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Independent study highlights steam savings

A GEM product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 11, 2004

An independent study of GEM steam trap performance by Dutch consultants KW2 has again proven the substantial energy savings available to companies switching to GEM traps.

An independent study of GEM steam trap performance by Dutch consultants KW2 has again proven the substantial energy savings available to companies switching to GEM traps.

KW2 compared the performance of GEM traps with fully functional inverted bucket traps on a ironer and tumble drier at laundry Wasserij Katwoude, a member of the Van der Valk Hotel Group, the largest in Holland.

In order to ensure a fair comparison, KW2 used ultrasound to check the bucket traps were functioning properly, before conducting their tests.

The results after fitting GEM traps: * Ironer: productivity increased, whilst ironer steam consumption reduced by 17.6%, giving a steam saving of 47% per sheet.

* Dryer: drying cycle times cut by 12.2%.

Of course, these results are conservative as they are compared with fully functioning traps and do not account for energy losses through failed open mechanical traps.

Laundries will be particularly interested in the results on the dryer, as these are often the production bottleneck areas.

GEM traps cut drying time as condensate drains through the trap continually, as opposed to intermittently flowing through a mechanical trap.

The improved condensate drainage increases heat transfer, which in turn results in higher air temperatures and a quicker fall in the relative air humidity in the dryer.

These independent tests, like the UK Government's New Practice Case Study 120 at Withington Hospital Laundry, prove yet again that GEM traps work efficiently over varying loads.

Laundry machinery is not fitted with steam control valves and so full steam pressure is always exerted on trap inlets, whilst condensate loads vary greatly in laundries as machinery is turned on and off according to demand.

These steam savings show that on varying loads there is always sufficient condensate in GEM traps to efficiently trap the steam.

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