Fall 2004

ISSUE FOCUS:

Tips to Save Energy

All Combustion Systems 

1. Operate furnaces and 

boilers at or close to 

design capacity.

2. Reduce excess air 

used for combustion.

3. Clean heat transfer 

surfaces.

4. Reduce radiation 

losses from openings.

5. Use proper furnace 

or boiler insulation 

to reduce wall heat 

losses.

6. Adequately insulate 

air or water-cooled 

surfaces exposed to 

the furnace environment and steam lines 

leaving the boiler.

7. Install air preheat or 

other heat recovery 

equipment.

Steam Generation

 Systems 

8. Improve water treatment to minimize 

boiler blowdown.

9. Optimize deaerator 

vent rate.

10. Repair steam leaks

11. Minimize vented 

steam.

12. Implement effective 

steam trap maintenance program.

13. Use high-pressure 

condensate to make 

low-pressure steam.

14. Utilize backpressure 

turbine instead of 

pressure-reducing or 

release valves.

15. Optimize condensate 

recovery. 

Process Heating Systems 

16. Minimize air leakage 

into the furnace by 

sealing openings.

17. Maintain proper, 

slightly positive 

furnace pressure

18. Reduce weight of, or 

eliminate, material 

handling fixtures.

19.Modify the furnace 

system or use a separate heating system 

to recover furnace 

exhaust gas heat.

20. Recover part of the 

furnace exhaust heat 

for use in lower-temperature processes. 

“ T U R N I N G I N F O R M A T I O N I N T O E N E R G Y S O L U T I O N S F O R I N D U S T R Y ”

I N D U S T R I A L T E C H N O L O G I E S P R O G R A M

IN THIS ISSUE

20 Ways to Save Energy Now . . 1

Where to Look for Natural Gas 

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Compressed Air System Retrofit 

and Improvement Yields Energy 

Savings at a Foundry . . . . . . . . . 2

Plant-wide Energy Assessment 

Saves Electricity and Expenses at 

Glass Manfacturer . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Questions Answered by the DOE’s 

EERE Information Center . . . . . . 5

Steam System Assesment Tool 

Version 2.0.0 Now Available . . . . 6

Alumni Profiles Show How 

Employers Benefit from IAC 

Student Experience . . . . . . . . . . 6

Energy Matters Goes Electronic! 7

Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Industrial Assessment Centers alumni 

offer employers highly marketable skills 

(page 6)

20 Ways to Save Energy Now

Energy Matters

Energy costs can have a significant effect on your plant’s bottom line. Volatile natural gas 

prices in the recent past have made it even more important that energy be used efficiently and 

effectively.

Below, you’ll find 20 steps you can take in the next year at little or no cost, and mostly using 

in-house expertise. 

You’ll also find Web links listed on the next page to help you research topics related to 

natural gas prices, consumption, and forecasts, all available from the DOE’s Energy Information 

Administration.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT THE

ENERGY SAVERS WEB SITE AT

http://www.eere.energy.gov/

consumerinfo/industry/. 

20 WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY
2 Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 

The U.S. DOE’s Energy Information 

Administration is a one-stop source for widely 

used energy information. EIA has four types 

of information products: Energy data, analyses, forecasts, and descriptive information 

telling you more about each of its products. 

Many products, such as the Petroleum Supply Monthly, deal with specific industries. Of 

particular interest may be products containing 

data on fuel types presented in an integrated 

manner. Some key publications that present 

this kind of integrated information are the 

Monthly Energy Review, the Annual Energy 

Review, the Short-Term Energy Outlook, and 

the Annual Energy Outlook. 

EIA forecasts cover all energy types, and 

include forecasts of supply, consumption, 

prices, and other important factors. The EIA 

publishes short-term forecasts that consider 

conditions 6 to 8 quarters in the future, and a 

midterm forecast that goes out 20 years. Some 

of the EIA forecasting models are available on 

its Web site. Here are some useful links that 

you can begin using right away:

• Energy Information Administration 

Home Page http://www.eia.doe.gov

• List of Products Available on the Web

http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf.html

• Alphabetical Guide to Data and EIA 

Products http://www.eia.doe.gov/

fueloverview.html

• EIA Information Center

infoctr@eia.doe.gov

• Information Center Services http://

www.eia.doe.gov/neic/neicservices.htm

• Webmaster wmaster@eia.doe.gov

You can also receive e-mail notification 

about updated data and newly released reports. 

