Distillery steam demand verification
Introduction
As part of ongoing infrastructure upgrades at a Scotch whisky distillery in Elgin, the owner planned to replace the site’s redundant boiler. Based on internal calculations, a new 15-tonne steam boiler was selected as sufficient to meet production demands. While the permanent boiler was being manufactured, two temporary 7.5-tonne boilers were installed to maintain operations.
Challenge
Shortly after the temporary boilers were commissioned, it became evident they could not sustain full production levels. This raised significant concerns that the demand estimates for the site had been underestimated. The owner faced the possibility of cancelling the boiler order and restarting the procurement process, potentially incurring major delays and significant additional costs. The distillery needed a reliable, non-intrusive method to verify real-time steam consumption without shutting down operations or modifying existing pipework.
Solution
To resolve this, we deployed a non-invasive steam flow meter. The clamp-on technology enabled a seamless installation without disrupting ongoing production. The process was straightforward: the steam pipe was painted as this helps to dampen the noise and allow the signal to propagate through the pipe. The flow meter was clamped in place - no cutting, welding, or downtime required.
Over the course of a six-week period, the flow meter collected accurate, real-time data on actual steam usage across the site. This enabled both the distillery owner and the boiler manufacturer to validate their assumptions and fine-tune capacity requirements with confidence.
Outcome
The monitoring revealed two critical insights:
- An operational oversight: A valve had inadvertently been left open, diverting steam to an inactive part of the plant, inflating perceived demand.
- Efficiency issues: The temporary boilers were operating less efficiently than expected, skewing the initial perception of undercapacity.
With these findings, the distillery confirmed that the 15-tonne boiler was indeed sufficient for its true operational demand. This verification gave the project team peace of mind, prevented costly reordering, and ensured that production could continue at full capacity without compromise.
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