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Best Practice Guide |
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Food and Beverage Growers and Processors |
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SteamEnergy Use BasicsWhen thinking about steam systems used in industry and manufacturing, it is helpful to consider the different forms in which energy can take shape. Steam generated at a facility often takes several of these forms and is used in a variety of applications:
Besides this versatility in form and function, steam has a number of performance advantages, as described by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE):
Steam is water heated to its boiling point, becoming gaseous rather than liquid. There are three main types of steam: wet steam, saturated steam, and superheated steam. Wet steam has particles of condensed water droplets (condensate) within the water vapor. Saturated steam is steam at the temperature and pressure where all water becomes vapor; there are no water droplets. Superheated steam, also referred to as dry steam, is steam that has either been heated above the point of evaporation with pressure remaining the same, or steam at the temperature of evaporation with reduced pressure; the result is a "dry" steam. DOE found that, in total, over 45 percent of all fuel burned by U.S. manufacturers is consumed to generate steam, at an annual cost of $18 billion. At the same time, DOE estimates that a typical industrial facility can achieve steam savings of as much as 20 percent by improving its steam system. If improvements were adopted across the industrial sector, manufactures could save as much as $4 billion in fuel costs and eliminate 32 million metric tons of emissions. Use of steam energy among industries varies. Among the largest industrial energy users, pulp and paper, food and beverage, and chemical manufacturers use a high percentage of steam compared to electricity or direct fuel. Steam energy usage by major manufacturing groups, in trillion Btu (TBtu)*
* Data from "Overview of Energy Flow for Industries in Standard Industrial Classifications 20-39." Prepared by Arthur D. Little, Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Industrial Technology, December 4, 2000. 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. Northwest Food Processors Association Efficiency Practices and Emerging Technologies websites offer useful information and tips for the food processing industry. California Energy Commission websites on Food and Fiber Processing Technologies and Energy in Agriculture. |