Electric-fired industrial steam generators create steam from heating clean water using efficient submersive heating elements in a vessel capable of being pressurized. Various industries rely on steam generators for humidification, cleaning, sanitation, and process heating. Electric steam generators offer a safe and easy solution for various applications. Here we will explore steam generators, their applications, and their benefits to help you select the ideal solution.
Industrial Electric Steam Generators: How They Work
Electric steam generators capture heat energy released during the element’s heating cycle and convert it into a usable energy resource. Heat for steam generation can be produced as a byproduct of industrial processes or intentionally to produce usable energy.
While a direct heat source—such as a fuel-fired boiler—creates steam that is typically unclean, steam generators using electricity as a heat source create steam that is not contaminated and is suitable for direct contact applications, for example, in autoclaves for moist heat sterilization. Most electric boilers or steam generators use three-phase electricity to heat clean water to create usable steam by boiling water under pressure. Some other steam generators such as steam-to-steam units may use an existing “dirty” steam source and circulate it through heat exchangers that can be constructed in a variety of configurations, but the principle is the same.
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Industrial Steam Generators Applications
The following applications depend on steam generators to provide clean steam:
Steam Rooms / Baths / Showers: Steam is known for its therapeutic benefits. Showers, baths, and steam rooms equipped with steam generators create a relaxing guest experience at resorts, spas, and fitness clubs.
Sterilizations: Steam is often used for disinfecting and sterilizing equipment in the health and medical industry, providing a heat source for autoclaves, bioreactors, and others. These types of units are used in hospitals, pharmaceutical production, and laboratories.
Winemaking: Wine is sensitive to contamination that can alter the product’s taste. Winemakers depend on steam generators to sanitize barrels, bottling units, and other tools to ensure the wine is not affected by contamination.
Brewery Steam: Small breweries like pubs and micro-breweries rely on steam generators to produce low-pressure steam. Steam is a controllable heat source for brewing or sanitizing lines, tools, and hoses.
Food Service: Steam generators can heat tilt skillets, jacketed steam kettles, proof boxes, and ovens in industrial kitchens. Steam is also useful for cleaning and sanitizing appliances and tools.
Humidification: Steam generators can humidify offices and hospitals, assist in concrete curing, or aid in adding moisture to adhesive products for stabilization.
Medical Steam: Steam is used extensively in the medical industry. Steam generators provide an efficient solution for various applications, from autoclaves and sanitization to adjusting air humidity levels.
Pharmaceutical Clean Steam: Applications like pharmaceutical production require clean steam generation for humidification, sanitization, and other processes.
Process Steam: Steam generators in industrial processes are low-cost, low-toxicity, easy to transport and install, and require less regulation, making them ideal for all point-of-use steam applications.
Phosphating and Pretreatment of Metal Surfaces: Steam generators can pre-clean and iron-phosphate metal substrates to make the surface clean and smooth and provide better adhesion for powder coating, paint, and other finishes.
Custom Requirements: Industrial steam generators are ideal for various custom projects, such as cleaning offshore rigs; unloading molasses, paraffin waxes, and viscous oils from trucks and railcars; sterilizing mushroom growing media; bending wood for furniture or instrument making; and many other applications.
Industrial Steam Generators Benefits
Steam generators have a compact, easy-to-use design and are an excellent solution for creating steam on demand in the location where it is needed. They can replace complex, large steam boilers or auxiliary fuel-fired boiler applications. While steam generators do not offer the maximum capacity of fuel-fired boilers, steam generators are ideal for creating dry steam for point-of-use applications.
Steam generators offer the following benefits:
Low-cost
Fast and easy startup
Energy-efficient
Portable
Safe
Steam Generators From Electro-Steam
Steam generators create clean and efficient steam from often unclean heat sources using a heat exchanger. Various applications rely on industrial steam generators, such as those in the garment care, medical, and brewing industries. Steam generators are an affordable, energy-efficient, and safe solution for point-of-use steam generation applications.
