Kansas City Deaerator, Inc.

What Kansas City Deaerator, Inc. does

Kansas City Deaerator, Inc. is a privately held specialty manufacturer founded in 1989 and headquartered in Stilwell, Kansas (Kansas City metro area). The company designs and fabricates custom deaerators used to remove dissolved oxygen and other non-condensable gases from boiler feedwater, primarily serving power generation, petrochemical, and industrial steam-system customers. Its product portfolio comprises two principal families: tray-type deaerators (models VT, TC, BDS, HH, and DS) and spray-type deaerators (models VS and HS), with custom-engineered units rated up to 16,000,000 pounds per hour. The company's counterflow tray design is the only configuration approved under the HEI (Heat Exchange Institute) Deaerator Section standard, in whose reinstatement it was a founding member in 1990.

The business operates a project-based, quote-driven model targeting large utility and industrial clients, frequently specified through major EPC engineering firms such as Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Bechtel, Fluor, and Siemens. End-user customers include GE, Consolidated Edison, Dow, Union Carbide, Calpine, Hitachi, Chiyoda, Kawasaki, Raytheon, and others. A notable adjacent revenue stream is the supply of replacement parts and service for at least eight competing legacy brands (Chicago Heater, Graver, Ecodyne, Worthington, Sterling, US Filter, Permutit, and others), giving the company aftermarket access to the broader installed base. Manufacturing is executed through a global fabrication network spanning the United States, Southeast Asia, India, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and Korea.

Name

Kansas City Deaerator, Inc.

Legal name

Kansas City Deaerator Company

Website

https://deaerator.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stilwell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Deaerator Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of complete deaerator systems including tray deaerators (Vertical Tray, Tank Car, Double Shell, Horizontal Heater) and spray deaerators (Vertical Spray, Horizontal Spray) in various sizes from small to large capacity units up to 16,000,000 #/hr.
2. Replacement Parts: Sale of replacement trays and spray valves for their own equipment and compatible with competitor equipment including Chicago Heater, Graver, Ecodyne, Worthington, Sterling, US Filter, Permutit, and many others.
3. Boiler Feed Systems: Boiler feed systems available in simplex, duplex, triplex or quadroplex configurations up to 125,000 square feet or 1,000 boiler horsepower.
4. Pump Packages: Standard flows up to 331 GPM, 165,000 #/hr per pump, with discharge pressure up to 750 feet. Includes continuous operation pumps with recirculation lines and control panels.
5. Deaerator Accessories: Relief valves, pressure gauges, thermometers, control valves, level switches, overflow valves, gauge glass, and other accessories to complete deaerator systems as turnkey solutions.
6. Ancillary Equipment: Intermittent blowdown flashtanks with aftercoolers and continuous blowdown with heat recovery systems.
7. Engineering and Design Services: Design deaerators and supply key drawings and components such as trays, spray valves, and inspections. Global fabrication capabilities with relationships to fabricate in SE Asia, India, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and Korea.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kansas City Deaerator designs and manufactures industrial deaerator systems for removing dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide from boiler feedwater. The product line includes tray deaerators (counterflow HEI-approved designs) and spray deaerators, ranging from small standard units up to custom units of 16,000,000 #/hr. Supporting products include pump packages, boiler feed systems, blowdown heat recovery equipment, deaerator accessories, and replacement trays and spray valves.

