- Steam Theory
- 1. Basics of Steam
- 2. Steam Heating
- 3. Basics of Steam Traps
- 4. Steam Trap Selection
- Steam Trap Selection: How Application Affects Selection
- Steam Trap Selection: Understanding Specifications
- Steam Trap Selection: Safety Factor and Life Cycle Cost
- Traps and Orifices Part 1
- Traps and Orifices Part 2
- Casting vs. Forging
- Applications of Different Types of Steam Traps
- Don't Get Steamed : Selecting Steam Trap Design
- Understanding Steam Traps
- Compare Two Fixed Orifice Venturi Products to a Variable Orifice Free Float Steam Trap
- 5. Steam Trap Problems
- 6. Steam Trap Management
- 7. Water Hammer
- Water Hammer: What is it?
- Water Hammer: The Mechanism
- Water Hammer: Cause and Location
- Water Hammer: In Steam Distribution Lines
- Water Hammer: In Equipment
- Water Hammer: In Condensate Transport Piping
- Identifying Water Hammer Using a Thermal Camera
- Mitigation of Water Hammer in Vertical Flashing Condensate Transport Piping
- Stop Knocking Your Condensate Return
- Steam Trap Management: Do Something; Anything. Please!
- 8. Risk Mitigation
- 9. Steam Quality
- 10. Steam Distribution
- 11. Condensate Recovery
- Introduction to Condensate Recovery
- Returning Condensate and When to Use Condensate Pumps
- Condensate Recovery: Vented vs. Pressurized Systems
- Condensate Recovery Piping
- What is Stall?
- Methods of Preventing Stall
- Cavitation in Condensate Pumps
- Steam Heat Exchangers are Underworked and Over-Surfaced
- Allocate New Plant Focus to Steam System Design—Part 2
- Optimize Reboiler Performance via Effective Condensate Drainage
- Vent Away Condensate Pump Frustrations in a Flash
- 12. Energy Efficiency
- Tips to improve steam plant efficiency
- Advice on Winter Preparation for Steam Systems
- Insulating Traps
- Steam Compressors
- Why Save Energy?
- Management Strategies for Conserving Energy
- Recovering Steam Clouds and Waste Heat
- Waste Heat Recovery
- Boiler Energy Saving Tips
- Steam Line Energy Saving Tips
- Steam-Using Equipment Energy Saving Tips
- Preventing Steam Leaks
- Handle Steam More Intelligently
- Optimize the Entire Steam System
- Use Available Data to Lower System Cost
- 13. Compressed Air / Gas
- 14. Other Valves
Management Strategies for Conserving Energy
Contents:
More Can Be Done With Energy Use Measurements
It is often said that one does not conserve energy simply by installing a flowmeter or an energy monitoring system. However, if plant managers do not have a means of measuring their plant's energy consumption, they will not be able to even start the process of designing an energy conservation strategy. This article will examine energy use measurement, the "short cut" on the road to reducing and conserving energy in plants.
In many countries, industrial businesses are required to submit their annual energy usage to a government authority. Some plant managers start recording energy use because government regulations required them to. Commonly, however, managers start recording energy use because they want real data relative to the energy used in production. Reductions in energy go directly to site profitability.
Still, not all plants make use of valuable energy production data. The purpose of tracking energy can be plant efficiency or energy regulations/considerations, with the joint benefits of increased profitability while promoting energy conservation. If plants do not achieve energy savings, they are not operating as efficiently as possible, which could create future challenges.
Rather than simply collecting data for the sake of it, plant managers should collect energy data strategically with the goal of using this data to help optimize the performance of their steam system, and also their plant’s production.
Lowering "Fixed" Energy Usage
An effective first step in conserving energy is to divide energy use data into "fixed" energy (energy that is not affected by production volume) and "variable" energy (energy that is affected by production volume). This is an effective strategy because lowering fixed energy usage leads to overall energy savings. Particularly large amounts of energy can be conserved by employing this strategy in plants where production volumes vary significantly each day.
However, purchasing new, energy efficient appliances with low standby power usage is not the only way of reducing fixed energy consumption.
In certain cases, plant managers find opportunities for saving energy when they reexamine energy usage that they believed to be "fixed."
To fully grasp whether energy usage is fixed or not, it is important to not only measure the usage of each appliance but also to examine energy usage both when appliances are operating and when they are shut down.
Example Method of Reducing "Fixed" Energy
As an example of this method, consider compressed air lines for valves. Such lines should not use any air during shutdown, but in some cases auto-drain valves and positioners on control valves will use compressed air even when the line is shut down.
The amount of energy that each appliance uses during shutdown may be small, but the total can represent a significant amount of wasted energy. It is recommended that steam users calculate these amounts for their appliances, and turn off each appliance individually during shutdown if necessary.

In this way, proactive energy use monitoring can help users to identify potenial methods of saving energy that they had overlooked. This is why careful monitoring is a key element in managing energy use and achieving energy savings.
Why Save Energy? | Recovering Steam Clouds and Waste Heat |