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Measuring and monitoring tools simplify steam-system management and increase efficiency

Although widely used throughout the chemical process industries (CPI), steam systems are often neglected until there is an issue with safety, reliability or steam quality. However, as processors become more concerned with saving money on utilities and reducing CO2 emissions, steam-system optimization is a growing trend, with more attention being paid to measuring, monitoring and managing steam systems and their components. Optimizing steam systems in this way not only reduces energy costs and emissions, but is likely to improve the availability and safety of the system, as well as quality of the steam.

“Chemical plants are very intensive steam users,” says Patricia Provot, president of the Americas with Armstrong International (Three Rivers, Mich.; www.armstronginternational.com). “Steam may be used as a heat source to heat chemical components that go into chemical reactions. It may be used for heat tracing of viscous chemical components being transported or pumped from one vessel or location to another. It may be used in distillation columns, direct-injection strippers and spray drying applications. Steam is also frequently used in injectors to create a vacuum in a kettle or vessel and steam has a role in the creation of electricity at some chemical facilities.”

Despite its importance, steam-system maintenance and management have traditionally been reactive with, at best, some preventative maintenance. “Most steam users don’t really understand the impact a poorly maintained steam system has on their overall operation,” says Tye Buckley, director of services with Spirax Sarco USA (Blythewood, S.C.; www.spiraxsarco.com). “Often, they are short-staffed and the priority is to get product out the door, so they are always in a reactive maintenance mode where they move from problem to problem, fixing them, with a focus of getting the system back online. But due to the current business climate, where they need to reduce costs, meet sustainability goals and still ensure capacity requirements, more processors are taking a strategic approach in which they make improvements to their steam system in order to increase reliability, safety and efficiency, while still meeting production targets.”

Primarily driven by sustainability goals, this recent interest in optimizing steam systems is not without challenges, notes Buckley. “On top of having to increase production and manage costs, processors are now being challenged to improve their impact on the environment. Steam-system optimization focused on efficiency, productivity and reliability all while meeting sustainability goals, requires a balance and careful management,” he says. “This is why digital solutions for steam-system measuring, monitoring and management are coming into play. They provide data and information that will not only help optimize steam systems for efficiency, but they also reveal issues before they become a shutdown situation, increasing system reliability and productivity” (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1. Digital solutions provide data and information that help optimize steam systems for efficiency and reveal system issues before they cause a shutdown, increasing system reliability and productivity

“Many facilities deal with poor-quality steam or poor reliability of the system and they are often shocked when we perform a system assessment that points out how much money they are losing due to a poorly managed and maintained steam system,” says Tucker Jackson, business systems manager with Steam Solutions (La Porte, Texas; www.steamsolutions.com).

Ron Bajon, director of engineering with Steam Solutions, adds: “While they may want an assessment for cost-reduction purposes or sustainability goals, what we often point out during the assessment is that steam systems tend to suffer a snowball effect. For instance, not only are they losing money and efficiency due to lack of maintenance and management of components like the steam traps, but if they aren’t checking their steam traps and replacing those that have failed, the failed traps are likely to cause heat exchanger fouling or corrosion issues within the system, which can lead to system failure, poor-quality steam and water hammer, which can be a significant safety problem.”

The good news is that the challenges associated with steam systems can be managed, says Chase Bean, director of engineering with Steam Management, Inc. (Boston, Mass.; www.steammgt.com). “There are over one hundred different types of opportunities to improve the efficiency and functionality of a steam system, and because improving one aspect of the steam system will often have a positive impact on the others [just as having one failed component will lead to system-wide issues], working to optimize the system can have many benefits for a facility,” he says. “And with the recent attention on improving the efficiency of steam systems, more services and tools are becoming available to help operators optimize their systems with less effort than in the past.”

In addition to professional steam-system assessments and services, such as steam-trap maintenance and management programs, there are a variety of measuring and monitoring tools available to ease the burden of steam-system management and provide the data necessary to optimize the system in a way that improves both efficiency and functionality.

