SubCom Submerged Combustion Industrial Liquid Heaters / Evaporators

SubCom systems have been used to heat:

• Copper heap leach raffinates and lixiviants
• Wastewater treatment ponds and process water at gold and uranium mines
• Biological cyanide destruction solutions for mine reclamation projects
• Brine solutions for potash,salt and iodine mines
• Iron ore concentrate slurries

SubCom systems are also effective for evaporating wastewater or concentrating solutions and capturing the evaporated clean water for reuse.
Some examples include:

• Evaporating produced water from natural gas & oil wells
• Concentrating copper sulphate and calcium chloride solution

Two, 93% efficient, 10MM BTU/h copper heap leach raffinate heating system at Cerro Colorado in Chile, 1995.	2 MM BTU/h Production Water Evaporator System used in Shale Gas & Tight Oil Industry
98% efficient, 130 MM BTU/h potash brine solution heating system at Potash Corp’s Patience Lake mine in Canada, 1990.  Photo from 2010.	95% efficient, 58 MM BTU/h iron ore concentrate slurry heating system at AHMSA in Mexico, 2010.

Technology

SubCom systems use submerged combustion technology to directly heat liquids. Specifically, the products of combustion are forced through the liquid-to-be-heated resulting in a very efficient transfer of heat energy. In fact, the heat transfer is so well controlled that once the exhaust gases emerge from the liquid they are very near the same temperature as the liquid itself, resulting in close to 100% thermal energy transfer. The following link will take you to the SubCom website and a brief 30 second video illustrating the elegant concept of a SubCom system.

Benefits

   Save on Fuel Costs

• 15% to 30% more fuel efficient than boilers resulting in an equivalent reduction in greenhouse gases. And the systems are as efficient on day 10,000 as they are on day one because there are no heat transfer surfaces to foul and reduce heat transfer efficiency.

• No pre-treatment of the solution is required because there are no heat transfer surfaces to plug or foul; the heat is conveyed via gas bubbles dispersed directly through the liquid-to-be-heated.

• No post-treatment of the solution is required because there is no dilution of the solution-to-be-heated; no new liquid is injected into the process, as there is with direct steam injection.

   Save on Maintenance Costs

• The systems are low maintenance because there
  are few wearable parts and there are no
  heat transfer surfaces to plug, foul or corrode.

   Save on Manpower Costs

• No operator certification is required because SubCom is not a pressure vessel, and the systems are simple, as the 30 second video illustrates.

   Be Safe

• SubCom systems are inherently safe because the combustion process is completely contained by inflammable liquid, and the exhaust gases exit at near
  ambient liquid temperature. Exhaust
  temperatures are typically 100°C to 150°C (200°F to 300°F)
  less than boiler systems.

Applications

SubCom systems have been used to heat:

• Copper heap leach raffinates and lixiviants
• Wastewater treatment ponds and process water at gold and uranium mines
• Biological cyanide destruction solutions for mine reclamation projects
• Brine solutions for potash,salt and iodine mines
• Iron ore concentrate slurries

SubCom systems are also effective for evaporating
wastewater or concentrating solutions and capturing
the evaporated clean water for reuse.
Some examples include:

• Evaporating produced water from natural gas & oil wells
• Concentrating copper sulphate and calcium chloride solution

Articles, Case Studies and Video

Learn more about the technology and its application by visiting our literature request page , or watch a technical presentation.

About Us

SubCom is a proprietary product of Inproheat Industries, a wholly owned company founded in 1958 to provide combustion solutions in combustion for heavy industry. SubCom has been helping mines around the world save money and time since 1972. That’s over 35 years of lab and field research and development experience that has resulted in a deep understanding of the mining sector’s operational processes, and specifically its heating and evaporation needs. We work consultatively with clients to ensure every SubCom system optimises heat use throughout the mineral processing train. SubCom systems are typically 95% to 99% efficient, long lasting (e.g. the first system from 1972 is still operating), and low maintenance.

If you are considering a boiler for your heating or evaporating needs consider SubCom and call us. We’d be happy to discuss your needs with you to see if SubCom makes sense for your operation.