There are numerous uses of steam when it comes to industrial use and applications. It is used to process food, chemicals, and even its pressure is used to make electricity. Other uses include heating objects and most importantly, cleaning. To do all these technicians need to have control over the flow and heat of the steam.
This is where the importance of steam valves comes into play. Valves are used to reduce pressure as well as increase it depending upon the need of the user. Steam valves are also used to control temperature. During industrial use, steam is usually used at lower pressures. The temperature of the steam is also controlled by increasing or decreasing the pressure applied to it. This is really important because it ensures the safety of the plant.
No Longer a Primitive Source of Energy
People think that steam is some primitive source of energy as they connect it with steam engines. This is not true. Steam is a great producer of heat and the energy generated by this heat is used to do various tasks in power plants and industries. Although steam can be produced by a variety of methods, more and more industrial bodies are now moving towards an environmentally friendly way of producing steam.
The pros of using steam are many. First of all, there is efficiency. Then steam-operated systems are more reliable and have become very popular now. There are many other ways to generate heat but steam is seen as an easy way as it makes the use of valves to expedite heating and be stable at the same time. Stability is important because even a small glitch can lead to millions of dollars of industrial machinery to malfunction.
There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before installing a steam valve. These factors are important and users depend on these to install a product they need. They are as follows –
- Pressure.
The amount of maximum and minimum pressure requirements are taken into due consideration.
- Environment.
The environmental factors such as pollution generated are analyzed.
- Heat.
Every machinery has some latent heat requirement that is put into consideration.
- Machinery.
The type of machinery and equipment at the plant is checked for compatibility with the steam valves.