Steam is a valuable medium and any leaks should be dealt with properly and quickly.
Live steam leaks are a significant and highly visible waste of energy, as well as being a possible health and safety risk. A steam leak results in the loss of both latent and sensible energy. Whilst any plant leaks are a bad thing, steam is a top priority as steam leaks normally result in higher energy losses, compared for example with a similar compressed air leak.
Steam leaks can sometimes be found at valve stems, unions, equipment connection flanges, and pipe joints. Regular inspection of a steam system to check for any leaks is to be recommended. Due to the energy of steam, leak paths tend to grow and get bigger if left unattended.
In our calculator section you can use our steam leaking through a hole estimator to determine how much could be saved from fixing and leak, and how much steam is being lost.
For example:
A 3mm hole with steam at 10 barg escaping to atmosphere… Results in approximately 30kg/hr of steam being lost, costing approximately £4,000 per annum if not fixed…