Georgia-Pacific Case Study

Situation

The Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Madison Georgia was losing millions of Btu due to uninsulated steam lines to the plant’s four dryers. The units are used to dry layers of plywood veneer at temperatures of 405°F. Because of the lack of insulation, the company found that the heat was radiating out, resulting in a loss of pressure and a reduction in temperature as the plywood moved down the line. The increased drying time needed slowed the process down significantly. While Georgia-Pacific wanted to insulate the steam lines for energy conservation, improved process efficiency and personnel protection, they also wanted the insulation for a more pragmatic reason — to eliminate dependence on purchased fuel.

Using 3E Plus^® to Determine Thickness of Insulation

Once the decision was made to insulate the steam lines, the 3E Plus^® computer program was used to determine the insulation thickness required to insulate the 1500 feet of saturated steam lines with temperatures operating at 437°F. Computer projections estimated that insulation would significantly reduce the heat (Btu) loss along the steam lines leading to the dryers. The reduction in heat loss alone would increase the operating temperature by 15° and maintain the process temperature along the length of the lines. The combination of a higher temperature in the dryer lines and a more consistent process line temperature would result in a faster and more efficient veneer plywood process. The plant installed 2" thick fiber glass pipe insulation — the thickness determined by 3E Plus® that was needed to reduce heat loss, maintain process temperature and bring the outside surface temperatures of the pipes down for personnel protection.

Results

Installing the insulation allowed Georgia-Pacific to cut steam usage by approximately 6,000 lbs./hour (which is equivalent to saving about 18 tons of fuel per day); eliminate the purchase of outside fuel; reduce the amount of ash being generated and landfilled; and reduce the surface temperature of the pipes to a much safer level for personnel protection (approximately 85°F). Georgia-Pacific calculated that by insulating the steam lines and installing new straps they were able to save 7,212,000 Btu per hour.