Multinational Tyre Manufacturer 

Thermal Energy International (TEI) has supported this customer for more than 30 years across manufacturing sites in six countries. 

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Industry

Tyre and Rubber

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Region

Europe

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Solution

GEM™ Steam Traps

Tyre & rubber solutions
Tyre treads

Early Integration into Curing Press Applications

The partnership began in the 1990s when one of the customer’s major manufacturing facilities in Northern Ireland required a more reliable solution for condensate removal on curing presses operating under variable loads and contaminated steam conditions.

Over 600 GEM steam traps were installed across the site, where they delivered consistent, stable performance at operating pressures exceeding 14 bar. They remained in continuous service for almost two decades until the plant ultimately closed. On decommissioning, units were removed and inspected, confirming no erosion, wear, or loss of performance despite prolonged high-pressure operation.

This initial deployment provided the operational foundation for subsequent applications at other customer sites across Europe.

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Customer-Verified Improvements in Full-Line Maintainability  

At a manufacturing facility in Spain, GEM steam traps were introduced on selected metered curing presses in live production, reducing steam consumption by approximately 4% while maintaining curing performance and product quality.

The site’s Energy Manager reported:

It is a very profitable project; at the current price per tonne of CO₂ and per tonne of steam, it yields a DRB of 1.6 years.

On the strength of these results, the technology was adopted across an entire curing press line. The customer also noted significant maintainability benefits compared with the previous mechanical traps. Preventive maintenance requirements were reduced, with routine inspection and cleaning limited to accessible filtration elements and no need for trap disassembly. Clearer fault indication and simpler corrective action further reduced intervention time, unplanned stoppages, and corrective work orders, lowering the overall maintenance burden.

The site’s Energy Manager also stated:

Everything points to the fact that we have hit the nail on the head with this new technology, as in addition to reducing steam consumption, we have significantly improved the maintainability of this press element.

These measured results and internal analysis were shared across the organisation, driving further adoption across multiple European manufacturing sites covering different press processes.  

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Validated Performance Under Variable Loads

A performance analysis of steam trap efficiency under variable load conditions was carried out by Queen’s University in collaboration with the customer.

The study demonstrated that the GEM venturi steam trap achieved the lowest live steam losses across a wide range of condensate loads and operating pressures, outperforming all tested mechanical trap designs. The results confirmed efficient performance across variable load conditions, including low-load operation, validating the GEM trap’s suitability for demanding curing press applications.

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R04 Queens
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Applying Proven Performance in Your Curing Operations

If you are facing similar challenges around energy efficiency, maintainability, and process stability, speak with the Thermal Energy International team to discuss opportunities within your steam systems.

 

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