Think saving energy will require costly new equipment or complicated changes to your operating practices? Not necessarily. Here are twenty low or no-cost steps you can take to improve efficiency using in-house expertise. You may be surprised to discover how these simple changes will cut your energy bills.

Combustion systems account for nearly 75 percent of all energy used in U.S. manufacturing. Combustion components and systems offer opportunities for significant energy and emissions savings in almost every industry.

Quick Tips:
• Operate furnaces and boilers at or close to design capacity
• Reduce excess air used for combustion
• Clean heat transfer surfaces
• Reduce radiation losses from openings
• Use proper furnace or boiler insulation to reduce wall heat losses
• Adequately insulate air or water-cooled surfaces exposed to the furnace environment and steam lines leaving the boiler
• Install air preheat or other heat recovery equipment

Steam generation systems can generally be classified into two principal types: fired boiler systems and waste heat systems. The primary purpose of an effective steam generation system is to produce steam under the conditions, flow rates, and pressures required for the system end-use requirements.

It is important to generate steam at the highest possible generator efficiency. It is equally important that high quality (dry) steam be produced; transmission of wet steam to the distribution system can lead to water hammer and also to inefficiencies in the end use of the steam produced.

Quick Tips:
• Improve water treatment to minimize boiler blowdown.
• Optimize de-aerator vent rate.
• Repair steam leaks.
• Minimize vented steam.
• Implement an effective steam trap maintenance program.
• Use high pressure condensate to make low pressure steam.
• Utilize backpressure turbine instead of pressure-reducing or release valves.
• Optimize condensate recovery.

Process heating is vital to nearly all manufacturing processes, supplying the heat needed to produce basic materials and commodities. Heating processes consume about 5.2 quadrillion BTU of energy annually, which accounts for nearly 17 percent of all industrial energy use. Advanced technologies and operating practices offer significant savings opportunities for your plant.

Quick Tips:
• Minimize air leakage into the furnace by sealing openings.
• Maintain proper, slightly positive furnace pressure.
• Reduce the weight of, or eliminate, material handling fixtures.
• Modify the furnace system or use a separate heating system to recover furnace exhaust gas heat.
• Recover part of the furnace exhaust heat for use in lower temperature processes.

For more information, contact WMS at 425-438-1146.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Industry Plant Managers and Engineers.