Steam in the Food industry

Steam is a quite common heat carrier in the industry. It can be found in power generation, for heating purposes and in many production processes in the food industry. Steam has a high energy content, provides an excellent heat transfer and can be directly injected into many products being heated.

Steam is produced in external combined heat and power plants, or industrial steam plants being fired with natural gas, biomass or residues from the production. Today often backpressure turbines are utilized in the plants for electricity production. The steam leaving the turbine can further be used for plant purposes.

Steam has a high energy content and is costly in production. The main losses in the steam systems typically occur in condensate traps, inefficient heat exchangers, valve leaks and the uncontrolled use of steam. The measurement of the steam flows and the monitoring of its quality is pivotal for the efficient steam distribution and reveals optimization potential.

KROHNE and steam measurement

KROHNE offers three flow technologies for the measurement of steam flows: DP-flow with different primary flow element types, vortex and ultrasonic flowmeters. Each technology has its specific characteristics, advantages and limitations. As a flow specialist we can always offer the best suitable technology for the particular application.

DP-Flow is the oldest and most universal flow technology. Due to the high temperature and pressure coverage the majority of flowmeters in the water-steam cycle of a power plant are DP-flowmeters. Its characteristics are determined by the primary flow element type and can range from simple averaging pitot tubes for retrospective installation in existing steam systems until redundant and calibrated metering sections with long radius nozzle for the performance testing of a power plant.

The OPTISWIRL Vortex flowmeters can often be found in industrial steam systems. OPTISWIRL can indicate if the steam is wet, saturated or superheated as an important diagnosis value. The multivariable OPTISWIRL 4200 with integrated temperature and pressure sensor measures the steam density and massflow in one device.

The OPTISONIC 8300 is an ultrasonic steam flowmeter covering temperatures of up to +620°C. It can measure the flow bi-directionally, has an unparalleled flow turndown and does not create any pressure loss. OPTISONIC 8300 can equally be found in power plants and in steam supply lines to industrial customers where flow rates can significantly change seasonally or flow directions can reverse.

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Dynea is a leader in the European wood adhesives market with a broad portfolio of adhesives. By replacing the existing control valve with FOCUS-1, a smart meter valve for flow, pressure and process control, they control the supply of feed water for the steam boiler. An important part of the adhesives production is the steam production. By carefully regulating water and steam production Dynea strives to lower their energy consumption which leads to a responsible carbon footprint.