OAR Box 1313 

Preppedby LaTeiaShed 

Document Number: 

14) l-B-7 

Docket Number: 

A-88-02 

Printed 6/12/2008 9:03:27 AM Sheet 14 of 99 

P.1 
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v -a,^ *> ^J« . MIDWEST STITUTE 

^JLs * rf DJK ® I UL-fb-T 4505 Creedmoor Road 

Raleigh, N.C. 27612 

Telephone (919) 781-5750 

F il»Y 

Date: April 26, 1985 

(Finalized November 1, 1985) 

Subject: Site Visit—General Plating, Incorporated 

Survey of Chromium Emission Sources—Chromium Plating 

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

MRI Project 7711-L 

From: Barb Duletsky fr^ 

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 on the decorative chromium plating operation at the subject 

plant and to determine the suitability of the plant for chromium 

emissions testing. 

II. Place and Date 

General Plating, Incorporated 

6547 St. Paul Avenue ":'~-'' "P- —TM.-.--. - • 

Detroit, Michigan 48207 '"• i'; !!: „, .. }.] 

(313) 579-2639 ;\ • , l! 

March 15, 1985

 ! Z JAN i 81991 •!• 

III. Attendees 

I ,:!*i.!i A »•' •*•• r : :- r- . ' , ! 

General Plating, Incorporated ' ' 

Ron Guidebeck, President ... 

Bill Martin, General Manager 

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Al Vervaert, Lead Engineer 

Midwest Research Institute (MRI) 

Barb Duletsky 

/• 

Principal Laboratories 425 Volker Boulevard. Kansas City. Missouri 64110 
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IV. Discussion 

We arrived at the plant at 10:00 a.m. The visit began with a 

discussion about decorative chromium plating at the General Plating, 

Incorporated, plant. A tour of the plating facilities followed the 

discussion. Operating information on the chromium plating tanks was 

provided during the plant tour. 

A. General 

General Plating, Incorporated, plates bumpers for use in the 

automotive industry. The plant operates two automated decorative plating 

lines 24 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year. The average 

production rate is 3,000 bumpers per day. The plant employs about 

100 people. 

B. Process 

The two plating lines at this plant are identified as Line Nos. 3 

and 4. Line No. 3 was installed in December 1984, and was operating the 

day of the visit. Line No. 4 was not in operation because one of its 

tanks was being replaced. Each line consists of about 15 tanks that 

contain various cleaning, rinsing, and plating solutions. Automatically 

controlled conveyors transfer bars (racks) of bumpers to each tank in 

sequence. Each system is programmed to complete 15 bars, containing 

2 to 8 bumpers per bar, every hour. 

There is one chromium plating tank on each plating line. The 

tanks are lined with rubber and measure 8 feet (ft) in length, 4 ft in 

width, 6 ft in depth, and hold 1,200 gallons of plating solution. The 

solution contains chromic acid in a concentration of 30 ounces per 

gallon (oz/gal). Sulfuric acid is used as the primary catalyst in a 

150:1 (chromic acid:sulfuric acid) ratio. A small amount of fluoride is 

used as a secondary catalyst. The total chromic acid consumption for 

both lines is about 300 pounds per day. 

Typically, a bar remains in one of the chromium plating tanks for 

2.5 minutes, although the electrodes are energized for only 1.5 minutes. 

The normal operating temperature is 115°F. The electrodes are energized 

by a separate transformer/rectifier set on each tank that automatically 

controls the.operating voltage and current. During a typical plating 

cycle, the tanks operate at 2.5 volts (V) and less than 3 amperes (A) 

for 30 seconds and then increase to 11 V and 9,000 A for 1 minute. The 

rectifiers are automatic and will provide as much current as each bar 

needs. 

C. Control 

A fume suppressant is used in the chromium plating solution to 

inhibit the release of hydrogen gas bubbles. The suppressant, which is 
P.4 

called "Aldolyte," is manufactured by Udylite. Similar types of fume 

suppressants are available through Quintec and Harshaw. These manufacturers 

advertise that the use of fume suppressants retards fuming by 70 to 

80 percent. 

The chromium plating tank on line No. 3 did not have an emission 

capture or control system at the time of the site visit, although the 

general plating area was ventilated by roof-mounted exhaust fans. (The 

company has since installed hoods and ductwork on the chromium plating 

tank, and emissions are directed to a Hartzell fiberglass No. 6000 

scrubber). 

The chromium plating tank on line No. 4 has a ventilation hood 

along one edge through which emissions are drawn to a control device on 

the roof. The control device is a Tri-Mir FS-9 fume scrubber. The 

device was installed in 1972. It has a design gas flow rate of 

18,000 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm). Because line No. 4 was 

not operating during the visit, the effectiveness of this emission 

capture and control system could not be determined. 

D. Conclusions 

General Plating, Incorporated, is a large job shop performing 

decorative chromium plating of automobile bumpers. Emissions from the 

chromium plating tank on line No. 3 are inhibited by the addition of a 

fume suppressant. Although a fume suppressant is used, the presence of 

chromic acid mist was noticeable in the immediate area of the tank. 

Because there was no emission capture or control system on line No. 3 

during the site visit, an emission source test could not be recommended. 

The effectiveness of the emission capture and control system on line 

No. 4 and its suitability as a test site could not be accurately determined 

during the visit because it was not operating.