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WINTER 2020
CHP RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY INSULATION As organisations With renewable being Pipe Insulation has coordinate their economic the energy source been selected for recovery from the global most resilient to a Grade 1 listed pandemic, CHP can COVID-19 lockdown Georgian spa deliver impressive energy measures, we examine hotel in Buxton. But and cost savings 9 four ways to digitalise your grid 29 why was it chosen? 32 EM-WIN20-EDF:EM-WIN20-EDF 16/12/2020 12:31 Page 1 EM-WIN20-PG03_Layout 1 14/12/2020 14:47 Page 3
CONTENTSCOVER STORY CONTENTS
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CHP RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY INSULATION As organisations With renewable being Pipe Insulation has coordinate their economic the energy source been selected for recovery from the global most resilient to a Grade 1 listed pandemic, CHP can COVID-19 lockdown Georgian spa deliver impressive energy measures, we examine hotel in Buxton. But and cost savings 9 four ways to digitalise your grid 29 why was it chosen? 32
Diesel Rotary Uninterruptible Power Supply NEWS Monitoring & metering Looking into the benefits of Power 26. Taking the right steps towards energy Continuity’s Diesel Rotary 4. Plans for underwater energy monitoring Uninterruptible Power Supply super-highway in development 27. Monitoring an energy 5. Project to develop near zero emissions self-sufficient water internal combustion engine announced reclamation plant
FEATURES Renewable technology To ensure that you continue to receive 29. Grid digitalisation: how your free personal copy of this Combined heat & power (CHP) COVID-19 is accelerating change magazine, please fill in the reader registration card, or register online at 9. Six reasons why CHP is good for business 30. Harnessing the ground’s geothermal www.connectingindustry.com potential 10. The hidden value of compressed air heat recovery 31. Keeping solar shining Energy Management is sent free of charge to individuals who meet the publisher’s strict terms of control. Building Management Systems Insulation
Annual subscription rates are: 12. Building-in digitalization 32. A kool solution for insulating historic building pipework UK - £45.00 14. Smart solutions for smart buildings Overseas - £103.00
Connecting Industry, London Road, 17 Eco power Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8LY 17. A volt from the blue: How electric vehicles Tel: 01622 687031 can give back to the grid www.datateam.co.uk
Registered in England No 1771113 Boilers, pumps & valves © 2020 Datateam Business Media Ltd 19. Energy efficient process heating
HVAC 21. Making district heating more sustainable 22. High ceilings, low energy 31 23. A sustainable approach to plate heat exchangers The statements and opinions expressed in connectingindustry/Instrumentation magazine are not those of the editor or Datateam Business Media Ltd unless described as such Lighting & controls 24. Let there be light! www.facebook.com/EMmagazineDatateam 25. Learning about the benefits of LED lighting @CI_EnergyMan
EDITOR ADVERTISING MANAGER CIRCULATION ENQUIRIES Rachael Morling Lisa Smith Tel: 01580 883844 Tel: 01622 687031 Tel: 01622 699179 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Louise Tiller Claire Noe Tel: 01622 699129 Tel: 01622 607963 [email protected]
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PLANS FOR UNDERWATER ENERGY SUPER-HIGHWAY IN DEVELOPMENT
east of Scotland, a hub for offshore renewables, “CoP26 will provide the perfect opportunity for down to two points in the north-east of the UK to showcase its innovation, progress and England, Selby and Hawthorn Point. leadership in tackling climate change and we are The east coast of Scotland is already home to proud to be major partners in the event. almost 1GW of operational offshore wind farms “We firmly believe the UK can achieve its with a further 4.4GW in the pipeline, and up to ambitious net zero targets but it must be done 10GW predicted following the outcome of the next through investment and innovation in essential Scottish offshore wind leasing round, Scotwind. projects like the Eastern Link, providing benefits Survey works along the route have recently for customers and society in the long term. commenced, with construction works currently “CoP’s success is, in part, thanks to the expected to take place from 2024. collaboration of sectors, industries and countries Three of the UK’s largest energy firms have Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of SSE, and we are looking forward to exploring this confirmed they are developing plans to deliver an said: “The development of the East Coast link is mammoth opportunity with SSE and national Grid.” underwater super-highway that will see the north one of the most exciting energy developments nicola Shaw, UK executive director at national Sea become the hidden power house of Europe. over recent decades. It is essential to delivering Grid, said: “This project will help transport enough The Eastern Link will be made up of some of the the UK’s 40GW