The improvement plan is professionally engineered to include evaluations of some or all of the following opportunities for improvement:

• Optimize combustion control
• Minimize Air Pollution
• Minimize Water Pollution
• Flue Gas Heat Recovery
• Dept. of Energy Steam System Assessments (SSAT) by certified instructor
• Blowdown Heat Recovery
• Flash Steam Heat Recovery
• Boiler Makeup Water Pre-Treatment
• Automation of Boiler Chemical Treatment
• Combined Heat & Power Evaluations

When the plan is implemented, Steam Engineering can provide turn key installation and project management for the designed improvements. Pictured is the installation of a custom-designed flue gas economizer for a wood waste boiler.

When the project has been completed, Steam Engineering provides project startup and operator training. If the client chooses to be a water treatment customer, he will receive recurrent operator training for the life of the mutually beneficial relationship.

Water Treatment Programs

In our technical paper titled, "The Mechanics of Water Treatment", we demonstrate that all chemical treatment is used in proportion to the quantity and the quality of the boiler make-up water. If a steam boiler returned all of its condensate as feedwater, there would be no significant need for chemical treatment products. Steam Engineering is one of the best water treatment companies in the country, because we have the engineering experience to help our clients increase the amount of condensate returned to the boiler. The more condensate we return, the easier and more cost-effective the chemical treatment program will be.

Automation of Chemical Treatment

Because chemical treatment and blowdown are required in proportion to the quantity of boiler make-up water, it was easy for Steam Engineering to develop a fully automatic chemical treatment application system. The automatic system will maintain the correct blowdown and chemical treatment additions with changing steam loads.

Chemical treatment products can be pumped directly from the shipping containers or from bulk storage tanks. Note: Liquid treatment products are less concentrated than dry formulations, but with reduced chemical demand, the boiler operation can afford to utilize liquids for the following benefits:

• Increased operator safety - Operators will not have to handle and mix chemical formulations.
• By pumping directly from the shipping container, variations in chemical mix recipes will be eliminated for greater chemical treatment accuracy.
• Chemical treatment adjustments can be made by a single boiler operator.

How It Works

The automatic boiler treatment control system meters the make-up water to the boiler and activates independently-adjustable timers to control the continuous blowdown valve and to control the chemical treatment pumps. A water meter measures the boiler make-up water and actuates a timing controller to independently time blowdown and several chemical treatment pumps. This system allows independent use adjustment of the components in a chemical treatment program.

This automatic system will allow a single responsible individual the ability to test the treated water and make time control adjustments which will produce reliable blowdown and chemical residual results, regardless of boiler steam load. Multiple boiler operations require variations to this basic system, and Steam Engineering should be consulted for details.


Laboratory Services and Testing

Many large and small water treatment companies only provide field testing of treated water systems. Keeping with the goal of making our clients' steam systems as good as they can be, Steam Engineering has invested in a very complete water laboratory in our Portland, Oregon office.

We back up our monthly field tests of treated water systems with more accurate laboratory analyses. The laboratory testing of treated water systems provides our clients with a very accurate water treatment quality control check on a monthly basis.

Our laboratory is also used for deposit analyses and corrosion analyses.

Seminars and Operator Training

Steam Engineering has presented seminars on the "Principles of Steam Generation and Use" to professional groups, including:

• ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
• ASHRAE, American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.
• The Department of Energy for the Sate of Oregon.
• The Department of Energy for the State of Washington.
• The Dry Kiln Association.
• Many Customized presentation to client organizations.

There are often several gaps in any steam system improvement project. The first is a gap between the engineer's design and the contractor's installation, and the second is a gap between the design and satisfactory operator training.