Working with

Steam and condensate systems

Many industries and large institutions utilize steam from central boiler plants. The most common type of boiler (shown to the right) is a "Scotch Marine" boiler, which a fire-tube design (fire tube boilers have the combustion inside the boiler tubes, which are surrounded by water inside the shell; water tube boiler reverse the location of the water and combustion, but are not as common). Steam boilers can present several operation, maintenance and safety challenges, as the potential and severity of damage from an accident is orders of magnitude more severe than other central utilities. Opportunities for energy conservation with steam and condensate systems are typically quite good, as the systems control and overall system efficiency is reduced over long periods of operation.

Typical system issues include:

) Low condensate return

2) Excessive makeup water required

3) Loss of steam/condensate through failed steam traps

4) Improper water chemistry and maintenance, resulting in scaling

5) Mismatch between boilers and peak end user demands