The Evolution of Steam Blow Cleaning Services

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All new thermal power plants, refineries or expansion projects require some kind of
steam blow process to clean the system prior to startup and operation. Steam blows are
necessary to protect the turbine or plant equipment from damage upon startup or
during operation, which could cost plant owners millions of dollars in repairs and even
more in unscheduled down time.

The first steam blows were unbelievably noisy and unsafe, and in most cases even
louder than a modern jet engine at full speed. With an open-ended pipe venting high
velocity steam straight into the atmosphere, steam blows were known to break glass
windows in buildings or nearby offices. As a result of the noise concerns and related
safety issues, alternative steam blow methods were sought after and developed. High-
pressure, quick-opening steam blow valves were introduced, along with water injection
into the temporary steam exit piping to reduce the venting steam velocities. This led to
the exhaustive steam blow, or “puff blow”, method for cleaning steam systems—a
process that could be performed in a safer manner and with less noise than previous
methods. This was a major development in solving part of the equation.

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Although the noise issue was conquered, there was still a ways to go in the evolution of
the steam blow process. As a result of the high pressures required for exhaustive steam
blows, the permanent and temporary systems were subjected to very high vibrations and
stresses. In addition to stress concerns, exhaustive steam blowing on larger systems
could take several weeks, or even months, to achieve cleanliness levels required by most
turbine manufacturers or plant engineers.

It wasn’t until much later that these shortcomings were addressed with the introduction
of the low-pressure continuous steam blow process. This process has become the
industry standard for steam blowing today, and is widely used on new construction
projects around the globe. Steam blows could finally be performed around the clock,
with minimal disruption to surrounding work activities. This resulted in a major reduction
in the time required to clean the systems to turbine OEM acceptance criteria, and also
allowed project managers to more accurately plan for this critical path activity.

B&W Energy Services will continue to seek out new innovations that can help conserve
time and the environment, if it can be done safely– like our “Dry Silencer”, which
eliminated the need for water injection into the temporary steam blow piping, and our
AquaLazing services, which further schedule reduction of steam blows. See our
December whitepaper on AquaLazing for information on real world savings. By
continuing with improvements that have major impacts on the success of your project,
B&W will remain the premier provider of these services for years to come.

Bring In The Best For Your Next Project

B&W Energy Services is the world leader in industrial cleaning, engineering, pre-
commissioning, commissioning and mechanical support for your new construction.
Should you require additional information or would like to schedule a meeting to
further discuss our capabilities, just fill out this form and we’ll contact you right away.

CALL US
P: 281.336.9903
F: 281.534.9305

EMAIL US
info@bwenergyservices.com
sales@bwenergyservices.com

VISIT US
4440 Hwy 225, Suite 150
Deer Park, Texas 77536

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ABOUT US
B&W Energy Services is ISO 9001:2015 certified global full service provider of pre-
commissioning and pre-commissioning cleaning services. Through commitment,
dedication, and unmatched service quality, B&W Energy Services has positioned itself as
an industry leader providing services on the world's most complex projects. Our
experience is not simply limited to the power energy sector. At B&W Energy Services
our experience is vast, covering all energy sectors including oil and gas, petrochemical,
power and renewable. Aqualazing, steam blowing, chemical cleaning, air blowing, oil
flushing, project management and engineering.

Copyright 2017 B&W Energy Services. All rights reserved.

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