For this service visit http://www.eia.doe.gov/

listserv-signup.html. Or, you can call the EIA 

for help at 202-586-8800.

Energy Matters

is published quarterly by the 

U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 

Industrial Technologies Program.

Information contained in the newsletter 

can be reproduced without permission 

provided due acknowledgement is given 

(the U.S. Department of Energy’s 

Energy Matters newsletter) and 

a copy of the publication is 

supplied to the editor.

■

Editorial Board

Tom Bishop

Electrical Apparatus Service 

Association

Rob Boteler, representing National Electrical Manufacturers 

Association

Eric T. Fletty, Business 

Development Manager, TAPPI

Gary L. Goehring, Alcoa 

North American Extrusions

Glenn Hahn, Spirax Sarco

J. Bruce Medaris, Facilities 

Consulting Services and 

Executive Director, Compressed Air 

Challenge®

Michael R. Muller, Center for Advanced 

Energy Systems, 

Rutgers University

Arvind Thekdi, E3M, Inc.

Chuck Whelan, DuPont 

■

DOE Staff

Chris Cockrill, BestPractices, Motors

Bob Gemmer, Process Heating and 

Steam

Grace Ordaz,

Technology Manager

Peter Salmon-Cox, Lead 

Technology Manager, Technology 

Delivery and BestPractices 

■

Comments?

Contact: 

David Wagman, Energy Matters Editor, 

at 303-275-3602, 

e-mail david_wagman@nrel.gov

1617 Cole Blvd., MS 1609

Golden, CO 80401

For new subscriptions, go to 

www.oit.doe.gov/

bestpractices/explore_library/

energy_matters.shtml

For address/subscription changes, 

please visit www.oit.doe.gov/

bestpractices/energymatters/energy_

matters.shtml

Where to Look for Natural Gas Information

In 2002, engineers at Techni-Cast’s 

foundry in Southgate, California, implemented a retrofit project on the foundry’s 

compressed air system based on a review of 

the system by DOE Allied Partner, Accurate 

Air Engineering. The project involved retrofitting the compressed air system with more 

appropriately sized compressors, upgrading the compressor controls, and replacing 

the existing condensate drains with more 

efficient, zero-loss models. The foundry’s 

engineers also investigated and specified the 

proper pressure levels for all end-use applications, repaired leaks, and cleaned the dryer’s 

coalescing filter.

Altogether, these measures improved the 

system’s efficiency so much that the foundry 

was able to reduce its online compressor 

capacity by 50% without any decline in production. The annual energy and maintenance 

savings from the project are 242,000 kilowatthours (kWh) and $24,200. By implementing 

the project, the plant qualified for a $10,000 

incentive payment from the California Public 

Utilities Commission. This incentive reduced 

the project’s total cost from $38,000 to 

$28,000, yielding a 14-month simple payback. 

Optimizing industrial compressed air 

systems can be best accomplished using a 

systems approach. Equipment replacement 

and reconfiguration of components can 

help, but both types of measures need to be 

integrated into a system-level strategy to 

maximize energy efficiency. In the case of 

Techni-Cast, a system-level evaluation and 

strategy allowed the foundry to determine the 

most optimal compressed air system size and 

configuration that would efficiently satisfy the 

plant’s production requirements. By configuring the system to have the lowest compressor 

capacity that meets production requirements, 

the Southgate foundry increased its compressed air system’s efficiency and realized 

significant energy savings. This approach to 

optimizing a compressed air system’s efficiency can easily be replicated in all types of 

industrial manufacturing sites. 

Plant-wide energy assessments at the 

Compressed Air System Retrofi t and Improvement 

Yields Energy Savings at a Foundry

Techni-Cast’s new 50-hp compressor
Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 3

(continued on page 4) 

 Anchor Glass Warner Robins, Georgia, 

and Jacksonville, Florida plants revealed 

opportunities that could result in significant 

annual energy savings. The assessment 

team estimated the total potential savings at 

approximately 220,000 million British thermal units (MMBtu) per year for fossil fuels, 

and approximately 4 million kilowatt-hours 

(kWh) per year for electricity, if all projects 

were implemented. The associated capital 

required to achieve the fossil fuel savings was 

estimated at approximately $800,000, while 

that required to achieve projected electricity 

savings was estimated at $250,000. Average 

simple payback periods calculated for the 

primary recommendations ranged from 1 to 2 

years.

