Univar Benelux helps Radson to develop a state of the art ecological solution in radiator testing

Rotterdam / Brussels / Zonhoven, 21 June, 2005 - Radson NV, a market leader in the production of domestic radiators, decorative radiators and floor heating systems, has developed a state of the art, ecological sound means of testing products in its manufacturing facility at the company headquarters in Zonhoven, Belgium. By using ultra-filtration (UF) technology from Orelis, in combination with SurTec 533, a low-nitrogen flash rust preventative supplied by Univar, Radson has dramatically reduced the consumption of chemicals and process water during product testing.

The testing comes into play at the end of four automatic welding lines, where radiators are tested for leaks before they pass to the degreasing, painting and finishing stages. This non-destructive testing is carried out by submerging the radiators in baths and pressurizing them with air. Any production flaw is revealed by bubbles escaping from the radiator being tested.

Soon after the test station was in operation, the company raised ecological concerns surrounding the amount of water consumed by the test bath, as well as the high nitrogen content of the original rust-preventing chemicals in the bath. Radson’s Zonhoven plant borders a 2,500 ha nature area, so it was of utmost importance that Radson meet the Flemish Ecological N3-norm as published in the Vlarem II codes for environmental impact.

“To reach this norm, two elements were critical for us,” states Herman Vermeulen, SHE Manager (safety, health and environment) at Radson. “We needed to reduce the amount of nitrogen used in the process and the total amount of water spent. Using Ultra-Filtration technology helped us to bring the consumption of water down from 386 liter per radiator to only 20 liter per radiator. Further, when Univar Benelux introduced SurTec 533 to us as a flash rust inhibitor, we were able to dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen consumed.”

“During the testing of the radiators, the process water becomes contaminated with weld residues, oil, greases and other production-related substances. All these elements are removed by the UF process. We can recover about 12,000 liters per hour of water and most of the SurTec 533. This offers two advantages; the small volume of waste water that remains contains only about 33% of the nitrogen of previous effluent. Further most of the SurTec can be recycled, so we need only add a relative small amount to make up for the spent, resulting in an appreciable cost saving.”

Radson’s water reduction programme was honoured by inclusion in a PRESTI-4 publication from the Flemish governmental body, OVAM (Openbare Afvalstoffenmaatschappij voor het Vlaamse Gewest, Flemish Community Public Waste Corporation) as a model for environmental management. In addition, the programme was a major factor in the ISO 14001 certification of Radson.

“At Radson we are an innovative and modern company,” says Mr. Vermeulen. “Since 1996 we have invested more than 70 million Euros in our Zonhoven plant, securing the jobs of more than 380 people. Of this investment, 10% went to our environmental program, using the BATNEEC approach. This has resulted in a highly sophisticated production site with four fully automated welding lines and a capacity of some 10,000 radiators per day.”

Mr. Vandroemme, Business Manager of Univar Benelux, who assisted Radson in developing the solution: “We knew we could meet Radson’s specifications with a SurTec formulation. It’s a highly ecological product line of water-borne solutions for treatment problems like degreasing and flash rust control. Working with the customer we selected SurTec 533. In addition to low nitrogen content, it’s compatible with the hoses and O-rings of the test equipment, and because it is non-abrasive, it doesn’t damage the membranes of the UF equipment.”

Mr. Vermeulen adds: ”We would never have met the ecological standards without UF techniques, so compatibility with the UF equipment is a major advantage of SurTec 533. Ultra-filtration allows us to work with a closed system. The filtratio

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