At Electro-Steam, each of our steam generators (except for the Hawk Series) is fabricated by an ASME-certified welder in compliance with ASME BPVC Section I – Rules for Construction of Power Boilers. Our generators also adhere to the National Board Synopsis of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Laws, Rules, and Regulations (NB-307) Rules for Construction and Stamping Section, which include ASME BPVC Section I, ASME B31.1, ASME CSD-1, and registration with the National Board.
Producing a high-quality cannabis product begins with ensuring that every step of the growing, harvesting, distillation, and manufacturing processes fulfill safety and sanitary standards. Most importantly, the lab where technicians extract and package cannabis for sale must be kept clean. Cleaning the equipment has traditionally been a time-consuming, labor-intensive operation involving harsh chemicals. Implementing a dry steam cleaning method is a safer, simpler, and more effective cleaning alternative.
Cleaning Challenges of Cannabis Extraction and Distillation Equipment
Cannabis manufacturing faces unique obstacles such as varying legality from state to state, limited financial options, and availability of skilled employees. Cannabis plants in production need plenty of room to grow, regulated environments, and dependable personnel. Furthermore, manufacturing cannabis products necessitates educated technicians, hygienic conditions, and safe handling techniques.
Industrial dry steam cleaners can assist with keeping lab and cannabis processing equipment sanitary for the safety of workers and clients. Usually, the harsh chemicals used to clean the equipment and lab leave noxious fumes and take more time to remove the residue. Allow your workers to spend more time producing quality products instead of removing grime with dangerous chemicals by switching to a dry steam cleaning solution.
HVAC system equipment such as coils and vents catch aerated particles and, if not meticulously cleaned, can generate harmful molds or mildew, spreading the spores throughout the facility. Furthermore, strong chemicals can clean reusable filters but can have negative side effects and are more expensive than dry steam cleaning.
How Industrial Steam Cleaning Can Help
Heat and water are required to clean and sterilize surfaces and equipment. Dry steam is an extremely effective and safe way to reduce allergens including seeds, nuts, fats, oils, grime, and seasoning on surfaces that could potentially send them airborne and cause reactions in workers.
Using a portable steam generator or a fixed clean steam process generator will allow you to remove filth from the equipment while also eradicating the following contaminants on contact:
Molds
Mildew
Some viruses
Bacteria
Fungus
Listeria
Microorganisms
There are additional advantages to the dry steam solution, such as a compact design, no venting or steam pipes required, changeable flow rates, and no need for combustible fuels.
When used in grow rooms, dry steam systems can achieve moisture levels of 6% or less, helping you maintain your set humidity level. The generator’s adjustable settings ensure that no additional water is left on tables or floors, creating a hazardous situation, harming sensitive equipment, or leaving an area that may promote growth.
Benefits of Using Steam Generators
Consider converting from hard chemical cleaning to dry steam generators for economical, economic, and safety reasons. First, after initial setup, water is less expensive than purchasing harsh chemicals on a continuous basis. Workplace injury and illness may also be reduced due to the reduction in use of harsh chemicals. Second, strong chemicals are often not environmentally safe and may endanger the quality of your plants, the surrounding area, and the facility’s air quality. Finally, the safety of the employees and the customers who use the product is of the highest importance. It is critical to reduce trace chemicals throughout production and manufacturing, and dry steam cleaning provides this option.
Electro-Steam Corporation manufactures dependable products using our extensive expertise in high-quality cleaning solutions. In addition, all dry steam cleaning equipment is made in America by our OEM manufacturing processes. Contact us when ready to grow your cannabis production operation with superior cleaning solutions!
Like all electric steam generators, Indirect Steam Generators effectively sterilize components by injecting clean steam into piping, autoclaves, or other laboratory and production equipment so pharmaceutical professionals can easily control conditions of their processes. Learn more about the advantages of indirect clean steam generators, the applications of clean steam, and what to look for in a high-performance generator.
