Unlocking energy efficiency savings with digital services
18/05/2022 ABB Limited (Drives & Motors)
Industry faces the twin challenge of Net Zero targets and rising energy costs. This is putting business and operational leaders under pressure to reduce their energy consumption without affecting output. Expert analysis of data from digitally-connected motors and drives can identify the motors with the best potential to boost energy efficiency.
Industrial energy efficiency has come into its own. An estimated 300 million motor-driven systems are in operation around the world. According to the International Energy Association (IEA), they consume around 70% of global electricity to power fans, pumps, conveyors and other machines.
There is huge potential to cut the energy consumption from these motors without affecting their output, freeing up energy resources at the same time as cutting costs and saving carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Many existing motors do not meet the latest energy efficiency standards or are over-dimensioned, and therefore draw more power than required for their applications. In addition, many motors are operating without a variable speed drive (VSD) that prevents over-consumpion of energy by matching the motor speed to precisely meet the required load load.
Once an inefficient motor-driven system is identified, it’s straightforward to achieve energy savings by investing in upgrades to modern high-efficiency motors and / or installing VSDs.
With this solution available, it is no surprise to find that 97% of 2,294 industrial companies that ABB surveyed worldwide in February 2022 are already investing in energy efficiency or plan to do so. A further 65% are planning to upgrade their equipment to best-in-class efficiency.
Using data to reveal potential energy savings
The challenge for industry is knowing where to target this investment. A typical site might have a fleet of hundreds of electric powertrains, which covers the motor, VSD and possible also gears and bearings.
The traditional way of carrying out powertrain energy appraisals is by sending a expert into the field to gather data manually before taking it back to the office to evaluate and provide recommendations. It’s a well-proven technique, and more than half of survey respondents said they’re planning to use it.
Because it’s quite manual and time-consuming, it is usually limited to just a few motor-driven systems, typically the largest ones as they are perceived as having the biggest scope for energy savings. The drawback of this is that leaves huge untapped potential for efficiencies as it overlooks many smaller, less accessible or less obvious motors. Even relatively new motors may offer hidden efficiency gains.
This is where the latest digital technology comes in. It gives us the opportunity to monitor and evaluate data from operational equipment in ways that were never possible before. An expert no longer needs to visit a site. Instead, an operator can now send its own technicians to deploy wireless plug-and-play condition monitoring systems.
On one level, that data can be used for remote monitoring to help an operator identify and resolve faults before they arise. However, this can be taken to the next level by using the same data to evaluate energy performance across entire fleets of motors.
This unlocks insights that tell the operator how efficiently individual motors are running. It also identifies potential solutions, such as upgrading a motor, installing a drive, changing a motor’s operating schedule, or adjusting its loads if it is the wrong size. Finally, this expert service can help the operator to quantify the value of energy savings and calculate the payback period, therefore highlighting the motors with the most potential.
In theory, with a continuous flow of data from the field, an operator can regularly call on remote expertise to review its energy efficiency performance regularly.
Looking ahead, this type of digital powertrain energy appraisal has a lot to offer industrial companies as they take action towards Net Zero targets and look for ways to cut energy bills. As data-driven approach, this new type of service is a smart way to quickly identify the best opportunities.
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ABB Limited (Drives & Motors)
Daresbury Park
Daresbury
Warrington
Cheshire
WA4 4BT
Tel: 01925 741111
Email: contact@gb.abb.com
Web: https://global.abb/group/en
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