Steam

Over 45 percent of all the fuel burned by U.S. manufacturers is consumed to raise steam, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Steam is used to heat raw materials and treat semi-finished products. It is also a power source for equipment, as well as for building heat and electricity generation. But steam is not free. It costs approximately $18 billion (1997 dollars) annually to feed the boilers generating the steam.

Airport Puts Steam Trap Monitoring on Autopilot The Metropolitan Airports Commission investment in a steam trap monitoring system will payback in under two-and-a-half years.

Boiler Efficiency Inefficient and underused boilers were costing Schwan Food Company and Nordic Ware an excess amount in fuel.

DOE Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) BestPractices for Steam DOE OIT BestPractices works with industry to identify plant-wide opportunities for energy savings and process efficiency through implementing new technologies and systems improvements. BestPractices provides an assortment of tools and resources to help industrial end users achieve efficiency improvements and related cost savings.

Inspect Steam Traps for Efficient System Faulty or inoperative steam traps can cause losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars. This article explains how steam traps work and methods to monitor them.

Rock-Tenn Company Saves $170,000 by Reducing Energy Losses The paper mill insulated steam and condensate lines.

Steam Trap Performance Assessment This U.S. DOE document describes technologies for evaluating the performance of steam traps and estimates potential energy savings. (1999, PDF: 36 pp, 149 KB)