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OAR Box 1313 

Preppedby LaTeiaShed 

Document Number: 

65) ll-B-39 

Docket Number: 

A-88-02 

Printed 6/12/2008 9:03:30 AM Sheet 65 of 99 
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INTEROFFICE COMMUNICATION 

A-88-02 

MIDWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

May 19, 1988 

To: Project File 

From: Robin Barker 

Subject: Site Visits—Decorative Chromium Plating Facilities Chromium 

Electroplating NESHAP 

I. Introduction 

During January of 1988, the following four decorative chromium 

electroplating facilities were visited to investigate the suitability of 

the plants for performance testing of a fume suppressant: Pitney Bowes, 

Inc., Stamford, Connecticut; Arlington Plating Company, Palatine, 

Illinois; LECO Plating Company, St. Joseph, Michigan; and Hager Hinge 

Company, Montgomery, Alabama. Each of the plants visited had been 

contacted previously by telephone and had been judged to be a candidate 

for further investigation. To qualify as a potential test site, the plant 

would need to have a typical hexavalent chromium decorative plating tank, 

a high-efficiency capture system (no visible fumes escaping), adequate 

ductwork configuration for testing purposes, an effective add-on emission 

control device, and the capability to operate with and without a fume 

suppressant. 

II. Pitney Bowes, Stamford, Connecticut 

Pitney Bowes is a captive shop that manufactures postage machines. 

The sealer blades, indicias, and deck plates are the components of the 

postage machine that require decorative chromium plating. There are three 

chromium plating tanks at this facility. Two tanks are identical in size 

and are used in manually operated plating lines. The other tank is part 

of an automated process line. The capacity of the two tanks is 

2,720 liters (a) (719 gallons [gal]) each and the capacity of the tank in 

the automated line is 10,200 i (2,700 gal) Tht* plating solution in the 

tanks contains chromic acid at a concentratior. • ,*ir.ge of 240 to 250 grams 

per liter (g/a) (32 to 34 ounces per gallon |oz/gall) of water. All three 

plating tanks use a permanent-type fume suppre1 >nt, Zero-Mist HT, 

manufactured by Udylite/OMITM International Cu'poration to control chromic 

acid misting. The fume suppressant appeared to be effective at 

controlling chromic acid mist because no visible misting was evident 

across the surface of the plating solution(s) during the visit. The two 

manually operated tanks are equipped with single-sided draft hoods and are 

ducted together and vented to a water wash scrubber. The automated tank 

also is equipped with a single-sided draft hood that is ducted to a water 

wash scrubber. Both scrubbers are located on the floor below the plating 

tanks. The ducts connecting the hoods and the scrubbers are 

rectangular. The length of common ductwork (0.8 m [2.7 ft]) connecting 

the two tanks in the manual lines is insufficient for emission testing 

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prior to the scrubber. One of the tanks has 1.8 m (6.0 ft) of straight 

ductwork before the common duct joining the two tanks; however, this 

section of ductwork runs directly behind the scrubber and would pose an 

accessibility problem for sampling equipment and personnel. The ductwork 

on the automated line has 1.2 to 1.5 m (4.0 to 5.0 ft) of straight duct 

prior to the scrubber; however, due to the proximity of the scrubber and a 

large bypass duct connected to the ductwork from the line, accessibility 

of this location is also limited. It was determined that this facility 

would not be an appropriate test site because of the small amount of 

straight ductwork and the access problems associated with each control 

system. The plant contacts are Mr. Rod Walsh, Environmental Engineering 

Coordinator, and Ms. Patricia Wrenn, Supervisor of Environmental Control 

and Chemical Laboratory-Metal Finishing Operations; and the address 1s 

Walter Wheeler Junior Drive, Stamford, Connecticut, [telephone 

(203) 356-7155] 

III. Arlington Plating Company, Palatine, Illinois 

Arlington Plating Company is a job shop that chromium plates tubing 

and Hght fixtures. There are three decorative chromium plating tanks at 

this facility. The tanks are in three separate decorative chromium 

plating lines: hoist, hand, and automatic Unes. The tank capacity 1n 

each Un e is 5,090 a (1,346 gal), 4,080 a (1,077 gal) and 1,890 a 

(499 gal), respectively. The plating solution in the tanks contains 

chromic ad d at a concentration of 220 g/a (30 oz/gal) of water. A fume 

suppressant, Mist Control, manufactured by Bradley Chemical Company, 1s 

used to control misting in the tanks. The fume suppressant appeared to be 

effective at controlling chromic acid mist because no visible misting was 

evident across the surface of the plating solutlon(s) during the visit. 