Benefits and Applications of Steam Cleaning in the Biopharma and Pharma Industries
Clean steam simplifies the process of maintaining a sterile facility by providing a no-contact yet reliable clean, even for tools with complex profiles, edging, or small interiors. The following are the top advantages of steam cleaning in the biopharma and pharma industries:
Prevention of contaminant entry. Unlike traditional steam, clean steam is sterile at the point of vaporization and clean steam generators do not have vulnerable entry points for biological or chemical contaminants to enter. This successfully maintains steam’s purity during the full sterilization procedure.
Protection against pathogen growth. The extremely high temperatures of clean steam can kill all types of microorganisms that are contamination concerns in pharmaceutical processes, and also help prevent their initial growth by handling condensate buildup.
Corrosion resistance. Metal parts are prone to corrosion when in the presence of traditional utility steam. Clean steam, however, has corrosion-inhibiting properties that counteract this risk. As a result, clean steam increases the life span of equipment.
Steam sterilization has many beneficial applications within the biopharma and pharma industries, particularly in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The goal is to keep the bacteria, yeast, or animal cells present in manufacturing environments from contaminating healthcare materials, products, and equipment. Steam sterilization, SIP and CIP can assist professionals in these industries by controlling and maintaining sterile environmental conditions, allowing safe manufacturing of things such as ophthalmic products, parenteral, injectable solutions, and more.
Pharmaceutical companies commonly use clean steam generators for sterilize-in-place (SIP) procedures, which utilize steam to sterilize and clean pharmaceutical instruments, equipment, and surfaces between production cycles. Pharma professionals also use clean steam generators to support humidification processes for clean rooms, lyophilizers, and sterilizers.
Steam-to-clean steam generators, or indirect clean steam generators, from Electro-Steam Generator Corp. capitalize on the functionality, steam output, ease of use, and footprint that standard electric steam generator varieties provide but improve upon their operation by using “house steam” energy that converts deionization (DI) or reverse osmosis (RO) water into clean steam. In contrast to the all-electric generators that use submerged electrical elements, the indirect clean steam units save on energy consumption as they use steam that your facility is already producing and then repurposes it.
Electro-Steam’s indirect generators function at pressures ranging from 9 to 90 psi. They use an electric control circuit of 120VAC to regulate steam input, output, water level, and operating pressure within the generator automatically. Requiring only a total amperage of only 15 amps—with an 8-amp Full-Load Amperage (FLA) rating—eliminates the need for 3ph power.
Partner With Electro-Steam
As an OEM manufacturer, Electro-Steam Generator Corp. has been a leader in providing standard or customized clean steam generators for 70 years both domestically and internationally. All of our USA-made generators have all the required features such as safety valves, automatic low water cut-offs, and adjustable pressure control, with custom control and instrument packages available on request.
We currently offer our indirect steam-to-clean and all electric clean steam generator models with 138-828 lb/hr gross steam output ratings for pressures as high as 150 psig (MAWP). Our team skid-mounts all of our components as a unit, and at installation, the generators only need utility service connections. For most generators, we provide two-four week production times to best serve you, and offer same-day shipping available on most orders for parts. We also offer extended warranties as part of our commitment to excellence and superior customer service.
For additional information about our capabilities and how our safe, economical indirect clean steam generators can help support efficiency, reliability, and cleanliness in your pharmaceutical application,contact us today.
While washdowns are a popular choice for cleaning debris from surfaces, this process leaves surfaces wet which can cause bacterial growth, is time consuming, and causes significant downtime. Dry steam, which is created in an industrialdry steam cleaner by heating water in a closed chamber instead of a flow-through coil, uses less water, evaporates quickly, and gets into cracks and crevices where water can’t reach. Sanitation in the food industry is commonly achieved with dry steam cleaning because it’s quick, cost-effective, and reliable.
Dry Steam for Cleaning & Sanitizing in Food Processing
Food processing facilities are often water-sensitive, so traditional wet cleaning methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive—if they’re possible at all. More and more facilities are using dry steam sanitation, taking advantage of the power of high-temperature, low-moisture steam to clean and sanitize conveyor belts and other industrial machinery.