Because one of the biggest challenges in a steam system is condensate removal, which is directly related to steam-trap maintenance, steam-trap monitoring tools are a growing trend. “When it comes to steam traps, there can be issues with not having enough of them, as well as with keeping track of failures,” explains Steam Solutions’ Bajon. “Failed traps can have a huge impact on a steam system. If a trap fails open, they are just blowing steam straight out, which is not only wasting energy that you’ve paid to create, but it’s also releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, which is directly at odds with efficiency and sustainability goals.

“On the flip side, if the trap fails closed, it can create issues, such as reductions in heat transfer, which can lead to freezing in heat tracing applications, fouling of heat exchangers, which can create poor-quality steam and process issues, and water hammer, which builds up quickly and can knock pipes off their supports or blow out an elbow which requires major repairs and can be a concerning safety issue,” says Bajon.

The problem with traditional steam-trap management is that there are hundreds to thousands of steam traps in most chemical facilities, so it’s difficult to keep track of them. Manual assessments are time consuming, subject to operator error and are usually only performed once a year, even in a best-case scenario. Repairing steam traps that have failed is also labor intensive and time consuming and keeping track of it can be overwhelming in any size facility, according to the experts. As a matter of fact, according to Armstrong’s Provot, about 20 to 25% of the steam traps are failed at any given time in many facilities. (For comparison, an optimized facility might have a 2 to 5% failure rate.) For this reason, some processors rely on professional steam experts to maintain and manage their steam traps, while others are embracing monitoring tools and technologies or implementing a combination of the two.

Currently, a new ultrasonic tool called the SAGE UMT automatic steam-trap tester (Figure 2) from Armstrong can be used to take acoustical and temperature measurements at each steam trap and will immediately alert the tech to the condition of the steam trap and log the information to a mobile application (app). “This makes surveying steam traps and reporting much more accurate and efficient because it removes the human element,” says Steam Solutions’ Jackson, who uses the technology when conducting assessments. The hand-held device can also be paired with Armstrong’s SAGE Smart Utility System Management platform, which serves as an online database of steam traps. The information from the UMT survey can be directly uploaded to the software, which will then track and analyze the information so it can be used to create reports and maintenance workorders, and provide users with a dashboard so they can see which steam traps have been serviced, which ones are operating and which are chronic problems (which may point to an issue up- or downstream of the steam trap that needs to be addressed).

FIGURE 2. SAGE UMT automatic steam-trap tester from Armstrong is an ultrasonic tool that can be used to take acoustical and temperature measurements at each steam trap and will immediately alert the tech to the condition of the steam trap and log the information to a mobile app

Steam Solutions also employs its own project-management software that tracks the GPS coordinates of each stream trap in an interactive map configuration that displays the status of each trap (Figure 3). “The software can be customized in many ways to suit each facility,” says Bajon. “Additionally, any of the dots on map can be selected to display the information and a picture of that particular trap. We use this to show progress of trap surveys and it helps identify problem areas to simplify steam-trap management.”

FIGURE 3. Steam Solutions’ project management software tracks the GPS coordinates of each stream trap in an interactive map configuration that also displays the status of each trap

Continuous monitoring solutions are also available, says Steam Management’s Bean, who offers Steam IQ (Figure 4) as an example. This system uses an ultrasonic probe that clamps onto the pipe downstream from the steam trap and continuously monitors the trap. Using algorithms, it can determine if the trap has failed. The information is processed and displayed on a web browser, which also provides information regarding replacement ordering information, plant location and the maintenance history of the steam trap. If the trap has failed, the dashboard will provide details about how much energy the trap is losing and how much money the loss is costing the facility. “Continuous monitoring in this way allows processors to manage their trap population easily while saving them a lot of energy and money and potentially preventing safety and process issues,” says Bean.

