They hove 2 boilers: primary boiler is a York-Shipley fire tube boiler roted al 24,000 pounds per hour; standby boiler is a Cleaver Brook water tube bailer rated at 20,000 pounds per hour.
Their steam usage in the summer is 8,000 ta 12,000 pounds per hour; winter usage is 14,000 to 20,000 pounds per hours. A significant amount of hot water is needed to produce the steam, resulting in high energy usage.
After dissolved solids build up in a boiler, the equipment needs ta “blow down” in order ta send the impurities dawn the drain. Prior to the installotion of equipment, they were blowing down approximately 4500 gallons of waste water per day.
Feed water to boiler wos 210 ports per million (TDS), or 12 groins per gallon on overage. Heating water with a high level of TDS causes significant scale build-up. Heeling elements in the boiler hove to heat through the scale before reaching the water, thus causing high energy use. for boilers, it’s best to hove no more than 3-5 groins per gallon or ideally, less than one groin per gallon!
Solution
Lower the TDS rote, thereby decreosing the amount of blow-downs and improve energy efficiency.
Decrease water usage and chemical usage, resulting in cost savings.
Equipment Installed/Services Implemented
R.O. system to lower TDS and reduce blow-down rote.
Carbon filter that protects R.O. system by filtering out chlorine that could be harmful to on R.O. system’s membrane.
Storage tanks.
Cleaner for R.O. system.
Annual inspection/servicing of equipment.
Results/Customer Benefits
Total annual savings of $52,711.
Since installation of the R.O. equipment, they’ve reduced blow-downs from 4500 gallons of water per day to less than 200 gallons per day.
The estimated energy savings from blow-downs and the savings in water and sewage costs is $31,000 annually.
Chemical costs went from $38,905 in 2002 to $24,694 in 2005, for a yearly savings of $14,211. (Equipment was installed in 2003)
With the R.O. system, Georgia Pacific was able to direct the concentrate water directly to storm (to the river) rather than going through a waste water treatment facility, thus avoiding fees.
TDS of the feed water to the boiler hos gone from 210 ports per million (12 groins per gallon to approximately 24 ports per million (just over 1 groin per gallon, resulting in 8 times less solids entering the boiler.
Georgia Pacific received a rebate check from their state’s energy company because they improved energy conservation.
