Industrial Energy Efficiency Down

Under
New Zealand and Australian Case Studies
Dr James Neale & Hamish Wolstencroft
Energy Research Group
Industrial Energy Efficiency Division
The University of Waikato
Hamilton
New Zealand
1

Energy Research Group Overview

Research into improving Industrial Energy Efficiency

Compressed Air
Steam
Utility Loop Optimisation
Heat Recovery and Heat Integration
Pinch Analysis
Industrial Fluid Flow Optimisation
Renewable Energy Solutions
Distributed Generation
Energy Audit Methodology Development.

Energy Research Group Overview

Numerical Modelling
Computational Fluid Dynamics Modelling
Proprietary Software Development

Economic Modelling
Capital Project Assessment
Energy Future Scenario Modelling

Experimental Investigation & Analysis

Laboratory Scale
Plant Scale

Presentation Overview - Background

The Energy Landscape Down Under

New Zealand
Australia

Compressed Air System energy Savings

Opportunities
System Audits
Leak Management

Case Studies
Air leak management
The Social or Human Dimension
4

Presentation Overview The good Stuff

Measuring a leak
Volumetric flow
Actual/Standard flow
Understanding leak types
Shape
Size
Pressure Effects
Sound and Ultrasound Generation
Loss rate
Case Studies
Revised Leak Guess-Timator
Software Tools for streamlined survey and reporting

New Zealand Energy Landscape

NZ is entering an energy crisis

Lack of infrastructure investment
Cheap gas coming to an end

New generation costed at $2500 / kW by the Electricity

Commission. Cost to save electricity starts at $0 and
goes up.
Government committed to 90 % Renewable Electricity
Process Heat almost left out of revised energy
strategy

New Zealand Energy Landscape Greenhouse Gas

Emissions (2005 Dry year)

Agriculture
Electricity
Transport
Industrial Processes
Waste
Solvents

48.5 %
25 %
18.4 %
5.6 %
2.4 %
0.1 %

Notes
66 % of Electricity is from Hydro
24.6 % increase in total 1990 emission levels
7

NZ Energy Strategy

Energy Efficiency
Active energy efficiency programme (EECA)
Subsidised energy audits
Solar Hot Water Subsidies
CFL Light Bulb Subsidies

Industrial Programmes
Compressed Air Best practice programmes
Energy Efficient Motor Subsidies
Other work in progress

Australian Energy Landscape

Energy
Large distance to market (gas)
High reliance on coal fired electricity
Reduced water storage and hydro electricity

Industrial process emissions up 16 %

Reliance on imported oil
Transport emissions up 29.9 %
Legislation introduced to mandate energy efficiency
programs for industry - EEO
9

Australian Energy Landscape Greenhouse Gas

Emissions (2005 Dry year)

Energy
Agriculture
Transport
Industrial Processes
Waste
Land Use

55.6 %
15.7 %
14.4 %
5.3 %
3.0 %
6.0 %

Notes
73.9 % reduction in land use emission levels
2.2 % increase in total 1990 emission levels
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Energy Savings in Compressed Air Systems

Compressed air is a unique utility for most plants since it is one of the
few where the plant has complete control over the production,
distribution and use of the utility
80% of the electrical energy used by a compressor is converted to heat
No two air systems are alike and no two plants use air the same way. It
is important to take plant operations and requirements into
consideration when analysing a system or changing to the system.
Compressed air is one of the most expensive sources of energy in a
plant.
The overall efficiency of a typical compressed air system can be as low
as 10-15%
Opportunities to redistribute assets for optimum system efficiency

11

Why Compressed Air

Increased Energy Costs

Climate Change and CO2 Emissions
10 to 40 % of Industrial Electricity Usage
20 to 30 % Cost Savings Commonly Found
Some cases of over 50 % savings
The Forgotten Utility

12

Energy Assessment or System Audit?

Energy Assessment/Audit
Supply orientated
Limited ability to fully identify potential savings
A good start, but .

System Audit
Focus on end use
Demand, Distribution and Supply orientated
Maximum Energy and Cost savings
Costs a little more to make 2 to 3 times the savings!