Product overview

Kansas City Deaerator Company manufactures industrial deaerators and related equipment for boiler feedwater systems. The product portfolio includes two main deaerator types: Tray Deaerators (VT, TC, BDS, HH, DS models) and Spray Deaerators (VS, HS models), ranging from small 4,000 #/HR units to large custom units up to 16,000,000 #/HR. Tray deaerators are counterflow designs approved by the Heat Exchange Institute (HEI), offering 0-100% turndown and 20-40 year lifespans, while spray deaerators provide a lower-cost alternative with 10-20% minimum turndown. Supporting products include Pump Packages, Deaerator Accessories (relief valves, gauges, controls), and Ancillary Equipment (IB intermittent blowdown, CBHR continuous blowdown heat recovery, BFS boiler feed systems). The company also supplies replacement trays and spray valves compatible with competitor deaerator brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VT - Vertical Tray Deaerator Single vertical tank tray deaerator with integral storage. Standard capacity up to 200,000 #/HR; custom units up to 800,000 #/HR. Meets HEI requirements with minimal plan area and maximum turndown. For utilities, power plants, and industrial boiler feedwater applications.
• TC - Tank Car Tray Deaerator Two-tank welded design with vertical counterflow tray heater welded directly to horizontal storage. For small units from 0 #/hr up to 250,000 #/hr with 10 to 15 minutes of storage. For industrial and commercial boiler feedwater applications.
• BDS - Bolted Double Shell Tray Deaerator Bolted vertical heater with horizontal storage design for easier transport and installation. Capacity up to 200,000 #/HR standard; custom units up to 250,000 #/HR. Can be designed to HEI requirements. For industrial customers with site logistics constraints.
• VS - Vertical Spray Deaerator Single vertical tank spray deaerator with low cost and small footprint. Capacities up to 260,000 #/hr with pre-engineered units, custom units up to 800,000 #/hr. Two-stage deaeration with spray valves and scrubber section. For budget-sensitive industrial boiler feedwater applications.
• HS - Horizontal Spray Deaerator Single horizontal tank spray deaerator with 10-minute storage. Capacities up to 350,000 #/hr pre-engineered, custom units up to 2,000,000 #/HR. Low profile for restrictive headroom requirements. For industrial sites with headroom constraints.
• HH - Horizontal Heater Tray Deaerator Horizontal counterflow tray heater on horizontal storage. Custom units from 800,000 #/hr to 16,000,000 #/hr with larger storage volumes. Designed to HEI requirements for utilities and central stations. For the largest utility and central station applications.
• DS - Double Shell Tray Deaerator Vertical counterflow tray heater supported on horizontal storage. Custom units from 250,000 #/hr to 800,000 #/hr with 10-15 minutes storage. Two-tank design for applications under 1,000,000 #/HR. For utility and industrial applications requiring moderate-to-large capacity.
• BFS - Boiler Feed Systems Complete boiler feed systems available in simplex, duplex, triplex or quadroplex configurations up to 125,000 square feet or 1,000 boiler horsepower. Includes receivers up to 1,000 gallons with custom sizes available. For turnkey boiler feedwater delivery packages.
• Pump Package Skid-mounted pump packages with standard flows up to 331 GPM, 165,000 #/hr per pump, and discharge pressure up to 750 feet. Available in simplex, duplex, or triplex configurations with integral ASME compliance. For boiler feedwater pumping in support of deaerator systems.
• IB - Intermittent Blowdown with Aftercooler Intermittent blowdown flash tank with aftercooler for boiler blowdown cooling. Stainless steel wear plate and temperature regulating valve. Sizes from 6,444 to 122,550 #/hr blowdown capacity. For boiler blowdown handling in industrial steam plants.
• CBHR - Continuous Blowdown Heat Recovery Continuous blowdown flash economizer with spiral coil heat exchanger for recovering heat from boiler blowdown. Provides cooled blowdown to drain and preheated boiler make-up water. For boiler plants seeking heat recovery from continuous blowdown.
• Replacement Trays and Spray Valves Replacement deaerator trays and spray valves compatible with most deaerator manufacturers including Chicago Heater, Graver, Ecodyne, Worthington, US Filter, Sterling, Permutit, and others. 430 SS trays and 316 SS spray valves per HEI standards. For owners of KCD and competitor deaerators needing replacement components.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oxygen removal to 0.005 cc/liter (7 ppb) per HEI standards
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Heat Exchange Institute (HEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas City Deaerator was one of three founding members who reinstated the HEI for deaerators in 1990. Original members were Kansas City Deaerator Company, Permutit, and Stickle Steam. Mike Koontz has been the longest member serving in multiple leadership positions including Vice President and President of the deaerator section and Vice President and President of the General Membership. KCD has been instrumental in writing a majority of the current HEI specification for deaerators over the last 30 years.
• American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA)minorOthersPast member of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association.
• ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDave Stewart serves on the ASME pressure vessel committee and has served for over 10 years. His experience helps KCD stay in touch with updated ASME vessel requirements as well as suggesting improvements to the ASME specification.
• EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas City Deaerator has written papers for EPRI on deaerator maintenance repairs and design to reduce or eliminate Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) in Deaerators, and for deaerator testing.
• ASTM PTC 12.3 DeaeratorsmoderateOthersPast member of the ASTM PTC 12.3 Performance Test Code for Deaerators. KCD keeps updated to date on this performance test code.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cleaver-Brooks: Cleaver-Brooks is one of the largest North American manufacturers of industrial and commercial boilers and bundles deaerators, boiler feed systems, and blowdown heat recovery as part of its integrated boiler room product line. It directly competes with KCD on packaged deaerator systems sold through engineering firms to the same utility, petrochemical, and pulp and paper customer base.
• Newterra: Newterra manufactures deaerators and industrial water treatment equipment and is explicitly listed by KCD as a competitor whose installed units KCD's replacement trays and spray valves can service. It sells to overlapping industrial and utility customers with a comparable specialty-equipment, engineered-solution model.
• Graver Water (Veolia): Graver (now part of Veolia) is a legacy industrial water and deaerator manufacturer explicitly named by KCD as a competitor whose installed equipment KCD services. It targets the same utility, refinery, and industrial steam-feedwater market with comparable tray and spray designs.
• Fulton Boiler Works: Fulton is a long-established industrial boiler manufacturer that sells deaerators and boiler-feed systems alongside its boilers. It targets overlapping commercial and industrial customers through a similar engineered-equipment model and competes for the same boiler-room specification budgets.
• Stickle Steam Specialties: Stickle Steam was the third co-founding member (with KCD and Permutit) that reinstated the Heat Exchange Institute for deaerators in 1990. It remains a specialty manufacturer of steam equipment serving overlapping utility and industrial customers.
• Crane Company (Cochrane): Crane's Cochrane brand is a legacy supplier of deaerators and boiler feedwater treatment equipment and is listed by KCD as a competitor whose installed units KCD's replacement parts fit. It serves overlapping power, refinery, and industrial customers with similar engineered equipment.
• Ecodyne (Veolia): Ecodyne is a legacy industrial water-treatment equipment manufacturer named by KCD as a competitor whose installed equipment KCD services. It offers deaerators and related boiler-feedwater equipment to the same utility and industrial customer base.
• Flowserve (Worthington): Flowserve owns the Worthington brand, explicitly listed by KCD as a competitor for replacement-parts compatibility. While better known for pumps, Worthington has historical presence in industrial deaerator and boiler-feed equipment serving similar power and process-industry customers.
• Permutit (Veolia Water Technologies): Permutit was a co-founding member of the Heat Exchange Institute for deaerators alongside KCD in 1990 and is named by KCD as a manufacturer whose installed units KCD services with replacement parts. Under Veolia it remains a major industrial water and steam-treatment equipment supplier to overlapping customers.

Broad incumbents

• Spirax Sarco: Spirax Sarco is a global steam engineering specialist offering steam traps, boilers, and a wide range of steam-system optimization equipment, including deaerators. It competes for the same steam-system efficiency and reliability wallet but as part of a much broader portfolio rather than as a deaerator specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kansas City Deaerator, Inc.