More energy efficient coffee manufacturing | Case study

Our venturi-orificed GEMTM steam traps were fitted to the feedwater heat exchangers, air heater batteries and distribution lines at one of the world’s largest soluble coffee facilities.  The site manufactures coffee for UK household brands and global business as well, producing some 11 billion cups of coffee a year.

Conscious that existing mechanical traps were failing, resulting in lost steam and reduced plant performance, the Utilities Manager at the site decided to investigate GEM steam traps from Thermal Energy International and asked the company to carry out a site survey. The report from Thermal Energy explained that by replacing the existing traps with the venturi orifice design, blocked steam traps could be prevented from impacting on production. Moreover, by efficiently returning condensate back to the boilers, energy savings would be made.

A total of 120 steam traps are used throughout the site with the majority of mechanical steam traps having now been replaced by the GEM Trap. The GEM venturi orifice steam traps are operating over variable loads with a turndown ratio on the heat exchangers of 3:1. The company raises some 40 tonnes of steam an hour costing approximately £6.3 million a year. Although steam is utilized throughout the site, it is principally used in feedwater heat exchangers feeding the extraction sets. The site operates banks of heat exchangers which handle a total of between 6,000 and 45,000 litres of water per hour. 

"The GEM Traps perform well over a wide range of loads. In addition to saving downtime with maintenance and replacement traps, GEM Traps have provided us with a short term payback through energy savings from steam wastage.”  - Utilities Manager

Benefits included:

• Eliminated cost of replacing failed traps
  
• Short pay back in energy savings
• Highly reliable - 10 year no fail guarantee
• Minimized steam loss
• Significantly lower condensate temperature
  

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Our venturi orifice designed GEM steam traps, with their 100% stainless construction, are ideal for coffee manufacturers and other food and beverage manufacturers and processors. With no moving parts, our traps do not fail like traditional, mechanical steam traps do. In fact, we offer a ten-year “no fail” performance warranty, which means increased reliability and less maintenance costs. 

Learn more about how our energy efficiency solutions save food and beverage companies money while reducing their carbon emissions by visiting our food and beverage page and reading the case studies found there.