Steam blowing is a critical step in the pre-commissioning process, and selecting the right partner can significantly impact not only the cleanliness of your piping systems but also your project’s budget and timeline. Here are three key reasons why you should choose B&W Energy Services to provide steam blowing services for your next project.
1. B&W has one of the largest inventories of both wet and dry silencers in the industry.
Our vast collection of steam silencers allows us to perform steam blowing services on facilities of all sizes, including the largest steam system ever constructed in a single project. Other pre-commissioning service providers may not be able to set up 10 silencers simultaneously, but B&W can.
Our dry silencers don’t require quench water to saturate superheated steam, which significantly reduces project costs and environmental impact. Dry silencers also lend themselves well to steam blowing projects in parts of the world where it may be difficult to locate a water source. If wet silencers are better suited for your project, we can also mobilize those anywhere in the world. Whether your project involves steam blowing temporary piping or a complex piping network within a 600,000-tonne facility, we have you covered.
2. Our team includes some of the most experienced engineers in the business.
For some pre-commissioning service providers, performing steam blowing can take weeks. Through expert engineering, we make sure it doesn’t. B&W’s engineers consider your project’s cleaning phase during the design process, allowing us to turn 50 steam blows for 50 segments into only 5 steam blows with ease.
Our engineering team’s extensive knowledge of steam blowing hydraulics also allows them to design proprietary steam blowing target plate material, including pneumatic target inserters. We understand that getting a clean target alone doesn’t mean the job is done. We’ll shoot targets until we get a clean target, meet the disturbance factor and adhere to any other target criteria to ensure a thorough clean of your piping systems.
3. B&W combines AquaLazing and steam blowing to save you money and shorten your project’s timeline.
By performing AquaLazing on your facility’s systems prior to the steam blowing procedure for pipelines, B&W gets a head start on removing mill scale from your piping systems.
This combination of services reduces the duration of the steam blowing process, decreases the amount of water and natural gas used during pre-commissioning and limits the amount of wear and tear on your new boilers or gas turbines during startup. Ultimately, it’s a win-win: getting cleaner systems and saving more money.
Steam blowing doesn’t have to be time-consuming or resource-intensive. With advanced engineering, proprietary equipment and decades of experience performing steam blowing services on projects across the globe, B&W Energy Services protects your investment while ensuring a complete clean of your facility’s systems. Reach out to our team to learn how B&W can help you maximize the value of your next project.
FAQs
What is the primary purpose of steam blowing in new pipelines?
The primary purpose of steam blowing is to remove mill scale, weld slag, construction debris and other contaminants from new steam piping systems before initial startup.
Mill scale naturally adheres to pipe interiors and must be removed to prevent damage to downstream equipment such as turbines, valves and heat exchangers. High-velocity steam combined with controlled thermal cycling creates a “shock” effect that breaks these materials loose from pipe walls and propels them out of the system.
Without proper steam blowing, debris can cause turbine blade erosion, valve failures, reduced heat transfer efficiency and costly unplanned shutdowns within months of operation. Steam blowing also ensures compliance with OEM cleanliness specifications and warranty requirements.
B&W Energy Services uses hydraulic modeling and engineered procedures to achieve disturbance factors of 1.2 or greater, ensuring your steam systems meet stringent turbine manufacturer acceptance criteria before release for operation.
What are dry silencers, and why are they better?
Dry silencers for steam blowing are advanced noise reduction devices that muffle sound without requiring quench water to cool exhausting steam.
Traditional wet silencers inject water to reduce steam temperature and velocity, lowering noise but consuming thousands of gallons of water and creating hot water discharge that requires environmental management.
B&W Energy Services’ dry silencers use a proprietary internal design to achieve noise levels of 85 decibels or less while venting up to 900,000 pounds per hour of superheated steam—all without quench water.
Dry silencers offer multiple advantages: dramatically reduced water consumption and project costs, elimination of hot water disposal challenges, no moisture fallout during quenching, reduced equipment requirements and suitability for projects in water-scarce locations worldwide.
B&W maintains one of the largest inventories of dry silencers in the industry. On large projects, eliminating quench water for multiple silencers running simultaneously can save millions of gallons and reduce environmental impact while meeting the most stringent noise requirements in urban or industrial settings.