Energy efficiency for industry: It’s payback time!

Another energy efficiency project has even collected an award

Now, most companies are very well aware that certain aspects of their processes are not perfect in terms of energy efficiency. In our blog series on energy efficiency for industry, we have presented some information on savings potential and finding the right solution to improve energy efficiency.

At the Aubonne site of Merck Serono, “teams and experts had already identified some areas, but what we were lacking were the analyses and the numbers on how much energy we could save and how much the corrective measures would cost us,” says Bertrand Huguelet, director of technical services and the project management office at Merck Serono in Aubonne, Switzerland. With an energy assessment from Siemens, Merck Serono finally had the figures it needed – making the company another happy client benefitting from improved energy efficiency.

Aubonne is now able to make a significant contribution to Merck’s corporate Edison program, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the company’s production sites. In just five days, the Siemens team and an expert team from Merck’s own staff performed a technical analysis on-site to identify the first energy efficiency measures and to assess the general condition of the plant in terms of energy efficiency. The assessment team analyzed and assessed all energy forms, the energy supply and distribution, and the energy data collection and archiving as well as the output (e.g., waste heat).

The results of this step provided an overview of suitable energy efficiency measures and optimization potential as well as a first estimate of the potential energy savings and the necessary investment for each energy efficiency measure. In the end, Merck Serono selected three projects for implementation that offered substantial savings and outstanding ROI. Aubonne is now being used as a model for other sites, says Stefano Siviero, director of engineering and technology for global manufacturing and supply at Merck Serono: “Aubonne was the pilot project, and the results we achieved here will set the standard for the next assessments. Let’s see what they can do.”

Award-winning concept: the energy-self-sufficient brewery

Another energy efficiency project has even collected an award. The Karmeliten Brauerei, a privately owned brewery, planned to become energy self-sufficient to address rising energy and production costs. From 2012 to 2013, energy costs alone had risen by 20%. Supported by Ziemann International GmbH and Siemens and a comprehensive solution for optimizing energy consumption in brewing processes, Karmeliten Brauerei achieved its goal. The brewery’s concept of energy self-sufficiency and optimum resource consumption won it the 2013 “Federal Award for Outstanding Innovative Achievement in a Trade.” The jury members said they were particularly impressed by the energy efficiency of this custom-designed concept.

Drivers of energy efficiency

Drives and motors account for a substantial portion of total industrial energy consumption, so they are one of the main focal points for improving energy efficiency. Installing a state-of-the-art energy-efficient drive system will typically pay for itself through more than energy savings. As Sunshine Sugar in Australia reports, replacing the existing DC centrifugal drive with an AC motor drive combination yielded impressive results.

The AC drives can provide the performance required (the largest centrifuge available can handle 1,200 kg of massecuite in a single charge), and the Sinamics variable-speed AC drive systems require very little maintenance, are robust and durable, can operate continuously throughout a campaign, and offer much better reliability than variable-speed DC drives. Since the commissioning of the new drive, Sunshine Sugar has achieved a substantial reduction in power consumption, says Brian Jackson, Sunshine Sugar’s senior electrical superintendent: “Power recordings have confirmed a reduction from 1.7 to 1.0 kWh per ton of massecuite, despite the recording being made prior to optimizing the drive. So we’re planning to undertake further analysis soon to determine the final savings.” Due to the success of this solution, Sunshine Sugar has placed a second order with Siemens to upgrade the drive and motor of another centrifuge.

Many of the stories we have cited in the last few weeks in our energy blog series are collected in process news 1/2014 – you can download the pdf right here or read all the articles online at siemens.com/processnews