Ondeo Nalco Company
Bedford Park, Illinois
Gaurav Bhatia
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Ondeo Nalco Company is a member of Suez’ Ondeo Nalco Water Division.
Ondeo Nalco Company is the world leader in commercial and industrial treatment
and process improvement solutions. The company markets a combination of
mechanical, operational, and chemical solutions to help solve water and
energy problems. The plant, located in Bedford Park, is one of the world’s
largest colloidal silica plants. The plant has 70 employees and has a large
pilot plant for industrial research and colloidal silica and other processes.
The intern was involved with increasing the energy conservation efforts
in the steam distribution system.
Results:
The intern’s efforts will save the facility at least $10,000 per year
in reduced utility bills. His recommendations included:
- The use of a software package acquired from the U.S. DOE entitled “Steam
System Analysis Tool.” A baseline has been established on the existing
steam system. The facility could refer to this in the future for making
improvements.
- Isolating shutdown areas during summer months. Initially,
the steam system maps needed to be updated and key shut off points
identified. Some key points
required repairs, replacements, or additional valves.
- Operating the boilers at design pressure. The boilers were
operating below the original design pressure, which saves natural gas,
but produces
a lower quality steam, reducing the life of the piping and the boiler
itself.
- Maintaining a number of items in shutdown areas including
the replacement of insulation, the repair of steam traps and condensate
recovery pots.
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