Steam is money :
Levaco Chemicals rely on EBE Engineering Venturi orifice steam traps
At Levaco Chemicals , process steam is the principal heating medium used in the reactors . To ensure that this valuable energy source is used as efficiently as possible , they now rely on ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam traps manufactured by EBE Engineering .
The venturi orifice steam trap project began by measuring the performance of the existing mechanical steam traps on one of the three largest reactors . For this , Levaco began by identifying two products with a wide reference range . Both products were specifically chosen due to their different physical properties , in particular their viscosity . As a consequence the steam volumes required for the processes and the heating times were very different . This made it possible to investigate a larger operating range for the ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam traps .
During this analysis , ( conducted as part of a university thesis ), the ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam traps reduced steam losses by up to 22 % compared to conventional mechanical traps . They also showed a reduction in the heating cycle time for the process . The average cycle time saving was between 4 to 27 min or 11.3 % to 16.6 % depending upon the products heated .
The thesis established that the cycle time improvements were due to the start up operation of the ECOFLOW venturi orifice steam trap . When the condensate ( water ) is cold , the liquid is discharged from the heating coil quicker and the steam can heat up the process faster . It also concluded that the continuous discharge of condensate allowed the required heat energy to be introduced into the process more quickly , which also saves time .
The venturi orifice steam traps lifecycle costs are significantly cheaper than the mechanical float steam traps . Due to the steam savings of the venturi orifice steam trap , the payback on replacement is as little as one and a half years and is a permanent solution requiring no further maintenance or repair .
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