A study of current and possible future industrial engineering methodologies used to increase energy effieciency

Date
2012-12
Authors
Van der Merwe, Este
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Energy-related costs are increasing steadily. This is especially true in South Africa where we have been dealing with an energy crisis during the past couple of years. The increase in energy-related costs puts energy dependent industries under financial pressure. It is therefore imperative to find ways to improve the efficiency with which energy is being consumed in order to decrease the amount of money that has to be allocated to energy costs. The efficient consumption of energy at a facility is crucial and to increase that efficiency, Energy Management Programs (EMPs) should be implemented. An important component of EMPs is ascertaining the current energy consumption of a facility in order to identify areas where possible improvements can be made. This is done by completing an energy audit at the facility. After the energy audit has been completed and Energy Conservation Methods (ECMs) have been identified, the implementation of these methods should commence. The aim of this study is to determine how Industrial Engineering (IE) methods can play a more integral role in making South Africa more energy efficient. As part of this study, research was done to identify current EMCs being implemented in different areas and for different equipment in facilities. This information was compared to IE methods to identify the possible relationship between the ECMs and IE methods. Content analyses were completed on both IE and energy efficiency corpora using the Content Analysis Toolkit (CAT) program. These analyses identified important topics in these corpora and correlations between these topics in order to show correlations between the IE and energy efficiency fields. The most significant correlations identified, were between statistical methods and various energy efficiency topics. A case study was completed at a company in the Western Cape that manufactures electronic and integrated circuit products to implement the relevant ECMs. As part of the case study, an energy audit was completed at the facility. The implementation of a number of the ECMs has shown reductions in the daily kilowatt hours (kWh) consumptions. These reductions were obtained through the implementation of a Shut Down Management program, which highlights the importance of management in an energy conservation project. The application of optimisation algorithms for energy efficient design was examined through the optimisation of lighting design, using a Genetic Algorithm. It was found that a Genetic Algorithm is applicable to lighting design but requires further refinement in order to generate the most optimal design solutions.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kostes verbonde aan energieverbruik is voortdurend besig om toe te neem.Dit is veral relevant in Suid-Afrika waar ons tans ’n energiekrisis beleef. Hierdie toename in energieverwante kostes plaas energie-afhanklike industrieë onder groot finansiële druk. Dit is daarom belangrik om maniere te vind om energieverbruik meer effektief te maak sodat die bedrag geld wat aan energieverwante kostes toegestaan word, verminder kan word. Effektiewe energieverbruik by ’n fasiliteit is kritiek en om hierdie effektiwiteit te verbeter behoort ’n energiebestuursprogram by die fasiliteit geïmplimenteer te word. ’n Belangrike komponent van energiebestuursprogramme is die bepaling van die huidige energieverbruik en dit word gebruik om die areas te identifiseer waar moontlike verbeteringe aangebring kan word. Die energieverbruik word bepaal deur ’n energie-oudit. Nadat die energie-oudit voltooi en die energiebesparingsmetodes bepaal is, moet hierdie metodes by die fasiliteit geïmplementeer word. Hierdie studie probeer vasstel hoe bedryfsingenieurswesemetodes ‘n groter rol kan speel in die proses om Suid-Afrika meer energie-effektief te maak. Navorsing is gedoen oor energiebesparingsmetodes wat in verskillende areas en vir verskillende toerusting in fasiliteite geïmplementeer word. Hierdie inligting is daarna vergelyk met bedryfsingenieurswesemetodes om juis die moontlike verhouding tussen hierdie twee tipe metodes te identifiseer. Analises was gedoen in bedryfsingenieurswese en energie-effektiwiteitskorpusse met die gebruik van die ‘Content Analysis Toolkit’ program. Belangrike onderwerpe en verwantskappe tussen hierdie onderwerpe in die korpusse is identifiseer om sodoende korrelasies tussen die bedryfsingenieurswese- en energie-effektiwiteitsveld uit te lig. Die mees betekenisvolle korrelasies was tussen statistiese metodes en verskeie energieeffektiwiteitsonderwerpe identifiseer. ’n Gevallestudie is by ’n maatskappy in die Wes-Kaap wat geïntegreerde elektroniese stroombane vervaardig gedoen, om die relevante energiebesparingsmetodes te implementeer. ’n Energie-oudit is as deel van die gevallestudie by die fasiliteit gedoen. Die aantal energiebesparingsmetodes wat wel geïmplementeer is, het ’n verlaging in die kilowatture (kWh) teweeggebring. Hierdie verlagings is verkry deur die implementering van ’n afskakelingsbestuursprogram wat die belangrikheid van bestuur in ’n energiebesparingsprogram uitlig. Die toepaslikheid van optimiseringsalgoritmes vir energie-effektiewe ontwerp is getoets deur die optimisering van ’n liguitlegontwerp met behulp van ’n genetiese algoritme. Daar is gevind dat ’n genetiese algoritme wel toegepas kan word, maar dat dit verbeteringe benodig.
Description
Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
Keywords
Content analysis toolkit, Dissertations -- Industrial engineering, Theses -- Industrial engineering, Industries -- Energy Management Programs (EMPs), Energy conservation methods
Citation