Chandigarh BDS Cluster

Energy efficiency is a key performance indicator in today’s highly competitive globalized market, and efficiency studies in energy-intensive areas of an industrial process can identify measures that could yield significant reductions in operational costs and extend the life cycles of associated machinery/systems. A successful energy conservation study always begins with a comprehensive energy audit exercise. Two local energy auditing  agencies conducted pilot energy audits in four manufacturing units that were identified for this purpose by industry associations in the MPC cluster. The units are:

• Techman India, Chandigarh (fasteners)
• Anand Metals, Mohali (sanitary ware)
• Enn Emm Industries, Chandigarh (fasteners)
• MEECO Pvt Ltd, Panchkula (tools)

The TERI team provided on-site capacity building to two local service providers (LSPs) in conducting energy audit and efficiency studies: (1) Delta Energy Nature, Mohali, and (2) Technical & Management Consultancy Center, Panchkula. Each LSP worked with the TERI team on two energy audits. The focus was on evaluating the current energy consumption levels, and on identifying energy conservation measures and new/innovative technological options that could further reduce production costs in term of energy consumption.

The following are among the critical observations made during the energy audits:

• Poor loaded electrical motors are used in the units
• Most of the drives are old, rewound and inefficient
• Poor power distribution systems lead to losses up to 6% of the total power consumption
• Inefficient and old types of lamps (incandescent lamps) and lighting (conventional ballast) are in use
• High flue gas temperatures (up to 680° C) and excess air (up to 10.4%)
• Inefficient use of air compressors and electrical ovens

The energy audits recommended a number of measures to increase energy efficiency in the concerned units, including the following:

• Use of optimum size energy efficient motors will save approximate 6% of electrical energy. [Note: This energy conservation measure has already been implemented and the results verified during the energy audit exercise]
• Use of energy efficient lamps and lighting systems with optimum utilization of daylight will reduce the electricity consumption by 9.5%.
• Energy efficiency of furnaces may be improved through:
  • use of controller for melting temperature and excess air
  • flue gas heat recovery in air pre-heating and in electrical oven
  • adoption of best operating practices by furnace operators
• Redesigning of power distribution system
• Best operating practices in material handling and operation

The improvements suggested by the energy audits would reduce electrical energy consumption by about 20%, and thermal energy consumption about 7%.

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