You cannot manage what you do not measure, and most steam plants measure almost nothing between the gas meter and the product. Steam and water metering shows you where the steam goes, which departments use it, which traps are failing and whether the upgrade you paid for is delivering. We supply, install and integrate steam flow meters, water meters and energy meters for industrial plants across Australia.
Steam and water metering
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What we supply
Steam flow meters
Vortex meters are our standard choice for steam. They have no moving parts to wear, handle steam temperature without complaint and hold their accuracy across a wide turndown. With built in pressure and temperature compensation they report mass flow, which is the number that matters for energy. We supply premium metering hardware from European and American manufacturers.
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Water flow meters
Meters for condensate return, boiler make-up, cooling water and process water.
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Energy meters
A flow meter measures volume. An energy meter measures flow and the temperature difference across a process, using matched RTD sensors, and calculates the thermal energy transferred in kW or GJ. This is how you meter a hot water system, a heat exchanger or a heat recovery stream rather than just the water through it.
Pressure and temperature transmitters
Transmitters at reducing stations, heat exchangers and distribution headers, so drifting set-points and wet steam show up as data rather than as product faults.
Integration
Pulse, 4 to 20 mA, Modbus and other outputs into your PLC, SCADA, building management system or data logger. We supply the hardware and assist with the electrical and data integration so the readings land where your team will see them.
What does metering let you do?
| Question you cannot answer today | What metering gives you |
|---|---|
| Where does our steam actually go? | Flow to each area, line or major item of plant, so losses in distribution show up as the gap between boiler output and the sum of the loads |
| What does each department's steam cost? | Cost allocation by production line, building or process, so energy becomes a line item each manager owns |
| Are our steam traps failing? | Rising steam flow to a stable load, or a gap between steam used and condensate returned, flags failed traps before a survey finds them |
| How much condensate are we returning? | Condensate return rate against make-up water, which is the number that drives the fuel, water and chemical savings in condensate return systems |
| Did the upgrade work? | Before and after flow, pressure and temperature for the same production conditions, which turns a claimed saving into a measured one |
| What do we report for emissions and energy programs? | Metered thermal energy by site and process, in the form sustainability and grant reporting requires |
Which meter suits which duty?
| Duty | Meter type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Saturated steam, main or branch | Vortex with pressure and temperature compensation | No moving parts, wide turndown, reports mass flow |
| Steam to a single heat exchanger or cooker | Vortex, sized to the load not the pipe | A meter sized on line diameter reads poorly at the low flows the equipment spends most of its time at |
| Condensate return | Electromagnetic or vortex, with temperature | Hot condensate and flash steam need a meter and installation that tolerate two-phase flow |
| Boiler make-up water | Electromagnetic or ultrasonic | Clean, conductive, steady flow; the number that pairs with condensate return |
| Hot water system energy | Energy meter: flow plus matched RTD pair | Converts water flow into thermal energy delivered, for cost allocation and savings verification |
| Existing line that cannot be cut | Clamp-on ultrasonic | Installed on the outside of the pipe without a shutdown, for water duties |
Sizing matters as much as type. Like a control valve, a flow meter sized on pipe diameter rather than on the real flow range reads poorly at the low end, and the low end is where most plant spends most of its time. We size meters on the measured or estimated flow range, which is the same discipline we apply in steam, condensate and water valving.
Why does metering come first?
Every efficiency project we deliver starts with a measurement, because without one you cannot size the fix or prove it worked. Metering is what lets a plant engineer walk into a finance meeting with a measured saving rather than an estimate, and it is usually the first thing we recommend when a site asks us to cut fuel. It sits at the start of our steam consultancy and system design work for that reason.
Inline steam meters need the line cut and flanges fitted, so they are planned around a shutdown or a scheduled outage. Clamp-on water meters go on without one. Metering can also be built into any skid from our standard and bespoke packages and heat exchanger packages ranges, so the unit arrives already instrumented.
