Track plant energy use and pinpoint opportunities
To improve plant energy performance, operators must first grasp how energy is being used by each process unit. By visualizing and tracking the energy consumption in each unit, inefficiences can be identified and located (photo). This company’s Energy Performance Analytics software uses energy performance indicators to track how energy is being consumed in a plant, and identifies gaps between targets and actual performance to help users identify countermeasures that can improve energy performance and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The software runs on a workstation that is connected via an inerface to the control systems, giving it access to pressure, temperature, flowrate and other plant data. It uses rigorous first-principle models to track energy flows and calcuate the energy performance for each process uint and individual piece of equipment, such as turbines, boilers and others. The software also compares actual performance against expected energy performance to pinpoint underperforming units and equipment. — Yokogawa Electric Corp. Newnan, Ga.