Pedigree steam traps save Marston’s £60,000 in first year
One year after upgrading its steam traps with up-to-date equipment from Spirax Sarco, Marston's Brewery is reporting savings of £60,000 in energy and hot water costs.
Laundry saves £30,000 thanks to flash steam recovery
Commercial laundry Bates of London is reporting savings of tens of thousands of pounds in energy since installing FREME (flash recovery energy management equipment) plant, from Spirax Sarco.
Leave well alone?
It's both a strength and a weakness that boilers generally operate for years without problems. On the one hand, plant managers are happy, but on the other, no one knows how much better they could be doing. Brian Tinham reports
Steaming ahead
Engineering innovation has the propensity to change plant practice, and that applies to boilers and steam generation too. But improvements can also be made by going back to basics. Brian Tinham reports
Energy event 2011
The upcoming Energy Event promises a packed agenda focused on optimising energy management, procurement and efficiency. Laura Cork reports
Environment for change
In 1952, the Great Smog of London caused nearly 2,000 deaths above the norm for that period. This resulted in the Clean Air Act of 1956, which marked the beginning of effective environmental legislation in Britain.
Trapped steam
Pulp and paper mills are among our most energy- and emissions-intensive plants. Large quantities of steam are essential for many of its processes and the sad fact is that, because boilers, steam distribution systems, heat exchangers, dryers, evaporators etc, are prone to leaks, there is often considerable waste. Mechanical steam trap failure alone leads to waste resulting in an estimated 20% overspend on fuel, with commensurate excess emissions. Steam traps are tasked with nothing more than removing condensed steam and non-condensable gases, without losing live steam, but some are more reliable than others. For example, surveys show that among the most common - mechanical steam traps - around 20% are malfunctioning at any time. In fact, steam leakage through traps can account for up to 55% of total losses. Hence the excessive energy usage: where condensate is not returned, water is lost, resulting in increased boiler running costs and potential production problems, due to reduced steam heat capacity.
Wasting away
The Carbon Trust reckons that UK companies are still wasting €1 billion worth of energy per year, largely due to unresolved plant optimisation issues and inefficiencies in energy generation plant itself. Brian Wall reports on ways forward