A Look Inside Spirax Sarco’s “Cooney Day” Steam Training
An Up-Close Learning Experience in Steam Utilization
On May 8th, Spirax Sarco successfully held a “Cooney Day” seminar course to give participating customers a thorough overview of steam utilization and best practices for efficient and safe steam operation.
Spirax Sarco is known as the industry leader of steam solutions with over 100 years of experience in proper steam selection, sizing, and applications. When paired with Cooney Brothers’ 85+ years of industry and technical PVF expertise, the duo creates a force to be reckoned with in the world of steam and steam training events.
“Being one of the largest distributors in the USA, Cooney Brothers stocks close to $1,000,000 of our products. They are one of, if not the best, pipe valve distributors out there.” – Jim Fox, Spirax Sarco Mid-Atlantic Area Sales Manager
Jim introduced the full-day course by briefly describing Spirax Sarco’s history as a company and detailing how this course is a continuation of a long-standing, effective team up between Spirax and Cooney Brothers. Spirax Sarco recently finished the construction of a state-of-the-art training facility in Bethlehem, PA that offers both a traditional classroom setting and a Live Steam Laboratory. STM 100 is just one of many steam training courses that we have hosted at the new facility where attendees got to learn up-close from the leading steam experts and technology.
Who Benefits from the STM 100 Course?
This course is designed for anyone who wants to build upon their knowledge of steam utilization to better understand their own facilities and any steam-related problems they may encounter on the job. Steam users like engineers, contractors, designers, project managers, pipefitters, estimators, plumbers, or energy, maintenance, facilities, or operations staff can benefit from this all-encompassing, steam fundamentals course.
The highly qualified instructors that lead the seminar and steam demonstrations act as a direct resource for attendees who want real-world solutions to even the most specific steam questions and challenges. Upon completion, anyone who attends receives a Steam 100 Certificate as well as 8 Professional Development Hours (PDH) which can go towards a planned continuing education experience for a particular profession or discipline.
What Does the Full Course Day Look Like?
Check-in for Steam 100 typically begins at 8 AM, allowing attendees to find the classroom and settle in with their learning materials before the course starts at 8:30 AM. A catered lunch, snacks, and refreshments are provided as well as a break to eat.
Attendees are given a notepad, pen, and the Design of Fluid Systems Steam Utilization course book. This educational booklet puts all the important information into a 51-page reference book that follows each section of the course from the introduction of basic steam engineering principles to condensate management at the end. It contains definitions and explanations of steam-related concepts, diagrams and visuals of steam products and processes, and an abundance of relevant charts and tables including a Steam Saturation Table, Steam Velocity Chart, Steam Trap Selection Guides, sizing charts, and more.
The seminar starts with a presentation that introduces a bigger picture about steam: what it is, why it’s used, how it’s used, and the various ways to measure it. This way attendees have a full background about this self-balancing, versatile source of heat energy along and the factors that are necessary to consider during operation.
This most recent course was led by instructors Joe Radle and Dave Walter who went in depth about each step of the basic steam circuit, also known as a ‘steam and condensate loop’. Much of the seminar portion also included videos that showed the internal workings of many steam products. Each section of the course was then concluded in the Steam Lab so instructors could simulate efficient operations of the steam components and processes that the seminar had just gone over.
The attendees got to watch demonstrations of a feed water tank, boiler, steam main drip station, steam traps, steam to hot water heat exchanger, and both electric and non-electric condensate pumps in action. This gave them a first-hand, visual learning experience about each process within a basic steam circuit and how they operate under various working conditions like different velocities, temperatures or levels of demand.
Attendees could also view the individual paths that the steam, condensate return, and hot water loop took throughout the circuit since each line was labeled and had different piping colors. From this, attendees learned how each line changes as it travels through each station and its various control and safety equipment like pressure reducing valves, safety relief valves, separators, strainers, and more.
The When and Where of Your Next Steam Course
If you’re looking to grow your knowledge of the fundamentals of steam systems within a dual classroom and lab environment, STM 100 is the course for you!
Already took STM 100? Consider taking our upcoming STM 300 class! This course is especially well suited for maintenance and operations personnel as it covers a more advanced education on the proper installation, maintenance, use, and troubleshooting of traps, regulators, pumps, flash steam, flash vessels, and condensate lines.
For an up-to-date list of all our upcoming “Cooney Day” steam training courses at Spirax Sarco’s Bethlehem location, go to our Steam Training Events Calendar to register or join a waitlist for future classes.
Don’t live close enough to the Bethlehem, PA training facility? Go to Spirax Sarco’s Training Page to explore all the classes that they offer at their other locations in Columbia, SC, Chicago, IL, and Houston, TX.
Take this unique opportunity to learn up-close and personal about all things steam by reserving your spot today!
Register For Our Steam Training Courses