An article discussing both steam generators and retorts may seem a little odd, but the connection is one of saving energy and sustainability, especially when fuel prices are rising. First, a steam generator provides steam when you need it without keeping it in reserve as a large boiler does. Second, the retort—at least anything larger than a lab-sized or pilot device—is a voracious user of steam, and probably more often than not, will require a large conventional boiler, and maybe more boilers if the retort room is large enough, containing several retorts. But new technology has tamed the retort’s use of energy.
Makers of steam generators will tell you that when applied correctly, these boilers are quite efficient, even when operated at less than the full firing rate. Typically, steam generators use about one-third the floor space of conventional boilers, provide quick startup—in many cases going from cold to full steam in less than five minutes—and have reduced blowdown compared to a conventional boiler, often about one-tenth the amount required for a standard boiler, which saves fuel, water and chemicals.