. 

A. General 

Steel Heddle 1s an original equipment manufacturer of steel heddles 

for textile looms. The plating facility 1s operated both as a captive and 

a job shop. Plating operations performed at this plant Include chromium, 

zinc, copper/nickel, copper/sulfate, chemical polishing with hydrochloric 

and chromic adds, and sulfuric ad d anodizing. Reeds for textile looms 

and miscellaneous job shop parts are chromium plated, and steel heddles 

are zinc plated. 

B. Process Information 

There are four hard chromium plating tanks used at this plant, which 

are arranged as shown 1n Figure 1. The dimensions and operating 

specifications for each tank are listed 1n Table 1. 

C. Emissions Control 

Tanks 1 and 4 are equipped with push-pull emission capture systems, 

and tanks 2 and 3 are equipped with double-sided draft hoods. Visible 

chromic acid mist was observed to be drawn Into the hoods on tanks 1, 2, 

and 3. Tank 4 was not operating during the visit. 

All four tanks are ducted to a closed-loop fume scrubber system that 

was manufactured and Installed 1n 1981 by KCH Services, Incorporated. 

Specifications of the scrubber system are presented in the Attachment. 

The scrubber is a double packed-bed horizontal-flow unit (model 

No. H-2000) that 1s located on the roof of the plating shop. The design 

gas flow rate of the unit is 19,000 actual cubic feet per minute, and the 

water flow rate is 57 gallons per minute. Water flows by gravity from the 

scrubber to a recirculation tank inside the plating facility and 1s 

recirculated to wash down the scrubber on a continuous basis. City water 

1s used to make up evaporation losses from the system. The scrubber and 

ductwork are washed down once per month with city water that drains into 

the plating tanks. 

D. Conclusions 

The four chromium plating tanks at this facility appear to have 

effective emission capture and control systems. The KCH scrubber used to 

control chromium emissions at this plant is a good candidate for testing 

for the following reasons: (1) the unit is representative of the types of 

control equipment used to control chromium emissions from hard chromium 

plating operations, (2) the scrubber system can be tested to determine the 
P.4 

TANK 

3 

TANK 

4 

STACK 

KCH 

SCRUBBER 

\ 

/ 

FAN 

ROOF 

I I 

RECIRCULATION 

TANK 

TANK 

2 

TANK 

1 

LEGEND 

AIRFLOW 

HATER FLOW 

Figure 1. Schematic of Steel Heddle chromium plating operation. 

m-2 
TABLE 1. SPECIFICATIONS OF HARD CHROMIUM PLATING TANKS AT STEEL HEDDLE 

Tank 

No. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Dimensions 

(1, w, h), in. 

150, 36, 36 

120, 21, 36 

66, 21, 36 

81, 30, 36 

Capacity, 

gal 

840 

390 

210 

380 

Hours of 

operationa 

8, 5, 50 

4, 5, 50 

4, 5, 50 

4, 5, 50 

Voltage, 

voltsD 

5 

5 

5 

5 

Current, 

amperes 

2,000 

2,000 

1,000 

1,000 

Method of 

cooling 

Water 

Water 

Water 

Water 

Constituents, 

oz/qal 

Cr03 

33 

33 

33 

33 

H2S0.» 

0.33 

0.33 

0.33 

0.33 

^hours/day, days/week, weeks/year. 

"Direct current. 

^ 

in 
P.6 

effect of recirculated scrubber water on control device performance, and 

(3) there 1s adequate duct length at the Inlet and the outlet of the 

scrubber for test ports. However, it 1s uncertain 1f the plant can 

operate the plating tanks at sufficient capacity to ensure adequate 

emissions loading for testing. Steel Heddle personnel were very 

cooperative during the visit, and the information provided will be most 

useful to the chromium study. 

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