​Last week, at the Marcus Evan’s Petrochemical & Refining Online Summit, Thermal Energy’s David Coletta, Gary Brooks, and Mike Mckissick presented our energy efficiency solutions to Engineering Managers and Directors, Site Managers, Senior Process Engineers, and other representatives from over a dozen Petrochemical organizations at locations from Pennsylvania to Texas. The recurring theme from many of those plants was the exorbitant cost of leaking steam traps, and the simple and obvious solution, replacing them with traps that don’t leak. Easy, right?

Well maybe not for many sites whose current steam trap providers do not take the proper care when sizing traps, lack a suitable range of traps engineered to perform under varying process conditions, and/or lack the engineering expertise and experience to properly size the correct traps to their customer’s system requirements.

Steam traps should come in a variety of configurations and capacities, engineered with a range of different sized orifices to suit different steam system conditions and requirements. Leaking traps are too often a result of mis-sizing, and the amount of wasted steam will depend on the size differential and steam pressure.

Wasting Steam is Costly
From operational, financial, and environmental perspectives, wasting steam is an expensive issue, and therefore, ensuring your steam system is at its optimum efficiency is paramount, both for your site and the environment. For each litre of heavy fuel oil burned unnecessarily to compensate for a steam leak, approximately 6.6 lbs of CO2 are emitted to the atmosphere, contributing to a sites overall environmental impact.

​For the Petrochem sector, with plants operating anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000+ steam traps, they can be potentially hemorrhaging anywhere from $67,000/year ($67 x 1,000 1/32” traps at 0.85 lbs/hr) to $102,728,000/year ($102,728 x 1,000 3/8” traps at 1,303 lbs/hr) in wasted steam energy. 

In terms of environmental cost, wasted steam amounts to thousands of CO2 dumped to the atmosphere annually. With the growing Green Recovery movement, and national agreements designed to issue taxation of inefficient plants, addressing steam trap leakage is an even more costly initiative to ignore.

Even at the lowest potential annual cost, for any Petrochem plant - steam trap leakage is more than worthwhile investigating, as well as ensuring any leaking traps are replaced by a fully accredited professional engineering firm with the right products, knowledge, and care to get it right - which is where Thermal Energy International comes in.

Eliminate Steam Trap Leakage
To help customers to maximize their steam system efficiency, Thermal Energy places experienced steam experts onsite to perform a thorough trap survey and steam system analysis. Assessing the condition of each trap and identifying which need replacing is only half of the service. The Thermal Energy difference involves fully prescribing each properly sized replacement GEM™ Steam Trap based on an in depth understanding of its function in the system, and engineering experience in maximizing system efficiency for over 20 years.

Following the completed steam trap audit, Thermal Energy’s engineers produce a detailed project quotation and payback analysis, which provides the site with a detailed analysis of the energy currently being wasted by leaking, malfunctioning, and failed mechanical traps. The potential savings associated with replacing the mechanical traps with ultra-efficient, venturi-orifice GEM™ Steam Traps is clearly described in the analysis.  With no moving internal parts resulting in 10% to 20% permanent reduction in steam costs, and a 10-year performance guarantee, the case is easily made for upgrading to GEM™. 

The final stage in the Thermal Energy end-to-end steam trap service offering includes expert training of the sites system operators on the easy installation and minimal maintenance steps associated with their new, self-regulating GEM Traps.
​
With the installation professionally sized GEM Traps ensuring the elimination of $1,000s of costly steam leakage and emission reduction, petrochemical sites will also benefit from the elimination of harmful water hammer and condensate back-up, making GEM their permanent steam trapping solution.
​
Interested in Learning/$aving more?
Download a copy of our Minimizing Maintenance for the Petrochemical Sector Guide to find out why the petrochemical industry is wasting time and money on unnecessary steam strap maintenance and replacement.
​

Yesterday, Thermal Energy’s TEI Sales Manager, Caribbean & Latin America, Tony Bezares, was invited to deliver a presentation at Canada Supply Day 2.0 on strategies that industrial manufacturers can implement which will ensure they are achieving optimal energy recovery at their sites.

Joining 10 other renowned Canadian companies that are experts in their respected fields, and were invited to present on important topics such as the optimization of water and industrial waste management and the use of data analytics for Lean Manufacturing and forestry operations of the future, Thermal Energy was asked to educate participants on maximizing energy recovery.
​
Tony Bezares had this to share on his experience at the event
“Events like Canada Supply Day are crucial at this time when the world is in desperate need of viable, economical, and practical solutions to combating the negative effects of industrial manufacturing on our global climate.

