If steam demand exceeds boiler capacity, what is the recommended action?

• A. Using a smaller pasteurizer
• B. Add another boiler or upgrade capacity
• C. Reducing water temperature of pasteurizer
• D. Running at reduced efficiency

Answer: (B)

When the process requires more steam than the boiler can supply, the system won’t be able to reach or sustain the necessary temperatures for proper pasteurization. The correct action is to increase the steam-generating capacity, such as by adding another boiler or upgrading the existing boiler capacity, so the pasteurizer can achieve and maintain the required temperature-time combination reliably.

Using a smaller pasteurizer would merely shift the bottleneck elsewhere and doesn’t solve the fundamental limit on steam supply. Reducing the pasteurizer water temperature would compromise the pasteurization process and product safety. Running at reduced efficiency masks the problem rather than fixing it, potentially leading to underpasteurization and higher long-term costs.