What do we mean by "uptime," "availability" and "reliability," and how do these terms figure into our quest for energy-efficient equipment systems?

Uptime refers to a plant’s ability to remain on line/ produce product. With an uptime rating of 100% as maximum, any unscheduled downtime will reduce the rating. We’ve all experienced unscheduled plant shutdowns. Since such events affect our uptime rate, it goes without saying that they have an impact on an operation’s bottom line.

Some plants/industries operate at varying capacity or loads. Availability for these sites becomes an issue when the plant cannot respond to increased load or capacity on demand. Again, this impacts an operation’s bottom line.

While different industries have varying perceptions of reliability based on their specific operations, given the background of this magazine’s readers, there’s little need to define the term here. What’s important to understand, though, is that equipment reliability goes hand in hand with uptime and availability—and energy efficiency. All of these things impact an operation’s bottom line.

So what are we really talking about? It boils down to sustainable growth in perhaps the most dynamic economic times in modern history. In other words, how do we maximize uptime, availability, reliability—and energy efficiency? Speaking strictly from an equipment perspective, the answer is "by optimizing our systems/ equipment." If your operation is anything like countless others throughout industry, ample opportunities await you. Take, for example the following symptoms that indicate potential for improvement in pumping systems:

• Systems controlled by throttle valves/dampers;
• Recirculation lines normally open;
• Cavitation noise at valves or pumps;
• Multiple parallel pump systems with the same number of pumps always operating;
• Constant pump operation in a batch environment or frequent cycle batch operation in a continuous process;
• Systems that have undergone a change in function;
• High system maintenance;
• Motors that trip out.

All of these symptoms could impact your plant operation and ultimately your company’s bottom line. In many cases, these system issues can be corrected easily. If you don’t need a pump, shut it down. If a motor is tripping, you may need to throttle the discharge valve as an interim corrective action, then plan to investigate root cause as time allows. There are plenty of other simple, cost-effective solutions.

Your own bottom line If your operations fail to address existing issues that impact plant uptime, availability, reliability—and energy efficiency—there is a very good possibility your company may not survive the ongoing economic crisis in which we’ve found ourselves. Consider these two facts:

• Since 1962, of the 1000 largest companies by size, only 160 stayed in that group.
• Of S&P 500 companies in 1957, only 74 were still in existence in 1998 and only 12 gained in position.

Why? For the most part, it was companies failing to adapt to the changing times.

It should be fairly clear by now, in order to survive these changing/challenging times, we must adapt. "Business as usual" will not provide stability or sustainable growth.

Think uptime, availability, reliability—and optimized systems. UM

Whenever rotating machinery is turning, friction can become a "spoiler"—potentially threatening the operation, reliability, productivity and service life of assets. For bearings, friction is problematic, as it can contribute to increased wear, generate unwanted heat and higher operating temperatures, limit speeds and power and reduce overall energy efficiency. The mission is to mitigate the negative effects.

Anti-friction rolling bearings (ball and roller types) provide a first step on the road to solutions. In contrast to plain (or sliding) bearings, with their sliding and frictionprone surfaces, ball and roller bearings inherently will minimize friction by removing almost all sliding between bearing surfaces and replacing the major internal contact areas with rolling interfaces. However, even with the benefits from one element rolling (not sliding) over another, some friction will occur with ball and roller bearings.

Specifically, multiple sources of friction can be pinpointed. Friction can be generated at the rolling contacts, in the contact areas between rolling elements and cage (as well as in the guiding surfaces for the rolling elements or the cage), in the lubricant and in contact seals where applicable.

Even though industry has devised calculations to determine "frictional moments" in advance, friction always can increase. The problem, though, can be managed by taking advantage of friction-reducing materials and designs for bearings and the proper selection and quantity of lubrication.

Getting your bearings
In keeping friction at bay, rolling bearings must always be subjected at least to a given minimum load to allow for proper rolling element rotation and lubricant film formation in rolling contact areas. A general rule of thumb: Loads corresponding to roughly 0.02 times the dynamic radial load rating should be imposed on roller bearings and loads corresponding to 0.01 times the dynamic radial load rating should be placed on ball bearings.

Generally, roller bearings can support heavier loads than similarly sized ball bearings, and bearings incorporating a full complement of rolling elements can accommodate heavier loads than corresponding caged bearings. Ball bearings are used mostly where loads will be relatively light or moderate. For heavy loads and where shaft diameters are large, roller bearings typically will be specified.

Once the ideal load has been established for proper rotation and lubricant film formation, opportunities to minimize friction can be developed with the bearings themselves. For example, materials used to manufacture rolling bearing rings, rolling elements and cages can play a vital role in reducing the amount of friction. Bearing grade ceramics (silicon nitride) have helped create the category of hybrid bearings, which combine the silicon nitride rolling elements with steel rings to exhibit demonstrable advantages compared with conventional all-steel bearing counterparts. Among benefits, the ceramic balls are roughly 40% less dense than steel balls. This reduces centrifugal force and enables the bearings to run faster and with likely less friction at higher speeds.

In addition, due to higher values for the modulus of elasticity of ceramics and the increased stiffness this provides, hybrid bearings feature smaller contact areas. This, too, favors a reduction in the rolling and sliding friction components.

As another example of a material solution, polymer cages introduce superior friction properties compared with conventional steel or brass counterparts. Such PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages additionally can operate at higher speeds, perform at higher temperatures and offer enhanced resistance to aggressive agents.

Specialized coatings similarly can be enlisted in the fight against friction. Examples include a low-friction coating that can be applied on a bearing's inner surfaces. Compared with standard uncoated types, bearings with the coating will generate less friction (and resulting heat) and can better tolerate potential damage from contamination and marginal lubrication. (They also are better equipped to resist wear, operate at higher speeds, accommodate higher loads and perform even during periods of insufficient lubrication.)

Bearing engineering, too, has kept pace in efforts to reduce friction. An entirely new generation of "energy-effi- cient" bearings has been developed as part of a system solution. They incorporate an optimized bearing raceway shape to minimize friction torque (or friction loss); a uniquely compatible grease minimizes friction torque associated with grease thickener and oil viscosity; and a polymer cage serves to reduce ball cage friction loss and channels more effective grease migration inside the bearing.

Once any bearing is installed and operating, users should be aware of the negative effects relating to the issues of clearance and/or misalignment. When bearing internal clearance is reduced due to high operating temperatures or high speed limits, friction will increase. Proper internal clearance should always be maintained. Misalignment, too, typically will increase friction, and self-aligning bearings offer one remedy to help solve the problem.

Looking at lubricants
Lubricants for bearings primarily deliver a separating film between a bearing's rolling elements, raceways and cages. The film serves to prevent metal-to-metal contact and the resulting friction that otherwise would generate excessive heat that could cause wear, metal fatigue and potential fusing of the bearing contact surfaces. (Adequate lubrication for bearings further acts to inhibit wear and corrosion and help guard against contamination damage.)

The friction torque in a bearing will be lowest with a quantity of the lubricant with the correct viscosity (relative resistance to flow) sufficient only to form a film over the contacting surfaces. The friction will increase with greater quantity and/or high viscosity of lubricant. With more than just enough to form a film, the friction torque also will increase with the speed. The lesson? Lubricant with the correct viscosity for an application in the proper quantity will help succeed in keeping friction in check.

Grease has emerged as the preferred lubricant for rolling bearings, in part because grease is easy to apply, can be retained within a bearing's housing and offers protective sealing capabilities. Oil represents another often-used alternative.

When grease lubrication is used and a bearing has just been filled— or refilled—with the recommended amount of grease, the bearing can show considerably higher frictional values during the first several hours or days of operation (depending on the speed) than may have been calculated originally. This is because the grease takes time to redistribute itself within the free space of the bearing and/or housing; meanwhile, it is churned and moved around. After this "running-in" period, however, the frictional moment will align with similar values as oil-lubricated bearings—and, in many cases, even lower values are possible.

Especially in high-speed and/or high-temperature applications, a major function of the lubricant is to remove heat, and circulating oil lubrication will be necessary. But, beware that excessive quantity of lubricant within a bearing's boundary dimensions can increase friction and heat generation. This indicates that as much as possible, a proper flow rate of lubricant through the bearing should be obtained consistent with good lubricant film formation and heat removal.

Final footnote
In fighting friction, users can turn to these and other strategies for all the associated benefits. Regardless of the equipment applications, be they electric motors, fans, compressors, pumps, gearboxes or others, users should likewise consider turning to an experienced bearings manufacturer to help factor friction out of service. UM

Network power—without power—would leave
you without a network. It’s a necessity, not unlike basic electricity needed to power your home or fuel to power your vehicle. But most companies don’t think about what goes into making a network run once it actually does.

In a standard, central offi ce power plant, there could be multiple power rooms, each containing rectifi ers, distribution bays, controllers and battery strings. What happens when one or more units malfunction due to over-utilization or neglect?

In an industrial environment, operational integrity is imperative. Businesses should consider the cost of an outage—downtime, lost productivity and the customer impact—as well as potential safety hazards. It is important not to have a false sense of security and later fi nd an outage could have been prevented by properly safeguarding your network. How acceptable is the loss of your network power for any period of time?