"Water, waste, energy, forests, these are key areas of focus right now, and how we manage them will have tremendous effects on the future of our planet. Fortunately, many Canadian technology companies, like Thermal Energy, have been paying attention to the global issue of climate change, and have developed solutions for industry that not only allow them to maximize the energy efficiency of their facilities, but also reduce their carbon emissions; each with a payback on investment that is reasonable and affordable.

"Companies have corporate goals to help the environment by reducing their use of water, the amount of chemicals used to treat that water, and the most imminent goal of reducing carbon emissions. Thermal Energy has solutions for the industry to help meet their goals”

Climate change problems
In Tony’s presentation he described the problems faced by industrial sectors like forestry, pulp, paper, and tissue manufacturing, such as reducing their environmental impact while meeting ever-increasing production levels. He followed this by describing tried and tested energy efficiency and emission reduction solutions currently available to the market. He presented on effective waste-heat recovery and economy technologies such as Thermal Energy’s FLU-ACE® and HEATSPONGE which reduce energy consumption on boilers at impressive paybacks of only 2-5 years. 

Climate-friendly operations
He delivered a quick demo on the GEM™ Steam Traps, high efficiency steam trapping technology which delivers fuel and CO2 savings of 10-20% at even shorter paybacks of merely 1-3 years. Tony concluded his seminar by pointing out that with short-term investments like these which enable manufacturers to minimize their energy use while reducing emissions over the long term, industries can take big steps towards climate-friendly operation.

For more information on Thermal Energy’s suite of products, visit our products page.

Last week, Thermal Energy attended PaperWeek Canada 2020, at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. As PAPTAC’s flagship conference and tradeshow, serving the pulp, paper, and forest products industry, it is a valuable platform for exchanging industry best practices with pulp and paper mills from across the country, as well as showcase Thermal Energy’s energy-efficiency solutions.

Antoine Hofer, Technical Sales Director, Quebec and Eastern Canada at Thermal Energy, had this to say about the event:
​
“PaperWeek was excellent this year, which is what we’ve come to expect from the show. A professional event with expert speakers, discussing current issues that effect mills, suppliers, and customers - both in Canada and globally - as well as innovations that enable the industry to evolve to meet new challenges.”

Cascading savings
On Thursday, during the Energy Technical session on the “Certification process for the ISO 50001 at Cascades", Cascades CS+ Inc. Project Manager, Etienne Fobasso, Ing. presented a business case from the Cascades Candiac Tissue Group on how their energy team, in partnership with Thermal Energy, effectively recovers wasted heat from tissue machine hoods exhaust. The case involved the replacement of the existing direct contact heat recovery water tower with Thermal Energy’s revolutionary FLU-ACE® Condensing Heat Recovery System. 

Founded in 1964, Cascades produces, converts and markets packaging and tissue products composed mainly of recycled fibres, and employs 11,000 employees, working in 90 units in North America and Europe. The new system enables the Candiac site to recover waste flue gas energy from the tissue machine exhaust. This is possible using the FLU-ACE®’s unique direct contact (gas/liquid) packed-tower design, enabling optimal recovery of both sensible and latent heat, in widely varying operating conditions. 

The recovered energy can then be used by Cascades to heat water for the clarifier water chest (showers and bleaching) and the glycol loop for two (2) HVAC units (130,000 cfm total).
​
Additional environmental benefits of the enhanced system include saving the mill over 62,800 MMBtu of natural gas annually, as well as reducing greenhouse gases, resulting from fuel combustion, by over 3,300 tons per year. Read about other paper mill success stories on our Pulp and Paper page.

Carbon neutral pulp and paper
On Thursday morning, Sara Eskandarifar from CanmetENERGY, delivered an interesting Energy Technical session on the benefits of moving "Towards a carbon neutral pulp and paper industry: overview of available technologies".

In her session, Sara described the use of condensing heat recovery technology like the FLU-ACE®, as well as low-temperature biomass drying as a means of recovering energy from existing processes and waste streams and improving the boiler efficiency. 

​Where biomass is already in use as a fuel source, Thermal Energy’s DRY-REX biomass dryer can completely eliminate the need to use non-renewable fossil fuels. The process involves in the application of waste heat to dry alternative fuel. The efficient rugged constructed solution operates at low temperatures of 10°C to 93°C with an impact of 5-10% efficiency, and a typical return on investment of 2-5 years.

