Abstract
The steam system at a recycled paper
fiberboard plant in Texas was evaluated
using APLUS. These simulations identified
inefficiencies in the current operation
and so suggested more efficient
alternatives. The information provided by
the client was used to develop heat and
mass balances for the base case. The
marginal cost analysis in APLUS was used
to identify the high cost areas in operating the steam system. This analysis
highlighted that the cost of power from the 200 psig steam driven back pressure
turbine was a prohibitive $270/MWh. The 600 psig boiler and extraction turbine
were found to be large enough to meet all
the steam and power requirements of the
plant. This required that a new 600 HP
motor be bought to drive the paper machine
currently driven by the back pressure
turbine. Shifting the load in this manner
resulted in annual savings of $590,000.
Pethe, S.; Singh, R. (1991). Evaluating Utility System Operations Using APLUS. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.eslwin.tamu.edu). Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /92240.