The cost of wasting energy efficiently

A significant advantage of cane sugar milling operations relative to sugar beet processing and most other industries is energy self-sufficiency. For typical cane fibre levels, the quantity of bagasse leaving a milling train exceeds the boiler station requirements for most factories. In the past surplus bagasse was universally perceived to have no value; factories were designed without emphasis on steam economy and inefficient and inefficiently run boilers were ubiquitous. This minimised the costs associated with storing and handling bagasse but has left the Australian industry with a legacy of high boiler maintenance costs, high replacement boiler capital costs and reduced reliability. This paper summarises calculations carried out to estimate the increase in boiler component wear due to different energy wasting techniques used in the boiler station.