Project Profile: Boiler Replacement Yields Big Savings

Part 1: Boiler Retrofit: Space Constraints Pose Installation Challenges

Part 2: Vertical-Type Boilers Use Floating Head Design

Part 3: Multiple-Boiler Installation Creates Energy, Cost Savings

Part 4: Department of Energy Offers Tips to Manage Steam Systems

Department of Energy Offers Tips to Manage Steam Systems

By Dan Hounsell, Editor - February 2010

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies' information clearinghouse provides publications on steam systems and helpful tips on improving the efficiency of commercial boilers.

The clearinghouse includes case studies, tip sheets, technical publications, training and a steam system tool suite, which includes two free software applications:

Steam System Scoping Tool. This tool is designed to help steam-system energy managers and operations personnel perform initial self-assessments of their steam systems. This tool will profile and grade steam-system operations and management, and it will help managers evaluate steam-system operations against best practices.
Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT) version 2.0.0. The software allows steam analysts to develop models of real steam systems. Using these models, managers and boiler operators can apply SSAT to quantify the magnitude-energy, cost, and emissions savings of potential steam-improvement opportunities. SSAT contains the key features of typical steam systems. The enhanced and improved version includes features, such as a steam-demand savings project, a user-defined fuel model, a boiler-stack-loss worksheet for SSAT fuels, a boiler-flash steam-recovery model, and improved steam-trap models.

For more information, visit www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/steam.html.