A fountain of youth for power equipment?
As part of comprehensive service performed by an expert, routine maintenance can be invaluable to businesses that depend on revenue generation from the reliability of power systems. That’s because alarming, plant capacity, overloaded breakers or fuses and overloaded AC panels can have a direct impact on network reliability. While not a magical solution, power plant maintenance can extend the life of network equipment, reducing the need for premature replacements—and therefore, reducing the overall cost of powering the network.

Evaluations, maintenance and adjustments should be part of any maintenance program. When performed by an experienced technician, potential problems can be caught before they do serious damage to the power equipment. Thermal scanning can be used to help identify overheating problems, such as overloaded busbars, undersized cables or loose connections.

Power plant capacity and irregularities also should be checked. For example, you should check the load against the capability and verify isolated ground planes and ground windows for contamination.

Always verify physical characteristics, operating capabilities and functionality when checking equipment, and be sure to compare installed equipment capacities with existing demands. Table I shows what elements should be maintained for batteries, power plants and DC Power Boards.

What happens when good systems go bad?
When systems are not properly maintained, results can range from simple, short-term outages, to explosions—like the battery room explosion in the opening photo—and expensive damages. Typical issues that can affect operations and reliability are loose or damaged connectors, defective circuit breakers, battery leakage, low-battery levels, improper ventilation, and wiring errors. These all can be detected during routine maintenance—which includes thermal scanning and calibration of power plant connections.

In the event of a commercial AC failure, diesel generators, fuel cells and UPS systems are designed to provide temporary AC power, allowing time for commercial AC to be restored. Regularly performed maintenance services with these back-up power systems ensures they are ready to engage should commercial AC power fail. Fuel is checked, visual inspections performed and systems are started to make sure they are in top running condition.

Similarly, in the event of a DC power plant failure, batteries provide instantaneous temporary DC power, allowing time for repairs to the power plant. Batteries are subject to numerous failures such as deteriorated power capacity, swelling, cracking, leaking, corrosion and releasing explosive gases. If the room in which the batteries are housed is not properly ventilated, the batteries overheat, the alarm fails and explosions occur.

Regularly performed maintenance services, such as taking critical battery output measurements, verifying battery connections and conducting visual inspections, can circumvent these types of failures by identifying problems well in advance of them becoming serviceaffecting events.

Low electrolyte and water levels reduce battery life and reliability. Loose and corroded connections can sometimes lead to serious overheating-related problems. A periodic maintenance program that includes thermal imaging services will quickly identify overheated connections that can easily be fi xed before a more serious event occurs.

What’s next?
The fi rst step for power plant operators to take is to identify a service provider that is willing to work closely with them in providing scheduled, preventive maintenance services. Using qualifi ed engineers and technicians is critical to help minimize the risk of back-up equipment failure in the event of power interruptions. Documented, extensive fi eld experience is a good indicator that a service provider understands your needs and can dispatch qualifi ed personnel to your site.

The service provider’s initial goal should be to help outline the entire package of required preventive maintenance activities, recommend a preventive schedule or multiple schedules of necessary services and provide complete documentation of findings and further recommendations each visit.

In order for them to deliver this type of comprehensive plan, the service provider must completely understand your current and future power demands and how the equipment you currently have will accommodate those demands. Your service provider also should be able to evaluate the working capability of your existing equipment with any new equipment you may need now or in the future.

Keep in mind that a service provider with multiple geographical or regional sites means that technicians are never too far away from your site(s)—and are ready and able to deploy for any emergency affecting your power service.

Is that bomb ticking?
Can you afford for your systems to go down in a crisis? And, how well do your competitors maintain their power equipment?

Power systems often are taken for granted until there is a loss of power and subsequent service is lost to valuable customers. Failures can happen at any time, with sometimes devastating results. Early detection can identify small problems before they become major repair costs. Take the next step. Don’t wait for that “bomb” to go off. Start your preventive maintenance today.

Brad Loy is regional installation manager for Lineage Power. During his more than 10 years working in power installation services, he has been involved with just about every conceivable iteration of power installation challenges there is. Telephone: (972) 284-2000.

William C. Livoti, Baldor Electric Company

Interestingly, LCC is one of the most effective tools you can use to justify—and convince management to pursue—energy savings projects. Sometimes called Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), this methodology takes into account the following items when evaluating equipment and/or projects:

• Purchase costs
• Installation & commissioning costs
• Energy costs
• Other operating costs
• Maintenance costs
• Downtime costs
• Decommissioning costs
• Environmental costs

(More information on conducting LCC analyses is available online through any number of Websites. For example, to calculate the LCC of a pump, visit www.pumpsystemsmatter.org)

On the other hand, you can't get your arms around LCC without fully understanding your utility costs— and you can't measure them unless you know how to calculate your true cost of energy.

A typical U.S. industrial electric bill will include the following information required to calculate an operation's true cost of energy:

• Electric Usage History—Allows you to compare your electric usage over the past 13 months.
• Power Factor Adjustment—A "billing adjustment' that applies if the power factor for the metered service falls below 85% (or predetermined percentage) during the billing period. There is typically a large penalty for power factor deviation.
• Usage Information—Includes the meter number for the point of delivery (POD), meter readings, days in billing period and total kWh usage.
• Demand Information—Includes actual peak kW demand, on-peak and off peak demand and peak reactive power (kVAR).
• Additional Facilities Charges—Indicates charges for additional facilities or non–metered services for specific account.

The following equation can be used to calculate most any U.S. industrial electric bill:

Incorporate this equation in your LCC analysis. Don't forget to take into account non-energy benefits:

• Increased productivity
• Reduced costs of environmental compliance
• Reduced production costs
• Reduced waste disposal costs
• Improved product quality
• Improved capacity utilization
• Improved reliability
• Improved worker safety

Capturing the benefits
You can learn a lot through an LCC analysis (and the analysis of your true cost of energy). Use it for the good of your operations. Learn and speak the language of management. Appeal to management's profit motive. Relate savings to the plant's bottom line. Whatever you do, remember that big money really talks!

Bill Livoti, our new Utilities Manager columnist, is senior principal engineer for Power Generation and Fluid Handling with Baldor Electric Company. He also is vice chair of the Pump Systems Matter initiative. E-mail: wclivoti@baldor.com

Systems that dry, clean, cool, coat and lubricate are easy to overlook as long as they seem to be providing the expected performance. That's because the components in these systems are perceived to be quite simple. After all, if air is coming out holes in pipes and nozzles are spraying, everything is working properly, right? Wrong! Optimizing these operations can save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by dramatically reducing compressed air, electricity and water consumption.

Let's take a look at two strategies that are relatively easy to implement, eliminate unnecessary profit leaks and improve product and process quality.

Strategy 1: Slash or eliminate compressed air consumption
Most plants use compressed air to dry, cool or move parts. Typically, open pipes or pipes with drilled holes or slits are used. While this approach accomplishes the desired task, compressed air consumption is excessive when compared with alternate approaches. In fact, using air nozzles, air amplifiers or air knives instead of open pipes can reduce air consumption by as much as 92%. In some operations, the use of compressed air can be eliminated completely by using an air knife package powered by a regenerative blower. (An overview of the options and estimated reductions in air consumption is shown in Table I. Refer to Table II for specific cost savings.)

Air nozzles and air knife packages offer benefits in addition to reducing or eliminating the use of compressed air, including:

• Perceived noise reductions from 28 to 60% with air nozzles; additional reductions achieved with air knife packages;
• Improved worker safety;
• More precise, repeatable drying and blow-off.

Air nozzles: versatile, efficient and suitable for many operations…
Air nozzles convert a low-pressure volume of compressed air into a targeted, high-velocity, concentrated air stream, flat fan or curtain of high-impact air. They come in a variety of types, capacities, sizes and materials. In addition, air nozzles can be used with CO2, nitrogen, steam or other compatible gases for special heating and cooling applications.

Air amplifiers: increased intensity and efficiency…
A variable air amplifier is another option when using compressed air. Air amplifiers produce a constant, highvelocity air stream for spot drying, blow-off, exhaust and robotic applications. Efficiency is maximized because additional free air is pulled through the unit along with the compressed air. Air amplifiers deliver higher volumes of air and operate at higher pressures than air nozzles for fast drying and blow-off.

Low-flow air knives: maximum efficiency in small areas…
Low-flow air knives deliver a high velocity, uniform air flow across the entire length of the knife. Drying and blow-off are fast and efficient and minimal air is used.

Designed for small areas, low-flow air knives are typically mounted close to the target. Maximum knife length (or combined length of all knives) is limited to less than 2' (61 cm). Applications that only require one or two air knives can experience significant operating cost reductions by using low-flow models.

Some drying and blow-off operations are well suited to using regenerative blowers and air knives. Using blower air to power an air knife eliminates the need for compressed air and can result in substantial savings—including a reduction in operating costs by 95% or more. Air knife/ regenerative blower packages are rugged/reliable and require infrequent, minimal maintenance. They are ideal for applications that require:

• High air velocity;
• Oil-free operation;
• Large application areas—more than 2' (61 cm);
• Heated air.

How much can you save?
Any plant with a drying, cooling or blow-off operation can likely experience savings. Table II provides estimated savings for a single operation.

