The easiest way to dispose of condensate is to dump it down the drain. This is also the worst way to dispose of condensate.
Steam can be one of the highest costs per ton in the papermaking process. Even after the latent heat has been removed from the steam, there is still a lot of value in the condensate.
Dumping hot condensate down the drain increases the amount of fresh water required for the boiler feedwater, it increases the amount of chemicals needed to treat the feedwaters, and it increases the amount of energy required to produce steam.
It is best to return as much condensate as possible to the boiler house, preferably at the highest temperature possible, in order to retain the condensate and its energy, reduce the cost of treatment chemicals, reduce the cost of waste water treatment, and improve the boiler room deaerator efficiency.
Source: Kadant