Anchor Glass Container Corporation is the 

third largest manufacturer of glass containers in the United States. Anchor produces 

a diverse line of flint (clear), amber, green, 

and other colored glass containers of various types, designs, and sizes. The company 

manufactures and sells its products to many 

of the leading producers of beer, liquor, food, 

tea, and other beverages. Because glass 

production takes so much energy, all of the 

company’s manufacturing facilities personnel must be aware of energy efficiency and 

energy cost reduction measures for Anchor to 

remain competitive in its markets. 

The team conducted assessments of the 

Anchor Glass facilities in Warner Robins 

and Jacksonville. The Warner Robins facility 

has two furnaces and eight bottle-forming 

machines that produce over 4 million bottles 

per day, approximately 360 days a year. The 

860,000 square foot plant is comprised of 

336,000 square feet for bottle production and 

packing, 500,000 square feet for the finished 

goods warehouse, 12,400 square feet for plant 

utilities and support areas, and 19,000 square 

feet for office and miscellaneous space. Typical electric and gas loads are approximately 

12.5 megawatts and 4 million cubic feet per 

day, respectively. The Jacksonville plant 

has been reduced in size in recent years and 

consequently consumes approximately half 

as much energy as the Warner Robins plant. 

Both facilities produce similar products. The 

principal materials used in Anchor’s manufacturing facilities are sand, soda ash, limestone, 

cullet, and various corrugated packaging 

materials.

Assessment Overview

Anchor’s furnaces, which are primarily 

gas-fired with electric booster heat, melt more 

than 800 tons of glass per day. The furnaces 

are equipped with heat recovery regenerators 

that recover a portion of the waste energy 

from the 2,800° F furnaces using a cycling 

airflow system. Fluctuations in the temperature differential between the heat recovery 

masses and the air streams during each 

20-minute cycle limit the effectiveness of 

the heat recovery process. In addition to the 

furnaces, equipment that uses notable quantities of electricity include air compressors and 

vacuum pumps (7,900 horsepower (hp) total, 

typically 6,050 hp operating), cooling and 

furnace air blowers (3,200 hp total), and lighting. The cooling water system, conveying and 

packing machinery, raw materials handling 

equipment, and a limited amount of space 

conditioning equipment also consume energy.

The assessment review team consisted of 

representatives from Anchor Glass Container 

Corporation’s Warner Robins and Jacksonville plants and from Sterling Energy Services, 

LLC. The Industrial Technologies Program cosponsored the assessment and supports plantwide energy efficiency assessments that will 

lead to improvement in industrial efficiency, 

waste reduction, productivity, and global competitiveness.

Assessment Implementation

The Anchor assessment team used a systems approach to conduct a comprehensive 

plant-wide energy efficiency review. The team 

identified, evaluated, and prioritized opportunities for energy savings. Maintenance and 

operating procedures were also reviewed for 

their impact on energy efficiency. Although 

the Warner Robins plants was given priority 

for the assessment, a more limited review 

of the Jacksonville plant was conducted to 

assure effective benchmarking of Anchor’s 

plants. Three areas were considered in the 

energy assessment: input to plant processes, 

plant process efficiency, and process outputs 

including waste and heat products.

The team completed a detailed audit of 

plant facilities, with emphasis on processes 

and systems determined to have the greatest 

energy savings potential. These processes and 

systems include:

• Cogeneration—Installation of gas turbines 

with waste heat recovery systems

• Waste heat recovery—Recovery and reuse 

of waste heat from furnaces

• Motor analysis—Motor efficiency improvements

• Compressed air systems—Operations and 

maintenance, leakage, improper use, and 

distribution and storage of compressed air 

systems

• Lighting systems—Cost-effective lighting 

improvements

Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Saves Electricity 

and Expenses at Glass Manufacturer

Anchor Glass Potential Energy Savings Summary

Action Energy Savings 

Estimate

Simple Payback on Capital 

Required (years)

Increased heat 

recovery

220,388 MMBtu/yr 1

Compressed air 2,056,250 kWh/yr 1.2

VSD cooling water 

pumps

524,600 kWh/yr 1.8

VSD furnace air 

blowers

808,400 kWh/yr 1.7

VSD machine cool 

blowers

560,720 kWh/yr 1.8
4 Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 

• Variable Speed Drive (VSD) analysis—

Installation of VSDs on selected process 

equipment, particularly blowers.