If you currently are using open pipes, reductions in compressed air consumption are possible—and will quickly offset the cost of any new equipment. If you're already using air nozzles, evaluating alternatives such as variable air amplifiers, low-flow air knives or air knife/blower packages is a good idea to see if further savings can be realized.

Strategy 2: Eliminate water waste by optimizing spray operations
Spray nozzles are precision-engineered components designed to deliver very specific performance. And, like all technology, newer, more efficient versions are introduced on a regular basis. Routinely monitoring the nozzles you use and exploring changes in the way you spray can lead to significant reductions in water consumption.

Nozzle wear = wasted water…
Using worn spray nozzles can be extremely wasteful—often going undetected, especially in the early stages, where the signs of wear aren't readily visible. Monitoring nozzles closely and taking the appropriate action can save thousands of gallons (liters) of water per day.

As nozzles wear, their orifices become larger and, at any given pressure, the flow rate will increase. Nozzles that spray over capacity are not only wasting water. Electricity costs will rise due to excess pump operation, chemical consumption will increase and wastewater disposal costs will escalate as well. As shown in Table III, even slight nozzle wear can be extremely wasteful.

Some signs of nozzle wear may be visible. As drop size increases, spray patterns may change or become distorted. If the wear is due to erosion or corrosion, a quick look at the nozzles will reveal the problem.

What to do about nozzle wear…

• Replace nozzles on a regular schedule. Many processors elect to changeout spray nozzles annually. Depending on the number and type of spray operations, the cost of replacement nozzles can be far less than the cost of wasted water even if the nozzles are only 15 to 20% worn.
• Evaluate nozzle material. Changing nozzle material may minimize wear and waste. Nozzles made from harder materials generally provide longer wear life. In addition to standard materials such as brass, steel, cast iron, various stainless steels, hardened stainless steels, many plastics and various carbides, spray nozzles can also be supplied in other materials upon special request. Materials that offer better corrosion resistance also are available. The rate of chemical corrosion on specific nozzle materials, however, is dependent on the corrosive properties of the liquid being sprayed, its percent concentration and temperature, as well as the corrosion resistance of the nozzle material to the specific chemical.
• Explore reducing spray pressure. Although it is not always possible, decreasing pressure, which will slow the liquid velocity through the orifice, may help reduce the orifice wear/corrosion rate.
• Add line strainers or change to nozzles with built-in strainers. In many applications, orifice deterioration and clogging is caused by solid dirt particles in the sprayed liquid. This is particularly common in systems using continuous spray water recirculation. Strainers, or nozzles with built-in strainers, can trap larger particles and prevent debris from entering the nozzle orifice or vane to significantly reduce wear.

Consult the accompanying "Spray Nozzle Checklist" sidebar at the end of this article for more pointers.

Consider changing the way you spray…
You may be able to conserve vast amounts of water by making some simple changes to your spray operations. As a starting point, you may want to consider taking these steps.

• Use nozzles that precisely spray the target. Overspray is not only wasteful, it can cause excess maintenance and impede production.
• Add handheld spray guns to open hoses to ensure water is "on" only when needed.
• As spray nozzles wear out, replace with water-saving models.
• Equip all hoses with spring-loaded shutoff nozzles and make sure they aren't removed.
• Instruct workers to use hoses—equipped with spray guns—sparingly, and only when necessary.
• Change shower heads to smaller nozzles.
• Install high-pressure, low-volume nozzles on spray washers.
• Use fogging nozzles to cool products.

Consult the experts to maximize benefits
An on-site evaluation of your drying, cleaning, cooling, coating and lubrication operations from your spray nozzle manufacturer is the most expedient and thorough way to identify possible improvements and quantify the resulting savings. Leading manufacturers don't charge for this service and will conduct a comprehensive audit of all your operations in a single visit and provide a written summary report that includes recommended changes. It's a risk-free way to learn more about how to lower energy and water consumption and a valuable service for every processor with spray operations.

Spray Nozzle Checklist

Flow Rate – Each Nozzle
Centrifugal Pumps: Monitor fl ow meter readings to detect increases. Or collect and measure the spray from the nozzle for a given period of time at a specifi c pressure. Then compare these readings to the fl ow rates listed in the manufacturer’s catalog or compare them to fl ow rate readings from new, unused nozzles.

Positive Displacement Pumps: Monitor the liquid line pressure for decreases; the fl ow rate will remain constant.

Spray Pressure – In Nozzle Manifold
Centrifugal Pumps: Monitor for increases in liquid volume sprayed. (Spraying pressure likely to remain the same.)

Positive Displacement Pumps: Monitor pressure gauge for decreases in pressure and reduction in impact on sprayed surfaces. (Liquid volume sprayed likely to remain the same.) Also, monitor for increases in pressure due to clogged nozzles. Visually inspect for changes in spray coverage.

Drop Size
Examine application results for changes. Drop size increases cannot be visually detected in most applications. An increase in fl ow rate or a decrease in spraying pressure will impact drop size.

Spray Pattern
Visually inspect each nozzle for changes in the uniformity of the pattern. Check spray angle with protractor. Measure width of spray pattern on sprayed surface.

Jon Barber is a director at Spraying Systems Co., based in Wheaton, IL. The company, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, offers nozzles in thousands of sizes, hundreds of configurations and dozens of materials. Designed to improve efficiency, these products range from quick-change units that require no tools for installation to anti-bearding nozzles that increase throughput. For more information, contact Barber directly. Telephone: (630) 665-5000; e-mail: jon.barber@spray.com

Things are changing around our plants and facilities these days. The exponential rise in energy rates coupled with a global shift toward protecting the planet and its resources has forced company after company to seek "greener" alternatives to their operating practices across the board. Growing out of the increased awareness and understanding of the challenges we face has been a real open-mindedness—even an eagerness—in implementing programs that benefit BOTH environmental and business goals.

If your company is going "green," there is no better place to begin or enhance your efforts than by updating—or "greening"—your lubrication management program. It's a simple rationale. Equipment wear is caused by friction. Choosing the wrong lubricant, applying a lubricant incorrectly and/or at the wrong time and allowing a lubricant to become contaminated are things that lead to excessive friction. That, in turn, manifests into higher energy requirements to overcome the increase in friction and abrasion that causes seal damage, which can result in environmentally-unfriendly leaks and spills.

Taking a "greener" approach in your lubrication efforts will result in signifi- cant energy-cost reduction, reduced lubricant inventories, reduced lubricant consumption, reduced lubricant spills, cleaner equipment, reclamation and reuse of existing lubricants, responsible disposal of old lubricants and substantial increases in equipment reliability, availability and throughput—for little or no capital outlay.

Check out the following seven tactics. Employing one, more, or preferably all of them will go a long way in coloring your lubrication program "green."

Tactic #1: Lubricant Consolidation
Many companies will carry an inventory of 20 or more lubricants throughout their plant, often stored in half-open containers exposed to atmospheric contamination and in danger of being spilled. Remember, TODAY's lubricants often are capable of out-performing many of YESTERDAY's lubricants—products you have continued to purchase, stock and use over the past decades. Consolidation programs easily can reduce lubricant inventories by up to 75% or more, depending on the industry, lowering and purchase carry costs and simplifying lubricant application. Most importantly, consolidation forces you to inventory ALL of your lubricants in the plant, and list every storage location.

Consult with your lubricant suppliers about performing a lubricant consolidation exercise. Such a program typically is offered at little or no cost, in exchange for a blanket order that also can work in your favor by fixing lubricant costs for a set period.

Tactic #2: Contamination Control
Contamination is an enemy of both wear surfaces and lubricants. Fortunately, it can be controlled with a little effort and awareness. Contamination issues are largely caused by poor storage, handling and application practices. Fine-tolerance bearing surfaces and radial lip seals do not take kindly to lubricants carrying abrasive bodies to the wear surface. Why then, do some technicians/organizations continually grease nipples without first cleaning the grease gun and nipple, leave off reservoir lids and breather caps in hydraulic systems, leave off lubricant container lids, store barrels of lubricants outside and exposed to extremes in weather where they rust and collect water, and use non-dedicated and dirty lubricant transfer devices?

Review how you perform in keeping contaminants from entering your lubrication systems. Then, consider investing in better housekeeping practices and some of the many new dedicated transfer systems offered by your local industrial supplier.

Tactic #3: Filtration
Poor machine filter management can manifest as reduced lubricant flow, and cause the bypass of deadly wear contaminants to your bearing surfaces. Ensure that filter replacement is a high priority in your preventive maintenance program.

In an effort to conserve and reuse lubricants, an external pump/filtration cart can be used to clean your large reservoir lubricants and ready them for reuse. This will save on lubricant, change-out and disposal costs. Contact your local lubrication hardware or filter supplier for details on this type of easy-to-use system.

Tactic #4: Spill Containment
Oil spills are never easy to deal with. Prevention can result in a lot less effort should one occur. When storing lubricants ensure that all full or partially full containers are kept in an area protected by an impermeable berm that contains a spill in a localized area. The containment system can be a steel box tray, concrete berm system or one of the many plastic containment systems sold by your local industrial supplier. Don't forget to keep a spill management kit on hand—just in case!

