HOW TO INCREASE PLANT EFFICIENCY WITH ENERGY MANAGEMENT
For manufacturers, finding new means to reduce energy waste and save on operational costs is one of the major ways to stay competitive in the industry. One of the most important components for reducing costs is identifying specific areas of factory floor where leveraging the attributes will have the greatest effect on efficiency.
Typically, purchased fuel and electricity consumption are the two areas that most companies can improve on. Boosting efficiency in these areas ultimately affects the company’s bottom line. There are a few ways to optimize and properly manage these key improvement areas. With purchased fuel, manufacturers should monitor the end-use location throughout the facility, as well as the individual consumption levels for each application. As for electricity, manufacturers should identify where energy is being lost the most and reduce usage in these areas accordingly.
Combustion air, fuel gas flow and compressed air should always be closely monitored. This will help identify losses that, over a short period of time, can directly impact the plant’s profitability. In a recent article, Magnetrol discusses how thermal mass flow meters are the perfect tool for effectively monitoring these key elements. Here’s what you need to know about them:
- Primarily used in air and gas flow measurement applications
- Meters consist of a transmitter and temperature sensors that process flow rates
- As flow rates increase, heat is taken away from the heat sensor. More power is then applied to the heated sensor to maintain the temperature difference. This creates an established relationship between power and mass flow rate
- These meters are one of the only technologies that directly measure mass flow without the need for pressure or temperature compensation
- Calibration verification procedures create a low cost of ownership
- This technology can be utilized all over the plant in key processes such as combustion air, fuel gas flow and compressed air
Proper energy management can provide great financial and sustainability benefits. To learn more about how thermal mass flow meters can increase your plant efficiency, read the full article here.