Driving Up Plant Efficiency for Iconic Car Manufacturers
Angelo Giambrone, Business Development Manager, 12/12/2018
When you think of steam systems, you may be inclined to think of the food and beverage or pharmaceutical industries. What you may be less inclined to think of, is the UK car industry.
Driving up efficiency
We were approached by one car manufacturer in a bid to review their ageing steam-to-hot-water heating system at their plant, with a view to modernisation.
The existing installation at the site comprised three large shell and tube calorifiers, which were once the industry standard for delivering hot water. In more recent years, a great deal of development has gone into the refining of steam-to-hot-water systems. This has helped improve plant efficiency and safety while displacing the traditional calorifier.
Maintenance at the plant proved to be a constant challenge for engineers as the old units were mounted at a high level. This became even more evident when the units underwent their routine insurance inspections.
Out with the old
We made a recommendation to replace the old calorifiers with compact high efficiency, pre-fabricated EasiHeatTM systems which use the latest in plate heat exchange technology. A new location was identified at ground level, but as space was at a premium the EasiheatTM proved to be the ideal solution when faced with these constraints.
The EasiHeatTM packages were supplied with a PLC Energy Management System. This allowed the plant to use of all the useful energy available in the steam – reducing fuel demand and associated CO2 emissions. The savings achieved now contribute to the overall system efficiency.
Making life Easi
With the ageing system having been replaced, the car manufacturer is now geared towards improved safety and reduced maintenance of its steam-to-hot water system.
Manufacturing is at the forefront in the pursuit of efficiency savings and the UK car industry is no exception. Another car company has recently reviewed the performance of its condensate system through a series of surveys. The results served to help them identify areas of improvement - allowing them to drive-down energy and fuel costs.
Of particular note was the steam trap survey which looked at the operation of the traps and the suitability of the items installed on each application. This led the auto manufacturer to modernise their existing equipment and achieve significant efficiency savings with relative ease.
The good news for those looking to deliver enhanced operational and energy savings is that the technology and the resources exist to help you to steer your plant in the right direction.
Angelo Giambrone
Business Development Manager
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