Companies and facilities that use a lot of energy can learn more about how they use energy through energy audits. It also help them find areas where energy is wasted and where there are opportunities for improvement.
This article includes phase instructions that are simple to follow, even for people who have never executed an energy audit before.
These guidelines have been designed in such a way that they may be utilized by both in-house auditors who are inspecting their own plant and outside consultants who have been contracted to conduct an energy audit on a company's behalf.
As part of its Energy Assessment Guidelines program, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has established standards for the evaluation of pumping, compressed air, steam, and industrial process heating systems.
Any energy audit practice under these standards would be incomplete without the use of a step-by-step approach for measuring and assessing the systems in question.
Energy auditors and managers will find it to be quite beneficial.
Energy Audit at a Paper Mill: The objectives of an energy audit might differ from one plant to the next depending on the industry.
An energy audit, on the other hand, is often performed to gain a better understanding of how energy is utilized inside the facility and to identify potential for improvement and energy savings.
Energy audits are sometimes carried out in order to determine the efficacy of a particular energy-saving project.
An energy audit is essential for evaluating the energy performance of a manufacturing facility and designing an electricity conservation program for the facility.
Preparation and planning; data collection and evaluation; plant surveys; system measurements; observation of operating procedures and their recording; reporting of the results and recommendations; and reporting of the results and suggestions are the usual processes in an energy audit.
Types of energy audits performed at Paper Mill:
The sort of commercial electricity audit that is carried out is determined by the function, size, and type of the business, the depth to which the audit is required, and the scope and volume of energy conservation and cost reduction that is wanted by the company.
A preliminary audit (also known as a walk-through audit) and a full audit are the two types of industrial energy audits that may be performed based on these criteria (diagnostic audit).
1. Initial audit (also known as a walk-through audit):
In a preliminary energy audit, easily available data is mostly used for a straightforward study of the plant's energy use and overall performance.
It is not necessary to do a lot of measurement and data collecting for this sort of audit. These audits take only a short amount of time, and the conclusions are more generic in nature, identifying potential for energy saving across the board.
Simple payback periods, or the time necessary to recoup the initial capital expenditure via realized energy savings, are often the only part of the economic analysis that is performed.
2. Detailed audit (Diagnostic audit):
In order to conduct a detailed (or diagnostic) energy audit, more comprehensive data and info must be collected and recorded.
In most cases, assessments and data inventories are carried out, and various energy systems (pump, fan, compressors, steam, process heating, and so on) are evaluated in detail as a result.
As a result, the amount of time necessary for this sort of audit is more than that required for preliminary audits.
Results of these audits are more complete and informative since they provide a more accurate picture of the plant's energy performance as well as more precise recommendations for improvement.
Stepwise Guide For Energy Auditing:
1. Preparing an audit plan:
An audit program describes the approach and method for conducting an audit. The strategy assists the inspectors in ensuring that the audit process is consistent and complete and that nothing crucial is ignored or overlooked during the audit process.
According to energy standards (CIPEC 2009), the audit strategy should include the following elements:
• The scope of the audit; the length and duration of the audit, as well as the timelines for each step of the audit process; and the elements of the audit that are considered to be of high priority.
• The responsibilities and tasks assigned to each member of the audit team; the format of the audit report and its overview; and the scope of the audit.
2 Conducting the preliminary analysis
In addition to giving a basic picture of the plant's energy usage, functioning, and energy losses, the preliminary study assists the energy auditor in better understanding the facility.
This endeavor offers sufficient information to enable any necessary revisions to the audit plan to be implemented.
During the preliminary study, a flowchart that depicts the energy flows of the system under investigation might be created to illustrate the system under investigation.
This flowchart should include an overview of unit operations, essential process stages, regions of material and energy consumption, and sources of waste creation. It should also include a description of the unit's environmental impact.
3. Measurement and management of energy use:
One of the most important aspects of energy auditing is the collection of data through inventory and measurement procedures.
An energy audit cannot be completed properly unless there is sufficient and correct data available. There are some data that are easily available and may be gathered from various divisions of the facility that is being audited.
Other types of information may well be gathered through the use of measurement and recording. Each measuring instrument that is required by the energy audit team should be available to them at all times.
4. To find energy efficiency and cost-saving opportunities:
The collection of data via inventory and assessment processes is critical in energy auditing. An energy audit cannot be done correctly without enough and accurate data.
Some data are readily available from various divisions of the institution being examined. Measurement and recording can also obtain other forms of data.
The energy audit team should have access to all measurement instruments at all times.
5. Preparing an energy audit report:
After completing the energy audit, the audit team should create a report on the results of the audit.
The auditors' work and results should be explained in a well-structured fashion in the report, according to the standards. In order to be understandable by the intended audience, the energy audit report needs to be succinct and exact, as well as written in a clear and concise manner.
Conclusion:
Although the notion of energy management has been around at the same time, it has only recently gained popularity among businesses as a result of the introduction of carbon trading and clean development mechanisms.
It not only aids in the reduction of energy costs, but it also aids in the reduction of environmental impact and the improvement of the company's image. The importance of energy efficiency is particularly significant in energy-intensive industries such as pulp and paper manufacturing.
Even though developing an industrial energy efficiency program will take time and effort, and it will require some caution, the prospects for increasing the efficiency of industrial facilities are significant. Energy management is a continual process that requires the cooperation of all employees in order for it to be successfully implemented and maintained.
A stronger educational strategy should be in place for the energy management program in order to educate individuals at all levels and to raise awareness among the general public.
