How to measure steam usage?

In the steam equipment that has been put into use, if you want to measure the amount of steam, there are the following methods:

1. Use a steam flow meter

A steam flow meter can be used to measure the amount of steam used by the equipment being used in the plant. This can be used to monitor the results of energy saving measures and to compare the energy consumption of a product in a plant with other similar plants. At any stage of the production process, steam can be costed as a raw material, so that the cost of each production line can be determined.

Only in rare cases the steam flow cannot be measured, the pressure of the steam must be taken into account, and other factors, such as calibration coefficients, etc., must also be considered.

2. Use a condensate pump

A less accurate method of estimating steam consumption is to install a counter on a positive pressure discharge pump (mechanical pump) that is dry pumping process condensate to measure the condensate flow. Each discharge action is recorded, and the discharge volume per discharge can also be estimated, which allows calculation of the amount of steam condensed in a given period of time.

A special electronic pump monitor automates this function, converting pump action into condensate flow. The electronic pump monitor can read locally or output digital signals to the central monitoring system. If the pump is pumping condensate from a collection tank connected to the atmosphere, certain corrections must be made to take into account the loss of secondary steam.

3. By collecting condensate

The consumption of steam can also be obtained by a direct method by measuring the amount of condensate collected over a certain period of time. If the loss of secondary steam (which is not considered) is small, this method can provide more accurate results than theoretical calculations, and it is suitable for both no-flow and flow-type applications. However, it is not suitable for direct steam injection applications, such as humidification or sterilization processes, because condensate cannot be collected in this case.

A jacketed pan is tested as shown below, in this case using an empty oil tank and a bench scale. This method is easy to operate and can also achieve accurate measurement results.