BestPractices

BestPractices Steam Overview

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM

December 2002
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

BESTPRACTICES STEAM PARTNERS Achieve Steam System Excellence

3M The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
American Boiler Manufacturers Association
Energy (EERE) encourages the energy-intensive sectors of the economy (including
Armstrong International, Inc.
Association of Energy Engineers buildings, industrial, transportation and power generation) to work together to: 1)
BASF Corporation create broad, sector/industry-wide goals for the future, 2) identify specific needs
Bethlehem Steel Corporation and priorities through sector/industry-led roadmaps, and 3) form cooperative
CERL – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
alliances to help attain those goals through public-private partnerships.
Council of Industrial Boiler Owners
Enbridge Consumers Gas BestPractices is an EERE initiative to work with private sector partners (see side-
Enercheck Systems bar), national organizations, States, and other entities to improve energy efficiency
Industrial Interactions, Inc. in the U.S. economy.
Institute of Textile Technology
Iowa Energy Center
Johns Manville Corporation BestPractices Steam promotes a systems approach to help companies operate and
Millennium Chemicals* maintain their industrial steam plants and thermal manufacturing processes more
N.Y. State Energy Research and efficiently. Broadening attention to all the components in a steam system—boiler
Development
water treatment, generation, distribution, end-use equipment, and steam and con-
National Board of Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Inspectors densate recovery—creates much larger opportunities for savings, even as high as
National Insulation Association* 20 to 30% of energy costs.
North American Insulation Manufacturers
Association Steam Is Important
ONDEO Nalco
Plant Support & Evaluations, Inc.
Rock Wool Manufacturing, Inc. The industrial sector consumes more than 39% of the energy used in the United
Rohm and Haas States. In 1994, industrial consumption was composed of 5,676 trillion Btu (Tbtu) of
Shannon Enterprises steam (34%); 7,708 TBtu of fuel (47%); and 3,127 TBtu of electricity (19%).
Spirax Sarco, Inc.*
Steam Economies Company
Sunoco Refining Industry converts about 70% of the fuel it purchases for energy into steam. Of all
Swagelok forms of energy (including feedstocks and electricity) that industry purchases, 34%
TurboSteam Corp. produces steam. Consequently, steam efficiency offers companies significant ener-
Washington State University
gy conservation and environmental benefits. Cost-conscious production managers
Yarway Corp.
will find that their plant steam system directly affects their production unit costs
*Indicates OIT Allied Partner much more than they realize.

OIT Web site: STEAM USE

www.oit.doe.gov
Steam
BestPractices Web site:
www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices
Commercial, 34%
For more information please Residential, and 60.6% 39.4% Industrial
contact the OIT Clearinghouse at Transportation 66%
800-862-2086
Non-Steam
Steam System Excellence in Action
DOE has documented many industrial steam efficiency projects that have payback periods shorter than 12 months.

Case Study #1–Chemical Company

“Improved Steam Trap Maintenance Increases System Performance And Decreases Operating Costs”
• Reduced annual CO2 emissions by 2.4 tons and annual consumption of treatment chemicals by 1,000
pounds, saving more than $20,000 per year
• Reduced make-up water use by 56%, and decreased worker exposure to treatment chemicals
• Implementing cost of $22,000
• Payback period of 2.5 months

Case Study #2–Chemical Company

“Reducing Steam Pressure Saves $42,000 Annually”
• Reduced average specific steam demand (reboiler) per unit of product by almost 6%
• Saved $42,000 annually
• Saved 22,000 million Btu annually (in steam demand)
• Implementing cost: this project required no capital investment and resulted in the above mentioned reduc-
tions and cost savings

Case Study #3–Forest Products Company

“Insulation Upgrade Leads to Reduced Fuel Costs and Increased Process Efficiency”
• Eliminated purchased fuel (by insulating steam lines and replacing 70 steam traps)
• Reduced CO2 emissions, and better personnel protection
• Saved $138,560 in energy costs
• Implementation costs of $69,280
• Payback period was only six months

We probably have the information and tools to answer your questions about making your steam system more
efficient. If not, we will connect you to someone who does. Contact our clearinghouse at: (800) 862-2086, or
visit our web site: www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices/steam.

What BestPractices Steam Can Do for You

In addition to providing planning support and funding for advanced industrial research and development related
to energy, the Industrial Technologies Program manages an energy management best practices program to help

STEAM SYSTEM SCHEMATIC

Distribution Pressure Reducing Valve

Combustion Gases
Isolation End Use Process Heater
Combustion Valve
Air Preheater

Economizer Generation
Shell and Tube
Heat Exchanger Steam Trap

Boiler Process Heater

Condensate
Receiver Tank
Steam Trap Steam Trap
Forced Draft Fan
Feed Pump Condensate
Recovery Pump

Deaerator

Running a steam system efficiently requires much more than tuning boilers
because many cost-saving opportunities exist downstream from the boiler.
industry improve energy efficiency and competitiveness in the near-term. In conjunction with the overall
BestPractices Program, the part of energy management devoted to steam offers a substantial array of products
and assistance to industry and to organizations that promote industrial energy efficiency.

Documentation and References

• Improving Steam System Performance is a preliminary sourcebook for plant managers that contains
steam system improvement opportunities, program resources, contacts, and references.
• Steam tip sheets describe specific technical steam improvement opportunities.
• Case studies document real-world experiences in plant improvement projects.
• Steam System Opportunity Assessment for the Pulp and Paper, Chemical Manufacturing, and
Petroleum Refining Industries (1) defines the volume and scope of industrial steam usage; (2) identifies
major classes of system improvement opportunities; and (3) estimates potential steam efficiency impacts
on aggregate energy consumption.
• The Steam Digest annual compiles scholarly articles on steam system technology improvements, case
studies, and management techniques.
• The Steam System Survey Guide provides technical information to help steam system operational per-
sonnel and plant energy managers find major opportunities to improve energy efficiency and productivity.
• The Guide to Low-Emission Boiler and Combustion Equipment Selection helps plant managers evalu-
ate and select low-emission boilers and combustion equipment.
• The IAC Steam Tool Benchmarking Report project tested and validated the Steam Scoping Tool in 18
plants. The results of this study include a list of steam efficiency options along with the annual cost sav-
ings, implementation costs, and payback period of those options.

