Steam System Improvement: A Case Study

A long with the shortage of conventional energy sources, efforts have been sought to use energy in a rational manner. Whereas the biggest energy consumption is in the industrial sector, various techniques to reduce energy have been searched. For industries, this will result in the reduction of production cost. In industry where steam is utilized, the steam production and distribution system consumes a significant portion of energy. Therefore, optimization of steam systems is among the biggest energy saving potential in industry. The optimization measures can be categorized into two methods, i.e. (1) no cost/low cost that can be done through better maintenance and improvement of operating conditions, and (2) major improvement that requires a significant amount of investment, that includes the modification of process and major equipment. Since energy saving is an endless effort, new levels of energy efficiency standards are being set year after year. Therefore, repeated studies should be made to identify energy saving potential. Modern instruments allow the energy specialists to conduct an in-depth survey to identify energy performance. This article highlights the findings of the study in a steam generation and distribution system of a crude oil stabilization unit. With the annual budget of $8.3 million, the unit is handling about 600,000 barrels crude oil per day from an offshore platform. The study identified an opportunity of annual saving amounting to $1,115,300. Though the finding is specific to a single site, the basics of steam system analysis are applicable to any steam system. The steam system should be reviewed year after year to identify more energy wastes and to improve efficiency of the steam system, thus reducing the energy cost. At the same time this will also help save the environment.