CA S E S T U DY S T E A M S Y S T E M S

Dairy Processor Carbon Reduction through

Energy Efficiency (D-CREE)

Quick Facts
Steam production represents the
largest demand, on average, for
fuel-fired energy in a standard milk
processing plant.
Steam system improvements help
many facilities save 10 percent to
20 percent in fuel costs.
Source: Department of Energy, Industrial
Technologies Program

Many processing facilities can

recapture energy through the
installation of more efficient steam
equipment and processes. However,
large benefits for relatively low cost
can also be achieved by optimizing
existing systems
The whole steam system must be
considered for optimal energy and
cost savings.
Tools and Resources
The U.S. Department of Energys
Industrial Technologies Program (ITP)
Steam System Best Practices Web
site offers case studies, tip sheets,
software tools, training courses
and more to help you identify
and evaluate steam system
improvements. Visit www1.
eere.energy.gov/industry/
bestpractices/steam.html.
The California Energy Commission
offers a video highlighting the
benefits of a whole-systems
approach to steam system efficiency,
including common ways to capture
energy and reduce costs. View the
video at http://energy.ca.gov/
process/videos/index.html.

U. S. Dairy Sustainability
Commitment

U. S. Dairy Health and

Wellness Commitment

Wisconsin dairy eliminates boiler frustration and

realizes water, chemical and energy savings.
Best practice: Boiler system improvements save energy and increase
plant productivity.
U. S. Dairy Sustainability
For several years, workers at a Wisconsin dairy struggled with their boiler
system. Unstable steam
Commitment
pressures, frequent boiler trip-outs, and boiler short cycling caused an increase in energy costs
as well as production slow-downs and frustration on the plant floor. Many people tried to resolve
the issues, but the problem kept recurring.
In 2000, the dairy turned to the energy management engineers at Solution Dynamics to take another
S. Dairy
Health
look at the problem. A complete plant energy audit revealed two main U.
issues
with the
boiler and
system:
Wellness
Commitment
problematic location of the pressure transducer and improper controller settings. These issues caused
the systems inefficient boiler short cycling and frequent trip-outs.
Close inspection of the system revealed additional sources of energy waste. Excessive flash steam
venting was occurring due to excess pressure in the condensate return lines. This was also causing
violent shaking and frequent cracking of the main condensate return/de-aerator tank. To help alleviate
the issue, the plant was forced to dump valuable condensate and inject fresh cold makeup water into
the tank. The dumping of condensate was not only a substantial energy waster, but also a potential
burn hazard for plant personnel. The water and treatment chemicals lost due to these longstanding
systemic issues were another source of waste, all of which added to the daily cost of operating the
dairys boiler system. In addition, excessive energy was being lost during each boiler blowdown
because of a lack of a heat recovery system.
Systemwide improvements were implemented, including:
Replaced and relocated the steam systems control pressure transducer and installed a boiler room
sequencing controller to stabilize system steam pressure, eliminate the frequent boiler trip-outs, and
vastly improve the boilers overall fuel-to-steam efficiency by eliminating pre- and post-purge losses
associated with the systems short cycling issues.
Performed a complete steam trap survey, followed by tagging and fixing numerous failed steam traps
to reduce pressurized condensate problems.
Developed an inventory of the plants steam trap population and put an overall system maintenance
program in place. This enabled routine trap surveys and repairs to become part of normal operations.
Reconfigured the condensate return/de-aerator tank to eliminate problems with violent tank shaking,
dumped condensate and excessive flash steam venting. This included a spray condenser in an
upsized venting system, which not only captured heat that was previously being lost but also
enhanced oxygen scavenging to further reduce the chemical demand of the system.
Installed a blowdown heat recovery system to capture heat from the boiler blowdown stream. This
reduced both boiler energy consumption and the city-water dilution required at the blowdown drain
discharge point.

