Problem: A survey conducted at the premises of pharmaceutical group Angelini revealed that around 10% of the mechanical traps on site had either failed open, shut or partially open.
Solution: Eight mechanical traps used on heat exchangers, air conditioning units, humidification systems and drip legs, were exchanged for GEM venture orifice design steam traps.
Energy manager Alessandro Lazzari verified that six months after installing the GEM steam traps, the company was making steam savings of 8% with low-pressure steam at 3-bar pressure which will provide it with a payback in just 12 months.
Angelini then installed 20 GEM venturi orifice steam traps in the oldest part of the production site with positive results.
Since then a further 30 GEM traps have been installed on drip legs, kettle reboilers, heat exchangers, heating batteries and humidification systems with another 20 ordered for installation this year.
“We were conscious that mechanical steam traps create endless problems in industrial plants as a result of their poor reliability and significant maintenance requirements,” comments Lazzari. “With GEM we have identified a solution that encompasses energy savings and minimum maintenance”.