13

Potential Demand Side Savings

Air Leaks

10 to 50 %

(Ave)

Artificial Demand

5 to 50 %

(Ave)

Peak Load Reduction

10 to 20 %

(Peak)

System Pressure Reduction

4.5 to 9 %

(Ave)

Energy Savings

CO2 Emission Reductions

Maintenance Savings
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Long Range Leak

15

Man Made Leaks

16

Man Made Leaks

17

Leak by Design!

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Potential Supply Side Savings

True Demand Characterization Must Come First

Compressor Run Order and Control

Minimise Unloaded Running Hours

Compressor Sizing

Compressor Technology Selection

Driers & Filters

Maintenance Savings

Energy Savings

Total Savings of 10 to 30 %

CO2 Emission Reductions

Maintenance Savings

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Savings Summary

Demand Side Savings typically 2 to 3 times the Supply Side

Savings

Supply Side should only be optimised after the demand side

is under control!

Australian Model
Legislate change for large energy users
Limited government funding/assistance

New Zealand Model

Government funding conditional on demand side KPIs
Demand Savings can be made that then can be re-invested in
supply side improvements

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Initial Savings Estimate

Typical saving of 20 to 30 %
As high as 40 to 50+ %
Could be as low as <10 % (will know)

Customise level of audit detail to match potential savings

opportunities

Leak Management Only Options

Capture large proportion of potential savings
Entry onto new sites etc
New Customers Generate immediate payback

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What Is Measured
Power Consumption (Power v Current)
Pressure (gauge v absolute)
Dew Point Water Content
Compressed Air Flow Rate (Supply/Demand)
Assumed flow (name plate)
Inline measurement insertion options
Ultrasonic non-obtrusive measurement

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System Audit Report Contents

Introduction
Audit Methodology
Compressed Air Demand Characterisation and Optimisation
Compressed Air Distribution Summary
Current Compressed Air Supply Summary
Potential Compressed Air Supply Solutions
Risk Assessment
Potential Cost Savings Summary
Recommendations and Conclusions

23

NZ Food Processing Examples

Leak Management
20 to 50 % savings
A single internal leak in a dust collector = 20%
Identification of critical areas for high spec fittings
Targeted maintenance

24

NZ Food Processing Examples

Artificial Demand Reduction
Cooling of bearings
Tank agitation
Air lances
Vacuum generators
Pneumatic conveying of powders

25

NZ Food Processing Examples

Peak Demand Balancing
Bag house pulsing
Automated powder packing
Purging product feed lines

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Bag House Air Demand

350

Airflow Rate (N m3/hr)

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
2/02/2007 12:00

2/02/2007 12:18

2/02/2007 12:36

2/02/2007 12:54

Time

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Bag House Air Demand

350

Aiirflow Rate (N m3/hr)

300

250

Inadequate Local Storage

200

150

100

50

0
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Time (%)

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Artificial Air Demand

3000

2000

Air Demand (N m /hr)

2500

1500

1000

500

0
1/02/2007 12:00

1/02/2007 15:00

1/02/2007 18:00

1/02/2007 21:00

2/02/2007 0:00

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Artificial Air Demand

3000

Air Deamnd ( N m3/hr)

2500

Artificial Peak
2000

1500

1000

500

0
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Time (%)

30

Total Air Demand

4500
4000

Total Plant Deamnd (N m3/hr)

3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2/02/2007 12:00

3/02/2007 0:00

3/02/2007 12:00

4/02/2007 0:00

4/02/2007 12:00

5/02/2007 0:00

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Total Air Demand

4500

Demand Peak = Over Capitalisation

3500

Total Plant Demand (N m /hr)

4000

3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Time (%)

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Leak Detection or Leak Management

Leak Detection
Leak Characterisation
Fix Leaks Lock in Energy Savings
Data Management
Cost Benefit Analysis
Establish Rate of Reoccurrence
Verify Improvements
Proactive & Targeted Maintenance
Site and Corporate Reporting and Benchmarking

33

Maintenance Example
Maintenance is more than plant reliability
Maintenance can have an IRR
Air leak survey cost $6,000, saved $80,000 and shutdown
a 250 kW air compressor.
Improved rate means less energy per tonne of product
Vacuum leaks fixed means happy operators

As maintenance professionals which budget do you get

measured on?
Change in KPIs for management to reflect new focus
Management Buy in to leak management programme

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Barriers To Success
No Savings Until Leaks Are Fixed
Technical Challenges
Scheduling of repair work
Maintenance priorities

