ENERGY AUDITS: MAXIMISING ENERGY USE AND EFFICIENCY
Increasing profit is not just a matter of producing more or selling more. On the other side of the ledger – the expense side – are opportunities for cutting expenses and improving the bottom line. Targeted energy audits will find some of those opportunities. As the name suggests an energy audit is an analysis of the cost and efficiency of the energy used within a business and takes a three-way approach – energy consumption, energy waste and energy improvements – looking for ways the business can improve operational efficiency and cut costs and increase profit.
10
As to the first question. The goals of energy audits in hydraulic systems include being able to run the system with either less pumps or smaller pumps or changing the configuration of the system.
For more than 20 years CRAM has been synonymous with all aspects of hydraulic power. The energy audits undertaken by CMA, the engineering division of CRAM, have extended the company’s reputation for hydraulic excellence and, along the way, delivered thousands of dollars in direct and maintenance cost savings for a range of business customers.
For example, for processes that include short periods of intense demand, the original design of the hydraulic system probably included a large hydraulic power unit capable of meeting the high demand but for much of the time its high capacity is not needed. Adding accumulators into the hydraulic system lets the power unit operate continually at average load maintaining the accumulator fully charged and ready to meet the peak demand times.
Of course, making claims like ‘savings thousands of dollars’ raises questions like ‘how’ and what’s the return on investment (ROI) of the cost of the audit.
A second example could involve changing the control circuit of single rod hydraulic cylinders to consume less oil when extending.
To answer the second question first, the ROI is frequently less than six months as the audit may uncover possible changes in software or operating procedures that don’t cost a lot to implement and can start delivering savings almost immediately. From here, the potential savings keep growing.
In terms of operational savings, the service life of the pump is extended because it’s operating cycle is relatively constant rather than a number of highintensity peak demands, the potential for unplanned shutdowns is significantly reduced due to pump failure and maintenance costs are stabilised as the system is realigned.