Tactic #5: Engineered Lubricant Delivery
Both under- and over-lubrication will cause a significant spike in energy requirements—one to overcome the metal-to-metal collision and the other to overcome fluid friction. Tuning your lubricant delivery can result in energy savings as high as 20%. Invest in a Lubrication Operation Effectiveness Review (LOER). Conducted by an accredited lubrication consultant, an LOER will provide recommendations on how to improve your current approach to delivering the right lubricant, in the right amount, in the right place, at the right time, whether from a grease gun or fully-automated system.

Tactic #6: Lubricant Disposal Program
In countless communities, local legislation is forcing companies to own their waste and put in place waste disposal plans or programs. Many companies operating under a consolidated program have been able to set up recycling programs wherein all their old reservoir lubricants are taken back, cleaned, reconstituted with additives and resold back to them as recycled oil—at savings of up to 25% of virgin oil. These programs save disposal costs and the environment, as well as reduce the costs to purchase new oil. Collecting oil by type makes it easier for the disposal company and reduces the disposal costs charged to you. Learn what program(s) your disposal company offers, then start capturing your own savings.

Tactic #7: Lubrication Training
A little basic lubrication training can ratchet up your team's understanding and enhance your program significantly. While lubrication may appear to be very intuitive in nature, it is perhaps the least understood area of maintenance—and still responsible for up to 70% of all mechanical failures. Investing in a basic lubrication training course will facilitate your program immensely.

Now that you have these seven tactics down, get out your paintbrush. You'll soon be on your way to successfully coloring your lubrication program GREEN.

Contributing Editor Ken Bannister is the author of the bestselling book, Lubrication for Industry (Industrial Press), and the author of the new lubrication section of the 28th edition of Machinery's Handbook (Industrial Press). He conducts lubrication effectiveness reviews and training programs throughout industry. E-mail: kbannnister@ engtechindustries.com

In the quest for more energy-efficient operations, every little bit helps.

As companies demand more energy efficiency from their systems, valve heating could be a real consideration. One area where energy losses can occur is on long pipe runs and their intersections such as T-fittings and valves. On an individual basis, energy losses around valves might seem minuscule. But, when an application has multiple valves in a system, such losses can quickly add up. Since it is a given that some losses will occur in heating systems, it makes sense to use heaters with insulation to maintain temperature.

Problem overview
Valve heating is critical to many processes. Markets and applications such as petrochemical, freeze protection, metal casting, pulp and paper processes and transportation are just a sampling of the many areas that have valve heating needs. Moreover, these markets seem to be without boundaries. For example, hundreds of feet below the earth's surface, an arctic mining operation might utilize flow valves that must withstand up to 5000 pounds of pressure per square inch while operating at a constant temperature. On the other hand, an instrumentation valve, which is a key component in an aerospace application, must be able to handle extreme swings in temperature. These applications require quality heating devices to maintain temperature, thus reducing the chance of failure. The heat produced from the heaters may be necessary to reduce viscosity of the medium as it flows through the valve. If the heater fails, it can cause serious damage, halt the process or compromise safety. Additionally, agency requirements such as, UL®, CSA, CE, or RoHS might be necessary.

As varied as the industrial marketplace needing valves is, so too are the many valve geometries being utilized. While valve shapes and sizes—along with application requirements and pricing—are unique, the basic functions of valves are quite similar. In general a valve is a pass-through device regulating flow. It can be made of lightweight aluminum and incorporate a measurement device with an actuator for an oil pump line or be as simple as a polymer ball valve for an irrigation system.

Understanding process needs
It is best to take an application's heating needs into account in the early stages of the system design phase. Too often, though, system heat is an afterthought and the design engineer or field technician has to scramble for a solution. Fortunately, there are many heater types to choose from when it comes to valve heating.

Heaters can be applied by wrapping them around the valve. They also can be integrated as part of the assembly at the time of the initial design. Choosing the appropriate heater for the valve is as important as choosing the appropriate valve for the application. Such a task means understanding the marketplace with respect to heater offering. There are several heating options that warrant a more in-depth review before selection.

Picking the correct solution
If placing heat close to the medium is important, a cast-in heater is an excellent option. Depending on the size of the valve, heaters such as FIREROD® cartridge, cable or WATROD tubular heating elements can be utilized by placing them in direct contact with the valve body or used in open air near the valve. In smaller geometries, when space is critical, cable or cartridge heaters are excellent options. If casting the heater as part of the valve is not an option, drilling holes and utilizing a cartridge insertion heater is another good option.

Opportunities exist in the aftermarket for heating valves. Creating a heated enclosure or "hotbox" around the valve and utilizing a tubular heating element, silicone rubber heater or small, finned strip heater are excellent supplemental heater options. The heater enclosure helps contain the heat while protecting the electrical connections from the elements of weather—and the use of insulation in the enclosure is a great energy saver. These heaters also are good choices when heating manifold valve assemblies.

In particular, some applications utilizing manifold valves might require easy-to-install, blanket-type heaters in direct contact with the part. Blanket heaters can be designed with holes and notches to accommodate the obstructions. These heaters offer the operator easy access to handles or instrumentation without significant disassembly. As a bonus— including energy-saving benefits—these heaters can be shipped from the factory with an insulation backing. This reduces field service time by not having to add additional insulation.

Some valve heating applications require good controllability as a result of temperature limitations of the medium. In addition, temperature sensitive parts such as O-rings must not exceed melting temperatures. Incorporating a sensor (such as a thermocouple or RTD) as part of the heater solution can save headaches down the road. These sensors work in concert with the control system and keep the heater from over-temping, and therefore prevent the system from overheating.

If the heater is designed on a new OEM application or becomes an aftermarket requirement, pre-formed silicone rubber heaters with ¼-inch insulation that act as portable ovens around valves can be used. This type of heater works well when used on snow making equipment. The machine continuously produces snow as long as the water lines and valves are protected from freezing. At a recommended maximum watt density of five watts per square inch, these heaters can safely reach 300 F (149 C). In some cases this heater can contain integral bimetal thermostats to maintain temperature. These heaters also have an optional removable blanket with snaps for quick assembly. The blanket holds in heat while holding the heater in place.

When higher watt densities are needed for higher temperatures or faster heat-up requirements, the cable heater is an excellent choice. Some cable heaters can handle 30 watts per square inch and easily reach 300-500 F (149- 260 C) in just minutes.

The real cost
Safety clearly is a top concern when heat is needed in any system. The following is an account of an actual situation wherein a refinery system failed because of the slow action of an emergency cut-off valve that compromised human safety and cost the company significantly.

An emergency shutdown procedure took place as a result of abnormally high system pressure. Consequently, the delayed operation of the pressure relief valve due to a viscosity rise of the liquid was the contributing cause of the failure. Due to the high pressure that took place, a leak occurred and ignited a fire.

The slow action of an automatic switching valve was the result of low temperatures and high humidity. The instrumentation required heat in and around the valve to function properly, and the dehumidification typically prevents problems with the condensed water. A viable solution for this type of problem would have been to utilize a molded silicone rubber heater with an integral sensor. In other words, the accident at this refinery could have been prevented if heat was applied to the cut-off valve, which would have kept the moisture from freezing around the valve assembly.

Bottom line
Multiple valve designs and heating solutions lead to versatility in the marketplace. The heat required in an application can get overlooked at times. It is up to the system designer to identify early on when the heat generated by the process is simply not enough and then determine the best heater solution for the particular application.

John Pape has worked for Watlow for 19 years. His current duties include account management, and pre- and post-sales support

Lenox Instrument Company
Trevose, PA

While you’ve been out chasing energy efficiency within your own operations, you probably haven’t been keeping up with the state of the power gen industry and how its growing problems are bound to impact your company. Get ready for a big shock.

The power industry is at a crossroads, faced with environmental requirements from the federal government, unprecedented power demands from the consumer, an aging fleet of power plants and the all important antiquated transmission system.

The way in which the power industry responds to this “crisis” will impact every person in the United States. The profitability of industry will be dependent on how industrial sector management responds to the inevitable rising energy cost necessary to support massive power plant and transmission construction.

It’s interesting that a majority of attention regarding the energy crisis is focused on oil and gas when electricity is what impacts almost every part of our lives. Could it be that people treat electrical service as a right, and that electricity is only noticed by its absence? This is a far cry from the early days of power generation, when electric lighting was only for the well-to-do. To paraphrase Tom Bodett’s Motel Six mantra, “We’ll keep the light on for you,” it may not be very easy for any of us to keep our lights on in the not too distant future.

Electricity demand is expected to increase by approximately 30% by the year 2030. At the same time our reserve is declining, due to economic expansion, growth of electrical technology, population growth and our aging power plants. Over 60% of the power plants in North America are at least 40 years old. The last base-loaded coal-fired power plant was commissioned in the 1970s. Nothing lasts forever—especially power plants. Eventually a plant is too costly to maintain and requires replacement or major rebuild. Alas, that is the situation with a majority of the power gen plants in North America. Add to the equation our antiquated power grid, and you have an even more complex issue. How did we get into such a mess? To answer that question, we need to go back into history.

