Chemical companies often completely overlook motor efficiency when seeking energy savings and the associated operating expenditure reductions. That’s a serious mistake.
When you consider that electric motor systems account for about 60% of global industrial electricity use, the potential savings become clear. A Siemens’ 2014 white paper “Turn Down the Power” includes estimates (termed highly conservative, by the way) of industrial electrical overspending in the five following years directly attributable to non-implementation of variable frequency drives (VFDs). The United States led with $20.9 billion, followed by China with $10.9 billion, Russia with $9.0 billion, and Germany with $8.1 billion.
Electricity costs are rising as global demand continues to grow, ramping up the need for industrial companies to contain electrical consumption. Those firms that do invest time and money in energy reduction rarely get much further than fitting VFDs or haggling on price per kilowatt hour. However, a host of additional measures that require very little capital expenditure all can result in substantial savings that can bolster long-term profitability.
Here are some ideas you should consider to ensure the motors in your plant run as efficiently as possible.
To learn more, read "Enhance Your Motors’ Efficiency" from Chemical Processing.