Steam traps save thousands
July 1st 2008 Aesica, a supplier of active
pharmaceutical ingredients to the
pharmaceutical industry, has
revealed that it is saving over
£67 000 a year in energy costs at
its Ponders End site following the
installation of GEM steam traps.
Gardner Energy Management has
installed 200 steam traps at the
process plant, claiming a 28%
energy saving in 12 months.
Purchased from Merck Sharp &
Dohme last October, Aesica's
Ponders End site is a hi-tech
manufacturing facility in Enfield
with a capacity to produce 300t of
products per year.
When Merck Sharp & Dohme
recruited Phil Page as utilities
engineer & energy manager, he
was given responsibility for saving
energy. Page had previously
installed GEM steamtraps when
employed at GlaxoSmithKline, so
he called in Gardner Energy
Management to carry out a full
survey of the steam system. The
report from GEM showed that
approximately 10% of the
steamtraps on the site were failing
open, resulting in 8900t of steam
being lost each year at a cost of
£67 200. This increased energy
and maintenance costs and
reduced production time. It also
created 3000t of CO2 emissions
each year.
During the following 12-months
all 200 mechanical traps were
replaced with appropriately sized
GEM steam traps. "Aesica has now
decided to complete the final areas
not previously converted to GEM
traps to benefit from additional
energy savings," concludes Page. More articles from Gardner Energy Management Ltd: | 
