Up Time Magazine - February/March 2009 - (Page 15) that require higher pressures than required elsewhere throughout the plant. This may allow the entire main air pressure to be reduced significantly. 6. Add an air blower for applications requiring a fairly low pressure and large volume of air. Many process applications require a low pressure, large volume of compressed air to move parts or blow parts off. Adding an air blower will potentially allow you to lower your main air flow requirements lowering your overall operating pressure requirements. 7. Check for compressed air leaks as frequently as possible. Many good PM programs call for annual or semi-annual leak tests. This is good, but it must be emphasized how important finding and fixing air leaks is to minimizing energy costs. Encourage maintenance and production staff to identify and report compressed air leaks immediately. involved often dissuades plant operations from finding all the energy saving potential within a facility, hiring an outside consulting company is often a way to get the job done. Another reason to hire a third party is to acquire an “objective” view point. Many energy saving opportunities go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Site assessments or audits need not be cost prohibitive. For example, a two day on-site inspection can often be done for around $10,000 (plus expenses). A survey and assessment for a typical industrial facility will reveal significant opportunities that require little or no further investment. The key here is to not underestimate the potential of a good assessment. You wouldn’t expect a physician to walk in the exam room, listen to your heart, look in your eyes and ears and poke your knee with a rubber mallet and make an instant diagnosis. You can and should expect a much more thorough exam and you should expect the same from your facility and process assessment. The value you receive will always be proportional to your investment in time, effort and expertise. Here are just a few tips to consider when assessing your facility for energy conservation opportunities. 1. Start with a comprehensive survey of ALL energy consuming equipment and lighting. The more detailed the survey, the more potential will be found. Some of this equipment may be available on a PM list, but not everything. Just roll up your sleeves and start counting. 2. While conducting the energy survey, note the operating conditions of that equipment and a make a brief note on potential for energy savings. It may seem obvious, but it is very easy to forget information at a later time, and this will reduce your time and improve the impact of your survey. I always make note of definite improvements in the margin of my notes and circle it. At the end of the day, I then have a pretty good idea of the improvement potential. and I don’t have to jog my memory (especially if you just looked at a thousand pieces of equipment). 3. After your survey activities, immediately determine the action plan. Don’t wait until weeks later to follow up with the planning activities. Do the planning while it is still fresh in your mind. (It might be easier to break the plant into sections, and do your survey and planning activities a section at a time.) Vibration Analysis & Balancing Variable Speed Drives Install Variable Speed Drives on continuous speed motors that could be operated at lower speeds during low flow periods. The installation of Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) on applicable pumps and fans will have a very good payback. VSD’s have become much more reliable and their cost has been reduced dramatically over the past decade. A study of each motor in the plant will reveal the potential for VSD’s. The payback will vary depending on the application and the turn-down potential. However, even a reduction of 20% to 30% of motor speed will make the application cost effective. Secondly, uncovering energy conservation opportunities through an assessment or audit can bring impressive results. While assessing or auditing a facility can be time consuming, it is usually very revealing. Because the time VIBXPERT® h Watc O IDE e V Onlin VIBSCANNER® The right tool for every user, job and budget 305-591-8935 • www.ludeca.com See us at RCM/EAM 2009- Booth# 320 15 Figure 4 - Typical Variable Speed Drive Installation with a Chilled Water Pump System. www.uptimemagazine.com http://www.ludeca.com http://www.uptimemagazine.com
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