The EPS Cells operating around the world and those currently being manufactured have all been ‘Version 2′ designs utilizing a total of 8 Slurry Turbines – two above the strip and two below. This design is highly versatile, accommodating coils or sheets from 900 mm (35 inches) to as wide as 2100 mm (82 inches). However, for processors who consistently specialize in more narrow strip products, the Version 2 cell configuration may be too much. That’s why we have developed EPS Cell Version 3 for narrow strip.
The Version 3 EPS Cell features a more narrow Turbine Chamber and half the number of Slurry Turbines – two above the strip and two below. It is designed to handle strip from 300 – 900 mm (12 to 35 inches) wide. In addition to the narrower stance and fewer turbines, this new design places the turbines at an angle to the strip so as to provide optimum exposure to the slurry blast streams for faster running speeds. Below is a short animation to depict how the Version 3 EPS Cell evolves from Version 2 (click on the animation to play it):
The precise designation of this narrower EPS Cell design is Version 3.2. That’s because it already incorporates the curved turbine blades and lowered Slurry Turbine position that defined Version 2.1 and produced a 100%+ increase in running speed, plus the additional enhancements of Version 2.2.
Though it has half the Slurry Turbines of the larger Version 2.2 Cell, this new Version 3.2 EPS Cell operates at 65% of the Version 2.2 line speed and costs 35% less. Version 3.2 also offers substantial savings in operating costs with reduced power requirements and grit consumption. The Version 3.2 Cell is now modeled in the EPS Operations Cost Calculator, so you can easily evaluate its economics.
All in all, EPS Cell Version 3.2 makes EPS economics very attractive to processors supplying narrower coils to automotive, tubing and other industries.