Energy Saving

Mostly commonsense things: switch off lights and airconditioning when not in use, set the airconditioning temperature only as low as is necessary to feel comfortable unless the process really requires such low temperatures, switch off equipment when not in use, open curtains or blinds to let in natural sunlight so that you can switch off a few lights, cut off power to the conference rooms when the top management are having a meeting so as to force them to cut the meeting short and prevent them overheating the plant with their vented hot air (note: last suggestion NOT to be taken seriously). Whatever you do, NEVER switch off your air scrubbers or wastewater treatment plants unless there is really no production going on.

bmadhu srao

You could do worse than review the energy savings programs of the newer U.S. Independant School Districts in pro-green progressive cities. Installing light wells to reduce the need for artificial light. Remodel roofs and install growing green cover and shaded roof top garden access for break areas with mist coolers if water is cheap. Air chambers at entrance/exits. Evaporative intake air pre-cooling towers for mechanical Air Conditioning with heat exchangers for potable water pre-heating. Deciduous shade trees and vines on south and west sides of buildings. Solar screening on south and west exposure windows in summer. Earth berms on first floors up to window lines. Use of insulated bunker saline water tanks to store chilled brine during night-time off peak, cheaper commercial electrical utility rates for reduced daytime operational expense during peak day hours...

That should get your clock ticking for starters

I suggest investing in solar power. Photo-galvanic power is dropping per watt. Heating water (or other liquid) is well proven.

In a chemical plant the electricity to run the lights in the offices is just a small fraction of the power used. So while these are nice ideas, they are not going to make much of a dent in his power bill...

Why would he be limited to using the electricity for the lights?

Because when you are using enough electricity to power a small town like this chemical plant usually does, photovolaics are not going to be a cost effective investment, and skylights and such will make no measurable impact on his electric bill at all.

On the other hand conserving energy by running his equipment effeciently will probably save him 20 to 30% of his current bill.

My knowledge of chemical plants is minimal at best. My thoughts were more general in nature. It seemed that the larger the building size the more roof area exposed to the energy of the son.

Here is a picture of a chemical plant. There are not many buildings at all, just lots of pipes, reactors, and pumps...

One other thing that can be done is to turn off some of the lights in the process areas, but that can pose a safety hazard...

After a look at a "typical" chem plant, I would say that retrofiting with low energy LED light technology would make a significant percentile difference.

I think it is wise to employ one Industrial engineer and look at the optimum utilization of productive resources, instead of reducing power consumption. Power consumption unless linked with production has little meaning. You will find good improvement in productivity. Apart from this the industrial engineer can also point out idle man Hrs and machinery Hrs if any. This will give you good results.

Depending on your compressor size, you could start with your compressed air system. Proper leak management and proper sizing of your equipment (and the control system) can result in dramatic savings, in some cases up to 50%.

First, I would like to encourage participants to use international numbering rather than or together with local numbering, I had to look for Lakhs meaning. I suggest investing in your own power generating plant, a combined cycle (CHP). you will save a minimum of 70% of current charges, investment can be covered in 3-4 years. Afterwards, savings are completely yours. Other solutions are feasible and proven for office building and similar applications.

A few suggestions:

1. Do a plant walkthrough and eliminate steam leaks. Steam leaks mostly occurs at valves and steam traps.

2. Apply Pinch Technology to see whether you can recover wasted energy or apply energy integration.

3. For batch processes, eliminate idle time during each process step.

Compressed air systems replace with variable speed screw type and drop pressure to minimum need to run all equipment. The Variable screw compressor will produce air on demand instead of cycling between high and low setting. With that you will be able to drop the pressure setting.

You will save energy in that the motor only turns fast enough to maintain air for demand and lower pressure it does not labor as much to do it.

Waste heat recovery.

Rs.1.0 lac/month is no plant at all compared to an average cost of a small chemical plant between Rs. 25.0 lac/month to 100 lacs+/month

Anyway, saving is saving big/small plant.

You've not detailed your process and media: steam/thermo oil used.

Electrical - you can go into replacing conventional motors with energy efficiency ones and replacing plant lightinging systems with energy efficient lights.

Major savings will be at steam - more efficient lesser boiler operating time lesser plant operating time hence indirectly lesser electricity.

If you have boilers try: insulating all valves & exposed pipes, stop steam leakages, install engineered steam traps on chemical reactors/vessels, return all condensate to boiler house, install boiler economizer, tune boiler burners. All these will save you 15% to 40% on your fuel bills ensuring faster production & lesser boiler operation time/plant.