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Posted by GeneratorGrrl on May 19, 2005 at 15:44:19:
In Reply to: steam pressure posted by Tom Looft on May 18, 2005 at 20:03:17:
: I work in a processing plant and have always ran 150 psi steam to plant. I have droped the pressure to 140 psi and there seem to be no problems with heat. Does any one know if this is actually saving any money for fuel?? It seems it should but not sure
No, it won't. Because, as you know, the temperature and pressure of steam are directly related, if your processes require a certain temperature, your boiler will not provide as long a harvest period, and will cycle more frequently, thus consuming more fuel. Boilers are designed to be run as close to the MAWP as possible for maximum efficiency. If there is a need for reduced pressure anywhere in the system, its more efficient to run the boiler near its MAWP and install a pressure reducing station near the point where lower pressure is required.
To improve fuel efficiency for heating, its better to improve your radiators, to harvest as much heat as possible from the steam, and to improve condensate removal and return, to ensure that the steam reaching the radiators is as hot and as dry as possible. This will increase the heat harvested per burn, increasing the time between burns and thus reducing fuel consumption.