Historical perspective
Since the beginning of modern electric power generation in the 1880s, the power industry has seen relatively steady growth:

• Rapid growth spurts occurred in the 1890s, as people began to install lighting in their homes.
• From 1901 to 1932, growth escalated as a result of more efficient steam-powered turbines replacing the old reciprocating steam engines and new inventions using electricity.
• From 1933 to 1950, the Federal Government began regulating private utilities and central air conditioning was developed.
• During WW II, in order to feed America’s war machine, demand for electricity increased by 27%, perhaps the largest growth rate in history.
• From 1950 to 1970, growth continued at a steady 8.5% per year. During this period, commercial nuclear power was introduced.
• The 1970s to mid 1980s saw increasing unit costs and slower growth. This slowdown was a result of general inflation, fossil fuel prices, environmental concerns and problems in the nuclear power industry.
• In 1984, electricity posted its largest single-year increase since 1976 (4.5%).

The late 1980s saw increased generation by non-utilities. In fact, by 1991 a significant shift had occurred. Non-utilities now owned about 6% of the electric power generating capacity and produced about 9% of the total electricity generated in the U.S.

Major issues in the power industry surfaced in the 1990s due to structure changes that impacted reliability of the electric power supply and bulk power trading. The Clean Air Act of 1990 also took effect during this time, raising even more issues within the industry.

In 2000, for the first time in the history of the power industry, retail customers were given a choice of electricity suppliers. To date, 24 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or regulatory orders to implement retail competition. The introduction of wholesale and retail competition to the electric power industry has produced and will continue to produce significant changes in the industry.

Transmission concerns
The power industry evolved based on demand within a local utilities service territory—this included the transmission lines. Over the years, a utility and/or investors would build a power plant, then add transmission lines to service customers. Therefore, the transmission lines are owned and maintained by the utility.

Transmission between service territories typically has been built to accommodate utilities that co-owned plants and to share reserve power between utilities and regions. To that end, today’s transmission system can be defined as a group of networks covering the service territories of the major utilities separated by weak connectors limiting interconnectivity.

Transmission constraints are a major concern. The antiquated grid prevents utilities from routing electricity long distances, thereby feeding areas that require additional power. In the early days of the power industry, the typical power plant would push power approximately 50 to 75 miles. Fast forward to our deregulated industry today; it is not unusual to transmit power 1000 miles. This longdistance transmission comes at a price—line losses that are absorbed by the utility generating the power.

Over the past eight to 10 years, transmission construction has declined. (I suspect this is due to deregulation and the increase in investor-owned utilities otherwise known as “merchant” plants.) Whatever the reason, this lack of investment has impacted our life styles by way of blackouts.

It is well known that we have issues with our transmission system and that they must be addressed as we add further generation. Unfortunately, no one seems to have an answer. How do we get every generator to contribute dollars to upgrade the North American power grid? (Investment in transmission, however, will increase over the next 15 or so years, primarily due to new plant construction.)

Generation concerns
Figure 1 shows how power generation in North America is broken down. Given the abundance of coal in the United States, it is only natural that coal is the largest source of our power (48.9%).

The first modern (1890s) power plants were coal-fired. Coal plants from that era on into the 1940s required approximately three pounds of coal to generate 1 kW of electricity. Advanced-technology coal plants of today require less than one pound of coal to generate 1 kW of electricity—yet, the average power plant uses 100 rail cars of coal per day. Even with the state-of-the-art upgrades and engineering, today’s coal plants are still based on 50- to 100-year-old technology.

Unfortunately, coal has its drawbacks: pollution, thermal efficiency and waste disposal, to name a few. Contrary to popular belief, coal-fired generation is no longer the lowcost option—and hasn’t been for several years. Natural gas combined cycles still are the lowest-cost source of new generation (i.e. total costs for a new plant, not operating costs for a fully depreciated plant), and wind is now the next-to-lowest cost source. With capital costs running over $2000/kW and coal at $3/mmBtu, coal plants simply are not competitive now.

Once the fuel of choice, coal is becoming a point of contention. Add its rising cost to the scrubber system required to meet federal regulations and it is clear why coal is no longer the least expensive fuel source for power generation.

Further complicating the matter, however, is the fact that many North American coal plants in operation today have reached the end of their useful lives. By the year 2025—just 17 years from now—62 gigawatts of power will be removed from service. This does not include the nuclear fleet of power gen plants that is up for relicensing, either; many of these facilities are almost 50 years old. How long will they last—perhaps another 10 to 15 years? That’s simply not enough time to build the additional generating capacity necessary to meet future/ current demand and replace retired capacity.

Good news/bad news
Despite all these power gen industry problems, electricity remains a good value. Unlike other consumer goods, electricity has not kept pace with inflation. From 1985 to 2000, electricity prices rose on the average of 1.1% per year. Even with recent price increases due to fuel cost and price cap corrections, the price for one kilowatt-hour of electricity has increased by just 27% since 1985.

Now the downside: we need more power plants to meet additional consumer demands. We need to build plants to replace the retired units. We must add and update transmission lines, industry infrastructure and meet new environmental regulations.

From 2002 to 2005, the electric utility industry as a whole spent at least $21 billion on compliance with federal environmental laws. State and local rules drove that total even higher. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, complying with two new federal regulations—the Clean Air Interstate Rule and the Clean Air Mercury Rule, aimed at further reducing power plant emissions of NOx, SO2, and mercury—will cost the electric utility industry $47.8 billion between the years 2007 and 2025. Consider:

• The average coal-fired power plant costs roughly $3B.
• Estimates for nuclear plants range from $8B to $15B.
• Transmission lines cost about $1.3M per mile.
• From 2000 to 2005, the power industry invested more than $28B in our nation’s transmission system.
• From 2006-2009, industry is planning to invest $31.5B in the transmission system, nearly a 60% increase.

The overall picture is that the electric power industry faces a situation in which significant investments are needed, and rate increases will be necessary to finance them.

First line of defense
Why write about the power industry and energy costs in a magazine focused on maintenance and reliability? Readers like you are the first line of defense when it comes to energy use. You are the people working to keep the plant on line, performing day-to-day maintenance and replacing failed equipment.

Motor driven equipment typically fails or experiences frequent maintenance for several reasons:

• Incorrectly sized for the application
• Operator-related issues
• Poor installation

All three of these failure modes have an impact on energy use and could be corrected by maintenance.

So what can we do to minimize the “pain” while the power industry makes the necessary adjustment? The only way we can control the impact on our economy and way of life is to conserve energy.

Did you know the U.S. comprises 5% of the world’s population, yet consumes 25% of the world’s energy? We are energy hogs!! We must change the way we live and do business! We can begin by realizing that energy conservation is our #1 fuel source!

• Make sure your equipment is operating efficiently; frequent maintenance on a piece of equipment is a clear indication the equipment is operating inefficiently.
• Purchase premium efficient motors.
• Think in terms of life-cycle cost (LCC) and total cost of ownership (TCO), rather than first cost when specifying and purchasing equipment. Buy right, not cheap (see Fig. 2).
• Conduct Root Cause Failure Analyses to determine why equipment fails, then implement corrective actions.
• Properly size motors and pumps and avoid added margin.
• Consider VFDs for friction-dominated systems.
• Consult your local utility regarding incentive programs for energy efficiency.

If your equipment is operating efficiently it will be reliable. Remember that reliability and efficiency are complimentary.

Shocking conclusions
The North American power grid is faced with a serious problem and every person on the continent will be affected by it—sooner than later. Electric bills will continue to rise in order to subsidize construction. This increase will affect our paychecks and our employers’ bottom lines.

Keep in mind that it will take at least 30 years to stabilize the North American power grid. Stabilization will succeed only if the industry has the cooperation of both federal and state governments and—most importantly—the consumer.

New plants and transmission lines must be approved and built at a rapid pace. The industry should move to nonpolluting, efficient power generation, including wind, solar and nuclear. The power industry and our country can no longer afford inefficient power plants. The days of the 35%- efficient coal plant and 65%-efficient gas plant are over.

Rising energy costs will continue to impact industry’s profitability; this will not change. We can, however, minimize future economic pain and business interruptions by reducing energy consumption now. Despite the problems in the power generation industry, you and your company really can make a difference. You can start by looking to and leveraging energy conservation as our #1 fuel source.

Bill Livoti is a fluid power and power industry engineer with the Baldor/Dodge/Reliance divisions of Baldor Electric Company, based in Greenville, SC. His professional background includes many years working in the power gen industry. Today, among other things, he is strongly involved with the Pump Systems Matter initiative focusing on the optimization of pumping systems throughout industry. Telephone: (864) 281-2118; e-mail: wclivoti@baldor.com

For more information on pumping system optimization and life cycle costing, visit the Hydraulic Institute (HI) at www.pumps.org and/or Pump Systems Matter (PSM) at www.pumpsystemsmatter.org

References

U.S. Department of Energy
Electric Power Research Institute
Edison Electric Institute
Hydraulic Institute (HI)
Pump Systems Matter (PSM)
Baldor Electric

When it comes to energy efficiency around your operations, pay attention to these steps and begin counting your energy savings.

