Success stories
Installation of a steam network in a textile factory
Project description
Steam solution for a new garment finishing and industrial ironing center of a textile company of the world’s largest fashion group.
Original situation:
Challenges posed by the client:
The client is a textile company, a direct supplier of the world’s largest fashion group, which presented us with a technical and operational challenge: to design and execute the steam installation of a new garment finishing and industrial ironing center in Ethiopia, where a large part of its production is concentrated.
The magnitude of the project required compliance with three non-negotiable premises: reliability, flexibility and sustainability.
The main challenge was the volume of equipment to be fed. In total, more than 130 pieces of ironing equipment distributed in two halls:
- Hall 1 → 38 ironing tables and 8 steam dummies.
- Hall 2 → 74 ironing tables and 18 steam dummies.
This represented a total demand of more than 1,100 kW of steam power, which required the design of an extremely precise generation and distribution system to avoid performance losses.
The conventional solution would have been to install a large central boiler to power the entire plant, but the customer identified clear limitations in this model:
- High operational risk: if the central boiler fails, all production stops.
- Lack of flexibility: a single boiler does not allow to adapt consumption to daily load variations.
- High maintenance costs: technical downtime of large equipment has a direct impact on production.
In addition, the textile multinational requested that steam generation be 100% electric, ruling out traditional gas or diesel options. This requirement implied precisely coordinating the available electrical power, the location of the equipment and the connections, thus avoiding overloading the network.
Steam distribution was also a challenge in itself. The customer needed it to reach each ironing table and dummy in a uniform and safe way, by means of a network of heat-insulated pipes, equipped with solenoid valves and specific fittings , which would guarantee a reliable supply and at the same time allow for modular consumption management.
Another critical aspect was steam quality. With an estimated consumption of 560 L/h in Hall 1 and 800 L/h in Hall 2, it was essential to install a centralized decalcification system capable of protecting the generators from scaling and ensuring stable and long-lasting operation.
Finally, the customer made an additional requirement: that the installation should not be rigid, but scalable. The textile factory is a dynamic environment, where production lines change, new equipment is added and needs vary. Therefore, the network had to be designed with modularity and flexibility, allowing extensions without completely redoing the installation.
This project involved not only an innovative technical design, but also a solution aligned with sustainability, reducing operational risks, ensuring energy efficiency and guaranteeing the plant’s capacity for future growth.
Proposed solution:
Customized steam solution developed by Giconmes.
Proposed solution:
- Modular steam generation
Instead of a large central boiler, we installed a modular system of 7 skid-mounted electric boilers of different capacities, each with its own condensate tank and blowdown tank.
Hall 1:
1 × NGV6060 SKID
1 × NGV60120 SKID
1 × NGV60180 SKID
Hall 2:
1 × NGV6060 SKID
3 × NGV60180 SKID
This configuration makes it possible to cover the high demand for steam, but in a flexible and redundant way, ensuring that a boiler failure does not compromise the entire production.
- Centralized water treatment
In each vessel we install a water softening and treatment system that includes:
- Descaler.
- ABS tank of 3,000 liters.
- Nivostat.
This system ensures that the steam generated is of high quality, avoiding fouling and extending the useful life of the boilers.
- Calorifuged distribution network
We executed the entire network of ½” BSP ST45 steel pipes, with thermal insulation to prevent heat loss.
Each line was completed with specific solenoid valves and fittings, guaranteeing a safe and controlled supply to each work station (ironing tables and mannequins).
- Flexibility and scalability
As a modular and distributed installation, the customer can adjust the steam production according to the daily workload.
The design also allows for future expansions or reconfigurations of the plant without having to redo the entire infrastructure.
Technology used:
CHALLENGES
We meet customer requirements
The implementation of the electric steam generation and distribution system designed for the textile plant in Ethiopia has generated significant operational and economic improvements:
Optimization of production and reduction of operational risks: The modular installation of electric steam generators avoids dependence on a single central boiler. This reduces the risk of total production stoppages in the event of technical failures and ensures greater operational continuity.
Flexibility and scalability: the system allows the steam consumption to be adapted to the actual workload and to grow in capacity as new production lines or equipment are added, without the need to redo the entire installation.
Reduced maintenance costs: by replacing a large boiler with distributed electric generators, maintenance downtime is minimized. This reduces associated costs and ensures that technical incidents do not affect the entire plant simultaneously.
Sustainability and total electrification: the system runs 100% on electric power, eliminating the need for fossil fuels (gas or diesel). This translates into lower emissions, alignment with the textile group’s sustainability strategy and a better environmental footprint.
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There are no emissions beyond those produced during the electricity production process. Consequently, emissions can be neutral depending on the electricity mix. Electric steam boilers are the present and the future.
Absolutely. In fact, it is recommended to achieve maximum efficiency. There is no problem with remote control as long as it complies with current regulations.
A steam generator is a pressure vessel that, together with the piping network, is subject to regulatory control and complementary technical instructions, according to the regulations published in Royal Decree 809/2021, of September 21. Maintenance is divided into a part that can be easily fulfilled by the owner:
- Know and apply the manufacturer’s instructions regarding use, safety measures, and maintenance.
- Not to put the installation into service or prevent the operation of pressure equipment if the requirements of the Regulation are not met.
- Having at least the following documentation for the pressure equipment while they are installed: Declaration of conformity, manufacturer’s instructions (if applicable), and, if necessary, installation certificate, along with other supporting documentation (such as installation project, record of the last periodic inspection, certifications of equipment repairs or modifications, and any other documentation required by the relevant technical instruction complementary to this regulation). For detailed contents, refer to Annex IV of the regulation. Making this documentation available to the competent authority of the autonomous community and the companies responsible for maintenance, repair, or periodic inspections.
- Use the pressure equipment within its intended operating limits as specified by the manufacturer and take it out of service if it no longer meets the necessary safety requirements.
- Perform maintenance on the installations, pressure equipment, safety accessories, and control devices in accordance with the operating conditions and manufacturer’s instructions, and examine them at least once a year.
- Arranging for the necessary periodic inspections as required by Article 6 of the regulation.
- Having and maintaining an up-to-date record of pressure equipment categories I to IV, as defined in RD 709/2015, of July 24, or equipment similar to these categories according to Article 3.2 of the regulation, as well as their installations.
It is known that by applying heat to water, it transforms into steam at the boiling point and atmospheric pressure. From there, depending on the required saturation degree of steam for its proper application, we need to increase the pressure to obtain a higher temperature. To change the temperature and saturation degree of steam, we always need to modify the pressure.
It is a unit of pressure equivalent to 1 kg/cm2, 0.98 atmospheres, or 14.50 PSI.
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