Case Study
Power station
A Danish power station was looking to reduce leaks and energy losses, but ended up reducing their maintenance too.
Customer benefits
Increase productivity
Save energy
Reduce maintenance time
Customer
A biomass-fired power station in Denmark was experiencing steam and energy losses until Boiler Drain Valves were replaced.
During the start-up and warm-up phase boiler drain valves must remain open. These severe service drain valves have to discharge flashing water at high pressures. Once the start-up is finished and the plant is in normal operation the valves need to be shut off tightly. Due to trim erosion the customer was experiencing their boiler drain valves leaking and this was increasing maintenance time and costs to replace spare parts. The leaks meant the customer was also losing 'high value' steam and energy from their processes.
Solution
After walking the plant GESTRA recommended replacing the existing boiler drain valves with GESTRA's ZK 313 control valve as a drain and warm-up valve solution.
Specially designed for severe services, the ZK 313’s adjustable valve characteristics provide flexibility for flow capacity. Under high differential pressures, they remain wear-resistant and protect against leaks.
Summary of technical solution
Result
The installed valves had an additional benefit. As well as providing a robust solution to changing conditions, the ZK 313’s design reduced the amount of time it took to undergo maintenance procedures. This was due to in part the wear resistance on the multi stage trim and the ability to dismantle it without removing the valve from the pipeline so that maintenance and repair time is reduced.
The customer was finally able to retain the high value steam that they had previously been losing and reduce the hours of maintenance, focussing on other areas of the plant.