Steam is a core component of many manufacturing industries today. Despite being one of the most widely used substance across various kinds of industries, steam is often neglected and ignored – a reality that is hitting hard on the cost effectiveness of manufacturing industries across Bangladesh.

For businesses using steam in any step of their production process – steam is money. In textiles processing sector, the first industry where Cleaner Production (CP) is being implemented, factories actively produce steam for various industrial processes, and then go on to become completely sloppy while managing steam, resulting in drainage of money.  Due to minor negligence, valuable steam is lost through various means. Cleaner Production outlines ways to overcome these losses and gain optimum efficiency.

Steam can be lost in three ways. First, when pipes have bends and steam hits the bends, it loses heat energy, thus forming condensate. Condensate collected on the inner surface on the pipes leads to corrosion and erosion. This is where installing steam traps can prevent wear and tear of machinery and reduce unnecessary loss. The second is through leaks. Leaks are so common that people in general consider this to be a part of industrial process and ignore this money eating menace. Third, if the pipes through which steam passes are not smooth, it loses energy while running through rough lines and turns into condensed steam (also known as condensate).

Steam traps are automatic valves that release condensed steam (condensate) from a steam space while preventing the loss of live steam. They also remove air and non-condensable items from the steam space. The most common steam trap used is the bucket steam trap where a bucket is affixed which lifts up when condensate collects around it and lets the condensate out so that the steam remains trapped. When the condensate passes out, the bucket falls back into its position. It is important to install steam traps near bends in pipes and before machinery in order to help it protect the asset life of machinery.

Maintenance of steam traps is also very important.  A simple way of doing this is taking the temperature of steam before and after where the steam trap is situated. If the difference is more than 30°C it is an indication that the steam trap is not fully functional. It may not be working due to rusting or other mechanical trouble. Regular maintenance can prevent this.

Often, firms do not realize just how large the scale of these losses can be. From the pilot program of CP, it has been seen that in a firm with just 8 leakages, 670lbs of steam is lost every hour, which translates to Tk. 79,000 ($ 1,000+) every month.

In Bangladesh, an inverted bucket steam trap (one of the most commonly used steam traps now) costs between Tk. 1,500 to Tk. 3,000 (approx. $20 - $40), depending on the manufacturer. In most cases, steam traps do not even have to be replaced – just adjusting the bucket resolves the issue. "For repairing steam trap leaks we invested maximum Tk. 10,000 for labor and parts costs (during CP’s pilot program)," informs Md. Zahid Ullah, DGM, Corporate at DBL Group, one of the twelve factories participating in the pilot program of CP. "The benefit from that alone was minimum Tk. 60,000 per month." Hence, the magnitude of cost savings is tremendous when compared to the small scale of investment that is required to implement this particular CP practice.

As discussed earlier, another phenomenon that commonly occurs in textiles processing factories alongside loss of live steam is the formation of condensate. The condensate contributes to increased wear and tear of the machinery. At the same time, by reusing the condensate (which is at roughly 90° Celsius temperature) as feed water for the boiler, the firm can save on fuel costs associated with heating room temperature water.

Reuse of condensate as feed water significantly increases boiler efficiency. The boilers being used in the textiles processing factories during the CP pilot program were found to have a design temperature of 100°C or 105°C but the Boiler Assessment and Audit Report showed that that the feed water temperature is usually between 59°C and 80°C. This temperature, which is quite lower than the designed temperature of the boilers being used, reduces the efficiency of the boiler.  So using the 90°C condensate in the feed water tank automatically increases the cost efficiency. It has been seen that an increase in feed water temperature by 6° can reduce 1% of fuel cost. An average firm can have gas bills of around Tk. 3,00,000 (three lakhs) per month. If such a firm can increase its feed water tank temperature by 30°C by using condensate as feed water, they can enjoy cost savings of Tk. 15,000 every month right there.

Another important component of the condensate is that it is 100% distilled water. Usually hard water is taken and treated with chemicals to convert it into soft water. Even after being treated sometimes the soft water has salt and that salt causes scaling, which is the deposit of salt in the inner lining of the boiler. Since salt is not a conductor of heat, it prevents the boiler from heating water at optimum level. Hence, using the condensate as feed water will reduce chances of scaling and increase the boiler’s efficiency. On top of that, it will also reduce chemical costs for water treatment.

One of the main reasons why businesses in Bangladesh do not give much thought to water is because of its cheap price. The very concept of making significant cost savings through water is something that is yet to be instilled in our business community. Even at the current rates of water, the cost savings from reusing condensate and stopping live steam loss are significant. These benefits will magnify as water prices increase.

Recent studies show Dhaka’s groundwater lowering at alarming rates. A study of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) showed that the water level was recorded at 53.92 meters in 2005; it has gone down significantly to 69 meters in 2010. Hence, it is time to rethink the way industries use water. As Dhaka plunges into shortage of water, even without regulatory actions, the cost of water will rise on the shoulders of simple market dynamics. The implication of expensive water will be intriguing: those who practiced inefficient water-usage will face fast rising costs and a challenge to find some quick means to adopt water-efficient practices. However, firms that have already adopted efficient practices will enjoy increasing cost savings as the value of water goes up. Above all, they will not only increase the lifetime availability of water, but will directly contribute towards environment efficiency.

Condensate recovery and maintenance of steam traps is one of the highest cost saving components of Cleaner Production. Research from CP’s technical partners shows that the average savings for a firm from steam trap alone is approximately $ 8,000 a year, and another $ 30,000 can be saved every year from condensate recovery (for a firm with roughly 10 tons per hour capacity boiler). The opportunity of cost savings in this area is already significant, and environmental trends suggest that this opportunity will only grow in future. Furthermore, steam is widely used across various kinds of manufacturing industries, so this component of Cleaner Production is very relevant to any factory experiencing steam loss and having wastage of condensate. It is time to act now and seize this opportunity, before it transforms into an insurmountable challenge.

The world is on the verge of water bankruptcy in many places of the globe with no way of paying the debt. Lest we forget, life will cease to exist without water. The world has started a new revolution to save water through the “Circle of Blue”. I am sure you will love to be a part of this revolution and win the seal of “Circle of Blue” for your organization!