Plant Works & Engineering March 2022

36 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk March 2022 Energy & Environmental Management Focus on: Boilers, Burners & Controls S team is an inherently natural medium and is something familiar that we can all understand on its simplest level – it is just the boiling of water, but with some totally unique properties. This is why it has been adopted as the preferred method of delivering thermal energy and motive energy throughout our industrial history. Distributing steam around a system, a building or a process can be done safe in the knowledge that is just water in its gaseous state, but with far higher thermal qualities. As technology advances, through methods of Green Generation and Thermal Battery technology, steam will continue to become increasingly sustainable, to capitalise on renewable sources and optimised through digital advances. Steam is a long and well-proven source of energy used across a wide range of applications and sectors including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, food and drink. As businesses rise to an increasingly complex set of energy and sustainability challenges, the need for sustainable solutions is greater than ever. Understand the starting point for your plant There should be ongoing activities to look at how steam systems are currently operating and to make sure they are operating effectively and efficiently. Even when considering significant plant changes to address sustainability and energy, it is important to understand the starting point for your plant, the base-line energy consumption. Optimising the efficiency of your steam system could be easier than expected. There are several ways in which optimisation can be realised: Achieving demand reduction through improved plant management & preventative maintenance Adopting steam system best practice to minimise plant consumption Addressing areas of energy loss by implementing heat recovery systems & techniques Maintaining steam quality to maximise process effectiveness Measurement of utilities to trend and optimise performance But where to start? A good place to start is to take a look at your steam trap population, which is the most important link in the steam and condensate loop. We know that removing condensate and air from your steam system is essential whilst returning condensate to the boiler house maximises use of energy. A healthy steam trap population allows condensate to be removed from the steam system effectively meaning it can be re-used. Effective steam trapping through a management programme is a critical factor to ensuring a healthy steam trap population and can greatly contribute to lowering energy consumption, maintaining product quality and increasing productivity. A step in the right direction From trapping stations to specific trap devices, steam traps are considered to be one of the most effective resource-saving measures, so how can an effective steam trap management programme help you? There are four key benefits to consider: 1. Health and safety As with any utility in the plant, such as hot water or electricity, a steam system must be well managed to ensure safe operation. Correctly designed and operating steam trapping allows condensate to be effectively removed from the system, eliminating any potentially hazardous situations, such as pipe or component failure. 2. Productivity and process improvement Correctly functioning steam traps allow the steam system to deliver the thermal energy required for process applications to operate efficiently. Condensate in the steam supply can affect the operation of applications, causing issues such as slow start up times and poor heat transfer. Removing the condensate from the system allows the steam to perform its task effectively within the process. 3. Sustainable energy savings and reduced carbon emissions Condensate typically contains around 25% of the usable energy of the steam from which it came. Returning this to the boiler feed tank can save thousands of pounds per year in energy alone and reduces the requirement for fresh replacement water, whilst minimising the need for costly chemicals to treat raw water. Condensate removed from the steam system and returned to the feed tank also reduces the need for boiler blowdown, which is used to regulate the concentration of dissolved solids in the boiler. This therefore reduces the energy lost from the boiler during the blowdown process – all contributing towards your overall sustainability goals. 4. Lower cost of ownership Removing the unwanted condensate from the system ensures there is less On the road to a greener future Michael Hyde, Northern Europe Business Development Manager, Spirax Sarco, provides insight into what can be done today to optimise your steam system.