Flash steam recovery trims Biomar’s gas bill around 10%

Biomar Grangemouth has sliced between 9% and 10% off its annual gas bill with the help of a system to recover energy from flash steam that would otherwise be lost to atmosphere. The aquaculture manufacturer says that the energy savings alone mean that the Flash Recovery Energy Management Equipment (FREME) engineered system from Spirax Sarco has paid for itself around 10 times in the four years since installation.

Biomar Grangemouth supplies over 100,000 tonnes of fish feed annually. The site uses around 7700 kg/h of steam in its production process, with its flat bed dryers alone using between 2500 and 4500 kg/hr. Before the arrival of the Spirax Sarco system, the flash steam from the returning dryer condensate was vented to atmosphere.

“We decided to recover this wasted energy as part of a group-wide policy to save energy and reduce visible emissions,” explains Christopher Strain, Engineering Manager at Biomar Grangemouth. “Spirax Sarco worked with Biomar to design, build and deliver a complete package flash steam recovery system.”

Biomar has experienced a range of benefits following the installation, including substantial energy and water savings, but there have also been improvements in the stability of the steam system.

www.spiraxsarco.com/uk