Previous Boiler Heat Recovery Arrangement

Cold Makeup Water

Blowdown Water
to Sewer
Blowdown
Water From
Boilers
Heated Makeup Water
to Condensate Tank

Key Benefits
Energy savings The boiler improvements have reduced natural gas use at the plant by 10,500 MMBtu per year, for a cost savings of
$39,800 annually.
Payback The plant will realize a return on their investment in 1.6 years (see next page for financial information). This figure includes
additional savings realized by the reduction of water and chemical use, reducing the need for make-up water additions and treatment. The
upgrades reduced the systems water and chemical usage significantly: approximately 3,140,000 gallons of treated boiler makeup water per
year and an additional 631,000 gallons of domestic water and waste water charges per year in boiler blowdown cooling. At $2/kGal for water,
$2/kGal for sewer, and $5/kGal to soften and chemically treat boiler makeup water, gives a total additional water-related savings of $30,800 per year.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction This projects energy savings represent the equivalent of 616 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the
amount of carbon sequestered annually by 127 acres of pine or fir forests. Sources: Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov/
oiaf/1605/coefficients.html), EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator (www.epa.gov/solar/energy-resources/calculator.html).*
Reduced burn hazards The dumping of condensate from the condensate/de-aerator tank presented a considerable burn hazard for plant
workers. Upgrades to the system resolved longstanding systemic problems and tank design limitations and stabilized pressures, increasing
safety and helping to avoid potential OSHA citations.
Other benefits More reliable boiler operations saved maintenance workers considerable time each day. The old system tripped out two to
three times per day, every day, for four to five years. With each trip-out, the system would have to be manually restarted a 15- to 20-minute
process every time.

Boiler system upgrades help stabilize costs as well as steam pressure.

Challenge area: Frequent boiler trip-outs and short cycling.
Consistent boiler operations are critical to maintaining the temperature of pasteurized dairy products. An upgrade of the existing boiler system
stabilized steam pressure, eliminated excess venting and improved overall boiler efficiency and safety saving water, chemicals, energy and
production time.

Plant profile:
This project was completed for a large Wisconsin dairy that produces a full range of pasteurized dairy products, including sour cream, milk,
cottage cheese, aseptic coffee creamers, yogurt and other extended shelf-life products.

Financial Information
Investment

$113,896
Steam boiler system. Three gas-fired boilers are used to produce steam at 100-110 psi (see table below).
The average boiler load is estimated at 8,000 lb/hr. Typically, the Cleaver-Brooks is used as the primary boiler
and the Miura boiler is used to meet peak or trim steam loads, as required. The Kewanee boiler is rarely used
due to age and poor condition.

System includes

Number

Manufacturer

Rated Output

Rated Pressure

Year Manuf.

Cleaver-Brooks

8,375,000 BTU/h

150 psig

1970

Kewanee

10,043,000 BTU/h

150 psig

Unknown

Miura

10,350 lb/hr

200 psig

1997

System life expectancy

Typical boiler life is approximately 30 years. Piping and component life varies based on water chemistry and
system usage.

Offsetting incentives

None available.

Payback period

1.6 years (based on natural gas savings of $39,800 and water, sewer and chemical cost savings of $30,800;
energy savings based on natural gas price of $3.78/MMBtu in 2000; more recent fuel costs have been as high
as $14/MMBtu.

Additional savings

Reduced maintenance costs associated with boiler trip-outs.

*Energy cost savings were calculated at the time of project completion, based upon the regional cost of energy for the plants location. Energy costs may fluctuate over time
and by geographic region.

The Dairy Processor Carbon Reduction through Energy

Efficiency (D-CREE) Project is designed to increase U.S. milk
processor awareness of and confidence in the economic feasibility
of energy efficiency best management practices. The D-CREE
program is one of 12 projects identified by the Innovation Center for
U.S. Dairy sustainability initiative that aims to help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and increase business value across the dairy industry.
This is one of a series of validated case studies that has been proven
to be economically viable in fluid milk processing plants. Together,
these case studies help identify critical control points for energy
efficiency and best management methods for improving efficiency
and profit opportunities. For more information about D-CREE, or
to join our mailing list, e-mail dcree@rosedmi.com.
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy aligns the collective resources
of the dairy industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and
ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the
planet and the industry.

U. S. Dairy Sustainability
Commitment

E-mail: dcree@rosedmi.com
U. S. Dairy Health and
Wellness Commitment

USDairy.com/sustainability

2009 Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.