offshore wind target by 2030 renewable electricity for around 4.5 million homes world’s longest subsea HVDC cables with a and critical to our own commitment to build a across the UK and will become part of the combined capacity of up to 4GW. The project will network for net zero emissions. backbone of the UK’s energy system. It’s a great be led by SSE, ScottishPower and national Grid, “With the eyes on the UK ahead of CoP26 example of companies working together on setting off from Peterhead and Torness. next year, this project clearly demonstrates impressive engineering feats that will help the The cables will significantly increase the how the UK is leading the world in tackling the country hit its net zero carbon target by 2050. UK’s capacity for clean, green, renewable power, climate emergency and supporting thousands of www.nationalgrid.com enabling enough electricity for around four jobs and supply chain opportunities.” www.scottishpower.com million homes to travel up to 440km from the Keith Anderson, CEo of ScottishPower, said: https://sse.co.uk/home
FIAT CHrySLEr AUToMoBILES SELECTS THE UK AS A TESTBED For EV InnoVATIon
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Kaluza, a leading times when carbon intensity is lowest and energy Mitsubishi Electric has announced intelligent energy platform, have entered into a is cheapest, without the need for a separate smart that SAV has become a Value Added reseller (VAr), joining the Memorandum of Understanding aimed at exploring charge point. At scale, this would enable drivers to manufacturer as a specialist provider how to deliver cheaper, simpler and more sustainable benefit from reduced bills, lower carbon emissions and of central plant rooms for heat EV charging services to FCA’s customers through a seamless in-app charging experience oriented networks and energy metering and Kaluza’s pioneering cloud platform. around their individual needs. monitoring systems. During the first phase of their partnership, the two A select group of Fiat 500 EV customers in the UK “At SAV, we’ve been pushing companies will develop a smart charging service for will be invited to trial the smart charging service hard over the years to lower heat Fiat 500 EV customers using the Kaluza platform. during the first half of 2021, and provide ongoing network design and operating temperatures, to improve efficiency The direct-to-car technology will leverage live data feedback through dedicated forums. and enable inclusion of more low from local grid operators to shift car charging to www.fcagroup.com carbon heat sources. Mitsubishi Electric’s heat pumps fit perfectly into this journey as heat pump CoPs Welcome to the Winter issue of SIEMENS POWERS are optimised in low temperature Energy Management, published as ZERO-EMISSION BUSES heat networks,” said Jan Hansen, the temperatures have started to director for SAV Systems. www.sav-systems.com drop, the heating’s being turned up, In partnership with Tower Transit, and the tumble dryer is working Siemens Smart Infrastructure has overtime in many homes – leading provided the charging infrastructure ByteSnap Design has launched an electric vehicle (EV) charging many of us to think about rising for 37 new fully-electric double division, Versinetic. The new division energy bills and climate change. decker buses in London. will provide a range of hardware, Just recently, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his ‘Ten Point Westbourne Park garage is software and consultancy services all Plan’ for a ‘green industrial revolution’. The plan includes such areas the operator’s first depot with under one roof for manufacturers of as: offshore wind production; the generation of low carbon hydrogen; fully electric routes with power EV charge points. advancing nuclear as a clean energy source; accelerating the transition infrastructure, maintenance and www.bytesnap.com to electric vehicles; research projects for zero emission planes and charging facilities. Here, Siemens ships; greener and more energy efficient homes and public buildings, provided 34 AC and four DC Sicharge Vital Energi is set to support heat and much more. Expected to create around 250,000 jobs, the Plan will units (AC22 & UC200), supplying network skills development with the opening of a £2million training help the UK move towards its net zero target. a total charging power of two centre at its Blackburn HQ. As can be seen in the pages of this issue, there are many ways to megawatts. Buses are recharged Gary Fielding, chairman of Vital reduce emissions and save energy. In this issue, for example, we find primarily overnight or during Energi, said: “As a company out: how Combined Heat & Power (CHP) can deliver impressive energy operational breaks via the AC22s. The dedicated to providing sustainable, and operational cost savings; why vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging could high-power UC200 DC charging- long-term heat and power solutions, tempt more drivers to purchase electric vehicles; the benefits of ground units provide fast charging. we believe it’s our responsibility to source heat pumps; and if heat exchangers are being overlooked when The Metrodecker EVs will save help close the skills gap facing our industry and support the workforce it comes to energy efficiency. more than 1,800 tons in greenhouse that is set to deliver the UK’s low- gas emissions well-to-wheel in carbon future.” Rachael Morling - Editor each year of operation versus a Euro www.vitalenergi.co.uk VI bus. https://new.siemens.com