As a wartime resistance fighter, Ted Monkiewicz used his incredible ingenuity to assist the Allied forces in thwarting the Germans at every turn. Post war, he moved from his native Poland to England and used his considerable engineering talent to amass countless patents and awards for ingenious designs. While working in my early career as a junior mechanical design engineer, I was fortunate to have Monkiewicz as a mentor to teach me the hallmarks of good design practice. He advocated that to be considered a good design, there are four elements the designer must strive to incorporate:

• Design for maintainability… to allow a maintainer or operator rapid and easy access to calibrate, repair or replace parts with minimum impact to production operations.
• Design for ergonomics… allowing the operator to successfully operate the equipment with minimum fatigue and supervision.
• Design proportionally… what looks right to the eye is always trusted
• Design for simplicity… simplicity translates into reliability.

Adhering to these four principal design elements has allowed me to produce my own award-winning designs, and over the years I have added a fifth element: Design for Conservation. This addresses the reduction of an asset’s environmental and energy impact over its life cycle.

Most of today’s maintenance or facility management departments are caretakers of older equipment that was not designed with energy conservation in mind. Fortunately, design element #5 can be applied to any equipment—in any state—through the application of good asset management practices. The following three steps are mandatory:

• Step One is about acquiring rights to view the plant energy bill, and gaining understanding how the costs are tabulated. Establishing a working relationship with your plant utility manager—if you have one—or your local utilities representative(s) can provide knowledge of your own energy pattern use, as well as any rebate/assistance programs you could take advantage of.
• Step Two is about taking responsibility and ensuring that any energy losses relating to asset ineffectiveness and energy waste are under the direct control of the maintenance department, and that heating, cooling and generated power systems (including compressed air and steam generation) are operating at an efficiency level no less than the original minimum design level. Understanding the direct relationship between asset management practices and energy use will deliver more control over the operating costs—for the life of the asset—thereby increasing profits and competitiveness.
• Step Three is about adopting an asset management approach toward your equipment. Previously, the business of maintenance was dedicated to the preservation of an asset through the application of assessment, evaluation, adjustment, calibration, prevention, prediction, repair and overhaul techniques, designed explicitly to assure that an asset was capable of delivering on its original design specification. The business of asset management differs in that it elevates maintenance to a more proactive and creative process that reviews not only the asset’s current health, but also the consequences of its state of health and—more importantly—the consequences of its current usage pattern and design inefficiencies. To achieve this, maintenance must partner closely with production, recognizing the integral impact each has on the other and the resulting asset efficiency.

Asset efficiency translates to higher levels of reliability, uptime and throughput, while reducing energy spikes caused by induced friction and peak and cyclical loading that surpass the asset’s design load limit. Introducing a value-added maintenance approach, alongside an optimized equipment usage program, will make your assets as energy-efficient as their current design will allow. 

Value-added maintenance
Implementing a simple operator cleaning program not only provides the ability to troubleshoot equipment problems faster, but also eliminates the energy absorbing thermal blanket caused by machine dirt that converts energy to heat and not work. Implementing an engineered lubrication management program ensures delivery of the right lubricant, in the right place, in the right amount, at the right time, reducing bearing wear and friction to tolerable levels. Introduction of correct torquing and laser alignment eliminates energy-robbing vibration caused by mechanical looseness and misalignment.

Optimized equipment use
This type of optimization is best achieved through the collaboration of both maintenance and production planners who work to address idle time reduction through improved planning, or use of automated control systems.

In a Lean Manufacturing environment, the equipment throughout can be slowed down to produce at a slower, but more consistent rate, eliminating energy surges caused when an asset is consistently being asked to perform above its design specification in an erratic manner. This strategy also serves to eliminate idle time—something that’s very important to an operation.

In studies by the Research Institute for Energy Economics, it was concluded that during a single eight-hour shift, machine tools consumed a disproportionate 30% of total energy consumption when they were left idling during operation, breaks and non-productive time periods. If capacity is abundant and idle time still exists, then Maintenance may wish to explore turning idle time into a maintenance opportunity, utilizing the time to perform planned maintenance tasks.

Ken Bannister is managing partner and principal consultant for Engtech Industries Inc, based in Innerkip, ON. Engtech provides a wide range of production & maintenance management consulting and training services for national and international clients. He has written several books, including Energy Reduction through Improved Maintenance Practices and the upcoming Industrial Energy Efficiency Handbook. Internet: www.engtechindustries.com; telephone: (519) 469-9173; e-mail: kbannister@engtechindustries.com

Kadant AES
A Division of Kadant Inc.
Queensbury, NY

Energy-$aving High-Voltage Suppression System

When electricity is transmitted from a power generating plant through transmission lines and sub-transformer stations into businesses and homes, it degrades and accumulates electrical pollution along the way. This type of pollution is more expensive than manufacturers may realize, eventually costing countless dollars in equipment deterioration and repairs, production losses, wasted man-hours, corrupted computer data and downtime. The Power Gleaner™ utilizes state-of-the-art technology to stop and eliminate dangerous voltage increases in the electrical supply chain before they can reach and damage delicate and costly electronic equipment. It is a passive electronic module that connects directly to circuit panels. When the Power Gleaner’s non-degrading units sense a voltage surge greater than 10% over the rated voltage for that circuit, it instantly turns “on,” suppressing the surge by safely diverting it to earth ground when it surpasses the crest of the sine wave. It quickly turns “off” when the high voltage, or pollution, is gone. The manufacturer offers a 10-year replacement warranty on this product.

Power Gleaner
Lapeer, MI

Optimized Synchronous Machines

GE Motors’ Series 9000 large synchronous machines are designed with advanced internal components to fit the needs of demanding applications, such as compressors, grinding mills, metal rolling, mine hoists, refiners, propulsion, fans, pumps and power turbines. Through customization, commissioning time is minimized, maintenance costs reduced, reliability increased and performance optimized. The bearing system, low overall vibration and proper lubrication help extend the life of the machine’s motor and allow for easy maintenance.

GE Motors
Fort Wayne, IN

Ultrasonic Tool Detects Energy

Waste Systems’ Ultraprobe 3000 ultrasonic detection system was designed to promote quick, easy surveys with accurate results. Labeled as a “green” instrument, the 3000 detects energy waste, such as compressed air, steam trap leaks and faulty steam traps. It comes equipped with a wide, dynamic sensitivity range and “spin and click” sensitivity dial. Other features of the digital instrument include a 16- segment bar graphic display panel, 400 memory locations and scanning and stethoscope contact modules, among others.

UE Systems
Souderton, PA

SUBMIT “WHAT’S HOT” PRODUCT RELEASES TO: jalexander@atpnetwork.com

We all know it. With so few people and so little time to manage and maintain your equipment and processes, your plant’s ANSI pumps simply may not get as much love and attention as your turbines, compressors and higher-ticket pumping equipment. That’s all about to change!

The new i-FRAME from ITT Goulds provides operations personnel, maintenance managers, reliability engineers and technicians—anyone responsible for monitoring and repairing rotating equipment on a 24/7 basis—with early warning of impending trouble so that changes to the process or machine can be made before failure occurs. The unit’s stainless-steel condition monitor (see inset) is nested securely atop the power end to measure critical vibration and temperature readings. Variations that exceed preset parameters will activate the early warning system by displaying flashing red lights—things that are easily recognized during routine walk-arounds.

Great has gotten better
According to Patrick Prayne, product manager of ITT Goulds ANSI Process Pumps, the company’s Model 3196 is acknowledged to be the most popular process pump in the world. “Now,” he says, “we’ve made it even better. This increased reliability and condition monitoring intelligence gets to the heart of our most important customer requirement—reduced downtime and equipment life cycle cost.”

In addition to the condition monitor built into the pump, the patent-pending i-FRAME incorporates a number of other standard features designed to increase reliability and the life of the pump, including:

• Premium severe duty thrust bearings that increase fatigue life by 2 to 5 times that of standard bearings.
• Dual stainless-steel, bronze bearing isolators for improved corrosion resistance and contaminant exclusion.
• An optimized sump design to improve heat transfer and collect and concentrate contaminants away from the bearings, resulting in longer bearing life.

Model 3196 units with i-Frame power ends also carry a whopping 5-Year Warranty as standard.

Availability
Recognized as a true workhorse in chemical, oil & gas, petrochemical, pulp & paper, and other industrial operations around the globe, the Goulds 3196 comes in 29 different sizes offering a wide range of features for handling challenging applications. According to the manufacturer, its new i-Frame units will be available this April.

ITT Goulds
Seneca Falls, NY

SUBMIT “WHAT’S HOT” PRODUCT RELEASES TO: jalexander@atpnetwork.com

Versatile, feature-rich and affordable new products can help you quickly identify potential problem areas and begin analysis in the field.

If you’re looking for ways to save energy within your facility, consider conducting a thermal inspection. Thermal inspections can quickly identify energy inefficiencies in the building envelope (heating and cooling losses) and electro-mechanical operations. Furthermore, now that thermal imagers cost less than most capital expense limits, facilities can conduct energy-effi- ciency inspections themselves with the same tool they would use for electro-mechanical troubleshooting. Fluke Corporation’s new thermal imaging products offer just that type of versatility.

