The process industry is set to significantly increase its
energy efficiency over the next 34 years, according to a study from ICF
Consulting.
The in-depth 456-page report predicted the energy consumption
of the following eight industrial sectors until 2050:
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Food and beverages
- General machinery
- Iron and steel
- Non-ferrous metals
- Non-metallic minerals
- Petroleum refineries
- Pulp, paper and print
These sectors are responsible for a quarter of the UK’s
total energy consumption and make up 98 per cent of industrial energy usage.
ICF Consulting forecasts that most of them will see a significant rise in
production rates over the next 34 years. This is despite all but the iron and
steel and chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors being on course to reduce their
energy consumption across the same period.
Achieving this impressive balance between increasing output
while reducing energy consumption relies largely on increasingly-sophisticated electric motor and variable-speed
drive technology.
Electric motors account for around two thirds of industrial
energy consumption. Installing variable-speed drives on motor-driven
applications such as pumps, mixers and conveyors allows users to enjoy energy
savings of up to 60%.
For example, reducing the running speed of an application by
just 20 per cent may use only half the rated power. This means that even the
smallest reduction in motor speed can have a considerable impact on energy consumption,
with payback on equipment cost achievable within a matter of months in many
cases.
Gibbons Engineering Group has been helping its clients in
the process industry save money on motor-driven applications for decades. We
have a comprehensive range of electric motors (up to
IE4) and ABB
drives available direct from stock for next-day UK and Europe delivery. For
more information, call us on 01621 868138 or email info@gibbonsgroup.co.uk.
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