IMI Celebrates 200 EroSolve Wet Steam Installations

IMI is celebrating the 200th installation of its EroSolve Wet Steam solution at power and process plants throughout the world.

Wet steam presents a particular challenge for power and process plant managers, forming when saturated steam and condensate water molecules combine, which can result from factors including incorrect plant operation logic and poor drainage systems. 

Failure to control wet steam can lead to the erosion of critical valve trim components, causing safety hazards and substantial operational inefficiencies, which can ultimately lead to costly unplanned downtime. 

Since its launch in 2019, EroSolve Wet Steam has been installed at plants globally. At one plant in India, EroSolve Wet Steam has led to annual cost savings of £275,000 and a reduction in CO2 emissions equivalent to 10,000 tonnes per valve, per year. 

Meanwhile, at a major US power facility, the use of EroSolve Wet Steam has enabled substantially improved valve longevity. Prior to the upgrade, the valve would leak approximately three to six months after installation. However, after implementing EroSolve Wet Steam, the plant has experienced no leakages in more than three years.  

The solution was the first product to be brought to market via IMI’s Growth Hub innovation engine, which gathers expertise from across IMI to solve real-world engineering challenges through a series of sprint cycles and stage-gated processes. 

Kevin McKown, Americas President for Process Automation at IMI, said: “Wet steam is a significant environmental and economic problem for power and process plants worldwide, which is why it was identified as a key challenge to solve as part of the first round of our Growth Hub initiative back in 2019. Since then, we have been able to deliver substantial savings to customers across industries, both in terms of costs and emissions, as a result of reduced leakage and downtime. 

"This is a great example of our mission to deliver ‘breakthrough engineering for a better world’ in practice. EroSolve Wet Steam has made a very significant contribution to supporting the industry both in its commercial and environmental sustainability.” 

To find out more about EroSolve Wet Steam, please visit the website HERE.

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