This is done by insulating equipment with a temperature above 45 °C:
In our practice, insulating a 6m3 steam pipeline storage tank has brought about 14 euros in daily financial savings. For such a tank, 10 flushes per day at a temperature of 85 °C are required. The energy consumption is almost 510,000 kcal/day.
The insulation of the body, bottom and lid of the tank has reduced the heat consumption by up to 230,000 kcal/day. The cost of the more expensive insulated storage tank paid for itself within 1.6 years. And the CO2 emissions were reduced to 20 tonnes a year. With a 20 m3 tank, the environmental and economic effects will be even more noticeable.
Thermal insulation of steam distribution systems reduces energy consumption by 90%. And that is the amount of direct losses from hot pipes. According to our calculations, insulating hot water lines pays for itself within a year; condensate pipes within 2 years. Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Thermal insulation projects for hot surfaces from 60 °C pay for themselves in less than two years.
The CIP process is directly dependent on three components:
A rational energy-saving approach involves increasing the mechanical component before washing time and heating. For example, CIP jet washing heads can be used instead of slotted heads for cleaning tanks and reservoirs. In pipelines, increase turbulence with a flow velocity of at least 1.8 m/s.
The choice of CIP washer parameters is always individual, as it depends on the type of contamination, the type of product, the design features of the equipment and the piping. Finding the best option for your production can be done after tests and laboratory flushes.
Example. In dairy processing plants, a good energy saving effect can be achieved by adjusting the cleaning temperature of the equipment.
These are devices that change the frequency of the mains AC current to the desired parameters, allowing the speed of the pump motor to be adjusted to the needs of the process.
The installation of a frequency converter is part of the modernisation of an electrical installation. It is better to have an engineering firm do the design and execution of this work in order to avoid receiving claims from the grid company and the energy regulator. The fact is that frequency converters can impair the quality of electricity in the mains.
Leaky seals, clogged cleaning heads and worn pumps greatly increase the loss of steam, water and electricity. Leaks will nullify the effect of other energy saving measures.
Therefore, timely maintenance, repair and replacement of obsolete equipment is one of the prerequisites for rational heat consumption. Let's take condensate drains as an example.
If they have not been serviced for 3-5 years, about a third of such equipment is in a defective condition, allowing steam to seep into the drainage system. Such figures are confirmed by practice.
To reduce repair and replacement costs, food processing companies are adopting a remote monitoring system. This is a variation of the Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT. Special sensors collect information about the operating parameters of various equipment and transmit it to the control system. Such monitoring helps to spend money on repairing and replacing equipment that is not working. In our experience, in food processing plants, no more than 5 % of steam traps are defective and steam losses are reduced by 10 %.
Modern models are more energy efficient than those produced decades ago. For example, thermostatic steam traps now have a number of advantages over older models:
they open when the temperature approaches the saturated steam level of plus or minus two degrees;
The average payback period for replacing a steam trap is less than six months.