ABC Paper, a division of Amrit Banaspati Co. Ltd. Sailakhurd, Punjab, (108 km from Chandigarh), is one of the largest wood-free paper plants. They use only agro-wastes like wheat, rice straw, kana grass, etc., to manufacture fine quality printing and writing paper. Despite their eco-friendly practices, the plant faced challenges with corrosion caused by harmful gases generated during the production processes. ABC Paper is the leader in the cream-wove paper segment in the agro-based industry.
The Problem :
The server in the administrative block was regularly breaking down causing productive losses.
The Cause :
Cocktail of corrosive gases in the Environment !
The Source :
- The open Tank: where the waste liquids from process was being mixed with urea to neutralize the toxic waste. This, however, resulted in Ammonia formation harmful to electronic equipment like servers.
- The process itself: The process of pulping, pressing, bleaching uses a variety of corrosive chemicals like chlorine, etc.
- Corrosive by products (gases) like H2S, SO2, etc. are generated by the various processes.
As a result the server failed every 20-27 days !!
Bry-Air Airgineers helped ABC to solve the problem with EcoScrub inside.
The Airgineers from Bry-Air did a thorough environment check at ABC Paper with a sophisticated ECM (Environment Control Monitor) in the server room.
(ECM is a device used to determine the overall corrosive environment before control measures are implemented and which show results instantly as per the ISA standard S71.04-1985, which defines an environment as G1,G2, G3, & Gx based on corrosion severity level).
Once the corrosion levelwas determined, the Airgineers suggested installation of a Bry-Air EcoScrub Air & Gas Purification System (dry scrubber deep bed) BPU-Dmodel outside the server room for pressurization.
The server room is now pressurized with dust and corrosive gas free air. Thus, infiltration of corrosive gases like H3S, CL3, NH3, SO3, NOx, etc. and dust is contained.
This ensures that the environment is maintained as per ISA71.04 but also removes odour from the server room.
The monitoring program ensures G1 level all the times as per Instrument Society of America standard 71.04.
The deep bed BPU-D model units areself-contained units incorporating all particulate filters, chemical filters and supply fan. The unit sucks the outside air where dust is removed with the help of particulate filters and various other gases are removed with the help of dry Brysorb special chemical filters.
When Moisture is Torture!
In this column, we will share with you regularly our experience on major application areas where usage of dehumidification is both extensive and essential.
Don’t let Moisture chip your Chip !
Semiconductors . . . microcircuits and microchips-manufacturing require very precise conditions to be maintained in the manufacturing/processing area. Components used in assembly/processing of semiconductors are generally hygroscopic and thus highly susceptible to high humidity conditions. High humidity conditions cause operational failure of chips, improper adhesion, corrosion in circuit points and many other problems.
Humidity Control . . . An Important Variable
Humidity Control is necessary to :
- Prevent corrosion of ‘Circuit Points’.
- Prevent condensa-tion on microchipscircuit surface.
- Protect equipment.
- Better adhesion of photo-resists.
Thus, humidity control becomes a must in :
Assembly Area
In the production of semiconductors and integrated circuits, excessive moisture adversely affects the bonding process and increases defects.
Photosensitive polymer compounds called photo-resists are used to mask circuit lines for etching process.
Due to their hygroscopic nature, they absorb moisture resulting in the microscopic circuit lines being cut or bridged, leading to circuit failure.
Wafer Fabrication Area
During Wafer manufacture, the spinners spray developer on the wafer surface, causing the solvent present on the wafer to evaporate rapidly, thereby cooling the wafer surface. This results in condensation of water vapour from the air on the wafer surface. This extra water on the wafer causes characteristics of the developer to change.
The resist also absorbs the moisture causing the polymer to swell. Controlling relative humidity at 30% eliminates the possibility of the cooling the wafer surface lower than the dewpoint of the air surrounding the wafer surface, thus preventing failure and spoilage.
Photo-lithography Room
Conditions in photo-lithography room needs to be maintained between 20% to 35% RH at about 70°F. Excessive moisture causes the silica to absorb moisture, resulting in improper adhesion of photo-resist leading to stress-fracture and surface defects.
Faster Vacuum Pump Down
If humidity levels are high, operation of vacuum equipment like cryopump is slowed down due to large load of water vapour. If the RH levels can be maintained around 30%-35% then the moisture loads on pump is reduced considerably resulting in increased batch processing speed.
For Protection of EPI Equipment
Water vapour or moisture condenses on chilled surface of epitaxial equipment causes corroding of components resulting in operation failure and slowdown of the process.
Bry-Air’s Dehumidifiers can effectively maintain the most stringent humidity conditions required for semiconductor manufacturing areas.
Bry-Air’s chemical dehumidifiers move moisture from the air through a process of continuous physical adsorption, thus maintaining the humidity at required levels.
The Choice of Desiccant Dehumidification . . . . Worldwide
Bry-Air offers wide range of desiccant dehumidifiers to meet the exacting humidity and environmental control needs of the industry.
For over 40 years, Bry-Air hasbeen providing solutions to humidity and moisture problems to almost every industry worldwide.
Infact Bry-Air Dehumidifiers touch every aspect of our lives round the clock.
The FFB Series, CE certified Compact “no space” dehumidifier is ideal for small facilities. It can be installed as a standal one unit or in conjunction with an air conditioner.
The FLi Series – Desiccant Dehumidifiers are designed for more demanding applications. It can be easily packaged with Pre-filter, After-filter, Pre-cooling (Fresh Air Cooling) and Bypass Arrangement for complete air handling and environment control needs are customized to handle large quantity of air and provide precise environ-mental control for the toughest applications. They are designed to ensure that they produce a specific amount of dry air at a temperature and dewpoint as required.
The FLB Series Dehumidifiers
These are customized to handle large quantity of air and provide precise environ-mental control for the toughest applications. They are designed to ensure that they produce a specific amount of dry air at a temperature and dewpoint as required.