The accompanying table summarizes 

selected examples of energy savings that the 

team identified in the plant-wide assessment 

for both the Warner Robins and Jacksonville 

plants. 

Thermal Cycle Efficiency Improvement 

Options

Tremendous amounts of heat energy are 

required in the glass manufacturing process 

to melt and refine the raw glass material. At 

Anchor, this heat is introduced to the glass 

furnace in two ways: direct natural gas or 

other fuel firing over the glass melting tank, 

and electric booster heat arcing between 

electrodes immersed in the glass melt. Direct 

firing uses lower-cost fuels, but the over-melt 

firing process is much less efficient, at 50% 

to 60%, in delivering heat to the melt. While 

the electric arc is practically 100% efficient 

in delivering heat to the glass melt, the cost of 

the electricity is high relative to other fuels.

To recover some of the heat lost through 

the inefficiency of the direct firing process, 

the glass furnaces use checker brick regenerators to capture and return some of the waste 

heat. The regenerators are characterized by 

their fluctuating effectiveness over the charge/

discharge cycle. The regenerators are more 

effective at the beginning of the cycle because 

of greater air/regenerator temperature differences, but performance decreases significantly 

toward the end of the cycle. The effectiveness of the regenerators aside, a significant 

amount of heat is lost up the stack, providing 

an opportunity to further improve the process 

efficiency.

Possible approaches to improving the efficiency of the glass melting process include:

• Generate steam from the stack gas waste 

heat to drive a turbine.

• Recover stack gas waste heat into the 

incoming air through air-to-air or intermediary heat exchangers.

• Optimize charge/discharge cycle times to 

improve the generator effectiveness.

The team considered recovery of the waste 

heat from the furnace stacks, either to produce steam driving a turbine-generator and/or 

to preheat incoming furnace combustion air. 

Analysis showed the best way to recover this 

energy is by incorporating an air-to-air heat 

exchanger that would transfer part of the heat 

between the air streams exiting and entering 

the regenerators. The team also identified an 

opportunity to improve the regenerators at the 

Warner Robins plant by modifying or repairing them if necessary, and possibly incorporating shorter cycle times to optimize their 

heat recovery.

Compressed Air System Efficiency and 

Improvements

The Anchor plants use significant amounts 

of compressed air at two different pressures 

in their container production processes. 

High-pressure air (~100 pounds per square 

inch—psi) is used for operating typical airpowered controls and tools, while low-pressure air (~50 psi) is used in the bottle-blowing 

process machinery. The Warner Robins plant 

has a flow rate of approximately 16,000 cubic 

feet per minute (cfm) of high-pressure air; the 

Jacksonville plant has a flow rate of about 

11,000 cfm.

The energy assessment revealed that the 

high-pressure system operates at between 97 

and 103 psi in the compressor room at the 

Warner Robins plant. A refrigerated dryer 

rated at 11,000 cfm provides air-drying. The 

air supply in the plant supply header ranges 

from 82 to 85 psi. A limited inspection estimated that air leaks account for more than 

20% of total air consumption; thus, renewed 

efforts were recommended to reduce or eliminate leaks to minimize air use.

The high volume of airflow causes a 

high-pressure drop through the air dryer. This 

accounts for most of the pressure drop from 

the compressor discharge headers to the 

plant supply header. In addition, the dryer is 

incapable of properly drying the total flow; 

the purchase of a replacement dryer is under 

consideration.

A significant opportunity exists to improve 

the efficiency of the high-pressure system. 

Among the recommended improvements are:

• Remove system bottlenecks and add a 

higher-pressure storage system to reconfigure the compressor room to a lower supply 

pressure.

• Provide advanced system controls to optimize compressor operations and energy 

efficiency.

• Reduce leaks in the system to lower the 

flow requirements.

Adding the recommended higher-pressure 

air receiver storage capacity will allow sufficient air storage so that a trim compressor can 

totally shut down for 10 to 20 minutes when 

unloaded, rather than cycling between loaded 

and unloaded cycles.

Motor Management and Efficiency

Review of the application and operation 

of electric motors resulted in the following 

recommendations:

• Economic guidelines should be in place so 

that initial cost does not drive repair versus 

replace decision-making.

• Larger motors that are sometimes underloaded for their application and are less 

efficient should be replaced with premium 

efficiency motors when a payback of 2.5 

years or less is possible.

Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Saves 

Electricity and Expenses at Glass Manufacturer (continued from page 3)

Inlet line to air compressor
Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 5

• Develop an overall motor inventory and 

replacement plan.

• Energy-efficient motors should be used for 

all new or replaced motors where expected 

annual operating time will be greater than 

4,000 hours.

Pump and Blower VSD Application

The Warner Robins and Jacksonville 

plants use pumps and blowers for various process functions, but three general applications 

were considered in the assessment: cooling 

water pumping, process cooling blowers, and 

furnace air blowers. These pumps and blowers currently run at constant speed, with either 

no flow control or with valves for pumps and 

variable inlet vanes for blowers.

Recommendations include:

• Consider using VSDs on the cooling tower 

water pumps to control pump speed and to 

modulate tower water flow and pressure.

• Consider using VSDs on the glass furnace 

air and stack draft blowers to control 

blower speed as a means of modulating 

airflow.

• Consider using VSDs on the glass forming 

and hot glass handling machinery air cooling blowers to control blower speed as a 

means of modulating air flow.

Plant Lighting

Recommendations for improvements in 

efficiency of plant lighting systems include:

• Provide for expanded use of natural light

• Where convenient, consider converting the 

plant’s outdoor lighting from utility-supplied lighting to wall packs or plant-supplied lighting

• Install motion sensors in equipment rooms, 

warehouse facilities, and other plant areas 

that are not frequently occupied

• Have lighting performance contractors 

conduct no-cost reviews of plant lighting to 

identify possible improvement opportunities.

Questions Answered 

by the DOE’s EERE 

Information Center

Plant Energy Purchase Optimization

With the extreme volatility of natural gas 

and electricity prices, the assessment team 

evaluated the potential for fuel substitution, 

including load management on the electric 

boost in conjunction with real-time electricity 

prices and operational considerations. Breakeven guidelines were recommended for consideration of energy purchase optimization 

and fuel substitution to permit better management in volatile markets.

To learn more about the plant-wide assessment program, visit the plant-wide assessment 

Web page at http://www.oit.doe.gov/

bestpractices/assessments.shtml or contact 

the EERE Information Center at 1-877-EEREINF (1-877-337-3463). 

DOE’s EERE Information Center has 

helped thousands of industries identify 

cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency, such as the solutions provided below. 

Through the Information Center, industries 

and industrial service providers can access 

Industrial Technologies Program resources to 

help make their industries more energy-efficient, productive, and competitive.

The Information Center can help you find 

resources such as publications and software 

tools, as well as information about working 

with ITP and cost-sharing opportunities. If 

you are working on large industrial energy 

efficiency projects, the Information Center’s 

engineering staff can provide you with technical assistance on motor, steam, compressed 

air, pumping systems, and more. Contact the 

EERE Information Center at 877-EERE-INF 

(877-337-3463) or at eereic@ee.doe.gov, or 

go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/ 

for more information.

Q: We use 100 pounds per square inch 

gauge (psig) steam with serpentine coils to 

heat several open tanks (some contain phosphoric acid, some nitric acid, and some caustic). At present the hot condensate is dumped 

to the sewer because of the potential for acid 

to contaminate the boilers from leaks into 

failed coils during shutdowns. 

What technology could you suggest that 

would allow us to reliably return condensate 

to the boilers? Total condensate return would 

be about 3,000 pounds per hour. 

A: Several companies make equipment 

trains that are specifically designed to maximize the return of potentially contaminated 

condensate. A “contaminated condensate 

detection system” or “clean condensate” 

module monitors the conductivity and pH of 

condensate being returned to the boiler and 

diverts contaminated condensate to the drain. 

The system involves the use of a controller, 

which compares readings against preset values. Condensate is returned to the boiler when 

it is within specifications. When controller 

setpoint values are exceeded, a three-way 

valve on the condensate return line is actuated 

to dump condensate to the sewer or to a neutralization tank. 

Contaminated condensate return systems 

have been installed in food processing and 

chemical plants. Note that condensate can be 

monitored for hydrocarbons, pH, conductivity, oil, and/or turbidity. A certain amount of 

pre-engineering is required to adapt clean 

condensate equipment modules to a given site. 