High-fibre packaging
As more and more businesses opt for more environmentally-friendly packaging over single use plastic, the Pulp and Paper sector have an opportunity and a responsibility to provide innovative, sustainable, fibre-based options.

On Tuesday, during the PaperWeek Canada 2020 keynote luncheon panel on ‘Next Generation Fibre-based Packaging – An Effective Way to Reduce Plastic Waste?’ the panelists discussed the latest advancements and projections for the increased use of sustainable fibre-based packaging in consumer markets as an alternative to single-use plastic products.

As an innovative technology company that supplies energy efficient solutions that are engineered to help the pulp and paper, and other industries, save money by operating more sustainably - through increased energy efficiency, reduced fossil fuel usage, GHGs and other emissions - Thermal Energy is an active supporter of reduced global pollution.

On June 23rd, Thermal Energy celebrated International Women in Engineering Day. INWED is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focuses attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry. ​The theme for 2019 is #TransformTheFuture.
​
Thermal Energy hosts a great deal of diversity, including a strong team of female engineers. In order to celebrate this and INWED1919, we put together a video of our team sharing some of their goals for the future as female engineers.​​

​​
​Thermal Energy proudly supports the gender diversity and equality goals of INWED.
​We celebrate our own women in engineering and their efforts to #TransformTheFuture.

“With carbon regulations being developed on provincial and federal levels of government, Canadian industry is being challenged by new benchmarks, timelines, pricing and rules. If your company or association needs to understand the risks and opportunities presented by the new carbon regulations, then you are encouraged to stop by TEI’s booth and learn about our cleantech technologies for reducing carbon emissions and increasing competitiveness.” says Antoine Hofer, Technical Sales Director at Thermal Energy​

Attendees at the Carbon Pricing for Canadian Industry event happening this week in Toronto, ON will be greeted in the main hall by Thermal Energy’s COO, Robert Triebe, and Technical Sales Director, Antoine Hofer. Our team is onsite today and tomorrow showcasing our energy savings and carbon reduction solutions, and attending updates on federal and provincial carbon regulations and best practices.

Resolute in their carbon reduction goals
Also in attendance at the event are representatives from Resolute Forest Products. Like most companies, Resolute has been largely dependent on natural gas to create the energy needed to keep their productions going particularly in the winter periods. Looking to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas the mill is producing, the global leader in the forest products industry is collaborating with Thermal Energy at the Thunder Bay Resolute pulp and paper mill to reduce its carbon footprint. Using both Thermal Energy’s FLU-ACE® heat recovery technology and GEM steam traps, the project will enable Resolute Forest to increase energy efficiency at its Thunder Bay mill and reduce GHG emissions by an estimated 43,000 mt CO2 eq/yr for a reduction in natural gas consumption of more than 15%.

“At Thermal Energy, we are committed to helping clients like Resolute achieve their energy efficiency and carbon reduction goals at an affordable cost and payback. Programs like Ontario’s TargetGHG Program are important as they help offset project costs and encourage industries to adopt innovative cleantech solutions like those we provide,” says Robert Triebe, COO at Thermal Energy.

Attendees at the Carbon Pricing for Canadian Industry on April 25-26th are invited to TEI’s booth to learn how we can help you meet federal and provincial carbon regulations, while saving you money, and making your site more energy efficient. To set up a meeting please contact Antoine Hofer. 

Today at 12 pm EDT, TEI’s Guy Bonneau, Business Development Manager, Cogeneration Solutions, will be presenting CHES Webinar # 4 on Simple and Permanent Reduction in Steam Line Losses.

Steam is the most commonly used medium to distribute heat in health care facilities, due to its high energy content and the ease with which its temperature can be regulated. Steam gives up its useful energy as it condenses to water.
​
Useful energy losses
Typical steam systems make use of 55% of the useful energy produced by fuel input. The rest of the energy is lost due to inefficiencies through stack and blow down losses, steam trap losses, condensate flashing, and other sources of energy loss. 

Mechanical steam traps which open when water is present and shut when steam is present have traditionally been used to discharge this water. Due to their moving parts which are prone to seizure and failure, mechanical traps are a constant source of energy losses and operational problems, making them the Achilles heel of the steam system.
​
Simple and permanent solution
​Technology developed by Thermal Energy now offers a permanent solution to steam line losses, which is more efficient than even a fully functional mechanical trap. 

