ULTRA Energy - Efficiency Comparison

• kW energy to HEAT raw material from ambient to required drying temperature is the same for all drying processes.
• kW energy to DRY raw material is where the difference occurs, comparing ULTRA dryers to all Desiccant dryers.

ULTRA Low Energy - Operating Cost Savings

• A process running at 220lb/h (100kg/h) can typically see a kW difference of 41 Watts/lb (92 Watts/kg) with ULTRA dryers versus generic desiccant dryer.
• This saves $6,500 annually at an example rate of 220lb/h (100kg/h) - whilst doing the exact same job.
• ULTRA delivers savings year on year for its full life cycle.

ULTRA Low Energy - Dynamic Software

• Temperature Sense Control – temperature is controlled efficiently with energy saver as standard.
• Heater and air flow are automatically regulated to ensure only the required amount of heat and air flow are used to bring material up to temperature.

ULTRA Quick Drying

• ULTRA dryers place materials under vacuum to dry rapidly, versus long exposure to desiccant hot dry air flow.
• Normally, ULTRA dries material 6 times faster than conventional desiccant dryers.
• ULTRA fast drying time provides quicker start-ups.

ULTRA Low Energy Components

• No regeneration process, no added energy used.
• ULTRA uses only one smaller blower and heater sized for smaller volumes and faster drying times.
• Compact heating hopper – less material in process, less energy used, easier cleaning. 
• Minimal maintenance – no scheduled maintenance requirements and no consumables.

ULTRA Live Throughput Monitoring

• Load cells monitor the vacuum chamber and retention hopper and provide live materials usage data.
• Data allows the drying rate to efficiently follow and adjust according to the dryer consumption rate.
• ULTRA live data makes for ULTRA efficient drying.

ULTRA Fast Return on Investment 

• ULTRA dryers quickly pay-back in the short term and continue to provide energy reduction cost savings in the long term.
• Energy usage - one Desiccant day = one ULTRA week.
• Indirect benefits - increased productivity, reduced start-up scrap rates and reduced energy usage for the same time period.

ULTRA low energy dryers operate in a three-step process:

1 – Heating Hopper

• HEAT - The heating hopper is loaded with raw material and heated to the normal drying temperature for a short period of time. Examples: 
  • For ABS typical HEAT time is 15 to 30 minutes at 176 °F / 80 °C.
  • For PET typical HEAT time is 40 to 60 minutes at a drying temperature of 338 °F / 170 °C.

2 – Vacuum Chamber

• Hot material is released into the vacuum chamber, the amount monitored by load cells and adjusted automatically.
• DRY - The vacuum chamber is sealed and a high vacuum is applied to the hot material, dropping the boiling point of moisture to 133°F / 56°C.
• Vacuum is 56"Hg / 700 mmHg, typically for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the material, initial / target moisture and required throughput. 
• Vacuum only active usually 1-2 mins per cycle - minimal energy. 

3 – Retention Hopper

• The retention hopper is mounted on load cells monitoring materials usage live.
• Live usage data indicates when to release material from the vacuum chamber, adjusting material in process automatically. 
• Optional dry air purge - only for very hygroscopic materials.

ULTRA Control

The ULTRA Dryer has a choice of two control types - standard or touchscreen.

Standard / Touchscreen 

• Easy set up and operation of dryer.
• Monitoring and logging of multiple alarm conditions.
• Simple export function & software update.

Touchscreen

• Easy operator visualization in one screen. 
• Integrated FlexBus Lite materials conveying control.

ULTRA Control - Multiple Features and Functions

Auto Stop Feature - Simple cleaning / Shutdown
Load cell data allows an Auto Stop time to be set. The dryer finishes at the time set with no material left inside - this allows quick cleaning and startup of new materials.

Dynamic Drying Feature - Efficient Drying
Load cell data automatically adjusts drying rate to process rate - only dries what's required, minimizing kW per lb / kilo.

Auto Start Feature - Simplify Startup
Another standard feature that allows material to be scheduled and ready without operator intervention. 

ULTRA Green - Reduced Environmental Impact

ULTRA's unique design and method of drying by vacuum means the Maguire ULTRA dryer dramatically reduces energy usage. 

This energy reduction significantly improves sustainability by reducing a processors Global Warming Potential (GWP).

On a process running 220 lbs/hr (100 kg/hr) an ULTRA dryer provides savings of 54,120 kW a year*. Year on year.

Carbon Sequestered By*

*US Government Source - EPA

Carbon Footprint Savings - Example

*Energy savings vs. old dryer made on recent comparisons. **Carbon data source - Carbon Trust - Industrial energy