With temperatures above 240°F, the dry steam kills mold, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms while removing grease, dirt, and residue. It evaporates quickly, so you’re left with a surface that is clean, dry, and sanitized.
Why Food Processing Manufacturers Prefer Dry Steam for Cleaning
Food processors are held to strict standards for cleanliness and sanitation as a matter of safety and product quality. Dry processing facilities in particular face additional challenges, because the slightest bit of moisture can ruin baked goods, dry ingredients, powdered drink mixes, seasonings, coffee, and more. Wash-down cleaning methods are simply not feasible in these facilities.
Because dry steam has an extremely low moisture content, it eliminates the risk of moisture exposure in dry processing facilities and can easily remove oily substances often found in food processing facilities. All types of food and beverage processing facilities trust dry steam for cleaning and sanitizing work surfaces, hoods, vents, floor drains, walls and ceilings, conveyor belts, and more.
Dry steam can also be used to clean switches, sensors, small components, and moving parts that are impossible to reach with other cleaning methods. Common cleaning methods require equipment to be disassembled creating downtime which can be costly. With dry steam cleaning, in most cases, you won’t need to take the equipment apart to clean it. Not only does this save time in the cleaning process, but it also reduces downtime for the facility and helps the manufacturer maintain production and meet deadlines.
Benefits of Dry Steam Cleaning for Food Processing Facilities
Food processing facilities that use dry steam cleaning enjoy many benefits, including:
Time Savings: Because equipment doesn’t have to be dismantled, the cleaning process is faster than other methods and reduces downtime and labor costs.
Environmental Friendliness: Dry steam requires less water than traditional cleaning methods reducing water consumption and waste water creation.
Chemical-Free: Limiting exposure to chemical fumes and residue creates a safer environment for your employees and prevents product contamination. Reducing or eliminating your use of chemical cleaners is environmentally friendly, as well, as you’ll produce less plastic-container waste.
Efficient: High-temperature dry steam dissolves oils and residue and kills bacteria and other microorganisms on contact. High heat and low moisture properties reduce downtime by leaving cleaned surfaces dry and ready for immediate use. It’s a fast, efficient process that reduces labor and downtime.
If your facility is water-sensitive, or if you simply want to save time and money while reducing your environmental impact, dry steam cleaning is the solution you’ve been looking for. At Electro-Steam, we’ve surpassed clients’ expectations since 1952. Our industrial dry steam cleaners are trusted in food processing facilities, manufacturing plants, car washes, bottling facilities, HVAC systems, and more. We have several systems designed to meet your specific application.Contact us to learn more about the advantages of dry steam cleaning, orrequest your free demo today.
Electric steam generators capture heat energy released during the element’s heating cycle and convert it into a usable energy resource. Heat for steam generation can be produced as a byproduct of industrial processes or intentionally to produce usable energy. 
Cannabis manufacturing faces unique obstacles such as varying legality from state to state, limited financial options, and availability of skilled employees. Cannabis plants in production need plenty of room to grow, regulated environments, and dependable personnel. Furthermore, manufacturing cannabis products necessitates educated technicians, hygienic conditions, and safe handling techniques.
Clean steam simplifies the process of maintaining a sterile facility by providing a no-contact yet reliable clean, even for tools with complex profiles, edging, or small interiors. The following are the top advantages of steam cleaning in the biopharma and pharma industries:
Steam-to-clean steam generators, or indirect clean steam generators, from Electro-Steam Generator Corp. capitalize on the functionality, steam output, ease of use, and footprint that standard electric steam generator varieties provide but improve upon their operation by using “house steam” energy that converts deionization (DI) or reverse osmosis (RO) water into clean steam. In contrast to the all-electric generators that use submerged electrical elements, the indirect clean steam units save on energy consumption as they use steam that your facility is already producing and then repurposes it.