Summary of Results for Six Industrial Market Transformation Projects Funded by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

摘要

This paper describes six industrial projects funded for two to three years by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (Alliance). It provides specific examples and concludes with a table summarizing the market impact, consumer and program costs, electricity savings, and non-energy benefits of each project. The six projects include: a compressed air system optimization; variable speed magnetic coupling; fan speed reduction in pneumatic transport; evaporator fan variable frequency drive (VFD); silicon crystal growing optimization; and aeration reduction in small to medium wastewater treatment facilities. Application of these technologies will benefit industrial customers anywhere in the world With start-up capital and marketing assistance from the Alliance, these six projects are saving electric energy and improving industrial productivity in a variety of ways. Monitoring and optimization of compressed air systems reduced rapid pressure drops and prevented shutdown of production equipment. A magnetic adjustable speed coupling reduced vibration and lowered maintenance costs. Using VFDs to reduce evaporator fan airflow in controlled atmosphere fruit storage also reduced product weight loss. Adding thermal insulation and a radiation shield to a silicon crystal grower increased production by 30% and reduced Argon gas consumption by 85%. Optimizing aeration to improve facultative digestion reduced aeration energy, reduced odors, and brought smaller wastewater facilities back into environmental compliance. New product spin-offs include: low-cost process controls for small wastewater facilities, low energy silicon feedstock, protection of motors from jammed loads, and optimized compressor system operations. However, projects without non-energy benefits (e.g., fan speed reduction) have found limited market acceptance.