Prioritising
environmental values
Dave Bird, National Sales Manager at Spirax Sarco
From brewing to food processing, steam consumption and costs. From experience, Given the current economic climate,
plays an important role in the food and we have found that one of the best ways operators may be interested to know that
beverage sector. It is widely used for a to do this is by implementing simple, optimising the efficiency of their steam
variety of production processes, including efficient measures. system could be easier than expected.
blanching, bottle washing, and peeling,
canning and cooking. Different types of
steam, such as filtered and clean steam,
can also have a huge impact on the
A good place to start is using equipment
that can optimise the steam system, such
as modern heat exchange technology.
Take, for example, steam traps. These are
the most important link in the condensate
loop, and can help to lower energy
consumption, maintain product quality
quality of the end product. Systems like these can be implemented The food and drink processing industry is overall plant safety, reduce energy costs productivity. Effective steam trapping
labelled as the fourth highest industrial and usage, increase efficiency, and remain is, therefore, an essential process that
energy user in the UK by the Carbon Trust. competitive in this demanding market. can help users operate sustainably.
With the 2020 emissions target looming, Crucially, these improvements don’t need Needless to say, trap selection must
it has never been a better time for the major overhauls to company structures meet the pressure, condensate load and
sector to reduce its carbon footprint. At and processes. Instead, companies can air venting requirements of the process.
Spirax Sarco, we are committed to helping make simple changes to equipment they From trapping stations to specific trap
our customers gain better control of already have in the plant, which will still devices, steam traps are considered to
their energy consumption, which, in turn, achieve significant savings. be one of the most effective resource-
will help to significantly reduce energy
48 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk
easily, helping plant operators to improve
and increase
saving measures, so users must take