Measures That Can Be Applied for Energy Conservation in Manufacturing Facilities
Although the importance of energy efficiency in production facilities is always considered, we often
see that savings opportunities are overlooked in some cases. It is extremely easy to make significant
gains by saving energy with an accurate energy monitoring system and big data analysis. Although
the distribution of energy consumption of different production companies varies according to the
sector. We have summarized some points that may be valid in all sectors with the data obtained
from thousands of viewpoints as follows:
- Verification of energy bills
From time to time, erroneous invoices may occur due to meter failure or other
technical problems. Finding a reference system to verify the invoice will be effective
in preventing high invoices by providing instant detection of such cases.
- Controlling reactive energy consumption and compensation
If the reactive energy consumption rate exceeds the limits in the relevant regulation,
a reactive consumption penalty is imposed. If compensation is not applied correctly,
these amounts can reach quite high figures. Real-time monitoring of reactive
consumption is very important even if the compensation system is installed.
Additionally, in cases such as sticking of the contactor of the compensation panel or
failure of the capacitors and addition of new equipment to the system can change
the reactive consumption characteristics of the relevant facility. This can result in
reactive penalties.
- Measurement and analysis of consumption separately for air conditioning, lighting,
production machines
Although measuring the total energy consumption of the facility is important in
terms of providing a general control and control of the reactive consumption, it is
very difficult to find concrete savings points without monitoring the consumption of
each sub-unit. For example, it is extremely difficult to determine if the lighting is left
on during the day by simply monitoring the total consumption. For this reason, the
energy consumed for lighting, air conditioning and production must be measured
separately. In fact, line-based and machine-based monitoring will be extremely
useful for production. By monitoring in this manner, it will be extremely easy to
detect the problem, for example, a machine that draws 300-400 Amperes under
normal conditions can easily reach 500 Amperes due to malfunction or lack of
maintenance, and so, by preventing excess consumption and applying the necessary
maintenance to the machine, loss in production can be prevented.
- Selection of the most suitable electricity tariff by extracting the load profile
Monitoring the load profile for a few months will lead to savings by choosing the
most accurate tariff for the facility. Sharing load profiles with energy distribution
companies can also enable companies to submit special price offers.
- Determining standby consumption and keeping them down while the machines are idle
Many machines consume a large amount of energy while on standby. It is not
possible to keep these machines off only with administrative measures and
individual initiatives, and this is reflected in the energy bills. With the low-cost and
highly efficient Lite Analyzer developed by Trio Mobil, the load profiles and the
standby status of the machines can be determined and excessive standby periods
can be prevented. At the same time, if the current levels of the machine increase
abnormally during production, a notification is received, preventing excessive
consumption. Additionally, malfunctions that will cause production interruptions are
also detected before they occur.
- Monitoring the consumption of air conditioning (heater - cooler) systems and ensuring that
they remain closed out of working hours
Air conditioning systems have an important share in the energy consumption of
facilities. Depending on the structure of the facility and seasonal conditions, its share
in consumption can reach up to 30-40%. Usage-based energy losses are very
common even if a system with high energy efficiency is used. The most common
energy losses are leaving the systems open outside of working hours, entering hot or
cold set values into the systems unnecessarily, or keeping the air conditioning
systems open even though there is nobody working in the environment. By
monitoring the energy consumption of the air conditioning system, you can receive
instant notifications if the consumption is above the determined levels outside of
working hours. With the visual reporting tools provided by Trio Mobil, it is possible to
analyze such savings opportunities in a short time.
- Ensuring that the lighting systems remain off when there is daylight
The use of LED technology in lighting systems is an important requirement in terms
of energy efficiency. However, whichever lighting technology is used, it is very
important for energy saving to turn the lighting on and off in accordance with the
operating rules. Leaving the lighting on during daylight, not turning it off during
breaks although there are no employees, causes energy loss. With the Trio Mobil
alarm and rule management module, unnecessary usage can be easily detected by
determining time-based consumption limits.
- Performing regular maintenance, monitoring the efficiency of the motor and pump, and
making the necessary arrangements
Even if the motors and pumps working continuously in many factories have low
power, they cause high energy consumption because they work continuously. It is
extremely important to measure the energy consumption of electric motors and
pumps separately, both in terms of determining the consumption of different brands
and models in real use apart from the catalog data, and in order to quickly determine
the high consumption due to lack of maintenance or malfunction.
- Preventing the doors of cold storages from being open for a long time
The use of cold storages is very common in facilities producing food, medicine and
chemicals. The share of these systems operating 7-24 in energy consumption can be
extremely high. With the Trio Mobil IoT Platform, energy consumption, temperature
values and door status of cold storage can be monitored digitally. By monitoring the
open/close state of the door, it is made possible to save unnecessary energy
consumption that will arise during loading/unloading operations where the system
will consume high level of energy trying to keep the determined temperature each
time the door is left open more than necessary.
- Installation of solar panels to produce energy from solar energy
Solar panels, which have increased efficiency and decreased costs with the
developing technology in recent years, constitute both a low-cost and zero-emission
energy source for industrial establishments. Considering that the return on
investment is between 4-6 years depending on the region where the facility is
located, it is seen that such an investment will be extremely well-directed. The
measurement systems integrated into the Trio Mobil IoT Platform allow you to
control and analyze energy production as well as consumption.