With Conair’s upgraded GasTrac™ process air heaters, plastics processors can replace electricity with natural gas as a heat source for dehumidifying dryers and realize energy cost savings of up to 70%. Available in three sizes (350,000, 500,000 and 700,000 BTUH input), GasTrac heaters can be paired with Conair Carousel Plus™ central drying systems or used to retrofit a wide range of existing electrically heated dryers.
Upgrades to the heaters include a new 4-inch color touchscreen HMI, linked to an advanced control system that enables users to operate and monitor both burner and process controls without opening the GasTrac enclosure. The new control package automatically interprets and displays all operating, alarm, and warning information in plain text, eliminating the need for error-code lookups and making this gas-fired process heater as easy to operate as an electric unit.
When GasTrac units are used to provide process heat for Conair Carousel Plus central dryers, the new control package makes integration seamless, says A.J. Zambanini, Conair’s Drying Products Manager. “When you connect a GasTrac unit to a large central dryer equipped with a Premium control, you can manage the GasTrac heater in three different ways: Locally through the integrated HMI, through the HMI on the dryer, or remotely using Conair’s SmartServices™ cloud-based monitoring and control system. Any of these methods enable you to control drying temperatures, watch energy usage or trend data, set automatic starts and stops, monitor alarms or manage equipment maintenance information.”
Engineered for efficiency and durability, all GasTrac heaters are built around a ceramic gas burner with a variable frequency blower drive that precisely regulates combustion air flow to minimize emissions and boost fuel efficiency above 85%. A stainless-steel heat exchanger isolates process air flow from combustion gases, assuring a continuous, contamination-free flow of drying air. GasTrac process heaters meet or exceed key industry requirements, including UL, AGA, CGA, FM, NFPA, and IAS.