While the President’s recent trip to Asia created many articles, perhaps one of the best bits of news to come out of the trip was the memorandum of understanding between China and the state of West Virginia.  The state was the biggest winner of a $250 billion deal in investments promised to America, as $83.7 billion is earmarked for shale gas development and chemical manufacturing projects in the state over the next two decades.

If the project goes through, it represents more investment than the state’s gross domestic product last year.  Power generation, chemical manufacturing and underground storage of natural gas liquids derivatives were also discussed.  Without any contracts in place, though, the deal at this point is just a discussion.  But, it has the potential to develop Appalachia’s energy infrastructure in ways the state has not experienced for many decades.

Energy issues are at the core of manufacturing, and continue to drive the way we do our business.  Whether an energy boom happens in Appalachia or not, here are some pro-energy tips to help your production process.

Look for ways to reduce energy loss.  For example, are your heating and desuperheating processes costing you energy in lost during the cycle.  Many producers find that they waste a lot of incremental energy trying to ensure that condensation remains constant or trying to increase the temperature of the steam just a bit.  Sometimes the solution is to go with an innovative design, like a Komax desuperheater, where cooling happens almost instantly as it exits the mixing module.

Take advantage of good design and natural energy.  For example, a static mixer can take advantage of gravity and low pressure drops to create a far more efficient and thorough mixing process than standard mixing procedures.

With the right equipment, you shouldn’t have to worry about inking an energy deal in order to get the job done!