Nalco ACT Advanced Condensate

Treatment improves safety, results at

Danish Creamery

Situation

Performance

Inhibiting condensate system corrosion

in a dairy presents challenges not found
in any other industry. Prohibited by law
from using filming and neutralizing
amines, dairies have only two options:
replace piping with corrosion-resistant
materials or use aqueous ammonia. Its a
difficult choice. Stainless steel piping is
expensive and ammonia is a poor
corrosion inhibitor. Danish Creamery,
Fresno, CA chose ammonia. The plant
was getting marginal results, according
to Nalcos on-site expert, Jerry Johnson.
And the plant personnel hated the odor
and hazards of the ammonia. Clearly, an
alternative was needed.

By passing a liter of water through a

0.45 filter pad and comparing the
pad to a set of standards, the amount
of iron present in the sample can be
determined. Jerry collected samples
before starting the NALCO ACT
program and then tracked the
improvement. The dramatic results
are shown at left.

Jerry understood his customers need

for a technically viable, safe alternative to
ammonia, but, until recently, no chemical
corrosion inhibitor was considered by
the federal government to be safe
enough for contact with milk or milk
products.

Return on Investment

All that changed with the introduction

of Nalcos Advanced Condensate Treatment
(NALCO ACT). Approved for use in
the preparation of steam that will
contact food under 21 CFR 173.310
Boiler Water Additives the program
met the customers regulatory needs.
Made from emulsifiers commonly used
in the food industry, it was easy for Jerry
to demonstrate how safe the product
would be to use. Feed was started in July.

After a month of NALCO ACT

use, Danish Creamery has reduced
condensate iron to almost nondetectable levels, improved workplace
safety and met every regulatory need.

Advanced Condensate Treatment

provided Danish Creamery with
regulatory, safety, technical and
economic benefits not provided by
their prior treatment aqueous
ammonia. Ammonia can be a troublesome material to handle. If it spills, it
is a hazardous waste that must be
disposed of in accordance with local
regulations. NALCO ACT is not
hazardous. If a spill occurs, cleanup is
safe and easy.

(Continued on Reverse Side)

After only one week using

NALCO ACT, condensate iron at
Danish Creamery dropped to
less than 10 ppb.

Case Study CH-439

Jerry estimated that one spill of the

ammonia product would cost $2,250
to clean up. A similar spill of NALCO
ACT would cost nothing. The Advanced Condensate Treatment was
slightly more expensive $665 for
one refill of ammonia, $1,323 for the
equivalent quantity of NALCO ACT,
for an incremental increase of $658.
But the Return on Investment (ROI)
was easy to see:
ROI =
Incremental Incremental

Savings
Investment

x 100

Incremental Investment
ROI = $2250 $658 x 100
$658
ROI = 242%

NALCO ACT is so safe, its in stuff you

eat. Its components are commonly
used in cake frostings, ice cream treats
and pie fillings. It is not hazardous in
any way. Jerry and his customer
reviewed the reduced risk of a
Workmans Compensation claim made
possible by NALCO ACT. If an
employee was splashed with ammonia
and lost sight in one eye, he would be
entitled to 2/3 of his weekly wages for
the time he was off work, payment of
his medical bills and a lump sum
payment not to exceed $21,420.
Conservatively, the total incremental
savings from avoiding one incident like
this could be $34,820. The annual use
cost difference between ammonia and
NALCO ACT represented about
$500. Again, the economic benefits of
an Advanced Condensate Treatment
program are clear.

ROI =
Incremental Incremental

Savings
Investment

x 100

Incremental Investment
ROI = $34,820 $500 x 100
$500
ROI = 6864%
The regulatory, safety, technical and
economic benefits of an Advanced
Condensate Treatment program were
clear to Danish Creamery. The facility
now has lower corrosion rates, a safer
workplace and a tool to improve
overall profitability.

Danish Creamery also improved plant

safety. Ammonia, according to the
Centers for Disease Controls Pocket
Guide to Chemical Hazards, is immediately dangerous to life and health at a
concentration of 300 ppm in air. It can
also cause irritated eyes, nose and
throat; breathing difficulty; bronchospasm; chest pain; pulmonary edema;
skin burns and, in liquid form, frostbite.

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