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In this essay we will discuss about the role of computers in energy management in industries.
Essay on Energy Management in Industries
Essay Contents:
- Essay on Computer Application in Industrial Field
- Essay on Simulation as a Design Tool
- Essay on Energy Management Systems
- Essay on Peak Demand Limiting
- Essay on Computer-Aided Manufacturing
Essay # 1. Computer Application in Industrial Field:
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Major part of the total energy worldwide is consumed in industrial sector. Energy consumption per unit of output for industry as a whole has been decreasing steadily for many years. There are three reasons for this the increasing share of output by the light industries; the replacement of coal-burning boilers by more efficient oil and gas-fired installations; and the introduction of new processes that have tended to favour energy efficiency, even though that was not the reason for their installation.
The difference in energy intensity of the different industries is considerable. They heavy industries, steel, glass, bricks etc., are generally the most energy intensive.
Energy consumption in the heavy industries tends to be in large capital-intensive equipment with long lifetimes. Opportunities for conservation therefore, are likely to come from the fitting of energy management systems to existing equipment. Substantial savings are possible in most processes through improved instrumentation and control systems.
Longer term measures in energy saving usually involve major investment decisions and, as with any investment considered by industry, will be looked at as a whole project, in financial terms, and in competition with a range of other possibilities for spending the available money. Energy conservation is only one of the factors taken into consideration in a project assessment and its relative importance will vary from industry to industry.
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The computer has a fairly well defined role in industrial energy conservation. At the design stage, computers may be used to simulate the likely operational characteristics of several preliminary designs, and so help to select the final design. Process control is a well-known and well documented computer application in the industrial field. Process control computers may be used to achieve some degree of plant energy optimisation.
Other uses of the computer within the industrial environment are secondary to the main function of the plant. HVAC control and product distribution management are very much in evidence and can be energy optimised by computer, but since these computer applications are also relevant in other fields, they are treated separately elsewhere.
Also the computer based energy management system find their wide application in energy conservation programs in commercial, domestic sector and Electrical Supply Systems.
Essay # 2. Simulation as a Design Tool:
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Simulation is a valuable tool for the reduction of energy consumption. By using a simulation model of the process at the design stage, it is possible to pinpoint design changes that will increase the energy efficiency. The main disadvantages of simulation are its complexity and high cost. However, nowadays with wide spread use of these simulation tools, low cost simulation software’s are available.
The simulation helps in meeting conservation objective such as providing the management with a set of curves showing the production attainable as a function of the maximum allowed level of power demand, with different control strategies as parameters. Management were then able to decide upon the most effective course of action according to energy, economic, or other criteria.
Computer models can also be used to calculate the energy flows and electricity usage in domestic refrigerators and freezers. The use of simulation in the design of buildings is now a well-developed practice which describes individual models of energy flows in buildings.
These models generally predict the hourly demand patterns of the building from experimental evidence and then simulate the response of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment to these loads. The models will usually allow the determination of the effects of changes in building design variables on the energy consumption.
Essay # 3. Energy Management Systems:
Energy management systems are becoming increasingly popular in industry. They are usually implemented as part of a plant-wide energy conservation drive. Manual conservation methods have their limitations in that the degree of control required by certain devices and processes is not possible manually. Computers provide the extra degree of refinement and can cut energy consumption drastically.
An initial step in the consideration of an energy management programme is the completion of an energy survey or audit. It is only through gaining a thorough understanding of a plants operation from an energy point of View that one can hope to make any savings. The energy survey will nearly always reveal a variety of very simple manual methods that will lead to an increase in energy efficiency, without recourse to computer methods.
Such a survey provides the data base necessary to plan a proper system installation. Electrical consumption and demand costs for the previous twelve months are needed, together with similar figures for other sources of energy. An inventory of energy consuming and producing devices is needed along with each of the devices characteristics such as load versus efficiency curves, maximum frequency of operation limits etc.
Analysis of the survey data will reveal controllable loads and required monitoring points. Once operating strategies have been defined, and, given a typical pattern of energy usage, it is. possible to calculate the energy savings resulting from the new strategy. At the same time, the cost of the monitoring and control system will have been worked out and the systems likely cost benefit ratio will be known.
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The general audit also might involve the expertise of a programmer who builds a computer model of a building’s mechanical or electrical systems. The computer model helps identify energy losses because it allows users to test different energy-conservation measures to optimize overall building performance.
Energy management systems can proceed at three increasingly complex levels of supervisions At the bottom level is the control of individual energy sources or sinks, like blast furnaces and turbines; At the intermediate level is group control of similar units used in parallel to ensure that group operation is optimal; Finally, at the highest level of control is a supervisory system for ensuring that the whole process is optimal.
At the lowest level of control, microprocessor supervision with appropriate sensors and actuators is sufficient to guarantee the best operating efficiency of, say, a boiler or turbine. For the higher levels, larger machines will be necessary. The sensors and actuators of the lower levels will be sufficient for these higher level functions.
Despite the fact that each node in the network can be optimised with respect to its own energy efficiency, overall computer control is needed because optimum node efficiency does not guarantee total plant optimisation, and in some cases may actually impair it.