Automatic dump systems must be designed 

and installed properly to effectively detect 

and reject contaminated condensate. Potential 

design issues include sampling line length, 

sample cooling requirements, and adjustments 

to sampling instruments to accommodate 

pressurized condensate return lines. The 

installation of condensate filters or polishers 

might also be considered.

Diversion valves must be periodically 

exercised and condensate monitors calibrated 

to ensure that they are functioning properly. 

Maximizing the return of hot condensate 

reduces fuel costs and improves boiler efficiency. Assuming year-round operation, 

a boiler efficiency of 80%, a condensate 

temperature of 180oF (enthalpy of 148 British thermal units per pound—Btu/lb), and a 

makeup water temperature of 55oF 

(23 Btu/lb), the return of 3,000 lbs/hour of 

condensate provides annual energy savings of:

3,000 lbs/hr x (148-23 Btu/lb) x 8,760 

hrs/yr / (1,000,000 Btu/MMBtu x 0.8) = 4,106 

MMBtu/yr

The energy savings is valued at $24,636 

annually given a natural gas cost of $6.00/

MMBtu. 

Q: Is there a technology for recovering 

energy from compressed gases? We operate 

six centrifugal compressors to provide 125-

psig air for our processes. 

(continued on page 6) 

High-pressure blower for mold cooling air
6 Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 

Alumni Profiles Show How 

Employers Benefit from 

IAC Student Experience

The Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) 

provides small- and medium-sized manufacturers with no-cost assessments of their plant’s 

energy, waste, and productivity efficiency, followed by recommendations for specific cost 

savings.

The assessments are conducted by engineering faculty and students of IACs hosted 

by 26 universities across the United States. 

The Industrial Technologies Program sponsors 

the Centers as part of its efforts to transfer 

energy-efficient and environmentally sound 

practices and technologies to U.S. industry.

The Centers benefit many parties, but 

perhaps the greatest long-term benefit is the 

effect on engineering students who use the 

skills learned from their IAC experience in 

their careers. IAC alumni get choice jobs and 

employers gain highly experienced and competent employees.

Profiles on three IAC alumni are now 

available at the Center Student Forum Website, www.iacforum.org. More alumni profiles 

will be written in the coming months. In these 

first profiles, you’ll meet Judy Dorsey, Julie 

Sieving and Eric Ruffel, from Colorado State 

University.

Eric credits the Center with helping 

him receive four competing job offers on 

graduation and land the exact job he wanted. 

Working on more than 40 industrial site 

assessments during his three years with the 

Center gave him practical experience few 

other first-year employees could match.

Judy has parlayed her IAC training into 

12 years experience in pollution prevention 

and sustainable design, as well as 7 years of 

project management expertise. Judy owns 

and operates her own engineering consulting 

The reactors consume oxygen and produce a waste gas stream at a pressure of 45 

psig. The composition of the waste gas is 

mainly nitrogen. The waste gas currently 

goes through a letdown valve, then is routed 

through a thermal oxidizer to eliminate hydrocarbons, and then released to atmosphere.

A: Several companies can provide turboexpanders that are designed to recover power 

from pressure letdown stations. In a turboexpander, the compressed gas undergoes isentropic expansion in a single-stage radial turbine. 

The extracted shaft power is available to drive 

an electrical generator. Turboexpanders are 

often used in the hydrocarbon gas processing 

and petrochemical industries. Turboexpanders 

are readily available in the 500 kW to 10 MW 

size range and can be designed to work with 

hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, 

hydrogen or other gases. 

Turboexpander manufacturers can provide 

curves for various gas mixtures that provide 

the recoverable power (in kW) as a function of expander pressure ratio and gas flow 

rate . Turboexpander manufacturers can also 

estimate the electrical generating capacity or 

shaft horsepower available and provide a preliminary equipment cost estimate when provided with your inlet gas temperature, flow, 

composition, and required discharge pressure.

Turboexpanders can be installed at pressure letdown sites, pipeline-to-pipeline pressure reduction stations, on steam boiler and 

other industrial natural gas supply systems, 

and in parallel with existing control valves or 

regulators. 

Q: A new process in our plant requires 

a flow of 100,000 lbs/hour of 15-psig steam. 

About 45,000 lbs/hour of 15-psig steam is 

available at various locations throughout the 

facility. Unfortunately, a pressure drop will 

occur when the low pressure steam is routed 

to the point of use. The pressure must be 

boosted back to 15-psig (or higher) for the 

steam to be useful for the process. How can 

we do that? 

