GEM Venturi orifice traps reduce energy costs

Bates Laundry is predicting significant savings on its annual gas bill following the replacement of its mechanical steam traps with Thermal Energy International's GEM Venturi orifice traps.

GEM has installed 85 GEM traps throughout the east London laundry, providing the company with a payback in less than seven months on energy savings alone.

Bates Laundry is predicting savings of GBP104,000 per annum on its GBP750,000 annual gas bill following the installation.

Steam is used extensively throughout the laundry in the operation of a range of equipment including its water-fed boiler, tumble dryers and steam presses.

Prior to the installation of the GEM Venturi orifice steam traps, Bates Laundry found that maintenance and replacement of failed traps was costing around GBP5,000 a year, in addition to lost energy.

This was particularly evident from a large plume of steam that used to be emitted from the laundry's condenser tank.

Bates Laundry has asked GEM to convert its Enfield site following the success of the original installation.

Instead of utilising a valve mechanism to close-off steam, the GEM steam traps use the Venturi orifice design to drain condensate from the steam system.

As the GEM steam traps have no moving parts to wedge open or fail, it provides high reliability, needing minimal maintenance, and requires no spares, testing or monitoring equipment.

Available in a range of sizes for a variety of applications, the GEM steam traps are manufactured from corrosion resistant stainless steel and are guaranteed for 10 years.

GEM said its steam traps provide a fast payback from reduced energy costs and increased equipment reliability due to a reduction in damaging steam within the condensate system.

In addition, it improves product processing by enhancing the quality of steam, which in turn reduces equipment repairs, downtime and replacement costs.

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