案例分析

蒸汽、the site’s processes and offi ce heating, was supplied by a neighbouring facility via a 36 inch pipe of more than 1,000 metres in length. What’s more, the system was equipped with inadequate steam traps and no isolation valves, which meant that maintenance teams were unable to shut down or isolate the flow of steam into the facility. “We inherited a system that was nearly 70 years old and used an oversized pipe which effectively acted like a radiator, resulting in heat losses of around £130,000 per year,” says Chris McHale.

他仍在继续：“如果我是诚实的，我们带着非常反应的立场，因为它变得越来越不可靠，因为我们不是蒸汽的专家。但我们知道系统的年龄是产生效率低下的。“比尔廷汉姆网站的进一步挑战是超大蒸汽线的安全维护。“随着距离高度的大部分线和由于它从20世纪40年代约会而滞后，常规法兰泄漏经常导致昂贵的维护成本，”克里斯说。“我们知道我们不得不做点什么的舞台。”

Chris says that Johnson Matthey’s decision to take action was driven by more than a desire to increase efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. “We are an ethical company that takes its obligations to the environment and its people very seriously so it was becoming increasingly untenable for us to continue with the situation as it was.”Having identified that a steam line at its Billingham site was not only oversized but also in poor condition, Johnson Matthey’s Operations team commissioned a project which would see major changes made to the distribution of its low pressure steam. With support from Spirax Sarco, Johnson Matthey embarked upon an overhaul of its steam distribution network over the Billingham site’s summer shutdown period in a pilot scheme that would ultimately explore the value potential of proactive steam system maintenance.

“我们知道我们需要在专家们来电，”克里斯说。“Steam超出了我们正常技能集，因此我们希望在船上获得一些真正的技术专长。我们也想参与将挑战我们的人，鼓励我们改变我们的思想并采用新方法。“Spirax Sarco和Johnson Matthey的现场运营和维护团队之间的协作工作伙伴关系最初将蒸汽线的长度降低到其原始长度的大约25％，部分地部分地将新的加热系统放入办公室。这意味着加热系统不再需要蒸汽，并且旧的36英寸蒸汽管可以用由8英寸和4英寸的部分组成的新管道代替。随后将引入新的蒸汽疏水阀，污垢口袋，压力指示灯和隔离阀，允许更大的安全性和使用灵活性。最重要的是，新的主要隔离阀也适合，这使得约翰逊Matthey的员工可以在任何特定时间控制自己的蒸汽的隔离，而无需依赖其邻近的设施。

“The isolation valves and installation of pressure indicators alone have given us much greater control over our steam system, which was impossible before,” says Chris. “Better still, we’ve managed to create value for the business by generating a saving of approximately £60,000 per annum on heat losses alone, not to mention a significant reduction in maintenance costs.”

This high hazard work lasted just over three weeks and involved contractors from four different companies, all of whom worked together to complete the project safely. Chris says that collaboration between different teams on site was also key to this success. “The two-week steam isolation on the Billingham site prompted staff from the Operations, Project & Process teams to work together to alleviate the disruption of having limited hot water and no heating during this period,” he says. Overall, Chris believes that the project is proof that challenging conventions can pay dividends in terms of quantifiable savings. “The lesson we’ve taken from this project is that there are huge rewards to be had by challenging the way things have always been done. Replacing a dated and problematic steam line with one much better suited to our current application may sound basic, but the cost, usability and safety benefits have proved second to none. Going forward, Chris intends to take the lessons of this project and make further improvements. “The success of this pilot scheme has already prompted us to look at how we can go one better and make further savings by fully isolating the steam to site over the summer months.”