Industries we work in
- Meat processing and abattoirs. Steam to rendering, cooking and sterilising, hot water energy for washdown, condensate return against make-up.
- Food and beverage. Batch process steam, ingredient and process water, CIP hot water energy, cost allocation by line.
- Healthcare. Steam flow and condition monitoring for sterilisation, hot water energy by building.
- Timber and paper. Process steam measurement for drying and energy reporting.
- OEM manufacturers. Flow and energy meters built into equipment packages.
Results from the plants we work with
- Teys Wagga. Measuring the rendering plant's thermal load at about 670 GJ a day and its waste heat at about 90 GJ a day is what defined the recovery project. The Teys Wagga flash steam project now recovers about 3.3 GJ per hour, and thermal energy per head of cattle processed is down more than 30%. That number exists because the plant was measured before and after.
- Kellogg's. The Kellogg's hot water system package carries steam and water flow meters plus pressure and temperature transmitters, replacing a system with no flow data and no remote visibility. It holds temperature from 0.3 to 15 litres per second, its performance can be monitored from SCADA, and the client reports a 30% improvement in equipment life.
- Cowra Meat Processors reported a 40% reduction in gas usage following the upgrades we designed and implemented.
- Fletcher International Exports reported several million dollars in savings, with an ROI on most projects of less than 12 months.
The Cowra and Fletcher numbers only stand up because gas and steam were measured. That is the case for metering in one line.
How we work
- Tell us what you need to know. Which loads, which lines and what decision the data will support.
- We select and size. Meter type and size from the real flow range, with the compensation and outputs your systems need.
- Supply and install. From stock where possible, installed by our partners or your contractor, planned around production and any shutdown window. Where metering is part of a larger project, it is delivered under turnkey installation and project management.
- Integrate and verify. Signals into your PLC, SCADA or BMS, readings checked against expected values, and a baseline recorded so the next project can be measured against it.
Related reading
- Optimum steam distribution: getting dry steam to the point of use at the right pressure
- Condensate return systems: why sending hot water back is the easiest steam saving you are missing
- Steam pressure reduction: why the right pressure at the point of use saves fuel and equipment
- Case study: hot water system optimisation at Kellogg's
- Case study: flash steam recovery at Teys Wagga
Frequently asked questions
Why are vortex meters preferred for steam?
They have no moving parts to wear, tolerate steam temperature and pressure, and hold accuracy across a wide turndown. With pressure and temperature compensation they report mass flow, which is what an energy calculation needs.
Can a steam meter be installed without shutting the plant down?
An inline steam meter needs the line cut and flanges fitted, so it is installed during a shutdown or a scheduled outage. For water duties, a clamp-on ultrasonic meter can be fitted to the outside of the pipe without interrupting the process.
What is the difference between a flow meter and an energy meter?
A flow meter measures volume or mass. An energy meter measures flow and the temperature difference across the process, using matched RTD sensors, and calculates the thermal energy delivered in kW or GJ. Use an energy meter when you want to know what a hot water system or heat exchanger is actually delivering.
How accurate does a meter need to be?
Accurate enough to support the decision. Cost allocation and savings verification need a meter sized to the real flow range and installed with the correct straight pipe runs. We specify both. Accuracy on the nameplate means little if the meter spends its life below its turndown.
Can the meters connect to our existing SCADA or BMS?
Yes. We supply meters with pulse, 4 to 20 mA, Modbus and other outputs, and assist with integration so the readings appear in the systems your team already uses.
Where should we start if we have no metering at all?
Steam flow at the boiler house and condensate return against make-up water. Those two measurements show the overall distribution loss and the condensate being wasted, which are usually the two biggest savings on an unmetered plant. Loads by department come next.
Enquire about steam metering for your site
Tell us what you want to measure and why. Call +61 493 272 864, email sales@energyspecialties.com.au, or use the contact form.
Enquire about metering