Replace Pressure-Reducing Valves with Backpressure Turbogenerators: Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) Steam Tip Fact Sheet # 20

Many industrial facilities produce steam at a higher pressure than is demanded by process requirements. Steam passes through pressure-reducing valves (PRVs, also known as letdown valves) at various locations in the steam distribution system to let down or reduce its pressure. A non-condensing or backpressure steam turbine can perform the same pressure-reducing function as a PRV, while convertingsteam energy into electrical energy.