ER develops energy efficient system for mechanised laundry

Eastern Railway has developed a state of the art indigenous mechanism to bring in an energy efficient system in mechanised laundry for the supply of neat and clean linen. These laundries have been set up in coaching depots. For the washing, drying and ironing purposes, steam is used in these laundries. Eastern Railway’s Malda Division has been able to put a system into place, whereby the used steam instead of getting discharged to the open atmosphere is being reused and pumped to the boilers after condensation in two aluminum tanks.The feeding temperature of condensed steam is 55 degree Celsius (°C) whereas normal water temperature is about 25 degree Celsius (°C). Therefore, less heat is needed to convert water into steam. The condensed water is also free from impurity. By using this system, the fuel and water consumption have been reduced and will translate into an annual saving of Rs. 7.67 lakhs.