Diagnostic Software
• The Steam Scoping Tool guides an evaluation of your steam system against well-documented industry
best practices.
• 3E Plus software evaluates and specifies insulation thickness for steam distribution systems.
• The Steam System Assessment Tool (available late 2002) helps analyze steam system “what-ifs” for cal-
culating energy savings and cost implications of system improvements.
• Other commercially available analysis software is referenced via the program Web site and sourcebook.

Training and Plant Assessment Opportunities

• Training is offered on a limited basis. These sessions are conducted as part of a larger agreement
between solicited participating plants and DOE.
• Plant-Wide Energy Assessments are open on a competitive cost-share basis annually. DOE covers 50%
of assessment costs up to a statutory limit (currently $100,000).
• One-day plant assessments are made available at no cost to eligible small- and medium-sized plants via
DOE-funded Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs). See the IAC Web site at: www.oit.doe.gov/iac.

Peer Networking and Awareness Events

• Steam efficiency awareness workshops benefit plant managers in a specific region or industry. These one-
day forums introduce efficiency improvement concepts, provide an introduction of program resources, illus-
trate success stories, and allow attendees to network with peers and solution providers.
• Program presentations are given at the invitation of other organizations that conduct their own industry
events. Trade associations, professional societies, and vendor groups are a few examples of hosts.
• Booth and display activities are conducted at industry trade shows to further promote program resources.

Program-to-Industry Communications
• Energy Matters is a DOE periodical circulated to industry. It provides informational articles on energy man-
agement, including BestPractices Steam.
• The Steaming Ahead electronic newsletter is dedicated specifically to the steam systems audience. An
accompanying Web site (www.steamingahead.org) provides additional detail to news briefs in the e-mailed
newsletter, document downloads, and links.
• Articles related to steam system optimization are written for trade journals. Articles target plant managers.
Industry Networking

Aside from its reference products, BestPractices Steam represents a network of

industry professionals that can potentially assist with a wide variety of program
initiatives and cooperative ventures. The program steering committee contains
professionals from manufacturing, energy services, universities, national labora-
tories, trade associations, government, and non-profit advocacy organizations.
These are valuable contacts for:
BestPractices is part of the Office of
• Seeking partners or participants in new technology research, develop- Industrial Technologies Program’s (OIT’s)
ment, and deployment; Industries of the Future strategy, which helps
• Collaborating in the planning and presentation of industry forums; the country’s most energy-intensive indus-
tries improve their competitiveness.
• Extending communication through sales and distribution networks to a BestPractices brings together emerging tech-
wider industry audience; and nologies and energy management practices
• Seeking industry contacts for “champions” or first movers who can influ- to help companies begin improving energy
ence their industry peers. efficiency, environmental performance, and
productivity right now.

CUMULATIVE LEAKS Industry gains easy access to near-term and

long-term solutions for improving the per-
Leak formance of motor, steam, compressed air,
Assumptions: Size and process heating systems. In addition,
Monthly Energy Costs
1” Industrial Assessment Centers provide com-
Model=Compressible flow analysis, sharp edge orifice leak $26,083
Cost=$9.50/1,000 pounds of steam prehensive industrial energy evaluations to
Pressure=150 psig at 500 ºF
3/4”
small-and medium-size manufacturers.
$14,668

Losses through 1/2”

$6,519 DOE STEAM PROGRAM PARTNERS:
1/4”
$1,630 Alliance to Save Energy

1/8” Oak Ridge National Laboratory

$409

FOR PROGRAM INFORMATION,

Source: Steam System Survey Guide PLEASE CONTACT:
ORNL/TM-2001-263, p. 6-2

Cumulative leaks in a steam distribution and condensate recovery system can Fred Hart
add up to tens of thousands of dollars in losses per year. Industrial Technologies Program
Phone: (202) 586-1496
Fax: (202) 586-3237
[email protected]
EERE Industrial Technologies Program http://www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices

EERE covers a broad spectrum of energy efficiency and renewable energy OIT Information Clearinghouse
Phone: (800) 862-2086
technologies and offers an array of resources, tools, and information for the Fax: (360) 586-8303
buildings, industrial, power generation, and transportation sectors. The [email protected]
Industrial Technologies Program in EERE provides resources in the areas of
current and emerging energy efficiency and renewable technologies and energy Please send any comments,
questions, or suggestions to
management best practices. These resources include printed materials, soft- [email protected]
ware, awareness workshops, Web sites, training, and the Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Clearinghouse. Visit our home page at:
www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices/steam
BestPractices energy management is an integral part of EERE Industries of the Industrial Technologies Program
Future strategy that helps the most energy intensive industries in the U.S. Energy Efficiency
improve their competitiveness. BestPractices introduces best available and and Renewable Energy
emerging technologies from a number of EERE programs plus energy manage- U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585-0121
ment practices to help companies, large and small, improve energy efficiency,
environmental performance, and productivity.

The energy management component of BestPractices highlights the energy

savings potential in five plant systems—motors, steam, compressed air, pumping
and process heat. The program informs industry about near- and long-term
energy efficiency options for these systems through a wide variety of program
resources. These include unbiased technical information and access to technol-
ogy implementation experts as well as energy management and assessment DOE/GO-102002-1583
professionals. December 2002