Proportion Air- Solving Steam Control

This post brought to you by Proportion Air.

Losing Steam - Figuratively and Literally

Cooking on a mass scale requires no small amount of precise engineering.

A corn tortilla manufacturer was having a problem controlling temperature with the saturated steam used to heat the cooking kettles for the corn. The manufacturer came to Proportion-Air seeking a solution.

A visit to the plant revealed the company was using a particular I to P transducer, steam valve, RTD (resistance temperature sensor), and PID (proportional-integral-derivative) loop to control the temperature. The issue arose out of a regular failure of the I to P transducer.

The I to P was replaced with a QB1, which is better able to withstand standard industrialair. (I to Ps require instrument air, which is defined as air filtered to less than 5 microns, and is moisture and lube free.)

Benefits of Using the QB and Steam Regulator

There are many benefits to using a Proportion-Air steam regulator system – specifically a Proportion-Air 0 to 60 psig QB2/steam regulator assembly – especially when compared to the operation of traditional steam valves. This assembly was installed and subsequently performed extremely well.

Since the manufacturer did not require the ultra-high accuracy of the QB2, a QB1 was substituted. And regardless of whether the QB1 or QB2 was used, the control loop did not have to work as hard because the regulator could compensate for changes on its own without the assistance of sophisticated electronic controls.

QB Series Product vs. Standard Flapper-Nozzle I to P (or E to P)

Steam Regulator vs. Steam Valve

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