Compressed Air Best Practices - November 2008 - (Page 6) | 11–12/08 Compressed Air Industry STEEL & METALS | FROM THE EDITOR Investments in Energy Efficiency I live in “Steeler Country” and I can’t say how gratifying it is to see large steel corporations on the rebound. Be it Arcelor Mittal or AK Steel, the undeniable fact is that these industries are coming back. A key component to their recovery has been their drive to improve efficiencies. In a day and age where one doesn’t dare turn on “doomsday TV,” I prefer to listen to those in my world of industrial energy efficiency. The World Energy Engineering Conference was held in October in Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to meet with MANY corporate executives who said their firms were planning significant investments in improving their industrial energy efficiencies in 2009. One gentleman had recently been specifically hired to review and optimize the compressed air systems in 97 factories around the world. My thanks go to Dean Smith, Hank Van Ormer, Ed Ball and Mike Nagy for presenting papers at our well-attended, half-day seminar at the conference. Compressed air auditing is faring well in the steel industry. Mr. Hank Van Ormer shares with us an audit his firm implemented in a one-hundred-year-old facility. This steel processing facility is growing and was considering whether or not to buy more air compressors to support the growth. They wisely decided to have their current installation audited before making the decision. Energy costs for their compressed air system were $1.5 million and compressed air flow fluctuated between 11,000 and 20,000 scfm. After the audit’s corrective actions were implemented, energy costs were reduced to $660,000 per year on compressed air flows between 7,000 and 10,500 scfm. The investment required was only $300,000, giving them a 4–5 month payback! Audit successes like this energize our interest to publish this magazine. Piping systems can be challenging in huge steel processing facilities. Mr. Paul Johnson, from Legris-Transair, supplies us with an interesting article on how to design an efficient piping system. His firm has developed an innovative energy-cost calculator to assist system designers. Legris is also known for having invented the convenient aluminum push-to-fit piping technology, making piping systems easier and faster to install. Metaldyne’s aluminum die-casting facility shares with us an interesting story on how they solved an ages-old problem with wastewater treatment. Their manager, Mr. Bill Cleary, walks us through the solutions provided by Koch Membrane Solutions. Finally, my congratulations go to Mr. Tilo Fruth and BEKO for the Grand Opening of their new manufacturing facility outside of Atlanta, Georgia. My sincere congratulations are also extended to the NAACD Conference successfully held in October. Thank you again for your support and for investing in industrial energy efficiency. ROD SMITH Editor rod@airbestpractices.com 6 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.belairtech.net http://www.belairtech.net http://www.airbestpractices.com
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