For one of the world’s major energy suppliers FB has supplied a HP Steam pressure reducing & mixing skid to their site location in Germany. The steam mixing unit will mix overcapacity HP steam to MP steam to improve the overall efficiency of the HP Steam system.
Basic- and detail design for all disciplines, including local control panel, has been performed in house in accordance with client’s specification and as per German National codes & standards.
Due to high temperature- (540 C) and pressure (320 barg) design specifications special material selections and related fabrication activities (PWHT and testing) were included.
The unit has been completely assembled, including insulation and steam tracing, and tested to the maximum extent prior to delivery. The steam pressure reducing & mixing skid was delivered to client’s site in Germany by FB Group. Installation and commissioning was performed under supervision of FB specialists.
Turning overcapacity HP steam into usable MP steam
Steam systems commonly run with more high pressure (HP) steam available than the connected equipment can use at medium pressure (MP), especially when demand varies across a site. Rather than venting that overcapacity steam and losing its energy content, a pressure reducing and mixing skid lets it down to MP conditions and blends it into the existing MP steam network. This raises overall system efficiency by recovering energy that would otherwise be wasted, while keeping the MP steam supply stable for the processes and equipment that depend on it.
Coordinating every discipline in-house
Delivering the basic and detail design for all disciplines, including the local control panel, under one roof allowed FB Group to keep mechanical, piping, instrumentation and control engineering tightly aligned throughout the project. Designing to the client’s specification and to German National codes and standards meant every discipline had to meet the same rigorous local requirements, and coordinating this in-house reduced the risk of conflicting interfaces between systems that are often designed separately.
Engineering for extreme temperature and pressure
Operating at 540°C and 320 barg places the skid well into the demanding end of steam system design. At these conditions, material selection has to account for creep resistance and long term strength at high temperature, not just pressure containment alone. The associated fabrication activities, including post weld heat treatment (PWHT), are needed to relieve stresses introduced during welding of these high grade materials and to ensure the skid can withstand its operating conditions safely over its service life.
Full assembly, testing and site support
Completing assembly, insulation and steam tracing in the workshop, followed by testing to the maximum extent possible before delivery, reduced the amount of work still required once the skid reached the client’s site in Germany. FB specialists then supervised installation and commissioning on site, providing continuity between the team that designed and built the skid and the team that brought it into service.
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