A: Low pressure steam can be boosted to 

a higher pressure and temperature with single 

or multi-stage thermocompressors, mechanical vapor recompressors, or with industrial 

heat pumps. Thermocompressors are recommended when high pressure motive steam is 

available and compression ratios are low. 

A thermocompressor boosts steam pressure 

by using a Venturi nozzle in a steam jet ejector. High pressure motive steam expands in a 

converging-diverging nozzle to convert pressure energy to kinetic energy. Low pressure 

vent or suction steam is entrained into this 

velocity jet where mixing occurs. A diffuser 

portion of the thermocompressor reconverts 

the kinetic energy of the mixture back into 

pressure. The intermediate discharge pressure is somewhere between the motive steam 

pressure and the low pressure suction steam 

pressure. The actual discharge pressure is 

determined by the ratio of the pounds per hour 

of motive steam supplied to the pounds per 

hour of low pressure suction steam entrained. 

For higher pressure boosts, mechanical 

vapor recompressors are recommended. A 

vapor recompressor is similar to an air compressor—except the fluid being compressed 

is steam, not air. Generally, an electric motor 

Ask the EERE Info Center

(continued from page 5)

There’s More to Learn at Energy Matters 

Extra.

Learn more about the topics covered in this 

issue of Energy Matter by checking out Energy 

Matters Extra. It’s our on-line complement to 

the print publication. Visit the Energy Matters Extra web site at http://www.oit.doe.gov/

bestpractices/energymatters/emextra/.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

E-BULLETIN: YOUR ONLINE CONNECTION

 The Industrial Technologies Program 

E- Bulletin is your online connection 

to news and resources from ITP. Each 

monthly edition keeps you up-to-date 

on key developments and news of 

interest to industrial partners. Don’t 

miss announcements about new tools 

and resources, training, events, and 

project opportunities.

The Industrial Technologies Program 

E-Bulletin helps you tap into opportunities to improve industrial energy 

efficiency today and tomorrow! To 

view the most recent E-Bulletin and 

sign up to receive future issues, 

visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/

industry/resources/ebulletin.html.

 (continued on page 7)

 (continued on page 7)
Energy	Matters,	Fall	2004 7

provides the energy necessary to raise the 

pressure, temperature, and enthalpy of the 

suction steam. 

Mechanical vapor recompressors are 

engineered pieces of equipment. They are 

not available “off-the-shelf”. Recompressors 

are generally built up from existing components that are “fit” onto existing designs. 

Companies that make large rotating equipment such as steam turbines, backpressure 

turbines, and turboexpanders can design and 

supply mechanical vapor recompressors. For 

additional information, download the Steam 

Tip Sheet “Use Vapor Recompression to 

Recover Low-Pressure Waste Steam” at http:

//www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices/pdfs/vapor_

recompression.pdf (200k Adobe® 

Acrobat® .pdf). 

Steam System Assessment Tool Version 2.0.0 

Now Available

The Industrial Technologies Program 

announces the newest version of the popular 

Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT). Now 

SSAT Version 2.0.0 is a more powerful tool 

that allows steam analysts to develop approximate models of real steam systems. Using 

these models, the SSAT can be applied to 

quantify the magnitude—in terms of energy, 

cost, and emissions savings—of key potential 

steam improvement opportunities. SSAT contains the main features of typical steam systems. If you are an engineer who operates and 

improves steam systems, SSAT Version 2.0.0 

can help you better manage these systems.

SSAT Version 2.0.0 includes several major 

software improvements and corrections to 

known problems in the original Version 1.0.0. 

New features and capabilities include:

• A steam demand savings project that 

allows you to model the impact of steam 

process use savings on overall steam savings

• New capabilities to model a user-defined 

fuel

• A new worksheet to calculate boiler stack 

losses for the SSAT fuels

• A boiler flash steam recovery project to 

model directly into the deaerator (1-header 

model only)

• Improvements to steam traps modeling 

so that trap losses are not included in the 

specified steam demand.

Download SSAT Version 2.0.0 free of 

charge from ITP’s BestPractices Web site. 

If you have SSAT Version 1.0.0 installed, we 

recommend you perform a complete update 

to the new version. 

To install SSAT Version 2.0.0, simply 

download the file “SSATv2_Setup.exe” to 

your computer, double click on the file, and 

follow the on-screen instructions. Installing 

SSAT Version 2.0.0 will not erase any software templates you have previously created. 

