Knowing the Cost of Steam

Knowing the correct cost of steam offers important insight on improving a company’s bottom line. Fill the form to get this article.

Wasted steam is wasted money. But how much money? It's not always easy to figure out the true cost of steam. Download this free Swagelok technical article to find out.

What affects the cost of steam?

Fuel cost and boiler efficiency tell less than half the story. Many factors in the steam system affect the cost of steam. They include:

1. Fuel cost: Lower-cost fuels result in lower steam cost.
2. Operating steam pressure: Lower operating steam pressure results in lower steam cost. Higher operating steam pressure requires more energy to produce the steam. Steam pressure should be reviewed to ensure that it is at the optimum pressure to meet the plant’s process requirements.
3. Percentage of make-up water or percentage of condensate return: Normal condensate returns have a higher Btu content than make-up water. Today’s industrial benchmark for condensate return is 90% if the plant is not injecting steam for the process...

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