The challenges facing manufacturing operators are aplenty. One that does not seem to be easing is energy costs, which have been on an unrelenting rise. With industrial plants relying on power, it’s a cost centre that cannot be negated. However, reduction in consumption and waste can be achieved without significant expense or disruption.
From measuring and monitoring to improving maintenance practices, relatively small steps can soon culminate in tangible savings. Whether it’s a small business or a multi-site operation, when armed with knowledge about the right products and services to help in the quest, the savings can really rack up.
Measurement underpins a sound energy-saving strategy
Electrical energy meters are commonplace in the home and consumers are encouraged to embrace monitoring to establish usage and see where reductions can be made. In the industrial environment, this is a key tactic and one most plants will be employing.
The available metering equipment is ever-growing. Fixed metering can provide accurate energy usage readings at-a-glance. While for power spot checks on-the-go, portable meters offer data logging capabilities with removable data storage like an SD card and are a great option. These kinds of electrical energy meters can log tens of thousands of sets of measurements and provide accurate and detailed analysis with built-in power analysers.
A focus on energy waste is as important as consumption and thermal imaging works for heat loss detection. It can effectively identify where more insulation or lagging is required to reduce heat loss, which is essentially money lost. Thermal imaging equipment can also help detect unusual or high heat emittance, which can be an indicator of an issue. This could be friction causing heat in motors, bearings and any mechanical power train.
Air leaks can be identified with acoustic imagers that can accurately pinpoint the high-frequency soundwave caused by a hole in air, gas and vacuum set-ups. The exact location of where the problem lies is then available on an LED screen using SoundMap technology. Imagers like these have high image and video storage capacity for in-depth analysis purposes. But they’ll come at a cost, so a good option here to outsource to specialist providers of maintenance solutions that offer air leak surveys. Investing in a plant-wide ultrasonic air leak survey can help a firm quantify the size and cost of an air leak, giving full visibility of both the carbon impact and where repairs are needed.
Equipment improvements can positively impact energy usage
There’s an array of products that can help reduce energy consumption once invested in and fitted. Inverter drives can directly save energy when controlling pumps or fans. They can also save energy in other processes by slowing down motors like those used to drive conveyor belts, when not in direct use, while having them ready to speed up at a moment’s notice.
Soft starts can save energy on fans and in other motor applications, as they reduce the start-up current.
Low friction bearings can also be used in the energy-saving mission, especially in 24/7 applications, without impacting load-carrying capacity or service life. Tapered roller bearings can typically use 30 per cent less energy than a standard counterpart component, although in some applications where outside bearing diameters are higher, greater potential energy savings of up to 50 per cent can be achieved.
Another often overlooked important tactic is good lubrication. Poorly maintained or lubricated systems will use more energy and have increased wear.
Oil analysis is crucial in maintenance and in the quest to reduce energy consumption, but it can be a very specialist area. Operators can opt for managed lubrication services and outsourced lubrication surveys, to help save energy. A specialist provider like RS can also assist in identifying the right lubricant and applying it at the right point and time, to certified lab analysis to determine wear, chemistry and contamination.
This practice is also key to reducing downtime due to premature failure: poor or inadequate lubrication is the cause of 70 per cent of industrial equipment wear and failure, according to industry-renowned lubrication specialist Ken Bannister.
LED lighting is certainly not a new energy-saving technology, but the phasing out of a variety of fluorescent lamps and halogen capsule lamps in the 2023 legislation overhaul means these lamps will no longer be manufactured. There’s been no better time to explore the energy-efficient alternatives for those that haven’t already
Energy prices are predicted to continue to rise during 2025. A focus on keeping energy consumption down and minimising waste is therefore a sensible approach and a significant element to consider in the overall challenge of rising costs for manufacturing operators.
More information about RS’ energy management solutions can be found here.
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