Applying insight from data holds the key to energy efficiency

With Net Zero targets in place and energy costs rising, leaders at industrial firms are under pressure to save energy without reducing output. Adrian Guggisberg, President of ABB Motion Services, explains how businesses can use expert analysis of data from digitally-connected motors to pinpoint where to target energy efficiency investment.

There is huge potential to improve the efficiency of the motor-driven systems that are used across industry. This will free up energy resources while also cutting costs. According to the International Energy Association (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2018 report, around 70% of the world’s industrial electricity is consumed by motors, which power fans, pumps, conveyors and other machines.

These applications offer plenty of scope to save energy. Many motors do not meet the latest efficiency standards or are “over-dimensioned”, meaning that they use more energy than required. Upgrading to a more modern, high-efficiency motor is one of the best ways to reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions. Another energy-saving tactic for some motors is to fit a variable speed drive (VSD) to control their speed to match the load.

When we surveyed 2,294 industrial companies around the world in February 2022, we found that 97% are already investing in energy efficiency and 65% are choosing to upgrade to equipment with best-in-class efficiency.

However, it can be hard to know where to target investment due to the sheer number of electric powertrains, which are made up of a motor, VSD and possibly also gears and bearings.

This is where a new breed of data-driven service comes in to offer expert analysis based on rich data from the field.

Digital technology is expanding the potential for analysis

Traditionally, many operators have used basic energy efficiency appraisals to identify potential for energy savings – and 51% of those surveyed were planning to do this. However, the drawback is that this requires an expert to visit site to gather data manually before making recommendations.

Because this type of survey is time-consuming, it is usually only applied to a few of a site’s largest motor-driven systems, which are typically regarded as having the highest potential for improving energy efficiency. Therefore, these traditional appraisals can overlook the huge untapped potential for improving efficiency on smaller, inaccessible or less obvious powertrains.

The latest advances in digital technology are overcoming this issue. It is now possible to deploy plug-and-play condition monitoring solutions on powertrains.

At one level, this supports remote monitoring and maintenance. However, it can also take monitoring to the next level by enabling analysis of energy performance across entire fleets of motors.

This data can be analysed by an expert in motor efficiency (without the need for a major investment in time) to reveal the electric motors with the most energy-saving potential across an entire plant. It may be possible to save energy by changing a motor’s usage schedule or changing its load if it is the wrong size. It may be necessary to upgrade another motor or match it with a drive to conserve energy. In addition, by comparing the cost with the energy savings, the expert can also calculate the payback period and enable the operator to prioritise the biggest wins.

It is an approach that can be deployed regularly over the long term for consistent improvement in efficiency. It may even benefit new or recently-installed motors, thanks to recent advances in motor design and in the case of incorrectly-sized units.

Swedish pulp mill upgrades six motors

One of the first industrial operators to experience this new type of energy efficiency appraisal is Waggeryd Cell, a Swedish pulp mill that was already leading its industry in efficiency and wanted to further improve its performance.

It asked ABB to evaluate energy efficiency using data harvested from its condition monitoring system, which covers its refiners, process pumps, fans and conveyor belts. Our energy efficiency experts reviewed the data under the framework of our new digital powertrain energy appraisal and identified the ten motors with most energy-saving potential.

After considering the business case, Waggeryd Cell took the decision to replace six of these to cut operating costs and carbon footprint.

Saving energy while maintaining output

With energy costs rising, demand set to increase, and Net-Zero targets getting closer, energy efficiency has vast potential to benefit industrial businesses. This type of data-driven approach is a smart way for them to pinpoint and prioritise untapped energy-savings.

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