July 10, 2018
EmeraChem acquisition fuels launch of new products
MIRATECH seems to have a thing for its competitors. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based emission and acoustical products provider tends to share the marketplace with similar companies at first, but as the years rolls by, those competitors end up under the MIRATECH umbrella according to a July 2018 Product Focus article in Compressor Tech Two Magazine.
In October 2017, MIRATECH added EmeraChem, a custom catalyst manufacturer, to its portfolio, a move that has allowed the company to bring a new set of catalyst products to the energy infrastructure industry.
MEC/MEC Beast (MEC-B) Catalysts
Those products include the MeC and MeC-Beast (Mec-B) oxidation catalyst line, which combines MIRATECH turbulent foil technology with EmeraChem’s nano surface technologies and precious metal formulations. The MeC and MeC-B catalysts replace all the legacy offerings from both companies, said David Zenthoefer, MIRATECH’s CEO.
“The product line takes the best of both worlds,” he said. “We don’t want people to think that MIRATECH bought EmeraChem and its all the same products as before. These are new products with better performance and better warranties.”
MIRATECH’s turbulent foil technology consists of zones within the catalyst that create turbulence in the exhaust stream. The turbulence causes the pollutants in the exhaust, such as NOx, carbon monoxide, VOCs and formaldehyde, to make constant and repeated contact with the catalyst’s precious metals. The reactions between the metals and the pollutants makes for a much cleaner exhaust stream than traditional catalysts, Zenthoefer said.
MIRATECH turbulent foil technology
Before the acquisition, MIRATECH had the turbulent foils, but not the EmeraChem’s surface technology and metals. MIRATECH’s engine emissions control systems used catalysts specified by MIRATECH engineers but manufactured by other companies. These catalysts incorporated Vortex and NEXT substrates, which adding in the efficiency of the catalyst.
EmeraChem’s surface technologies and metal formulations created similar efficiency improvements as the MIRATECH technology but created less backpressure for the engine.
Combined, the two companies have developed a catalyst product that can produce even better efficiency rates, Zenthoefer said. The MeC and MeC-B catalysts are built on a turbulent substrate, which increases surface area and performance without increasing backpressure. The catalysts feature resistance welding and mechanical locking of flat to corrugated layers, and diffusion bonding. Round elements also weld every layer of foil to the core. Catalytic coatings and have the equivalent of 55 football fields of catalytic surface area in every cubic foot. That means the exhaust pollutants aren’t passing through the catalysts or skimming across the top. Instead, they seep into the wash coat, Zenthoefer said.
“We made a change to our legacy products, but we are offering an enhanced product offering,” he said. “We are bringing better value to the marketplace.”
The MeC and MeC-B catalysts are designed for rich and lean-burn four-stroke natural gas engines. The MeC catalyst carries a one-year full performance warranty, while the MeC-B line extends that warranty period to three years.
Other benefits with the new product line include a thermally stabilized wash coat that provides greater resistance to sintering during prolonged operation at high temperatures; a higher tolerance to contaminants found in engine exhaust, lube oil and coolants; and an advanced form of Rh platinum that improves service life and regenerative responsiveness to catalyst washes.
“We made the acquisition for further vertical integration and market expansion,” Zenthoefer said. “This is our fourth acquisition in the last four years.”
Prior to EmeraChem, MIRATECH bought Vaporphase, a supplier of heat recovery systems for reciprocating engines in the United States, in November 2016. Before that, MIRATECH obtained EM and Cowl, both of which specialized in manufacturing silencers.
With its most recent acquisition, MIRATECH also obtained EmeraChem’s catalyst service centers in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Those service centers include the Multi-Lambda Catalyst Testing System (MLCTS), which analyzes catalysts to ensure proper function post chemical wash (see COMPRESSORtech2, November 2016, p. 34). Washing stations, as well as precious metal reclaim services, are also part of MIRATECH’s latest offerings.
Even though the natural gas marketplace has a major presence in the United States, Zenthoefer isn’t limiting MIRATECH’s reach with its newest catalyst offerings. The company plans to tap into the industry across the globe, especially because MIRATECH has steel manufacturing operations in Chile, Poland and China.
“We can work with any gas engine and provide what its needs,” he said. “We can supply and build it all.”
The new catalysts, Zenthoefer said, are just the beginning. He anticipates many more offerings to come going forward.“
We’re just coming out of the first quarter of a football game,” Zenthoefer said. “We’re ready to push the accelerator down.
“Everything else builds on this,” he said. “This is exciting because it will be fast and furious from here.”