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by Katie Dennis on Thu, Jan 29, 2015 @ 10:01 AM
Get expert information without pulling your own technicians off their regular jobs
Bringing in a Swagelok Field Service Technician to examine your steam system provides you with many benefits. Get in touch with the right people today, click below.
It might take a full week for a technician to do a ground-up inspection of your steam system. If you can't spare one of your own technicians, or if they don't have much troubleshooting experience, consider a one-day, on-site visit from Swagelok Energy Advisors. We'll send out an expert in steam and condensate systems to look at a specific problem, such as a valve that keeps failing for unknown reasons, or water hammer. Then we'll give you a report on how to fix the specific problem and suggestions about what else to look for in your system, as well as a road map for how to implement the recommendations.
It is a chance to open a window into your steam system and uncover cost savings, explore opportunities for improvement and gain from the experience and capabilities that our advisers bring to the table.
Product selection
While our adviser is on-site, you will also have a chance to pick their brain without having to worry about getting a sales pitch for a specific brand of product. That's because, as enthusiastic as we are about Swagelok products, most steam system requirements go beyond the typical scope of the Swagelok catalogue. Swagelok does not manufacture boilers, steam traps, desuperheaters, heat exchangers or pumps, so you can be confident that our steam systems adviser will recommend only what’s best for your specific application without regard to manufacturer.
It is natural, then, to ask how Swagelok got into the business of inspecting steam systems. Back in 2008, Swagelok acquired Plant Support and Evaluations Inc., a Naples, Florida-based training firm with extensive experience specializing in the evaluation of steam systems. It is now known as Swagelok Energy Advisors, or SEA. This acquisition has proven invaluable in helping our customers achieve the highest level of performance and reliability of their steam systems.
Long menu
What does a SEA field adviser look at? You might want an inspection of your system's condensate recovery, pressure reducing stations, desuperheaters or steam traps. You also might be having temperature control issues in a heat exchanger or a dryer. The plant might be venting excess steam, which is wasting significant money and energy. We will give you a questionnaire so that you can provide basic information on your steam system prior to our visit. That could include the kind of equipment you use, the size of your system and whatever is causing trouble now.
"I usually ask what the top three things are that are bugging them in their steam system," says Tristian McCallion, one of our SEA experts. Leaks are often high on the list. So is steam quality. McCallion typically will converse for a while to see how familiar each customer is with its own particular steam system. "Some are pretty knowledgeable," McCallion says. "Others may not be sure where the steam is even made in their plant."
Those conversations help the SEA technician figure out what to look for, and how to effectively report any findings from the inspection. If the SEA technician finds something serious, they may call in advanced experts from SEA in Florida, drawing on their decades of worldwide experience.
Typically the results are first reported back to the customer through a conference call. Depending on how they want to deal with any problems found, SEA can provide a more formal report.
McCallion makes SEA inspections about once or twice a month. They can be as short as a few hours, or as long as a few days. Often it's a repeat call for periodic leak detection and testing of steam traps.
"If they are conscientious enough to call us back, they want to improve their system," he says.
A short visit from a local adviser comes at a substantial discount from SEA's normal rates. What kind of savings you will net from implementing the recommendations are unique to each steam system. However, it is common that improvements from our recommendations will pay for the site visit in a few months.
So for a healthy discount on one day of service, and the possibility of saving money and energy in the long term, schedule a brief phone consultation with McCallion or one of his SEA colleagues. They can answer any questions you may have about the SEA site visits and help you take back control of your steam system.
In a hurry and have a question? Click here to get in touch or call us at 780.437.0640.
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