Social (Human) Challenges

Education
Ownership
Workload
Incentives

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Barriers To Success
No Savings Until Leaks Are Fixed
Technical Challenges
Scheduling of repair work
Maintenance priorities

Social (Human) Challenges

Education
Ownership/Attitude and Culture
Workload Management

Fiscal Challenges
Cost of leak survey and repair work
Risk to achieving projected savings
36

The Solution
Tailored Leak Management Program
Certified Personnel :

SNT-TC-1A

Robust Data Management

Electronic Reporting
Historical Trending
Plant by Plant and Site by Site Comparisons

37

The Solution
Ultrasonic Leak Detection
Can identify leaks while plant is running
Non-intrusive
Sound level correlates to leak rate (dB)

Customised Thresholds
Start with relatively high threshold
Lower threshold as plant improves
Allows a manageable work load
Can go straight to low threshold if desired, but
80-20 rule applies
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Compressed Air Summary:

Significant energy savings can be made through correct

auditing of compressed air systems

Demand Side optimisation must be addressed first, then the

supply side of the system may be optimised

The compressed air system must be analysed as a whole not

individual elements.

Human/Social barriers to change must be addressed if

savings are to be locked in long term.

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Lets Recap - Why do an Airline Leak Detection

Survey?
Compressed air is an expensive utility.
A simple programme of inspection and repair can reduce costs.
Thousands of dollars are wasted because of air leaks.
Why Use Ultrasonic Leak Detection?
Can be done while the plant is running.
Picks up leaks not audible to the ear.
Simple and accurate.
Implementation of a comprehensive air leak management plan
has led to demand savings of over 30 %.
Optimum scheduling of air leak surveys with targeted approach
to critical areas

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Air Leaks All Different Shapes and Sizes

Lets consider an air leak in a lot more detail

How to quantify the loss
Loss rate
Cost (daily, monthly, yearly)

Types of leaks
Why is pressure so important?
Examples loss form an orifice
Theory
Practice

Software tools to simplify an air leak survey

41

Measuring a leak

Actual/Standard Flow

Volumetric Flow

Pressure
Leak

Vacuum
Leak
Turbulence in the flow generates Airborne Ultrasound.
42

Pressure Effects Why is pressure so important?

Any leak to atmosphere will expand from the internal

pressure down to zero gauge pressure (atmospheric
pressure).
Increasing the pressure increases the actual flow rate
for the same volumetric flow rate.
If the pressure in the leaking line exceeds a critical
pressure the volumetric flow through the leak orifice
will be choked (maximised).

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Pressure Effects Why is pressure so important?

Volumetric Flow Rate (m /h)

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5
2.0
Exit Pressure (Bar)

2.5

3.0

3.5

44

Pressure Effects Why is pressure so important?

Normal Flow Rate (N m 3/h)

25
4mm tube (Nm3/h)
6mm tube (Nm3/h)

20

15

10

0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6
0.8
Pressure (Bar)

1.2

1.4

45

Leak Path Length Effects

Round Orifice Leak Rates

Internal Diameter
External Diameter

Leak Path Length Effects

Lowers effective leak exit pressure
Gradual expansion of compressed air
Reduces loss rate

46

Leak Path Length Effects 4mm diameter orifice

50
45

6 Bar
5 Bar
4 Bar
3 Bar
2 Bar

Flow Rate (N m 3/h)

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0

5
6
Length (m)

10

47

Leak Path Length Effects Extending the length

35
30

6 Bar

25

4 Bar

Flow Rate ( N m /h)

5 Bar
3 Bar
20

2 Bar

15
10
5
0
1

10

100

Length (m)

48

Angle Of Approach

Angle Effects The dB Reading

Symmetry
Exit Path
Source Location

Variation In dB Increases With Increasing Pressure

Peaks @ 30-40 from central axis
Minimum @ 0

49

Angle Of Approach 100 mm From Leak

120
110
100

6 bar
5.5 bar
5 bar
4.5 bar
4 bar
3.5 bar
3 bar
2.5 bar
2 bar
1.5 bar
1 bar
0.8 bar
0.6 bar
0.4 bar
0.2 bar

90
80
dB

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Angle
50

Angle Of Approach 150 mm From Leak

120
110
100
6 bar
5.5 bar
5 bar
4.5 bar
4 bar
3 bar
2.5 bar
2 bar
1.5 bar
1 bar
0.8 bar
0.6 bar
0.4 bar
0.2 bar

