PC-JUN22-PG41.1_Layout 1 13/06/2022 13:40 Page 41
HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS
TARGETING COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY REDUCTION
Darren Pratt, Industrial Instrumentation product manager SICK UK, discusses the FTMg Flow Thermal meter for inert gases
to transform. By opening a window to visualise their compressed air energy consumption in real time, production teams are defending against rising costs and achieving operating efficiencies with relatively little effort. Manufacturers are facing unprecedented
E
challenges to stem rocketing energy costs and reduce carbon emissions. As the so- called “fourth utility” of manufacturing, compressed air systems can frequently be the cause of wasted energy, but opportunities for savings are all too easily overlooked. Compressed air accounts for 10% of energy
use in a typical manufacturing operation, rising to 30% in heavy use industries such as food and beverage, automotive, plastic products and pharmaceuticals, according to the British Compressed Air Society1
. It’s estimated that manufacturers waste
around 30% of the compressed air they generate2
. But, until now, operators have only
been able to get a limited grasp on how much energy is actually being used by their compressed air systems, and where the problems lie. Tracking down and fixing leaks can be a laborious, hit and miss affair. Even with a modern energy management
system in place, a maintenance team may only survey the plant every three or six months. External companies may be brought in to conduct periodic spot check audits. The data provided is reliable only for one moment in time, and very little can be gleaned from it about any trends or patterns. By feeding the data from accurate sensing
instruments into new cloud-based monitoring systems, sensor manufacturers like SICK are introducing digital services that are easy to ‘bolt on’ to existing production processes with minimal set-up and no programming. SICK has developed a turnkey solution
specifically for continuous compressed air energy management. The SICK FTMg is a multifunctional flow sensor that enables the measurement of live values for compressed air energy in kWh. Using data from SICK FTMg flow meters strategically positioned around a plant, and usually close to machines or cells, real-time and historic data about compressed air usage is available.
Top: The SICK FTMg flow sensor Middle: The SICK FTMg with Monitoring App Below: FTMg Monitoring App Dashboard
Data from the FTMg flow meter is made
transparent through graphics presented in the SICK FTMg Monitoring App. Users can visualise all this continuous compressed air data in a way that is easy to use and interpret. As well as values for pressure, temperature, flow velocity, mass flow rate and volumetric flow rate in real time, the system provides totals for energy use, volume and mass over a pre-defined period. The user-friendly dashboard makes it easy
to interpret data to detect leaks or overconsumption and to look for changes and trends. Email alerts can be set up for maintenance reminders or to give pre-defined warnings with job recommendations, for example, when data strays beyond pre- defined limits. Users can drill down to identify costs, for example for individual production
verybody is talking about digitalisation – and sometimes it is the simplest applications that demonstrate its power
centres or by shift. Early adopters of the app have been able to
make start-up and shutdown management of processes and machines more efficient, improve compressor control, and manage peak loads. By tracking consumption over time, losses
are easier to spot and correct. For example, energy waste is clear if the compressed air usage graph does not baseline close to zero at weekends. Is there a surge in power usage on a Monday morning when machines are turned on? Could a more efficient power-up sequence be adopted? The system makes it possible to monitor
energy usage close to the machine cells. Armed with additional information, production teams can pose specific questions: How much air is cell number 1 using, compared to cell number 2? If cell no. 3 uses a lot more compressed air energy, then keep it offline as long as possible. How much compressed air energy is needed to produce one type of component compared to another? As well as enabling resources to be used
more sustainably, the data insights support better operational efficiency and help achieve reduced carbon targets. The information can contribute towards ISO50001 Energy Management certification, or compliance with the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS). The SICK FTMg, which stands for Flow Thermal
Meter for inert gases, can detect even the smallest changes reliably. Up to eight FTMg flow meters can be configured via each SICK Smart Services Gateway, which collects data, aggregates and encrypts it before sending it securely via the customer’s own IT infrastructure through a firewall to the SICK cloud. Alternatively, it is possible to use mobile communications over 3G or 4G. Individuals then have access through a personal SICK ID from any device with a web browser. For customers wishing to integrate SICK FTMg
flow meters into their own IT systems, one or more devices can be used with an IIoT gateway, such as the TDC-E from SICK, for data pre-processing and integration into customer- specific MES, cloud or energy management systems. Understanding the importance of
compressed air energy efficiency as part of total cost of ownership demonstrates the benefits of investment in efficient in-line, real time instrumentation – especially when combined with the data transparency that is unlocked by new digital services. The payback
could be instantly measurable. 1
Business’ (2012)
SICK
www.sick.co.uk
JUNE 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL 41
Consumption from Compressed Air Usage’ 2
British Compressed Air Society ‘Reducing Energy Carbon Trust, ‘Compressed air, Opportunities for
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