ENERGY MANAGEMENT


work - analysing different equipment and processes and presenting this data to operators to allow them to make decisions. In addition, this system should look beyond


purely electricity use. For industrial applications, an EDMS should include the volume of air, gas and water used in each process. Consider a soft drinks manufacturer as an


example. Let us say the facility has two identical air compressors used for pushing different flavourings through pipes and into vats holding the product. The processes are identical, and therefore their energy usage should be too. While reducing a small percentage of air wastage may seem trivial, these small changes can reap significant gains. Moreover, an EDMS can make this fast and


straightforward. An effective system should automatically analyse the amount used by each compressor. If the output is more or less, an operator can investigate and make operational changes to avoid wastages.


IdentIfyIng savIngs


Even small savings can go a long way in manufacturing, especially as external costs continue to fluctuate. Industry leaders have already warned that the ongoing fuel crisis could halt production for some UK factories. Furthermore, many corporate customers of these manufacturers are refusing to pay more for products or take on this knock-on effect. For manufacturers with large contracts with


supermarkets, retail chains and restaurants, reducing costs in other areas is the only way to stay afloat. An EDMS can help by highlighting areas for


improvement that would not be possible to spot without an overview of the entire facility. Legacy equipment, for instance, can often fall behind in efficiency compared to newer models. When using an independent EDMS, such as COPA- DATA’s zenon, users can monitor data from new and existing machinery, regardless of their brand or communication protocol. This feature allows an EDMS to collect


energy usage statistics from the entire plant. When visualised on a dashboard, an operator can then use this insight to make changes where necessary. This could be as simple as performing


maintenance on our aforementioned air compressor, or installing automation to reduce high levels of energy usage in legacy equipment. Examples of this could include deploying a soft starter, variable speed drive (VSD) or investing in an energy efficient electric motor. Most manufacturers are actively looking for


ways to reduce their emissions, but to achieve greater efficiency - or ambitious net zero targets - they must first gain an overview of their current consumption across the facility. While investing, capturing and offsetting


are all good for the planet - and for a manufacturer’s PR efforts - energy reduction via an EDMS is key to achieving greener production.


Copa-Data UK www.copadata.com


H


REpoRt HigHligHtS biogaS potEntial


by Matt Hale, international sales and marketing director, HRS Heat Exchangers


RS Heat Exchangers has welcomed a recent Statistical Report by the European Biogas Association (EBA) which shows that by 2050, as


much as 40 per cent of Europe’s total gas consumption could come from sustainable biomethane. The company has also welcomed the focus that the report gives to the importance of creating sustainable uses and markets for digestate, without which such ambitions will not be realised. The report analyses the current


availability of renewable gases in Europe, notably biogas and biomethane, and concludes that combined production of these energy sources in 2020 was 191TWh, a figure which is expected to double in the next nine years. In particular the report predicts that biomethane, which saw its biggest year-on-year increase across the bloc in 2020, with an additional 6.4TWh of production – a figure which is itself predicted to be eclipsed in 2021 as a record number of new biomethane plants become fully operational. The EBA report is the latest in a series of


national and international reports which highlight the important role that anaerobic digestion has to play meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets, as well as providing renewable green energy and improving soil health and agricultural productivity. Unlike some other reports, the EBA also provides an assessment of the use of digestate from anaerobic digestion in each country, highlighting the importance that digestate plays in delivering the circular economy benefits of biogas


and biomethane generation. The uptake and use of digestate as a


sustainable biological fertiliser can be improved with appropriate treatment, such as pasteurisation, to prevent the spread of pathogens, as well as weed seeds and crop diseases. One of the most energy- and cost- efficient methods to pasteurise digestate is the HRS Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS), which is based on heat exchangers rather than tanks with heating jackets. Using heat exchangers means that


effective digestate pasteurisation is possible using surplus heat while allowing additional thermal regeneration levels of up to 60 per cent. This saved heat can then be used for other processes, such as evaporation of the digestate to remove water. The standard three-tank DPS provides


continuous pasteurisation, with one tank being pasteurised while one is filling, and another being emptied. The DPS uses a double tube heat exchanger to heat the digestate to 75°C above the required pasteurisation temperature. This allows for variation in the sludge consistency and its incoming temperature, making sure that the digestate is always properly pasteurised. The tanks can also be used individually, for example to allow for routine maintenance. The DPS is just one of a number of


systems that HRS produces to improve the efficiency and sustainability of biogas plants and the anaerobic digestion process, with other examples including systems to concentrate digestate, dry biogas and recover waste heat from exhaust systems.


HRS Heat Exchangers www.hrs-heatexchangers.com


inDUStRial CoMplianCE | janUaRy/fEbRUaRy 2022 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46