The affordable new Fluke Ti10 Thermal Imager is a case in point. It incorporates a high-resolution, fully radiometric screen (every pixel in the picture has an associated temperature) that displays IR-Fusion® blended thermal-plus-digital pictures. This patent-pending technology integrates infrared and visual (visible light) images in full screen or picture-in-picture views for enhanced problem detection and analysis. The ability to scroll through the different viewing modes helps users recognize image details and identify problem areas better.

According to Fluke, IR-Fusion is especially useful in energy inspection work. With the blended digital-thermal image it provides, users can pinpoint the location of a leak on a wall exactly. With a thermal-only image, everything looks the same.

The other advancement with Fluke’s new imagers is that they’re much easier to use than in the past. The on-screen menus make sense, the options are simple and a user can just point, focus and shoot. That means facilities staff don’t have to specialize in thermography or go through extensive training. They also don’t have to worry about breaking these products—the rugged new models can drop six feet and still keep working.

Building envelope inspections
The HVAC system is often one of the biggest energy consumers within a facility. And the irony is that much of the conditioned air often is leaked right out the building, through the roof, walls, ducts, pipes, etc.

Thermal imagers detect anomalies and variances in surface temperatures that may indicate heat loss or gain. The key with building envelope inspection is that the degree of variance may be very small—perhaps just one or two degrees, depending on the scope of the problem. To spot such small changes, it’s important to select a thermal imager with high thermal sensitivity. (HVAC professionals in particular may want to consider Fluke’s new TiR and TiR1 models with IR-Fusion capability incorporated in both the camera and software. Designed with building diagnostics in mind, they offer just the type of high thermal sensitivity required for this crucial application.)

Building envelope inspection points include all insulation areas (walls, pipes, ducts, boiler, furnace, process equipment, water heater), roofs, windows, doors and construction joints.

Tips…

• Scan during a heating or cooling season, when the outside temperature is at least four degrees different from inside.
• Focus on walls that separate conditioned from unconditioned spaces, and on the top and bottom of conditioned spaces.
• Large gaps often exist around pipes, lighting fixtures, and utility entrances.
• Addressing major losses such as roof leaks offers fastest payback.

Electro-mechanical inspections
High-resistance, overloaded and imbalanced electrical connections and overheating equipment all have something in common: They’re using too much energy. You’ll want to scan your electrical system and your largest power-consuming mechanical devices (motors, pumps, compressors, etc.) and look for changes in temperature and unusual hotspots.

Electrical inspection points include panels, controls and the disconnects, contactors and relays within them.

Mechanical inspection points include gearbox, bearings, sheaves/belts and overall casing operating temperature compared to nameplate data.

Tips…

• Inspect both electrical and mechanical equipment under normal load/operating conditions.
• If you detect a hotspot, investigate with other tools (multimeter, power quality, lubrication, etc.) to evaluate operational health.
• In most cases with old equipment (lighting and HVAC systems, motors, drives), the quickest route to the biggest energy savings is upgrading to new, highefficiency models.

Other inspections: steam systems
Plants that use steam can use a thermal imager to periodically check their trap and line temperatures for inefficiencies. If temperature is low in the steam pipe, trap and condensate return, the trap may be stuck closed. If temperature is high, the trap may be stuck open. If temperature is high in the pipe and trap, and slightly lower in the condensate return, the trap is probably operating properly.

Fluke Corporation
Everett, WA

What’s not to love? What’s not to emulate? This global manufacturer realized $3.7 million in energy savings in just the first three years of a corporate energy optimization initiative.

As a global leader in electrical distribution, monitoring and control equipment, Schneider Electric (Schneider) has helped thousands of customers around the world save money and protect the environment through reduced energy consumption. In 2004, however, the company began an energy optimization project for what was to be its most important customer yet—its own operations.

Focused primarily on its North American Operating Division, Schneider used its own solutions within 21 of its facilities across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The program set out with an ambitious goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by 10% from 2004 to 2008.

By applying many of its own Square D® brand solutions, as well as those of its affiliate companies such as Juno Lighting Group and TAC, LLC, Schneider successfully has created one of the more energy-efficient manufacturing operations anywhere. Energy savings from 2005 through 2007 totaled more than $3.7 million. The reduced electrical demand resulted in 30,000 less tons of CO2 being produced by electric utilities, amounting to a 9% reduction in greenhouse gases. Perhaps most noteworthy, the company’s goal of reducing energy consumption per employee by 10% by 2008 was met a full two years ahead of schedule.

Front-end analysis
As the first step in the energy optimization project, Schneider turned to its energy analysis and management services known as Square D Total Energy Control. These energy experts examined the energy usage patterns and demands of the company’s major North American facilities. After identifying all possible opportunities to improve energy efficiency, they prioritized them based on the initial cost and expected payback period. Projects with the greatest potential savings and quickest payback were among the first to be undertaken. Those projects could be categorized into five areas: heating, compressed air systems, lighting, air conditioning and specific manufacturing processes.

Once projects were initiated at each of the sites, facility managers began reporting new energy usage patterns and the resulting savings on a monthly basis. During quarterly conference calls, energy teams at each of the facilities now share information on new and existing projects. Additionally, they meet in person once a year to discuss best practices that have been established and how they can be replicated companywide.

Modifying behaviors
The first energy-saving steps recommended by Schneider’s in-house experts were also some of the simplest. Often requiring little or no investment, a focus was placed on possible behavioral changes that could reduce consumption at each facility.

For example, project leaders took steps to optimize the heating or cooling temperature within the manufacturing plants. Facility managers regulated temperatures so that they were no warmer than 68 F in the winter and no cooler than 75 F in the summer. Given the size and number of all work areas, keeping room temperatures within the appropriate range was an important part of optimizing the overall efficiency. In fact, fuel consumption increases by 1.5%–2% for every degree of over-heating.

Other simple behavioral changes that were undertaken included actively shutting down production equipment when not in use, activating computer and monitor energysaving software and reminding staff to shut outside doors or turn off lights when rooms are not in use.

Controlling peak demands was another step that came as a result of the energy usage analysis provided by the Total Energy Control program. By examining each facility’s overall consumption and adjusting processes to shed loads and avoid usage peaks, the facilities were able to procure better rates by the utility and, in the end, complete the same amount of work at a lower cost.

The Total Energy Control experts also were helpful in reviewing utility contracts and ensuring that each facility’s current demand profile matched its existing contract. Where contracts did not accurately reflect usage patterns, contract renegotiations were initiated, resulting in more favorable rates.

Process improvements
While Schneider’s energy-efficiency initiative focused mainly on buildings and their environmental controls, the company’s energy teams also looked at major energy users within the manufacturing processes. Insulation levels within paint curing bake ovens were increased. Air compressors used on the manufacturing line were adjusted when possible to use a lower PSI and, as a result, less electricity. All major energy consumption points within the manufacturing process were examined for energy-saving opportunities.

“I think some of the most effective things we’ve done were related to modifying the manufacturing process,” notes Dennis Edwards, manager of facility maintenance for the Schneider North American Operating Division. “In one plant, for example, we were able to eliminate the second shift paint operation. In another plant, we installed a more advanced boiler and changed the painting schedule, which allowed us to shut the boiler down five days a week. Those process changes amounted to major savings.”

Better monitoring and managing
Numerous equipment upgrades were undertaken that contributed to the overall energy savings. Among the first were the installation of several Square D PowerLogic® circuit monitors, allowing for up-to-the-minute energy usage and quality readings as well as long-term trending. These monitoring systems let managers set energy usage benchmarks within each facility, make system or process adjustments and track possible savings against the original levels.

Today, more than 180 separate devices in Schneider facilities are using the circuit monitors. This metering is proving critical in identifying demand savings opportunities. In addition, it gives managers the data necessary to verify utility bills and ensure that all energy expenses are accurate.

Lighting the way to savings
High-efficiency lighting fixtures and lighting control also represent significant savings in the project. By leveraging Juno Lighting Group products and its mix of high-efficiency fixtures, Schneider facilities reduced its electricity consumption by more than eight million kilowatt hours over a year’s time, resulting in more than $580,000 in annual savings—and $196,000 in associated tax benefits.

Rich Widdowson, Schneider’s vice president of Safety, Real Estate and Environment, confirms that the lighting portion of the company’s energy-efficiency program has been of great importance to the company. “We found that by replacing our high-pressure sodium lights with T8 fluorescent Juno® fixtures, we can cut our consumption in half. We can change a 400-watt light to a 200-watt light without losing anything and improve the quality.”

Besides lowering its electric bill, Schneider’s lighting replacement project resulted in another—somewhat unexpected—benefit. Swapping out the higher-wattage yellow lights with lower-wattage, more illuminating white lights was especially well-received by those working in the facilities. As Dennis Edwards put it, this was one of the few programs that he’s been involved with as a facility manager where people actually were standing in line asking, “Can you do my area next?” The difference in light color really was significant.

According to Widdowson, approximately 7000 Juno lighting fixtures were installed. This part of the project alone cut Schneider’s North American overall electric bill by more than 4%.

Multiple lighting controls also were installed within the participating facilities, including Square D occupancy and light-level sensors, Clipsal® lighting controls, and PowerLink® branch circuit lighting controls. By integrating this mix of control tools through the PowerLink software, lights are automatically turned on and off using either a predetermined schedule or manual overrides. In either case, the PowerLink system ensures that lights are turned on only when needed and off when they are not.

