Zeeco (Broken Arrow, Okla.) has launched the Advanced Research Complex (ARC), the newest addition to its Global Technology Center (GTC), in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The GTC is also home to the world’s largest industrial-scale combustion research and test facility. Company leaders say the ARC concept was designed to provide heavy industries with multiple fully equipped pad sites ready for the design, development, and testing of new combustion and pollution control technologies.
“The ARC is a prime example of Zeeco’s commitment to continuous innovation. We provide customers with a safe, secure, efficient, and cost-effective path to develop new technologies that can be deployed in the field. I am excited to be leading the ARC for Zeeco,” Rayford Forest, Manager of the ARC, said.
ARC clients work with Zeeco engineers and combustion experts and have access to Zeeco’s existing utility infrastructure, project management, and manufacturing capabilities. The ARC is designed to accelerate innovation by combining necessary infrastructure with expertise and real-world testing capabilities.
Initial design, development, and testing can be done through Zeeco’s world-class test facility. ARC partners have access to flaring platforms, multiple test furnaces, fuel blending tanks, and manufacturing facilities that are ISO-certified for making quick equipment modifications or supplying specialty materials for projects of all sizes.
Industrial-scale pilot plants are a necessary, though often cost-prohibitive, part of the design process for new technology before deployment to the field. The ARC provides the space and utilities for partners to quickly and cost-effectively build industrial-scale pilot plants for real-world testing.
“We know from our own experience and through many conversations with other organizations that assembling the critical components for innovating new technologies and services is a significant challenge. Over the years, Zeeco has positioned itself to be uniquely equipped to overcome those challenges, and the ARC is our solution to accelerate innovation for the industries we serve,” Darton Zink, President and CEO of Zeeco, said.
The ARC’s Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Operation (EPCO) capabilities allow ARC clients to quickly turn their concept into a fully functional and staffed pilot plant. Engineering resources include plant layout, process design, buildings/structures, instruments/automation, and more. ARC clients will also have access to computational fluid dynamics and real-time data collection.
Construction of the first ARC pilot plant is complete, and discussions are underway with additional users to bring more pilot plants online.