CPCU

Paris, France

Scope of Work:

The 480km of steam/condensate piping in the Paris district heating loop was experiencing accelerated piping wear and severe water hammer. The water hammer was a critical safety concern as well as a source of continual annoyance to over 5000 CPCU commercial/residential customers because of the loud banging.Armstrong International was asked to design a solution to the water hammer problems without causing any service inconvenience for CPCU’s customers.

Upgrade Projects:

Armstrong conducted an extensive audit of the system to include:

Data logging of pressure and temperature at different areas of the steam and condensate network to isolate water hammer problem areas
Assessment of different working conditions depending on period of the day and period of the year

Following the audit, Armstrong put in place concrete solutions:

Design of a custom made steam trap to handle their CPCU’s unique application
Design of a tailor-made thermo-siphon mixing device using cooler condensate from return lines to cool hot condensate coming out from drip legs to mitigate the water hammer
Armstrong provided Best Practice engineering drawings for CPCU’s main line condensate stations

Investment:

The total value of the agreement was over $250,000 Eur.

Terms:

Project scope began in 2001.

Benefits:

Armstrong received an award from CPCU for their product innovation
Elimination of water hammer provided CPCU with happier customers and a safer work environment for CPCU maintenance personnel
Reduction of costly unscheduled maintenance
Substantial condensate saving
Improvement of steam quality and reduction of wear in pipes