Steam system assessment
Ammonia & fertilizer
497,000 GJ cut from an ammonia plant's steam system
A US DOE Save Energy Now assessment at the Verdigris, Oklahoma plant led to upgraded condensing turbines, a new loop dehydrator, and a steam trap and leak repair program.
- Result
- $3.5M saved a year
- Outcome
- 11-month payback
Drive optimization
Petroleum refining
A no-capital load strategy for a UK refinery's steam balance
Costing every turbine drive against its electric motor alternative showed which units to switch as low-pressure steam went to vent — cutting the ethane compressor from $84.84/hr to $12.60/hr when exhaust steam is fully used.
- Result
- $30k saved a year
- Outcome
- Zero capital spend
Turbine performance
Commodity chemicals
500 kW recovered by retiring an obsolete desuperheater
After a waste-heat boiler was tied in, combined steam to the extraction-condensing turbine stayed below its 660°F inlet limit — so desuperheating could be safely bypassed and the lost work returned to the generator.
- Result
- $400k saved a year
- Outcome
- Piping change only
Heat integration
Chemical plant utilities
A cooling tower replacement avoided by rerouting makeup water
Boiler makeup water at 115–150 gpm almost exactly matched the air compressor's 120 gpm cooling duty, so it was routed through the compressor to preheat feedwater and the failing tower was blinded off.
- Result
- $80k saved a year
- Outcome
- Live in two months