A fresh approach yields sweeping savings for a quick ROI
Hydroelectric power plant benefits from having an ongoing compressed air energy audit.
Problem:
At a plant manufacturing turbines for hydro-electric power plants, excess capacity had been a source of comfort for many years despite recommendations for system updates. Four modulating, twenty-year old compressors, two 75 hp, two 25 hp, supplied the system—without central controls—causing excessively high energy costs. When a new plant engineer came on board, he took a closer look at the energy efficiency. Having attended a Kaeser Compressed Air Seminar, he knew a systems approach could unlock significant savings.
Solution:
KAESER ran a KESS (Kaeser Energy Saving Simulation) using supply side audit data and designed a complete system solution that would dramatically reduce the specific power from 62.0 kW/100 cfm to 17.5 kW/100 cfm. New energy efficient compressors, an air receiver, as well as a system master controller were installed. The new system has the same number of compressors and total horsepower as before, but it provides even more flow.
Result:
The SIGMA AIR MANAGER (SAM) master controller monitors the four new compressors and selects the most efficient combination of units to meet the plant demand. With its built-in SAC Plus software, SAM continually tracks energy consumption so the plant benefits from having an ongoing compressed air energy audit. As a matter of fact, the specific power has been reduced more than anticipated—all the way down to 16.7 kW/100 cfm.
- Annual Energy Costs of Previous System: $59,780 per year
- Reduction in Specific Power: 45.3 kW/100 cfm
- Annual Energy Cost Savings: $22,680 per year
- Additional Savings in Maintenance Costs: $7,240 per year
- Total Annual Savings: $29,920
- Simple Payback Period: 14 months