Application Steel Mill Annealing Line
Steel mill saves $56K a month with direct steam injection
| Market | Steel, Heavy Metal |
| Application |
Water heating for continuous annealing line |
| Replaced |
Sparge tank, Cochran water heater |
| Solution | K500 Hydroheater® - 3 skids |
| Benefits | Energy savings, hot water on demand, precise temperature control |
Replacing a sparger saved us thousands!
A major International steel mill replaced a sparging system on its continuous annealing line with three direct steam injection heater control valves from Hydro-Thermal and saw an immediate and major decrease in steam usage. Preliminary readings saw steam usage drop from 19,400 PPH (1364 Kg/cm) to 7,900 PPH (555 Kg/cm)!
The manager of utilities was excited about these readings as their Energy Savings Assessment (ESA #141) filed with the United States Department of Energy would show great progress and the money saved would be significant. From early indications we should see some real savings on steam use, to the tune of $50,000 per month. He stated.
The company measured their energy consumption on this annealing line before and after the Hydroheaters were installed. Steam usage before the steam heater 3-way valves were installed was 19,400 pounds per hour of steam. Using the Hydroheater® skids, usage dropped to 7,900 pounds per hour of steam. This equated to a savings of almost 60% , or 14 million Btu per hour, $56,000 per month and $688,896 (USD) per year!
Process conditions considered by Hydro-Thermal engineers to configure this system included
|
Flow rates |
150 - 180 gallons per minute [5.6 Kl/minute - 6.8 Kl/minute] |
|
Inlet temperature |
60°F [15.5°C] |
|
Outlet temperature |
180°F [82.2°C] |
|
Steam Pressure |
180 psig [12.8 Kg/cm)] |
