Plant managers and engineers today understand the need to monitor their core processes by using accurate, data-rich instrumentation. However, if you are just getting started and looking for ways to gain energy efficiencies, you may have some questions surrounding energy saving solutions and which technologies can help achieve this.
If you are tasked with improving efficiency in your process and utilities, Endress+Hauser is here to help answer your questions. Here is what our experts had to say:
Q1: How do I increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption in my utilities?
Utilities can be one of the largest costs within processes. With this in mind, start by understanding the overall cost the utilities make up at your plant and then start to categorize them into the various systems- steam, compressed air, heating, cooling or industrial gases.
Then proceed to find out where the biggest costs are among that group and begin to look for potential areas of improvement. Some of this may start with the inspection of capital equipment, like your boiler or heat exchanger, to find clues of potential issues, or like poor water quality leading to corrosion.
Q2: I need (more) insights into my utility consumption and peak usage. How can I achieve this?
When looking into your plant’s overall utility consumption, it is important to ensure that you are using the best tools and technology to measure your utility utilization. Proper measurement of your utilities will allow you to have a more accurate understanding of the amount of utility usage and what it is being used for, which can save you time and money throughout your processes.
Q3: How do I build a resilient design of my process with redundancies in technology and energy sources?
As a plant operator, it is essential to run and control your processes as efficiently as possible. This starts with technology that can objectively measure energy flows, consumption and process data. In today’s market, it is common to find a multitude of industry specific processes and technologies to best suit your application.
That’s why customized approaches and specific measured values are needed to assess their performance and improve their output. By incorporating a more holistic approach to your processes through not only measuring devices but system components and smart solutions that best suit your application, you can ensure that you are saving your plant time and money in the long run.
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Q4: I have a limited budget. Which measurements should I prioritize to save costs?
Utility management allows you to do more with less. It’s important to only use the amount of steam or electricity that you need to. This means taking certain measures such as verifying that there are no leaks in your compressed air as well as effectively monitoring the quality of your steam to ensure your system is running efficiently. Typically, utility projects run over several years.
You may start in year one by just measuring the overall consumption of the main utilities, then in year two you start looking at the main consuming areas and begin measuring these. In consecutive years, you might have a look at the main consumers and start benchmarking those as well. Having the right measurement technologies to monitor your process will ensure you get the most efficient and effective data to make informed decisions regarding your energy consumption.
The future of industrial energy management starts here
Utility management is an important and often overlooked method of ensuring efficient and cost-saving processes. Starting with these five major utilities: steam, heat, water and gas which include these four applications to save energy in your plant – boiler, heat exchanger, compressed air, water (heating and cooling).
We’ve seen that when you address these five utilities, you can significantly reduce operational and maintenance costs in your facility. You can save by accurately and reliably measuring operational challenges such as: process safety management, control systems, infrastructure, reducing heat loss in distribution and optimizing fuel consumption and heat exchangers.