Steam is an integral component of food processing. It is commonly utilized for cleaning equipment, blanching and rehydrating product, sterilizing equipment and Steam-in-Place (SIP) for cleaning pipes. Three types of steam used by food processors include plant (or utility) steam; culinary steam for product or contact surface sterilization; and pure (hygienic steam) that must be free of additives and used to produce organic products. [reference: stellarfoodforthought.net]
​
As experts in thermal energy systems and steam handling, TEI, with our comprehensive range of energy efficiency solutions, is a perfect fit for customers in the food processing industry, making the Food Processing Expo an excellent place for our team to exhibit.​

With more than 280 exhibitors and 2600 attendees, Food Processing Expo is the largest trade show in California devoted exclusively to food processing. The Expo brings the industry together by offering a trade show floor with exhibits featuring machinery, equipment, supplies, services and other vendors with innovative industry products. The Expo also features informative, topical educational sessions, dynamic speakers and networking events, offering something for everyone in the food processing industry. The Expo is produced by the California League of Food Producers (CLFP). [reference: Food Processing Expo website]

Exhibiting last week at the expo, Thermal Energy’s David Coletta, Area Sales Manager, Western USA, and Mike Mckissick, Area Sales Manager, Texas, had the pleasure of meeting with Plant and Technical Service Managers, Food Process and Facilities Engineers, and other professionals from hundreds of companies, and demonstrating how TEI’s solutions reduce annual plant energy costs by hundreds of thousands, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions by thousands of tonnes per year. ​

David Coletta had this to say about the expo:
​
“The event was amazing and resulted in some solid opportunities. It was an ideal spot for us and the info sessions, such as “Making Energy Efficiency Programs Work for Your Operation” presented by Pacific Gas & Electric, provided insight on new developments in food process technology happening right now. If anything, the expo emphasizes how many professionals in the food industry are already familiar with our company and what our products can do for the sector.”

What TEI products can do for the food sector
TEI’s venturi orifice designed GEM steam traps, with their 100% stainless construction, are ideal for the food processing industry, and our FLU-ACE® heat recovery technology provides ideal solutions for recovering waste heat from dryers and boilers. Typical food processing applications for TEI’s solutions include: autoclaves, CO2 vaporizers, evaporators, dryers, CIP systems, starch converters, heated tanks and line drainage.

​Food for thought
Thermal Energy has already helped 570 manufacturers in the food & beverage industry, in North America and Europe, save more than $72 million in energy costs and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 760,000 tonnes.

Our clients include a leading food ingredient company who we recently commissioned us to install an innovative heat recovery system that is expected to provide the site with a utility savings of over $614,000 per year and annual carbon emissions reductions of 5,200 tonnes.

Read more about our solutions and other success studies on our food & beverage page.

Last week, Antoine Hofer, TEI’s Technical Sales Director, Quebec and Eastern Canada exhibited at the 2019 Paperweek Canada international conference for the Forest Products Industry in Canada. 

Typical paper mills use most of their energy in the drying process.  In fact, up to 80% of a paper mill’s energy can be used for drying the product. Our FLU-ACE® heat recovery technology can recover as much as 90% of the heat normally lost in the form of water. For the pulp and paper industry, TEI’s products are capable of returning natural gas savings of more than 35% while reducing mill greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20%.
​
Our proprietary products that are ideal for paper mills include:

• GEM - Steam traps;
• FLU-ACE® - Direct contact condensing heat recovery; and
• DRY-REX® - Low temperature biomass drying systems.

Learn more about TEI’s sustainability solutions for the Pulp and Paper industry.

Over the weekend, Thermal Energy CEO, William Crossland attended the AlphaNorth Capital Conference where he presented to potential investors on TEI's successful multi-pronged growth strategy, including increased customer penetration, expanding our team and market presence, and adding new products, all of which positions our cleantech company to continue its long and strong track record of growth.  

Mr. Crossland had this to say about the event:

“The AlphaNorth Capital Conference is an excellent opportunity to have personal one-on-one conversations with experienced small cap investors." 
 
The conference brings together growth-stage companies with experienced capital markets professionals for 2 days of targeted one-on-one meetings and networking activities.

Click here to view the TEI corporate presentation delivered at the conference.
​Contact us to learn more about TMG stock.