Objective:
We conducted a plant study in one of the leading beverage industries based in Malaysia and implemented suitable thermal energy conservation solutions at production lines.
Issues:
During our study, we found major issues in three equipments like-
a. Pressure and temperature fluctuation in the Warmer.
b. The Warmer was running at reduced RPM.
c. Difficulty in achieving stable product temperature in the pasteurizer, which reduced the throughput.
d. Flash steam venting issues at production areas made the surrounding environment hot and humid, which was unsafe for the people working in the plant.
Solutions:
The Flash steam that was vented to the atmosphere is recovered back to the boiler deaerator tank along with the condensate with the installation of FJP (Flash Jet pump). The float trap was replaced by Steam Operated Pumping Trap (SOPT) for the Warmer and Pasteurizer machines which resulted in reduced heating time and increased the throughput.
Benefits:
a. Consistent pressure and temperature fluctuation in the Warmer.
b. The Warmer was running at rated RPM.
c. No longer required to open the bypass valve in the Pasteurizer.
d. No steam loss in the Pasteurizer.
e. Stable product temperature achieved in Pasteurizer.
f. 100% flash steam was recovered.
g. Condensate recovered at 100 degree celsius.
Utility Savings:
a. 4.7% decrease in average fuel consumption, i.e., USD 109,130 of annual monetary savings.
b. 58% decrease in average make-up water to boiler, i.e., USD 24,480 of annual monetary savings.
c. Carbon footprint reduction(kg/year)- 671458.
