Plant Works & Engineering March 2022

Energy & Environmental Management Focus on: Boilers, Burners & Controls chance of damage from issues like waterhammer and corrosion. Steam traps remove the condensate as it forms, keeping better quality steam in the system and protecting pipework and equipment from erosion and corrosion. Effective steam trap management in practice The stats really do speak for themselves. Take this example of an oil refinery who wanted to reduce their overall energy costs, carbon output, improve safety and production performance. Spirax Sarco engineers carried out a turnkey project involving a wide-ranging steam trap and energy audit of the site. The audit identified 20% of the steam trap population had failed leading to significant energy losses. Through the installation of new steam traps, the oil refinery achieved energy savings of £100,000 within 12 months with a payback period of 16 months. The Heinz factory in Wigan produces canned soups, baked beans, pasta and puddings for the UK and European market, and its on-site energy centre generates up to 140 tonnes of steam per hour to keep the canning lines running. In order to reduce carbon emissions and save energy, Heinz worked with Spirax Sarco to implement a steam trap management programme at the Wigan site following the success of a previous, one-off steam trap survey, which saved enough energy and treated water to pay for itself in less than nine months. Spirax Sarco engineers surveyed the site every six months; checking, tagging and recording the condition of each steam trap. “When Spirax Sarco carried out the original survey they put in a conservative estimate of savings and we ended up saving much more,” says Barry Aspey, the Utilities Manager for Heinz. “That helped us decide to opt for the three- year programme. If the new savings estimates are correct, the programme offers excellent value for money and should help us achieve a 4% reduction in energy consumption and reduce our carbon emissions by 200 tonnes a year.” Could you be achieving similar results? The first step on the road to a greener future is to ensure all systems are working correctly and fully optimised – often the quickest wins too. Join us on Facebook Plant &Works Engineering Follow us on LinkedIn Plant &Works Engineering Followus on Twitter @PWEmagazine1 @PlantAssetMgt For the latest news visit the PWE website www.pwemag.co.uk Find out the latest on Plant &Asset Management 2022 PWE Plant & Works Engineering Plant & Asset Management 2022