A 35% reduction in fuel use and associated CO2 emissions, improved availability and reduced steam costs. This is part two of a two-part series.
Boiler combustion checks. Supplied by AES
Failure to undertake regular energy management assessments has massive safety implications, AES commercial director Dennis Williams warns.
This covers combustion, heat, dust, gases, rotating equipment or electricity. Process safety management (PSM) manages activities where there is an element of risk, and specific personnel are trained in HIRA (Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment): “These team members are tasked with identifying and quantifying risks – which are then rolled out into management tools and work procedures, ensuring that all on site have specific work instructions, information and training on how to safely execute the relevant activities.”
Failure to conduct operational performance evaluations also results in higher operating costs (fuel and maintenance), increased plant downtime, a higher carbon footprint and reduces the lifespan of plant.
Benefits of proactive energy management
“The more efficient the combustion, and the lower the losses as unburnt carbon in ash, or CO2 in flue gas. The more efficient the management of the heat transfer process, the lower the energy losses,” Williams explains.
Use of fuel – by far the highest cost – can effectively be managed through the recovery of the energy released (boiler heat transfer), ensuring that the maximum amount of energy is recovered from the fuel into the steam.
Closely aligned with this are the considerations of fuel costs and quality. Through its in-house laboratory, significant buying power, access to market supply and sourcing expertise, AES ensures that the best quality fuel is procured at the lowest cost.
The quality of the steam supply is another key consideration, Williams points out: “This relates to stability of steam pressure, maximisation of condensate return, the dryness of steam and the reliability and continuity of steam supply. These all impact on how a company can effectively use the steam supplied to maximise efficiency and lower usage per unit of product.”
Efficient operations also positively impact key aspects such as sustainability and emissions. Improved boiler efficiency and maximisation of condensate return, in turn, lowers resource usage (coal and water) per unit of production.
Effective maintenance management including scheduling, quality execution, planning and recommissioning all impact on objectives relating to maximised efficiency and plant reliability and uptime.
Proactive energy management pays off
The beneficial outcome of effective energy management is best illustrated by a pilot project that AES undertook for a multinational fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) client.
“This entailed the installation of an additional boiler, mitigation of liquid fuel use and overall outsourcing of operations. Following operational takeover and maintenance / operations interventions by AES, there were significant improvements. There was complete mitigation (100% reduction in costly liquid fuel use for steam generation) and a 21% improvement in CO2 emissions when compared with the client’s operational baseline.
As a result, this client outsourced its largest steam generation facility to AES, achieving similar results with lower steam cost, improved availability and a staggering 35% reduction in fuel use and associated CO2 emissions – proof indeed that proactive energy management pays off. AES now services five of this client’s sites,” Williams concludes.
Source: Supplied by AES
