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OAR Box 1814 

Prepped by Ollie Stewart 

Document Number: 

36) ll-B-14 

Docket Number: 

A-88-02 

Printed 11/7/2008 7:22:07 AM Sheet 36 of 63 
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A-88-02 

MIDWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTi 

4505 Creedmoor Ro« 

Raleigh N C 

Telephone (919) 781-57* 

Date: October 31, 1986 

(Finalized December 1, 1986) 

Subject: Site Visit—Chrome Craft Corporation 

Chromium Electroplating NESHAP 

EPA Contract 68-02-3817; ESED Project 85/021 

MRI Project 7717-K 

/•*•» 

From: 

To: 

Randy Strait ^ 

Al Vervaert 

ESED/ISB/SSS (MD-13) 

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711 

I. Purpose 

The purpose of this visit was to determine the suitability of the 

plant for chromium emissions testing to assess the effectiveness of a fume 

suppressant to inhibit misting from a decorative chromium plating tank. 

II. Place and Date 

Chrome Craft Corporation 

318 Midland 

Highland Park, Michigan 48203 

(313) 868-2444 

September 5, 1986 

III. Attendees 

Chrome Craft Corporation 

Richard Barnett 

Wayne Reddekopp 

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Al Vervaert, ISB 

Midwest Research Institute 

Randy Strait 

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IV. Discussion 

We arrived at the plant at 9:30 a.m. The visit consisted of a 

discussion about the decorative chromium plating operations at the plant 

and possible emission testing to assess the effectiveness of a fume 

suppressant used to control misting from a decorative chromium plating 

bath. The discussion was followed by a tour of the plating shop. 

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A. General 

Chrome Craft Corporation is a job shop that performs decorative 

chromium plating of truck bumpers. The plant operates two decorative 

chromium plating lines 16 hours per day, 5 days per week, and 50 weeks per 

year. Both lines are equipped with hoists that are used to transfer each 

rack of bumpers through a series of tanks. The company would allow 

testing to be performed only on the chromium plating tank on line No. 1. 

Therefore, the following process information was obtained primarily for 

plating Un e No. 1. 

B. Process Information 

Plating line No. 1 includes the following operations in sequence: 

1. Degreasing and cleaning (several tanks); 

2. Semibright nickel plating (16 bays); 

3. Bright nickel plating (several tanks); 

4. Rinse with 39 grams per liter (g/n) (5 ounces per gallon 

[oz/gal]) of chromic acid (3 tanks); 

5. Chromium plating (1 tank); 

6. Drain (1 tank); and 

7. Water rinse (3 tanks). 

The chromium plating tank is 2.4 meters (m) (8 feet [ft]) long, 

1.8 m (6 ft) wide, and 1.8 m (6 ft) deep and contains about 

7,570 liters (i) (2,000 gallons [gal]) of plating solution. One rack of 

bumpers is plated at a time on one side of the tank while the other side 

of the tank is air agitated. Each rack holds 5 bumpers, and 14 racks are 

plated per hour. Each plating cycle takes 4 minutes (min) and 10 seconds, 

and each rack 1s chromium plated for 2.5 min. The normal operating 

voltage and current are 9 volts and 6,000 amperes, respectively. 

The chromium plating bath contains chromic acid in a concentration 

of 300 g/a (40 oz/gal) and a sulfuric ad d catalyst in a concentration of 

1.6 g/n (0.22 oz/gal) of plating solution. The normal operating 

temperature of the solution ranges from 43° to 46°C (110° to 114°F). 

The chromium plating tank on line No. 2 1s 1.5 m (5 ft) long, 1.5 

(5 ft) wide, and 2.4 m (8 ft) deep and contains about 3,785 i (1,000 gal) 

of plating solution. One rack is plated at a time. Each rack holds 

4 bumpers, and 10 racks are plated per hour. Each plating cycle takes 

about 6 min, and each rack of bumpers is chromium plated for 3 m1n. The 

normal operating voltage and current are 8 volts and 5,000 amperes, 
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respectively. The plating solution is supplied by UDYLITE® and contains 

chromic ad d in a concentration of 300 g/s, (40 oz/gal) and a fluoride 

catalyst. 

C. Emission Control 

The chromium plating tank on line No. 1 is controlled by a fume 

suppressant supplied by UDYLITE® (ZERO-MIST® HT), that forms a foam 

blanket over the plating solution to reduce chromic acid misting. The 

tank is equipped with double-sided draft hoods. Each hood is vented to a 

separate scrubber manufactured by Niehaus Brothers, Inc. The gas flow 

rate to each scrubber is about 396 cubic meters per minute (14,000 cubic 

feet per minute). 

The chromium plating tank on line No. 2 is equipped with a singlesided draft hood, that also is vented to a scrubber manufactured by 

Niehaus Brothers, Inc. 

D. Conclusions 

Chrome Craft Corporation is a job shop that performs decorative 

chromium plating of bumpers. Emissions from the chromium plating tank on 

U n e No. 1 are controlled by a fume suppressant and two scrubbers. There 

were no visible emissions from the chromium plating tank during the 

visit. 

Emission testing could be performed at this plant; however, 1t is a 

marginal candidate for the following reasons: 

1. The scrubber outlet is located inside the plating shop. There 

is some concern that the scrubber would not control chromium emissions 

adequately during the uncontrolled emission test to meet the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration standards for chromium concentrations in 

the room air. 

2. To obtain uncontrolled emission data, the existing plating 

solution would have to be drained to a holding tank supplied by EPA 

because the fume suppressant cannot be depleted. The uncontrolled test 

would have to be performed on new plating solution made up by plant 

personnel. 

3. Each hood on the tank is vented to a separate scrubber. Plant 

personnel stated that the scrubber controlling mist from the side of the 

tank that is air agitated could be turned off during the test. The hood 

on the other side of the tank where plating 1s performed should provide 

adequate ventilation during the test. However, before testing is 

performed, the actual gas flow rate of the scrubber should be measured to 

determine if the ventilation rate of the hood 1s adequate. There is about 

1.5 m (5 ft) of straight ductwork leading to the inlet of the scrubber 

that would provide an adequate location for a test port. Available space 

at this location, however, is somewhat limited. 

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Chrome Craft personnel were very cooperative during the visit, and 

the information provided will be most useful to the chromium study. 

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