This facility is the customer’s hub of technology, innovation and the development of pharmaceutical product, and is considered a very important site. Thermal Energy International was asked to conduct a survey of its mechanical traps, which were regularly failing open, partly open and closed, necessitating both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
To corroborate its findings, Thermal Energy International undertook a metered test on a process application and then carried out a positive bucket test. The report on the 51 steam traps surveyed found that 30% had failed, resulting in an estimated 757 tonnes of steam being lost each year at a cost of over £27,000.
As a result of the project, the customer would not only be saving energy and maintenance costs, it would also reduce its start-up time and decrease CO2 emissions by 131 tonnes.
All mechanical traps installed on industrial steam and some clean steam applications including PSG, distillers, air conditioning units and heat exchangers have since been replaced with appropriatelysized GEM Traps. Moreover, the customer plans to install additional GEM Traps as further improvements are made at the manufacturing facility.
