Steam losses in process industry
Steam losses in process industry
(OP)
Hi folks,
I am investigating steam losses in a process plant.Generally most of the steam is recycled as condensate to the boiler but still there are some losses and need some make-up water for boiler. Is there any rule of thumb for these steam losses.??
Thanks in advance for your help on the subject
I am investigating steam losses in a process plant.Generally most of the steam is recycled as condensate to the boiler but still there are some losses and need some make-up water for boiler. Is there any rule of thumb for these steam losses.??
Thanks in advance for your help on the subject





RE: Steam losses in process industry
RE: Steam losses in process industry
Thanks for your reply.
How much is this few percent of Boiler capacity? 3-5%??
RE: Steam losses in process industry
BD = (F*S)/(B – F)
Where:
BD = blowdown rate (kg/h), to be restored through makeup water
F = Feedwater TDS (ppm)
S = Steam production (kg/h)
B = Required boiler water TDS (ppm). This value depends on the specific type of boiler installed.
You may also want to take into account steam leakage losses
The link below reports a graph showing the amount of steam lost through leaks, correlating steam pressure and hole size on the pipes.
ht
RE: Steam losses in process industry
It also depends of the amounts used for stripping operations, on vacuum ejectors, steam tracing discharging to the atmosphere, burner steam atomization, fired heaters velocity steam, vaporization from condensate collecting tankage, etc.
Many years ago, much before energy costs started to raise, I used to work for an oil refinery in which the make-up was at the 40% level.
RE: Steam losses in process industry
rmw
RE: Steam losses in process industry
You will find a lot in some places.....not so much in others.
Steam is expensive...good plant managers keep a close eye on fuel consumption and condensate return.
RE: Steam losses in process industry
Again, FWIW, just the sayings of a very experienced engineer I used to work with.