The tanks in the hoist- and hand-operated lines are equipped with singlesided draft hoods and are vented to Duall packed-bed scrubbers located 

directly behind each tank. The tank in the automatic line is equipped 

with a single-sided draft hood that is ducted up through the roof with no 

additional control device in the system. The scrubbers on the tanks in 

the hoist- and hand-operated lines are located directly behind the tanks, 

and no sufficient ductwork length is available or accessible for testing; 

therefore, 1t was determined testing at this plant would not be 

feasible. The plant contact is Mr. Jerry Fisher, General Manger, and the 

address is 600 South Vermont Street, Palatine, Illinois, [telephone 

(312) 359-1490] 

IV. LECO Plating Company, St. Joseph, Michigan 

LECO Plating Company is a job shop that chromium plates small 

automotive parts and kitchen utensils. Three decorative chromium plating 

tanks are located beside each other in an automated process line. Each 

tank holds 3,400 a (898 gal) of plating solution with a chromic acid 

concentration of 300 g/a (40 oz/gal) of water. The tanks use a temporarytype fume suppressant, Fumetrol 103, manufactured by M&T Chemicals, to 

control misting. The fume suppressant appeared to be effective at 

controlling chromic acid mist because no visible misting was evident 

across the surface of the plating solution(s) during the visit. Each tank 

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is equipped with double-sided draft hoods that are ducted together along 

with 11 other process tanks containing nickel plating and various cleaning 

and stripping solutions. The common duct is vented to a 1,130 actual 

cubic meter per minute (40,000 actual cubic feet per minute) American Air 

Filter scrubber located in the room adjacent to the plating line. There 

is approximately 1.2 m (4.0 ft) of straight ductwork at the inlet of the 

scrubber; however, this length of ductwork would not be sufficient due to 

the large diameter of the duct. Also, the high volume of air in the 

system would dilute the concentration of chromium in the gas stream making 

sampling more difficult because of the time required to obtain an adequate 

sample. Therefore, this site was determined to be unsuitable for emission 

testing. The contact at the plant 1s Mr. Duane Ostenson, Plating Chemist, 

and the address 1s 3000 Lakeview, St. Joseph, Michigan, [telephone 

(616) 983-5531] 

V. Haqer Hinge Company, Montgomery, Alabama 

Hager Hinge Company is a captive shop that manufactures door 

hinges. There are two decorative chromium plating tanks at this 

facility. The tanks hold approximately 3,970 a (1,050 gal) and 680 a 

(180 gal) of plating solution with a chromic acid concentration of 370 g/a 

(50 oz/gal) of water. The tanks contain a permanent-type fume suppressant, Fumetrol 205T, manufactured by M&T Chemicals, to reduce chromic ad d 

misting. The fume suppressant appeared to be effective at controlling 

chromic acid mist because no visible misting was evident across the 

surface of the plating'solution(s) during the visit. The 3,970-a 

(1,050-gal) tank is equipped with a single-sided draft hood along one-half 

of one side of the tank. The lower portion of the hood contains a water 

spray system and a wire mesh which is used to capture chromic acid mist. 

The 680-a (180-gal) tank is not equipped with a ventilation system. There 

is no ductwork in the ventilation system on the 3,970-a (1,050-gal) tank 

in which to locate a test port; therefore, this site was determined to be 

unsuitable for testing. The plant contact is Mr. Thomas Dillard, 

Environmental Coordinator, and the address is 150 Folmar Parkway, 

Montgomery, Alabama, [telephone (205) 284-4700] 

VI. Summary and Conclusions 

Each of the four plants visited had one or more drawbacks to their 

selection as a test site. If it had been feasible, plant personnel at 

each of the four plants were willing to cooperate in a source test at the 

facility. 

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