FIGURE 4. Continuous steam trap monitoring allows processors to manage their trap population easily while saving them energy and money and potentially preventing safety and process issues

Spirax Sarco’s Buckley notes that digitalizing steam-trap management is extremely helpful for processors. “Solely collecting the data isn’t enough,” he says. “Without comprehension and action, data provides no value, so they must capture the data, process it, understand it and take necessary actions.”

The ability to do this instantly and continuously using digital tools and solutions helps in many ways, he says. “First, we shift away from time spent finding the problem traps, to time spent fixing them. Second, when surveys are performed manually on an annual basis, it is entirely possible for a trap to be in a failed state for close to a year if it occurs soon after the annual survey. This means they can have many months of energy and sustainability losses or damage to the system that goes unnoticed,” says Buckley. “So, by continuously monitoring steam traps and managing the information digitally, processors can avoid those losses and move to a more efficient, sustainable and functional system.” Spirax Sarco helps processors achieve their sustainability targets through hardware, software and services to provide continuous monitoring and management for their steam systems.

In addition to the challenges associated with steam traps and condensate removal, steam efficiency is another significant issue, says David Wright, global DP flow product management engineer with Emerson (Shakopee, Minn.; www.emerson.com). “Depending on the type of steam, the energy required to maintain a specific temperature and pressure will constantly need to be adjusted,” he explains. “Maintaining high-quality steam requires additional energy and supervision, which is difficult to provide without proper measurement. In addition, maintaining entire steam loops within the facility to ensure there are no leaks within the system can be a challenge with larger facilities and aging infrastructure.”

The solution, he says, is using steam measurement, which helps to improve automation and leverage process equipment diagnostics. “Understanding the steam-system temperature, pressure and flow rates delivers insights into plant performance,” says Wright. “Technicians can use this information to perform adjustments, increase efficiency and quickly pinpoint issues. Today’s best practices and improvements in flow technologies can deliver reliable information, even in the most challenging installations.”

To that end, Emerson offers multiple process-measurement solutions to completely monitor steam processes. These measurements include pressures, temperatures, flowrates, steam leaks and more. “With steam applications that measure flowrates, it’s important to understand how much steam is running through the system. Using Emerson’s Rosemount vortex flowmeters (Figure 5) or a Rosemount Annubar flowmeter allows plants to accurately measure these points in real time.”

FIGURE 5. Rosemount vortex flowmeters help reduce downtime in steam applications by using a gasket-free meter body design to reduce leaks, along with non-wetted independent sensors that can be serviced without shutting down the process

Both technologies offer multi-variable configurations that provide real-time compensated mass flow, with integrated temperature and pressure compensation capabilities and the measurement technologies cover the full range of steam, from saturated to superheated to supercritical.

Other areas of concern, according to Kris Worfe, chemical industry manager with Endress+Hauser (Greenwood, Ind.; www.us.endress.com), include keeping steam at a consistent temperature to prevent re-heating and ensuring that condensate is returned to the system cleanly and efficiently to prevent heat exchangers and other equipment from corroding. “The water/condensate must be monitored and measured constantly for cleanliness because contaminants cause damage to systems. In addition, the flow of condensate and the flow of finished steam must be monitored with pressure and temperature measurements to help ensure quality,” says Worfe.

In addition to tools that measure pressure, temperature and flow, as well as water-quality measurements including pH and conductivity, Endress+Hauser offers level monitoring instruments, such as the FMP54 level transmitter with gas-phase compensation (Figure 6), which can be used in steam drums to prevent over and underfill, conditions that cause damage and safety hazards.

FIGURE 6. Endress+Hauser’s FMP54 level transmitter with gas-phase compensation can be used in steam drums to prevent over and underfill, conditions that cause damage and safety hazards

The real-time information provided by these solutions allows technicians and engineers to perform preventive maintenance, make boiler adjustments and identify leakage, which provides improved performance and increases productivity and efficiency of steam systems, says Worfe.

Thanks to the digitalization of measurement, monitoring and management tools, it is easier than ever to optimize the functionality, safety and efficiency of steam systems. And, in today’s climate of sustainability and doing more with fewer expenses, steam system optimization should be a priority.

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