90
80
dB

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Angle
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Angle Of Approach 300 mm From Leak

120
110
100

6 bar
5.5 bar

90

5 bar
4.5 bar

dB

80

4 bar

70

3.5 bar
3 bar

60

2.5 bar

50

2 bar
1.5 bar

40

1 bar
0.8 bar
0.6 bar

30

0.4 bar
0.2 bar

20
10
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Angle
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Leak Types and Shapes

Many leak types exist yet all can be Simplified down to

a few simple geometric shapes:
Hole
Slit/crack
Slot
Tube

Loss rates and ultrasound levels depend on both the

size and shape of the leak orifice.
Larger orifice will have a lower ultrasound level for the
same loss rate (for a smaller orifice).

53

Leak Types and Shapes - Comparisons

100
90

Decibel Reading (dB)

80
70
60
50
40

4mm Open End - 30.17m3/hr

10mm Slit vert - 21.79m3/hr
2.5mm Open End - 10.06m3/hr
5mm Slit vert - 5.18m3/hr
1mm Pinprick - 1.54m3/hr

30
20
10

15mm slit vert - 28.51m3/hr

2.5mm Pinprick - 14.64m3/hr
2mm Pinprick - 9.66m3/hr
1.5mm Pinprick - 2.71m3/hr

0
0

15

30

45

60

75

90

Angle ( deg)

54

Leak Types and Shapes - Slits

100
90

Decibel Reading (dB)

80
70
60
50
40

15mm slit vert - 28.51m3/hr

30

10mm Slit vert - 21.79m3/hr

20

5mm Slit vert - 5.18m3/hr

10
0
0

15

30

45

60

75

90

Angle ( deg)

55

Leak Types and Shapes 6 Bar (g) Slit

100

Decibel Reading (dB)

90
80
70
60
50
40
30

15mm slit @ 1m - 27.49m3/hr

20

10mm slit @ 1m - 20.43m3/hr

10

5mm slit @ 1m - 2.22m3/hr

0
0

15

30

45
Angle (deg)

60

75

90

56

Leak Types and Shapes 3 Bar (g) Slit

90

Decibel Reading (dB)

80
70
60
50
40
30

15mm slit @ 1m - 12.31m3/hr

20

10mm slit @ 1m - 7.95m3/hr

10

5mm slit @ 1m - 0.81m3/hr

0
0

15

30

45
Angle (deg)

60

75

90

57

Leak Types and Shapes 6 Bar (g) Pinprick

100

Decibel Reading (dB)

90
80
70
60
50
40

2.5mm Pinprick 1m - 14.64m3/hr

30

2mm Pinprick 1m - 9.66m3/hr

20

1.5mm Pinprick 1m - 2.71m3/hr

10

1mm Pinprick 1m - 1.54m3/hr

0
0

15

30

45
Angle (deg)

60

75

90

58

Leak Types and Shapes 3 Bar (g) Pinprick

90

Decibel Reading (dB)

80
70
60
50
40
2.5mm Pinprick @ 1m - 8.30m3/hr

30

2mm Pinprick @ 1m - 5.81m3/hr

20

1.5mm Pinprick @ 1m -1.33m3/hr

10

1mm Pinprick @ 1m - 0.78m3/hr

0
0

15

30

45
Angle (deg)

60

75

90

59

The Leak Management Process

Leak Detection
Tag Leak and Record Data
Input to Leak Database
Data Analysis and Report Generation
Investment Decision (Fix Leaks)
Work load Management
Repeat Survey
Historical Data Used to Determine Survey Frequency

60

The Leak Management Process Software Tools

PDA for in field data storage

Integrated Leak Database
Standardised Report Formats
Historical Reporting
Corporate Reporting

Future Web Based Platform

61

The Leak Management Process PDA

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The Leak Management Process Conclusions

Work Load is minimised

In Field Data Recording
Data Analysis And Report Preparation

Information is only of value if:

Accessed Easily
Presented In Meaningful Formats
Extract Historical Data For Real Practical Benefit

PDA enables complex variation in leak rates for

different leak types to be easily incorporated with no
additional work load
63

Acknowledgements

New Zealand Foundation for Research Science &

Technology
New Zealand Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority
(EECA)
Further information: jamesn@waikato.ac.nz

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