The importance of energy consumption monitoring in industry
Energy is the driving force behind all industrial applications. In fact, energy is so important that the industry is near-obsessional about categorising and monitoring it. For instance, did you know that energy can be defined as direct, like the electricity used to power valves or indirect, like the steam used in an autoclave? Or that energy is also classified as permanent, intermittent, specific and significant?
Conserving energy by maintaining the most efficient processes at all times is at the heart of all these calculations. Here, PIF discusses the importance of energy consumption monitoring and explains how the installation of accurate metering devices, like Baumer’s intelligent FlexFlow flow sensors, can be a major shot in the arm for your operational efficiency.
Energy consumption monitoring
Significant energy is, well, significant in an industrial setting. Organisations striving for ISO 50001 certification – the international standard for Energy Management Systems – are required to identify areas of significant energy use (SEU). They define this as “energy use that represents a large proportion of the energy consumption and/or a considerable potential for improving energy performance”.
Energy consumption monitoring to determine SEU revolves around developing an energy audit and a metering plan. The audit provides a baseline view of current consumption and areas for improvement in the short term. A metering plan involves installing metering devices to assess energy consumption, and the effect of any systemic design alterations, over the longer term. For the latter, high-quality equipment is essential.
Energy efficient FlexFlow flow sensors from Baumer
Baumer is a market leading manufacturer of process technology, offering transmitters, sensors and measuring equipment designed to measure the parameters of pressure, temperature, fill level, flow and conductivity of gaseous, liquid, paste-like and granular media. Their longstanding expertise and state-of-the-art technology gives manufacturers the control they need to maximise their equipment performance and energy efficiency.
For any manufacturers seeking to improve their energy consumption monitoring and reduce their SEU, Baumer’s FlexFlow flow sensors represent a useful piece of the jigsaw. Take their FlexFlow PF20S flow sensor, for example. Designed with industrial applications in mind, this compact and robust sensor employs calorimetric principles to measure the amount of heat transfer in aqueous media to determine its flow rate.
In common with all their FlexFlow devices, the PF20S is also calibrated for taking temperature measurements too. So as well as a flow measuring range of between 10 and 400 cm/s, the PF20S is also capable of a temperature measuring range of between -25 °C and +150 °C. The upshot is accurate monitoring and feedback of several critical process parameters in one precise flow sensor.
Talk about energy efficient.
About Baumer
The Baumer Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and components for automated image processing. Baumer combines innovative technologies and customer-oriented service into intelligent solutions for factory and process automation.
With around 2,700 employees and 39 subsidiaries in 19 countries, the family-owned group of companies is always close to the customer. Baumer supplies clients across a diverse range of industries with vital benefits and measurable added value. They achieve this through high-quality standards and outstanding innovation.
For more information, visit www.baumer.com.
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