Flameless Catalytic Infrared Energy (FCIR) is
generated by catalyzing natural gas or propane
with a proprietary enhanced platinum catalyst. 
 
Natural gas, when combined with air across the platinum catalyst, reacts by oxidation-reduction to yield a controlled bandwidth of infrared energy and small amounts of CO2 and water vapor.  The key to this process is that the bulk of the radiant energy bandwidth generated is in the “far infrared” range, with wavelengths of 3 to 7 microns. 

Heating and Evaporization

Water readily absorbs infrared radiant energy at 3, 4.5 and 6 microns wavelength.  The energy delivered by CDT’s flameless catalytic infrared system perfectly targets the moisture in the substrate.

Gone are the detrimental effects of convection heating (skinning over, high air velocities, high heat differentials in the product).  Gone are the moisture gradients and slow drying times associated with conduction heating.  The more moisture at a point in the product, the greater the absorption of infrared energy.  This reduces stresses and improves both drying times and drying uniformity.

Highly efficient and tightly-controlled infrared radiant energy is delivered to the product as it travels along a purpose-built conveyor engineered to uniformly expose the product to the radiant energy.

Equipment costs are on a par with conventional heating systems.   However, since drying / heating times can be greatly reduced using flameless catalytic infrared energy, smaller equipment or more throughput (or both) often result from using a CDT catalytic infrared system.