Energy Saving Studies in Industrial Facilities

Efficient energy use is critical for the success of any industrial facility since reduced energy consumption through energy conservation/saving programs can benefit not only consumers and utilities, but society in general as well. In particular, reduced energy consumption generally leads to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants into the environment. It also helps reduce the operational costs in the facility. There is a strong need to take some energy saving measures in every plant/ facility. Although these may be quite diverse, some of these measures include thermal insulation, use of more efficient equipment, heat recovery systems, high efficiency lighting, changing the fuel, reducing the cost of compressed air, and enhancing productivity. In this study, some certain energy conservation measures are considered for assessing a packaging film manufacturing facility in Gaziantep, Turkey. Taking advantage of dry and hot climates of the city, cooling compressor inlet air by evaporative cooling technique is also assessed. Our investigation shows that there is a huge room for energy conservation measures. The total savings potential are expected to be 869,350 YTL (about $725,000) representing about 16% of the total energy consumption. The payback periods for the identified measures are justified. We believe that the results are typical rather than exceptional for the industrial sector in Turkey.