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VERT TECHNOLOGIES RECEIVES GRANT FUNDING proJeCT To DeVeLop neAr Zero eMISSIonS FOR ENERGY HARVESTING TECHNOLOGY InTernAL CoMBUSTIon enGIne AnnoUnCeD edinburgh-based Vert Technologies has been awarded £60,000 from Innovate UK to fund the development of revolutionary technology to Heat management specialist, Zircotec, has announced its involvement harvest wasted energy from the UK’s natural gas distribution network. with Dolphin n2, now owned by fpT Industrial, and Brighton University, The grant comes from Innovate UK’s £134million Sustainable on a ground-breaking project to develop a new internal combustion Innovation fund aimed at helping SMes respond to CoVID-19. It will be engine that has the potential to transform the commercial powertrain used to optimise the company’s disruptive Conical rotary Compressor market with its near zero emissions. (CrC) technology for expander applications which can harvest energy Zircotec provides cutting edge thermal coatings and precision, from natural gas distribution systems. ceramically coated components, along with its patented encapsulated Large-scale compression stations have traditionally been used to heatshields that meet the very high demands of this recuperated split- drive the flow of gas through the UK’s fixed natural gas pipeline cycle, next generation engine. networks. However, as the pressure required by the majority of end-use Two versions of the recuperated split-cycle engine are being developed, applications is significantly lower, much of the energy added to the gas called Thermopower and Cryopower. Likely to run on diesel at first, the new by compression is ultimately wasted. technology is expected to significantly reduce the amount of fuel consumed. Vert Technologies believes its CrC technology can be adapted to recover The new collaborative project, a significant portion of the wasted energy and use it to drive an electrical called re-ArMD (recuperated generator. The company will use its Innovate UK funding to develop the engine – Advanced route to Conical rotary expander (Cre), in partnership with G-plus Technology. Market Demonstrator) will www.vert.co.uk demonstrate that it can also run on carbon-free hydrogen fuel. The engine separates the ‘cold’ Green enerGy DeAL CoULD See CITy of and ‘hot’ parts of the traditional LonDon CorporATIon SAVe £3MILLIon internal combustion engine (ICe). A first set of cylinders draw in A ‘pioneering’ £40million green energy deal could provide a blueprint air and compress it – in the for local authorities seeking to reduce carbon emissions and cut costs, Cryopower version, liquid nitrogen is injected at a temperature of almost according to the City of London Corporation. -200˚C to keep this process cool for maximum efficiency. The simpler The governing body of the Square Mile has signed a power purchase Thermopower omits the use of liquid nitrogen and uses water. Then the agreement with Voltalia – an international player in renewable energies compressed air passes through a recuperator, where the engine’s exhaust – to buy all the electricity produced by a new-build 95,000-panel solar heats it up – saving fuel which normally has to do this. The air now passes to farm in Dorset for 15 years. the second, hot cylinder set, which are thoroughly insulated – unfeasible in a The deal, the first of its kind in the UK to be signed directly between normal ICe where the same cylinder handles hot and cold processes. a renewables producer and governing authority, will enable Voltalia to The Zircotec coatings massively reduce the temperatures in the areas of leverage cash to build the facility, while saving the City Corporation the engine where heat is not wanted, reducing heat transfer, keeping the around £3million in energy costs. heat in the hot part of the engine. Through the retention of heat in the The solar plant will have a total capacity of 49.9 megawatts – enough to combustion cycle, significantly less energy is lost through the cooling power the equivalent of 15,000 homes – and will provide over half the City system, thus a high-performance efficiency is produced. The heavy duty Corporation’s electricity, powering buildings including its historic Guildhall thermal propulsion system offers fuel-cell levels of efficiency (55% Brake
