What’s better than your favorite series on demand? How about steam on demand? We’re steaming it live at the Highland Flats Tree Farm and Distillery in Naples, Idaho.
Last summer the farm replaced the distillery’s steam boiler with two steam generators. Installing steam generators at a corporate-owned farm in a company first to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
The steam boiler acts as a large reservoir of steam and hot water. Because the reservoir holds about 3,000 gallons, the boiler requires a lot of heat and supervision to safely maintain correct temperatures and pressures. Conversely, the steam generators heat water—and create steam on demand with less energy and supervision, plus these other major improvements:
- Reduced risk. Steam generators are inherently safe, improving peace of mind for those on site.
- Reduced emissions. Generator burners produce ultra-low NOx and CO emissions and use a flue gas recirculation system that meets strict air-quality standards worldwide.
- Reduced water waste. Steam generators waste 90 percent less water and lose less heat than a traditional steam boiler.
- Improved steam quality. Steam generators separate moist and dry steam and deliver the “drier” steam—ideal for extracting essential oils from coniferous materials—to the distillery, increasing yield.
- Better fuel efficiency. Because water is heated on demand, burners fire for less time while delivering steam to the stills.
- Redundancy in steam supply. The distilling must go on! Two generators reduce the risk of interruption in production due to mechanical issues.
As the installation continues to be successful, on demand will be in high demand—this first won’t be the last. Highland Flats is raising the bar of distillery innovation.
Source: The Essential Edge, May 2019