Industrial Utility Efficiency
Suction rate, nozzle diameter, degree of evacuation, generator intelligence and air or energy consumption! These are only a few of the factors engineers need to consider when determining the best vacuum generation source for a custom-engineered gripping system.
Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Ms. Julie Gass P.E., Lead Process Mechanical Engineer, from Black & Veatch on trends in the wastewater treatment industry especially pertaining to new technology aeration blowers and energy efficiency.
A large custom leather furniture manufacturer switches from rotary screw vacuum pumps to blowers for CNC router table hold down, and saves big on electricity, maintenance expenses and floor space.
This food industry factory, located in California, was spending \$386,533 annually on energy to operate their compressed air system. This system assessment detailed eleven (11) project areas where yearly energy savings totaling \$154,372 could be found with a investment of \$289,540. A local utility energy incentive, paying 9 cents/kWh, provided the factory with an incentive award of \$159,778. This reduced the investment to \$129,762 and provided a simple ROI of ten months on the project.
Bottling companies and breweries, in California, are benefiting from a three-step system assessment process aimed at reducing the electrical consumption of their compressed air systems. The three-step process reduces compressed air demand in bottling lines by focusing on open blowing and idle equipment, and then improves the speci c power (reducing the energy consumption) of the air compressors.
You may be wise to watching the demand meter or shifting heavy loads to off-peak hours, but those are not your only options. With advanced energy management technology, you can automate control of energy from refrigeration compressors, pumps, and other equipment so that your facility runs at optimal efficiency, you pay the lowest possible rates, and you can participate in incentive programs that pay you for unused kilowatts.
The Focus on Energy Water and Wastewater Program was developed to support the industry because of the enormous potential to reduce energy use without compromising water quality standards. Through the program, numerous water and wastewater personnel have learned that energy use can be managed, with no adverse effects on water quality. Most locations that have saved energy have found improved control and treatment.
The concept offers new possibilities for generating positive pressure or vacuum in a variety of applications. “By applying screw compressor technology to low-pressure air compression, we’ve greatly improved efficiency,” said Pierre Noack, President and CEO of Aerzen USA. The Delta Hybrid has seven patents or patent applications, making it one of the most innovative products in compression technology.
The Hoffman U.S. Machinery Division was established in 1905 outside of East Syracuse, New York. The initial product was an exhauster for the dry cleaning industry — pulling a steam vacuum across the garments. The Company grew and soon after began discovering industrial applications for their technologies. After the war period, during which Hoffman manufactured ball bearings and operated it’s own foundry, the company began discovering new industrial markets for it’s products. A signiï¬cant part of their business was in the wastewater treatment industry.
Many times, the hierarchy of making improvements in your compressed air system will begin with the larger equipment. If your compressor is outdated, inefficient or sized improperly for your plant, the cost of replacing it may scare you away from proceeding down the efficiency path. It is also typical to first concentrate on updating the controls of a compressor to best match peak demands and lulls in the need for air and, while this is a very good step to take in your overall plan of attack, it can also burden your budget.
Worldwide, Tesco, a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, U.K., initiated the demand for modified atmosphere packaging technology in the early 70s. It became one of the first grocers to move away from employing an onsite butcher to using a central processing/distribution system.