headquarters, three wholesale markets and the Barbican arts centre. Thermal efficiency) and near-zero emissions (5% euVI nox). Jamie Ingham Clark, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Corporate The recuperated split cycle engine is relatively low cost and easy to Asset Sub-Committee, said: “This is a pioneering scheme which we hope will manufacture. It aims to compete with zero emission drivetrains, targeting lead the way for local authorities across the UK. It means they can play their long haul trucks (where zero-emission technology is least easy to apply), part in reducing emissions without the risks of owning their own energy 0.5-50MW distributed power generation (an area seeing rapid growth to firms or infrastructure and without the need for Government funding. reinforce electricity grids and balance out intermittent renewables), and www.cityoflondon.gov.uk www.voltalia.com mixed-mode rail. www.zircotec.com
BAXI HEATING COMMITS TO A CLEANER, GREENER, PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
Baxi Heating UK and Ireland, part of gases today. To tackle that figure and decarbonise existing homes by 2050, all BDr Thermea Group, has promised to new heating installations must be low carbon by 2035 at the latest according revolutionise the way we heat our homes to the UK’s official climate advisor, the Committee on Climate change (CCC). and buildings. The announcement coincides new builds will also have to have low carbon heating from the mid-2020s. with the prime Minister’s 10-point plan for Baxi Heating is committed to delivering low carbon solutions to homes a Green Industrial revolution and places and businesses and to driving down costs through innovation and product Baxi Heating at the heart of the ‘heating evolution – building on its ambition to make the world a better place for transformation’ that is required to achieve future generations. the UK’s climate targets. As part of the Green Industrial plan, the prime Minister has committed Karen Boswell oBe, recently appointed managing director, said: “our to create the first hydrogen heated neighbourhood by 2023, the first pledge is to be carbon neutral in all our operations by 2030, and to lead the village by 2025 and the first entire town by the end of the decade. Baxi phase-out of carbon intensive heating by ensuring every product we make Heating and BDr Thermea Group intend to be at the vanguard of this from 2025 will work with low carbon energy.” mission and are currently developing and testing one of the UK’s first The company has committed to a portfolio of cleaner, greener products, 100% hydrogen boilers. The boiler manufacturer has been working closely that will work with low carbon fuels by 2025, either directly such as with Government to trial hydrogen and other low-carbon heating hydrogen boilers, heat pumps, smart electric water heating and heat technologies. To date, Baxi Heating has been involved in the UK’s networks or hydrogen ready boilers than can be converted after installation. hydrogen taskforce, Hy4Heat, HyDeploy and USer projects. Baxi Heating plays a prominent role in the residential and commercial It has also recently introduced a new range of low-carbon heat pumps heating market, providing heating and hot water solutions to UK homes and to its portfolio of sustainable heating products, which will be targeted businesses. As such, it has a huge responsibility to drive positive change and towards a wide range of markets. These include new build and rural reduce greenhouse gas emissions. properties, supporting a UK wide aspiration for 600,000 annual heat Heating is responsible for 37% of the UK’s total contribution to greenhouse pump installations by 2028. www.baxiheating.co.uk
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE COVER STORY
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6 WINTER 2020 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT / ENERGYMANAGEMENT EM-WIN20-POWER CONTINUITY PG07:EM-WIN20-POWER CONTINUITY PG07 11/12/2020 16:38 Page 1 EM-AUT20-PCM PG17:EM-AUT20-PCM IFC 11/08/2020 14:57 Page 1 EM-WIN20-PG09_Layout 1 24/11/2020 12:16 Page 1
COMBINED HEAT & POWER FEATURE
As organisations Six reasons why CHP is coordinate their economic recovery from good for business the global pandemic, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) can deliver impressive energy and operational cost savings, while also supporting business resilience and sustainability. Hugh Richmond, CEO of distributed energy company Edina, explains
A number of tax and HP/cogeneration is frequently the 3. TAX INCENTIVES storage to access the most lucrative, financial incentives most effective energy cost reduction A number of tax and financial incentives fast response markets. increase the economic Ctechnology, particularly for sites with a increase the economic case for case for cogeneration. 