A reliable steam supply of the highest purity is essential for modern food processing and pharmaceutical manufacture. Rising energy costs and more stringent environmental laws are placing a greater focus on the operation of steam raising plant.
Design Boiler has extensive expertise meeting the steam raising demands of the food processing and pharmaceutical sector. Relevant areas and examples of work that we have been involved with, specific to this industrial sector include:
Boiler Explosion Investigation: An old natural gas fired boiler with limited instrumentation was completely destroyed after it exploded in a coffee manufacturing plant. Design Boiler was engaged by the insurance company to investigate the cause of the explosion. We were able to identify a problem with the combustion system which allowed the burners to operate with insufficient air to completely burn the fuel. A relevant case study that discusses a similar problem may be found here.
Waste Heat Recovery: Design Boiler has designed many feedwater economizers to improve the efficiency of boilers operating in meat processing facilities.
Turbine Blade Fouling: Design Boiler was engaged to investigate the continuous fouling of steam turbine blades in a confectionery plant. It was able to be established that the boiler water quality had been well maintained and was not the likely cause. This led to a focus on the steam separation system within the boiler steam drum and the boiler’s overall circulation. The boiler circulation was modelled using Design Boiler’s in-house software and a downcomer stability issue was identified. This model indicated that some of the downcomers were reversing and releasing steam within the steam drum effectively bypassing the steam separators and allowing the carryover of boiler water into the steam delivered to the turbines and fouling the blades. Design Boiler’s computer model was utilized to determine the correct number of downcomers to prevent steam/water reversal and the boiler was modified accordingly. The turbine blade fouling problem was satisfactorily remedied by this modification. A relevant case study that discusses a similar problem may be found here.
Multistage Water Demineralizer: Design Boiler was engaged to provide a specification for a multistage demineralized water unit for a pharmaceutical plant.
Preparation of Thermal Equipment Specifications: Design Boiler was engaged to prepare specifications for boilers and heat exchange equipment associated with milk powder spray driers and gas turbine waste heat units.
We have a comprehensive understanding of the specific steam requirements of this industrial sector and Design Boiler’s broad range of specialised boiler design services and computer modelling resources are available to troubleshoot and diagnose boiler problems in the food processing and pharmaceutical sector.