Improving HVAC
Schneider also set out to reduce the power consumption of the motors used in its HVAC system and manufacturing process by installing its Altivar® brand variable frequency drives (VFDs). Since January 2004, over 50 VFDs were installed at 10 of the company sites. The new drives provide improved control over motor operations and the ability to run at only a percentage of the motor speed, resulting in less power being used in the application.

In addition to improving the HVAC system through VFDs, Schneider sought to fully automate several of its buildings through its TAC brand solution offering. Using TAC building automation software, i/net, the Schneider facilities were able to reduce energy consumption through better building controls. These new systems now allow the facility managers to integrate, control and monitor their HVAC, security, lighting, fire and other building systems through a single comprehensive application. With better control has come greater overall efficiency.

The payback
The resulting savings from Schneider Electric’s energy initiative have been nothing short of amazing for the company’s facility managers and their energy teams. Electricity consumption within the target facilities dropped 9% from 2004 to 2007, despite significant production increases during that same period and sales increasing more than 40% during that three-year window. Since 2004, electrical savings have amounted to more than 35 million kilowatt hours—a savings of more than $2.55 million.

Schneider’s natural gas consumption also decreased 9% from 2004 through 2007. This considerable savings was realized despite the increase in sales, abnormally cold winters and a new painting process requiring a high amount of natural gas that was introduced at several facilities in 2007. The three-year savings totaled more than 106,000 dekatherms—a savings of more than $1.2 million.

Going forward
In the case of Schneider Electric’s corporate energy-efficiency efforts, success really does appear to breed success. Plans now are underway to expand this energy optimization project to include 21 additional Schneider Electric-owned facilities in the next few years—while also continuing at the original project sites. \

“It’s really a continuous process,” Edwards explains. “It’s not like you’re going to look at an energy action plan, implement a list of projects and then you’re done. Technology changes, and there is always something that you can improve. You have to continuously be working in this process, because new things are always coming.”

Cassie Quaintance is energy market segment manager with Schneider Electric. Telephone: (303) 393-5861

Cradle-to-grave life-cycle costing is not just for equipment. You may be quite surprised by the value-added information these analyses can provide when it comes to lubricant selection.

Lubricants can be optimized for specific types of equipment to help achieve reduced fuel and energy consumption. Unfortunately, facilities often do not use energy-efficient lubricants even though they may lead to measurable savings. This is because the initial purchase cost of energy-efficient lubricants can be higher than for conventional products. A life-cycle cost analysis that takes into account operating costs as well as the initial purchase cost of the lubricant may bring out the true benefits of these products.

Opportunities abound
Energy-efficient lubricants can be beneficial in many types of mobile and industrial equipment. For instance, in hydraulic systems, changes in ISO viscosity grades can lead to energy savings. Companies also can benefit from optimizing their selection of gear lubricants. Moving from gear oils formulated with mineral base stocks to those formulated with synthetic base stocks often has been found to lead to both lower friction losses and lower lubricant temperatures.

When conducting a life-cycle cost analysis, not only must the purchase price of the lubricant be considered, the impact on the operating costs also must be reflected. Frequently, fuel or electricity cost savings outweigh the increased purchase cost.

Energy-efficient hydraulic fluids
Hydraulic systems are widely used throughout the world. Earthmoving equipment, diggers, etc., are examples of mobile hydraulic systems that are exposed to changes in temperature while operating in an outdoor environment. Conversely, hydraulic systems such as plastic injection molding machines operate under a consistent ambient temperature in a factory environment—but they are energyintensive processes operating 24 hours per day. In both applications, the energy used by these systems depends on the hydraulic fluid used.

In hydraulic systems, the friction is usually dominated by pipe losses, which vary linearly with viscosity. In contrast, studies have shown that in internal combustion engines, the largest contribution to engine friction arises from the piston assembly, where the friction power loss varies as the square root of the fluid viscosity. Therefore, the potential for cold-start energy savings in hydraulic systems due to optimizing fluid viscosity is greater than that for engines.

 

In addition to energy losses, pump performance also is critical in hydraulic systems. If the hydraulic fluid is too viscous, then pump mechanical efficiency is too low. On the other hand, if the lubricant viscosity is too low, leakage within the pump can occur. As a result, the pump’s volumetric efficiency may become too low. One way to overcome these problems is to use a hydraulic fluid with a higher viscosity index (VI). Such a fluid has a flatter viscosity-temperature response. The idea behind the use of such a fluid is illustrated in Fig. 1.

The use of a higher VI hydraulic fluid, possibly combined with a change of ISO grade, can give energy benefits under cold-start conditions, and also can give volumetric efficiency benefits under high-temperature conditions when compared to a low VI fluid. These effects influence performance.

In a hydraulically operated digger, it may take a few hours for the system to reach operating temperature. The hydraulic fluid will need time to warm before it can provide proper lubrication. Until the fluid is warm enough to flow adequately, fuel may be wasted as the hydraulic system experiences friction. At low temperatures, when the viscosity of the oil is high, more work is done to maintain the pumps’ mechanical efficiency. Thus, the engine must use more fuel for a given amount of hydraulic output.

On the other hand, as the digger operates during the day the system can heat up, reducing the lubricant viscosity, which can result in increased leakage losses and reduced volumetric efficiency of the pump. The use of a high VI hydraulic fluid could help to overcome both these issues. There are benefits from matching the correct lubricant to the demands of the application. Operators should consider lubricants specially designed to meet these challenges. That includes opting for products that are formulated to reduce variations in viscosity during change in temperature.

For a typical stationary hydraulic machine operating at a temperature of around 50 C, in-house Shell data indicates that changing from an ISO 68 hydraulic fluid to an ISO 46 hydraulic fluid would lead to electricity savings of up to 20%. In tests using oil mist lubrication, Shell data has demonstrated that moving from an ISO 68 mineral oil to an ISO 32 synthetic oil may result in energy savings of 13%. For adequate lubrication and to avoid damage to the pump, these fluid changes should only be made if the new fluid meets the minimum viscosity requirements of the pump.

 

Energy-efficient gear oils
If there is insufficient lubricant film to separate and support loaded parts like gears, rolling element bearings or valve trains, even modest loads can produce high pressures. In some applications, the pressures can be high enough to elastically deform the metal surface. This deformation can benefit lubrication and increase the load-carrying capability by spreading the load over a larger surface area. This is called elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (EHD).

With elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication, a fluid film is generated due to increases in viscosity of the fluid as the pressure increases. The pressure-viscosity coefficient or alpha value of the fluid defines the increase in fluid viscosity with increasing pressure. For lubricated contacts that are in the EHD lubrication regime, the pressure-viscosity coefficient α of the oil will be important in determining frictional loss.

In contrast to engine oils and hydraulic oils, gear and transmission oils operate for the majority of their time in the EHD lubrication regime. It is well known that friction losses within gears are correlated with temperature rises of the gearbox lubricant. It also is known that moving from a mineral oil base stock to a synthetic base stock results in lower gearbox oil temperature rises and lower friction losses. The reason for this phenomenon is due to the lower pressure-viscosity coefficients α for these synthetic base stocks. Table I shows typical values of α for different base stocks.

Three separate lubricant properties must be considered for understanding and optimizing oil film thickness and friction—atmospheric pressure viscosity, pressure-viscosity coefficient α and limiting shear stress. The first two properties determine the oil film thickness profile in the contact area, while the third property determines friction in the contact area. It was found, broadly speaking, that there was a correlation between EHD friction coefficient and α. Clearly, there needs to be a check to ensure that moving to a lubricant with a lower value of α does not adversely affect the durability of the gears. Lubricants that are formulated with a special synthetic base fluid (polyalkylene glycol) to provide an optimized pressure-viscosity coefficient in worm gear applications are readily available.

Life-cycle cost analysis
Energy-efficient lubricants should help reduce operating costs since they can result in lower energy consumption. Accordingly, operators should consider the entire life-cycle cost of using the product. A life-cycle cost analysis would take into account:

1. The initial purchase price of the product;

2. The effect on operating costs, over the lifetime of the product;

3. Any changes in costs due to different service intervals (e.g. the oil drain interval may be extended); and

4. Disposal costs.

Conclusions
Lubricants have a role to play in helping improve the energy efficiency in industrial machinery. The technology to do this is well understood, although care is needed, both on the part of the machine designer and the lubricant formulator, so that any reduction in lubricant viscosity does not result in decreased durability.

One of the main reasons why such lubricants are not used more widely is that often lubricants are selected on the basis of their price alone, without much regard for the potential impact of the lubricant on operating costs. When a more sophisticated life-cycle cost analysis is performed, the results may reveal that energy-efficient lubricants are more cost-effective than conventional lubricants.

Felix Guerzoni is a product application specialist at the Shell Global Solutions Westhollow Technology Center in Houston, TX. Telephone: (800) 231-6950; Internet: www.shell-lubricants.com

The graphic image on the cover of this Utilities Manager supplement and within this article, as well as the other graphics here, are used courtesy of Shell Lubricants.