5. BOLSTERING ENERGY RESILIENCE The most significant is high heating or cooling demand, where cogeneration. The most significant is exemption from Climate CHP can yield savings of around 30% exemption from Climate Change Levy CHP systems have a very high uptime – Change Levy (CCL) on and rapid payback of two to three years. (CCL) on natural gas input fuel and typically operating at 97% availability. natural gas input fuel So here are six benefits of CHP: self-generated electricity used on site. Sites with a reliable gas supply can benefit and self-generated This can provide thousands of pounds from a stable supply of power, heat and, electricity used on site. 1. HIGH EFFICIENCY worth of energy cost savings as CCL is if necessary, steam to keep operations This can provide CHP is almost twice as efficient as using one of the biggest green taxes. running smoothly. thousands of pounds separate grid power and individual boilers. Huge increases in CCL rates were Although most CHP units are set up worth of energy If correctly sized, cogeneration can achieve introduced in 2019 to replace lost tax to use a small percentage of grid power, cost savings efficiencies of up to 90%. revenues when the Carbon Reduction they can be run independently from the Since energy is generated and Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency electricity network in island mode. This consumed on-site, there are none of Scheme was phased out. CCL on natural ensures business continuity in the event the transmission and distribution losses gas increased by a further 19.7% on 1 April of power supply disruption. Alternatively, of transporting electricity from remote 2020 and will continue to increase sharply standby emergency generators, or battery power plants. In addition, these through to 2023, making the CHP storage can be used in tandem with CHP traditional, unabated power stations, exemption on gas even more beneficial. systems to ensure back-up power. generate a significant amount of To qualify for CCL exemption, waste heat. By contrast, CHP systems cogeneration projects must qualify as 6. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS recover much of the heat ‘lost’ during ‘good quality’ CHP under the Combined Due to its high efficiency and utilisation generation and use it to heat spaces, Heat and Power Quality Assurance of waste heat, natural gas cogeneration water, or in process heating. (CHPQA) scheme. CHPQA assured schemes can reduce emissions, with renewable By connecting an absorption chiller to a may also be eligible for preferential CHP delivering much greater carbon CHP system it can be used in trigeneration business rates and taxation benefits under savings. Government figures on the total mode to produce chilled water for use in the Annual Investment Allowance. carbon savings of the UK’s installed processes like refrigeration and process CHP, relative to fossil-fuel power 4. FLEXING POWER FOR PROFIT cooling, or for air conditioning. stations, were 10.47 MtCO2 in 2019. CHP systems are usually connected CHP systems can play a complementary 2. ULTRA-LOW FUEL PRICES to the network electricity supply to role alongside other low and zero Gas-fuelled CHP systems can generate maximise system efficiency and ensure carbon measures as organisations power much more cheaply than availability of power at all times. This work towards net-zero goals. Some purchasing network electricity because provides an opportunity to use power companies reinvest the substantial cash wholesale gas prices are so much lower flexibly so that grid electricity is savings from CHP in renewable projects than power prices and this long-term only used when wholesale prices are that may have a longer payback time. trend looks set to continue. cheapest. Self-generated power can As a market-leader in the supply, The latest UK government energy be used at expensive peak times. installation and after-care support of statistics reveal that the gas Spark Spread There’s also scope to generate CHP systems, Edina can provide flexible (the difference between the retail price revenue from flexible power capacity finance to support project delivery and of energy and the cost of fuel used to via grid-balancing Demand Side help power your future. generate that energy) is currently at its Response schemes, such as the Capacity highest in nearly 20 years – reaching a Market. CHP systems can also be Edina peak of 5.6 in the last quarter of 2019. used in combination with battery www.edina.eu
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FEATURE COMBINED HEAT & POWER
The hidden value of compressed air heat recovery
Atlas Copco looks into how recovering the waste heat from air compressors can help manufacturers lower their carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency
ocial responsibility is forcing manufacturers some can recover up to 94% of the to find new ways of reducing their carbon supply energy to the air compressor. Semissions and energy consumption. Although Air-cooled systems – which the use of low-energy light bulbs and automated cool compressed air using a lower heating offer some immediate carbon savings, pressure air stream – are common there is still pressure to reduce this even further. in small and medium compressor
Aside from the negative impact of CO2 systems. This warmed air can then production on the environment, there is also be used to heat buildings. The the financial burden of energy usage. For this energy-saving comes from a reason, manufacturing companies are actively reduction in heating purchased exploring ways to lower their carbon footprint from external sources. Unfortunately, and enhance energy efficiency. this saving can only be realised in the One area that offers a significant opportunity colder months of the year.
