Steam has been an important part of industrial operations since long before your parents were born, and not just for electric power generation. The staying power of steam for commercial and industrial operations stems from its use as a delivery medium for power, heat, and moisture. Today, other than for power generation, steam is frequently used as a method of delivering heat. That, and a range of other uses throughout industry mean that your familiarity with the various elements of a steam production and delivery system are a key part of your personal knowledge base. Your understanding of the basics will serve you well in planning sessions, project discussions, and decision making throughout your industrial career. Even if you are not an engineer, do not carry a tool bag, and only wear a hardhat when you visit the plant floor, knowing about steam systems can boost your decision making skills and confidence on projects where steam is employed.
Spirax Sarco, a world class manufacturer of products and turnkey solutions for the control and efficient use of steam for industrial and commercial users, has produced a set of tutorials that allow you to learn about a wide range of topics directly related to the production and use of steam in industrial and commercial settings. The tutorials are grouped in major sections, with subtopics dividing each subject into smaller parts, making it easy to find a specific topic or break your knowledge gathering operation into more manageable pieces. Major topics include:
- Introduction
- Steam Engineering Principles and Heat Transfer
- The Boiler House
- Flow Metering
- Basic Control Theory
- Control Hardware: Electric/Pneumatic Actuation
- Control Hardware: Self-acting Actuation
- Control Applications
- Safety Valves
- Steam Distribution
- Steam Traps and Steam Trapping
- Pipeline Ancillaries
- Condensate Removal
- Condensate Recovery
- Desuperheating
- Equations