Spirax Sarco helps Smurfit Kappa cut boiler fuel costs by 21%

Steam system improvements delivered by Spirax Sarco have cut boiler fuel costs by 21% at Smurfit Kappa UK’s corrugated board factory in Weston-super-Mare. Recycling condensate and flash steam back to the boiler has also halved the amount of water treatment chemicals needed and reduced the site’s water bill by between £300 and £400 a month.

The biggest single contributor to this success is a Spirax Sarco Flash Recovery Energy Management Equipment (FREME) Engineered System, which is designed to recover energy from condensate and flash steam. The project also included improved temperature controls for the Smurfit Kappa’s process steam and the installation of automatic pump traps to clear condensate from key items of plant reliably, even if the traps sometimes have to work against significant back pressure.

According to Andy Bale, Smurfit Kappa’s Engineering Manager, the project was part of a wider initiative to save energy at the factory: “We are working with the Carbon Trust to improve the energy management in a number of different areas, including compressors, steam and electrical equipment.