to reduce CO2 emissions is by recovering the Oil-cooled systems use a flow of oil to remove waste heat from air compressors. While this has heat from the compressed air. In a closed system, gained some traction in Europe, the adoption of the oil can be routed back into the manufacturing company was
compressed air energy recovery has been slower process. Heat is transferred into the able to reduce CO2 emissions by 260,000 tonnes in the UK, with the perceived complexity of heat manufacturing process in a heat exchanger, thus per year by using this recovery method. recovery systems contributing to the slow uptake. reducing the need for electric or gas heating. In addition, a packaging plant in Northern Nevertheless, research shows that significant Water-cooled systems can be open or closed Ireland found a different use for recovered benefits can be gained. The experience of those and circulating or non-circulating, with the energy. Greiner Packaging uses its excess already pursuing this strategy confirms this data. most useful being a closed-loop system with heat to contribute to the central heating Statistics show that compressed air typically circulating water. Water circulates between the system of a local secondary school. Dungannon accounts for about 12% of the total energy costs air compressor cooler and a process heat Integrated College has 600 pupils and uses for industrial manufacturers, and up to 40% for exchanger, resulting in a transfer of excess £40,000 of heating on an annual basis. In this some. However, 70-94% of energy consumed compressor heat into the manufacturing process, case, Atlas Copco installed Z-range oil-free by air compressors is recoverable. Without any thus reducing the need for heating. In a closed- screw compressors with water coolers for energy form of recovery, this energy is lost through loop system, water quality is strictly controlled recovery. Up to 80% of the electrical input energy radiation to the atmosphere or through cooling using additives, which prevents the build-up of is recovered as hot water. The school also
systems. The carbon equivalent of every kW of mineral deposits. As such, the system is efficient reduced its CO2 footprint by 200 metric tons
energy saved makes this a viable target for CO2 and clean and can remain operational for a long through reduced energy purchase. reduction measures. period without intervention. These case studies demonstrate both the Recovering heat from compressed air reduces environmental and financial opportunities of RECOVERING HEAT the need for purchasing energy; and it is this investing in compressed air heat recovery, yet
Compressing air generates heat. However, the reduction that results in lower CO2 emissions most industrial companies in the UK are still air must be cooled before it can be used. In and operating costs. Due to the high cost of to embrace and realise the benefits of the many systems, the air is cooled between energy, these savings can be significant in technology. Indeed, it is estimated that 90% of compression stages and then again at the end. terms of helping companies to meet their all industrial air compressors used in the UK Intercoolers remove heat between the first and carbon reduction targets and improve could be equipped with heat recovery systems. second stage and after-coolers remove heat manufacturing plant profitability. And, as stated above, 70-94 % of the supply after the second stage. energy to an air compressor can be recovered. But how can heat can be recovered in THE BENEFITS To illustrate the vast untapped potential of compressed air systems? Coolers remove heat By using an oil coolant in their ER-S5 energy compressed air heat recovery, it is calculated from compressed air using air, water or oil. They recovery unit, a Midlands-based automotive that the technology could save 1.99% of the work on a system of heat exchange. The air textiles manufacture was able to recover heat total industrial electricity consumption in the transfers heat to the cooling medium in a cooler from its air compressor outlet. Hot oil from the UK. If that statistic isn’t compelling enough, it designed for the compressor flow rate and energy air cooler transferred energy into the process via is the equivalent of removing the emissions transfer requirements. There are different types a steel plate heat exchanger. This gave them a from 913,000 diesel/petrol cars per year, or of cooling systems used in air compressors, each continuous supply of hot process water without recovering the energy required to power 1.544 of which has advantages and disadvantages, and any extra energy purchase. As a result, the million households’ electricity consumption per year. Now, if that isn’t a compelling case *Calculations are based on total industrial electricity consumption in the UK, and an average of for compressed air heat recovery, it’s difficult 10% of industrial electricity consumption being used by compressors. to say what is. *Approximately 70% of energy is recoverable from oil-injected screw compressors, and up to 94% from oil-free water-cooled screw compressors. Atlas Copco www.atlascopco.com
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FEATURE BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
BUILDING-IN DIGITALIZATION Smart buildings are the wave of the future and not only for environmental reasons, as Andreas Schneider, CEO, EnOcean, explains