Or, you can continue to use Version 1.0.0, 

but load the new software template files and 

save them in your existing SSAT “Templates” 

folder. The SSAT Version 2.0.0 Users Guide 

is also available for download.

Learn more about this tool and other ITP 

BestPractices resources, training, and system 

improvement opportunities on the Web site 

at http://www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices. You 

can also contact the Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy Information Center at 

eereic@ee.doe.gov or 877-337-3463 (877-

EERE-INF) for assistance and to find out how 

ITP and BestPractices can help your company 

improve energy efficiency and the bottom line 

today! 

ENERGY MATTERS GOES ELECTRONIC!

The content is the same, it publishes just as often and it’s still yours for the asking. 

The all-electronic version of Energy Matters makes it even easier for you to stay current on the latest energy efficiency topics from the Industrial Technologies Program. 

By converting your subscription to our all-electronic version, we’ll send you an e-mail 

when the newsletter is published and provide a clickable link to the newest issue! 

Plus, you’ll enjoy full access to the Energy Matters article library, putting its archive 

of energy efficiency information is just a mouse-click away! Sign up today at http:

//www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices/energymatters/energy_matters.shtml

business. And Julie, who works with Judy, 

participated in 30 assessments, giving her the 

kind of hands-on experience employers want.

Since its inception in 1976, more than 

2,000 students have participated in the IAC 

program. Currently, about 250 students are 

trained each year. The training each student 

receives augments his or her traditional engineering education. Prior to their first industrial 

assessment, students are trained in assessment methodologies, instrument use, safety, 

and common industrial energy uses, such as 

air compressor systems, motors, boilers and 

steam systems, pumping systems, and lighting. Potential energy-conserving and costsaving recommendations are highlighted and 

methods to estimate the potential conservation 

and cost savings are presented.

 (continued from page 6)

 (continued from page 6)

IAC alumni Julie Sieving collects data during an energy assessment performed by the Brendle Group.

Alumni Profiles

Ask the EERE Info Center
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Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 

a DOE national laboratory.

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BestPractices

The Industrial Technologies Program’s 

BestPractices initiative and its Energy 

Matters newsletter introduce industrial end 

users to emerging technologies and wellproven, cost-saving opportunities in motor, 

steam, compressed air, and other plant-wide 

systems. 

DOE Regional Office Representatives

■ David Godfrey, Atlanta, GA, 

 404-562-0568

■ Stephen Costa, Boston, MA, 

 617-565-1811

■ Brian Olsen, Chicago, IL, 

 312-886-8479

■ Jamey Evans, Denver, CO, 

 303-275-4813

■ Chris Cockrill, Seattle, WA, 

 816-873-3299

■ Bill Orthwein, Philadelphia, PA, 

 215-656-6957

 EERE INFORMATION 

 CENTER

 Do you have questions about using energy-efficient process 

and utility systems in your industrial 

facility? Call the Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy (EERE) Information 

Center for answers, Monday through 

Friday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (EST).

HOTLINE: 877-EERE-INF

or 877-337-3463

Energy Matters

A STRONG ENERGY PORTFOLIO FOR A STRONG AMERICA

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy will 

mean a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, 

and greater energy independence for America. 

Working with a wide array of state, community, 

industry, and university partners, the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy invests in a diverse portfolio of 

energy technologies.

Coming Events

PUMPING SYSTEM ASSESSMENT, SALT LAKE CITY, UT

■			Jan 06, 2005 For more information, contact Patti Case at 

 plcase@etcgrp.com or 801-278-1927

MOTOR SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT, LITTLE ROCK, AR 

■			Jan 20, 2005 For more information, contact Maureen Rose at

 roserose@bcglobal.net or 501-455-4057 

STEAM SYSTEM SPECIALIST QUALIFICATION, DOWNEY, CA 

■			Jan 25-27, 2005 For more information, contact Tony Wright at

 wrightal@ornl.gov or 865-574-6878 

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEMS (LEVEL 1), DALLAS, TX 

■			Jan 25, 2005 For more information, contact Kathey Ferland at

 kferland@mail.utexas.edu or 512-232-4823

STEAM SYSTEM ASSESSMENT, PORTLAND, OR

■			Mar 10, 2005 For more information, contact Robert Guide at

 rgguide@adelphia.net or 360-577-1124