Case Study

Acton炼油厂主要使用蒸汽进行加热，但对生产也至关重要。生产过程包括用于控制反应物，加热器电池和储罐加热应用的温度，单位加热器，直接喷射系统和用于清洁罐，容器和工艺设备的蒸汽软管站的反应器容器。不幸的是，工艺受到过时的冷凝水返回系统和锅炉房的影响，而锅炉房屋反过来又对其他工厂设备造成了连锁效果。达伦·马蒂亚斯（Darren Matthias）说：“冷凝物回报系统效率低下且昂贵，这已成为一个主要问题，腐蚀管道以及不一致的水和防风质量问题。”“冷凝水被送回位于一个储罐农场的一个普通坦克，该储罐被板式热交换器广泛冷却，然后最终被送往废水植物。”他继续说：“我们正在使用两个锅炉 - 一种油和一种天然气 - 为整个植物产生蒸汽。蒸汽是在3.8 bar g的锅炉房屋中产生的，有问题的两个锅炉的运行量是应有的效率的一半。这与不可靠的冷凝水恢复系统相结合，拼写了不可持续的操作和高成本的有毒组合。”

Vale Acton的Steam System进行了详细的审核，以确定需要解决的特定问题，其精神保护其环境，员工是这一变化的关键驱动力。达伦说：“诚然，Steam并不是我们的核心专业领域，因此我们邀请了Spirax Sarco的帮助进行蒸汽系统审核。”“在分析了我们的整个系统并完成了危害和可操作性研究（HAZOP）之后，决定设计和提供新的工艺蒸汽，冷凝水和冷却系统。”由于整个设施的蒸汽的各种用途
必须开发定制解决方案以满足每个生产过程的确切需求。达伦说：“与Spirax Sarco紧密合作，我们确定了这些问题，并创建了可以支持我们的安全和环境政策的解决方案。Spirax建议使用新的蒸汽，冷凝水和冷却水系统的完整设计和供应，这将有助于简化我们的蒸汽网络并改善过程和生产周期。”此外，还安装了全新的控制阀，蒸汽陷阱和冷凝水返回单元，并增加了污染检测系统 - 使Acton设施具有当前技术的最新速度。

Following the success of the initial project, Vale Acton invited Spirax Sarco to carry out the design and supply of its boiler house, replacing the burners with two efficient gas boilers. Darren continued: “We were given two options to consider. We could either hire two boilers for a period of time while the upgrade took place in the existing boiler house, or, Spirax could complete the full design of the boiler house off-site. This meant the new boiler house could be assembled in a separate location so there was no disruption on-site.” Two boilers fired only by gas were installed, as a more energy efficient and maintenance-friendly alternative to oil. The new boiler house is designed to allow a third boiler to be installed when Vale Acton are ready to increase capacity. An added benefit was that one of the new burners also allows the use of heat from a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system, for even greater efficiency. Once built, the modular boiler house was dismantled and delivered to site where it was erected, reconnected and put into operation, before being commissioned and inspected by a third party insurance company.

“All in all, the two new boilers are consuming much less energy than before and are operating at approximately 95 percent efficiency. They have been cleverly fitted with an oxygen trim, which measures the gas emission in the flue and automatically brings it back in to line with our defined emission level when needed,” says Darren. New controls have also enabled staff at Vale Acton to take back control of their energy consumption. Data is now easily accessible, while improved visibility of energy consumption has allowed the company to track their environmental impact more effectively. “By replacing the oil and gas burners with two gas boilers we have saved a significant amount in energy. We are achieving 55 percent less nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions than we were from our old oil boiler and we’re also proud to be emitting zero sulphur oxides (SOx). “Since switching to gas we’ve already seen a 60 percent cost reduction and a considerable improvement in our operational efficiency. This has resulted in a faster process cycle and production levels,” says Darren. Safety is a key priority for the firm so the installation of double, block and bleed isolation valves has been an added benefit, allowing for safe maintenance to take place during production. In addition employees were provided with an on-site Boiler Operation Accreditation Scheme (BOAS) course to ensure that safety and efficiency is always prioritised by staff. “We pride ourselves on being a leader in promoting environmental responsibility and with Spirax Sarco’s help we have been able to achieve our goals and provide a more sustainable service. By prioritising our impact to the environment we have also been able to advance production levels and protect the safety of our staff – something we simply can’t put a price on.”