API manufacturer Aesica is saving more than £67,000 a year in energy costs at its Ponders End site following the installation of GEM steam traps. Gardner Energy Management has installed a total of 200 steam traps throughout the process plant achieving a 28% energy saving in just 12 months.
Purchased from Merck Sharp & Dohme last October, Aesica's Ponders End site is a hi-tech manufacturing facility located in Enfield, North London with a capacity to produce 300 tons of products per year.
When Merck Sharp & Dohme recruited Phil Page as utilities engineer and energy manager, he was given special responsibility for saving energy. Having previously installed GEM steamtraps when employed at GlaxoSmithKline, he was aware of the energy savings that could be made using the patented venturi orifice design.
He called in Gardner Energy Management to carry out a full survey of the steam system, and the resulting report showed that approximately 10% of the steamtraps on the site were failing open, resulting in 8,900 tonnes of steam being lost each year at a cost of £67,200. Not only was this increasing energy and maintenance costs but also was reducing production time and creating 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. During the following 12-months all 200 mechanical traps were replaced with appropriately sized GEM steam traps.
The company's US headquarters had set the site an energy reduction target of 25% over a three-year period. By installing the GEM steam traps, the company achieved its target in less than 12 months. Merck Sharp & Dohme is now considering the use of GEM traps at one of its US manufacturing plants prior to rolling out the use of GEM traps throughout its world operation.
'Mechanical traps fail and this has an effect on production times and costs as well as energy, maintenance and the environment', said Page. 'Because of the success of the GEM steam traps, Aesica has now decided to complete those final areas not previously converted to GEM traps to benefit from additional energy savings.'
Instead of utilising a valve mechanism to close off steam for maximum energy and water conservation, the highly efficient GEM steam traps use the venturi orifice design to effectively drain condensate from the steam system. As the GEM steam traps have no moving parts to wedge open or fail, it provides the ultimate in reliability necessitating only minimal maintenance and requiring no spares, testing or monitoring equipment.