The use of computers in energy management program will definitely require the suitable software for energy management applications.
The functional elements and application of EMS are as follows:
Energy Management Software:
Energy Management Software (EMS) refers to a variety of energy-related software applications which may be used for various energy management related applications such as to provide utility bill tracking, real-time metering, building HVAC and lighting control systems, building simulation and modeling, carbon and sustainability reporting, IT equipment management, demand response, and energy audits.
Energy management software provides tools for reducing energy costs and consumption for energy consuming systems such as buildings, communities or any industrial setup.
EMS collects energy data and uses it for three main purposes:
(i) Reporting,
(ii) Monitoring, and
(iii) Engagement.
Reporting may include verification of energy data, benchmarking, and setting high-level energy use reduction targets.
Monitoring may include trend analysis and tracking energy consumption to identify cost-saving opportunities. Engagement can mean real-time responses (automated or manual) to promote energy conservation. One engagement method that has recently gained popularity is the real-time energy consumption display available in web applications or an onsite energy dashboard/display.
Essay # 4. Peak Demand Limiting:
Demand Limiting is the practice of reducing power loads during periods of time where power is at a premium cost. Demand limiting differs from load shedding by reducing the amount of power to lighting circuits versus turning equipment off (shedding the load). A good example of demand limiting would be turning lights off in stages or dimming lighting circuits during periods of peak demand.
Raising cooling set points in non-critical areas during peak demand periods will also reduce your energy bill. This can produce compound savings. By reducing the amount of energy consumed by lighting and equipment you are also reducing heat load and the energy consumed by your HVAC system to remove it from your building.
Incorporating Demand Limiting into your overall BMS (Building Management System) design can save you more than you invest and can be proven with an energy audit. Updating non switched lighting equipment is one of the fastest ways to recover wasted energy costs. Modern light fixtures and control equipment can make your work environment more productive and energy efficient.
Demand Limiting Assessing Tools:
Various demand limiting assessing tools are available in the form of software which can be used in computer based energy management techniques which are most popular in building energy management programs.
In the case buildings the Demand-Limiting Assessment Tool (DLAT) evaluates the peak demand reduction, utility cost savings, and comfort impacts associated with the use of building thermal mass for pre cooling and demand limiting for a limited number of prototypical small commercial buildings. The program performs hourly calculations with fairly detailed models of the buildings and equipment.
Although there are many parameters that are employed to model the building system, only the most important parameters for the assessment are incorporated in the user interface:
i. Building type and size
ii. Location
iii. Occupancy schedule
iv. Utility rates
v. Equipment type and efficiency
vi. Demand-limiting control parameters.
The magnitudes of the loads and costs from this program could differ significantly from actual values for a particular building due to differences in building specification, equipment characteristics, specific yearly weather conditions, actual occupancy, etc.
However, it is expected that the relative demand reduction, cost savings, and comfort impacts associated with the alternative control strategies would be similar for similar building types.
Essay # 5. Computer-Aided Manufacturing:
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is the use of computer software to control machine tools and related machinery in the manufacturing of work pieces. CAM may also refer to the use of a computer to assist in all operations of a manufacturing plant, including planning, management, transportation and storage.
Its primary purpose is to create a faster production process and components and tooling with more precise dimensions and material consistency, which in some cases, uses only the required amount of raw material (thus minimizing waste), while simultaneously reducing energy consumption.
CAM is a subsequent computer-aided process after computer-aided design (CAD) and sometimes computer-aided engineering (CAE), as the model generated in CAD and verified in CAE can be input into CAM software, which then controls the machine tool.
Traditionally, CAM has been considered as a numerical control (NC) programming tool, wherein two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) models of components generated in CAD software are used to generate G-code to drive computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools. Simple designs such as bolt circles or basic contours do not necessitate importing a CAD file.
As with other ‘Computer-Aided’ technologies, CAM does not eliminate the need for skilled professionals such as manufacturing engineers, NC programmers, or machinists. CAM, in fact, leverages both the value of the most skilled manufacturing professionals through advanced productivity tools, while building the skills of new professionals through visualization, simulation and optimization tools.
An early commercial application of CAM was in large companies in the automotive and aerospace industries.
Software:
Some of the top largest CAM software companies are:
i. Dassault Systems
ii. Siemens PLM Software
iii. Del Cam
iv. Vero Software
v. PTC
vi. Tebis
vii. Open Mind Technologies
viii. Cimatron
ix. C & G Systems
x. Missler Software
xi. CNC Software
xii. CG Tech
xiii. DP Technology
xiv. Solid CAM
xv. SesCoi
Conclusion:
The cost of computer technology is decreasing rapidly and is helping the cause of conservation by bringing computer control economically to increasingly marginal applications. Computers are not being used to the fullest extent however, because of a general lack of awareness of the possible computer applications and the benefits that they can bring.
Energy will never be as cheap or as readily available as it has been in the past, and so it is important that the realisation of the potential benefits of computer methods occurs as soon as is possible. Computer based energy conservation is economic in many applications and it is important that this is more widely recognised so that coordinated efforts can be made to conserve energy on a large scale worldwide for better future.