New investment cuts steam wastage

Aware of the Ferrero Group’s interest in energy conservation, following the establishment of Energhe in 2007, Thermal Energy International gave a presentation to the company’s engineers on the GEM steam traps. Energhe then agreed to conduct a rigorous trial by replacing an inverted bucket steam trap, which normally had to be replaced every twelve months, with an appropriately sized GEM steam trap. Sometimes the mechanical trap failed, but the 24/7 process could not be stopped, resulting in extensive steam wastage.

The trial, carried out on a process toaster with a 9 bar pressure, was monitored by a flow meter over a 12 month period to verify the steam consumption. It established that the GEM steam trap achieved steam savings of 15%.

Instead of utilising a valve mechanism to close off steam for maximum energy and water conservation, the GEM steam traps use the patented venturi orifice design to effectively drain condensate from the steam system. As the GEM steam traps have no moving parts to wedge open or fail, it provides the ultimate in reliability necessitating only minimal maintenance and requiring no spares, testing or monitoring equipment.

Following the successful trial, a local Thermal Energy International engineer carried out surveys of Ferrero Group’s sites in Italy and Poland. In addition to replacing its failed mechanical traps with GEM, Energhe now ensures that the venturi design is used in all of Ferrero’s new plants and during shutdown for maintenance.

Commenting on the GEM venturi orifice steam trap, the project manager at Energhe S.p.A. said, “GEM steam traps solved our problem of trap failure and steam leakage. We verified their performance and reliability during the trial and found they achieved the results promised at the initial presentation. In addition, we also like the fact that Thermal Energy International offers a ten year guarantee on the GEM, which is backed by fast response and excellent service.”