![]() |
Best Practice Guide |
|
Food and Beverage Growers and Processors |
||
![]() |
SteamProper MaintenanceInsulation
Insulating pipes and equipment is a low-cost method to improve the efficiency of a steam system. Check at least every five years to repair or replace deteriorated insulation. Be careful of wet insulation, particularly after rain, since it loses its insulating value and speeds deterioration, which can lead to a 5 to 10 percent loss in system capacity. Besides pipes, insulation is recommended for equipment such as boilers, furnaces, deaerators, all lines, turbines, valves, flanges, fittings, and controls. Steam Trap Management
A steam trap is a valve installed in steam distribution piping that bleeds off condensate and non-condensable gases without letting live steam escape. Removing condensate helps maintain the quality and quantity of "dry" steam and reduces equipment wear from saturated steam. Steam traps are installed wherever end-use equipment connects to distribution pipes, or along long stretches of pipes. Although a steam trap is physically a small piece in any boiler-steam system, its impact is significant. Even a small leak can cost thousands of dollars each year in wasted fuel. It is common to find 15 to 20 percent of steam traps within a facility in need of repair. Steam traps can either fail open or fail closed. If failed open, steam leaks from the system, wasting fuel and energy and reducing the amount of steam available to end-use applications by as much as five percent. A failed open steam trap can lose between 50 to 100 lb of steam per hour. If failed shut, on the other hand, condensate builds-up and reduces system capacity. More important is "water hammer," a problem in which condensate moving through distribution pipes causes damage as it "hammers" into curves, protrusions, and corners. Fortunately, these loses can largely be prevented through routine annual maintenance of steam traps. Five useful steps in a steam trap maintenance program are:
Other Steam Leaks
Leaks may occur at other places along steam distribution piping, so periodic examination of pipes is a good idea. Often, leaks have an audible noise and can be visually identified. Install and Monitor Flow Meters Business ExamplesSteam is used widely throughout both facilities owned and operated by S. Martinelli & Company, and is the primary source of process heat for pasteurization. Martinelli's insulated nearly all steam lines (none were running through refrigerated areas) so that the system's thermal energy could be better conserved. Besides saving energy from operating the steam system, this measure reduces the amount of heat inadvertently released to interior spaces. Resources U.S. Department of Energy, Best Practices Steam program: 3E Plus - a software program to optimize the installed thickness of mechanical insulation. Helps the user determine fuel savings and emissions reductions under varying operating conditions. Ensuring Energy Efficiency Through Effective Monitoring of Steam. Solartron Mobrey Ltd. Reproduced by Energy Solutions Center, Inc., Boiler Burner Consortium. Yoder, Jesse L., Ph.D. Using Meters to Measure Steam Flow. Plant Engineering Magazine, April 1998. Reproduced by Flow Research, Inc. |