Industrial Energy Conservations Methods Flashcards
Heat recovery/heat exchangers
Industrial fluids are often hot. Heat exchangers pass hot liquid through a container of incoming cool gas or liquid and the heat energy is passed from one to the other - long narrow pipes made of highly conductive material increase heat transfer.
High volume storage
a smaller number of large tanks rather than multiple small tanks reduce the heat energy loss of industrial fluids by reducing the surface area to volume ratio. A sphere has the lowest surface to volume ratio. Spheres are not alway practical in industry and a cylindrical tank may be used.
Recycling
Producing new products from used materials uses less energy. Recycled aluminium uses 1/20 the energy of virgin aluminium
Mass reduction
reducing the mass of manufactured products reduces the energy required for manufacture and transport
Combined heat and power station (CHP)
A power station that has a high overall energy efficiency because the heat energy from the condenser cooling water is harnessed and used, often for heating buildings.
Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL)
An early design of low-energy light.
Efficiency
A measure of how much of the input energy is used for the intended task usually expressed as a percentage
Embodied energy
The amount of energy that was used to make, transport and install an item included obtaining the raw materials (mining)
Integrated manufacture
having many sites of linked manufacturing on one site. The waste heat from one process can be used by another. Molten metals such as steel can be transferred straight to manufacturing in a neighbouring building rather than production, cooling, transport and remelting. Eg. Heinz baked bean can factory next door to Walker steel
High voltage grid
increasing voltage reduces resistance and energy losses. Step up transformers increase voltage for more efficient transport of electricity.
Peak shaving
the storage of surplus energy for later times of increased demand. Eg the storage of wind energy at night for use in the early evening the following day
Pumped storage HEP
A method of peak shaving, pumping water uphill to a reservoir at times of energy surplus where energy is stored as gravitational potential energy. Water released at a later time of demand and flows downhill through turbines which produce electricity
IT management of supplies
Using IT systems to monitor supply and demand in order to predict energy demands and adjust supplies to meet requirements.
Management of generation location, supply and distribution
The location of energy generation in the future may require the construction of new grid/transport systems. Major energy users may choose to locate closer to the site of energy generation.