he idea of ‘sustainability’ has been around keeping with a smart building or smart for several decades, with its three pillars – home. Standardized interfaces and open Ecology,T the Economy and Society – varying wireless standards like those specified by in emphasis. But, sea levels continue to rise, the EnOcean Alliance, Bluetooth SIG and polar ice caps are melting, rain forest habitats Zigbee Alliance form the basis for this. are disappearing, and devastating fires are As an example, Thermokon, a member raging. However, COVID-19’s lockdowns have of the EnOcean Alliance, supports given the world a glimpse of clearer skies, customers all over the world with quiet and unpolluted roads, and more people climate-friendly solutions that supply using green spaces. The global pandemic may optimal room temperature, hot water, just enable things to come together in a electricity and good air quality in equal measure where an algorithm controls occupancy. radically different way – to the point where for human environments. In the future, all This approach can reduce the cost of space, the ‘Sustainability Triangle’ gets equilateral. systems will be networked, making them even especially in expensive urban locations. And many of the technologies that will make more efficient and comfortable to operate. Advantages under coronavirus measures are this happen are already in place. The pending energy transition can be managed obvious with the drive to manage increased Take the example of energy harvesting only with future-oriented energy systems. home working and for workplaces to switches and sensors in building automation Networked and smart devices are almost implement measures such as social distancing, from EnOcean. They are environmentally indispensable in this regard. At its heart, the track-and-trace and antiviral hygiene. friendly because the technology does not Thermokon solution consists of a scalable It has also recently become recognised that
require batteries or wires and therefore microservice architecture, which enables the CO2 monitors could significantly help to mitigate doesn’t pollute the environment. They are company to respond quickly and flexibly to the coronavirus threat itself. There is increasing economical because battery-free wireless changes and customer or partner requests. evidence that carbon dioxide levels in buildings sensors are significantly cheaper in the long Another key element is the use of an IoT Hub correlate strongly with the airborne spread term. They benefit society because people can for the secure and reliable connection of, of infection, so monitoring the workplace air
live and work better and healthier in smart and communication between, the devices and quality to determine the levels of CO2 in buildings. And, they make buildings greener the cloud. Older heating systems are being meeting spaces is highly beneficial.
and help to reduce their CO2 emissions. retrofitted for communication with the hub, To achieve this, CO2 monitoring devices need Based on this innovation, sensor and switch and new equipment generations will be to be dependable and easy to place. Wireless,
manufacturers, digital platform operators, connected directly to the IoT platform. battery-free CO2 sensors are the solution system integrators, gateway producers and Installers and end users can set such things and ideally need to be connected, for example,
automation companies form partnerships to as heating times and desired temperatures on to trigger alarms when CO2 concentration create ‘smart spaces’ – whether this is in office their smartphones. The compatible heat pumps goes above a certain threshold, sending alarms buildings, at home, in hotels, in retail and in can also be networked with myriad devices to building management networks, or to medical facilities. There are many ideas to from other manufacturers and be automated smartphones via wireless networks. make rooms smarter, safer and healthier and, collectively. For example, a temperature sensor LOOKING TO THE FUTURE at the same time, reduce CO2 consumption. measures the current room temperature for Smart, networked use of existing buildings demand-driven individual room control. Even when the pandemic restrictions are and infrastructure will make a balanced triangle. removed, benefits continue, with attractive While technology cannot be the sole answer, REDUCING BUILDING EMISSIONS and healthy work environments proven to when combined with other factors, digitalization Due to the legal requirement to lower carbon increase employee productivity. supports this change and makes it easier for footprints, companies are obliged to lower Smart buildings are the wave of the future and
people. After all, digitalization supplies data for their energy consumption and reduce the CO2 not only for environmental reasons. The ability new workplaces and living environments. emissions of buildings, with a logical step being to charge electric cars must be provided, while to invest in a smart, radio-based heating control demographic change requires new approaches to ENERGY MANAGEMENT system. At first glance, this pays off only where looking after people in need of care, and crowded
Buildings account for one third of all CO2 energy consumption is concerned, but in fact it is conditions in cities demand better use of space. emissions in Germany and the EU, so the an initial step toward digitalized building spaces Raw data collected by millions of sensors can energy savings potential is equally high – for and thus offers additional savings potential. be the solution for all these scenarios. This
example, with smart building control in If a certain basic infrastructure consisting of data forms the basis for energy efficiency, CO2 residential and commercial structures. radio-based sensors, gateways and actuators reduction and better use of resources. To meet the energy efficiency standards is already in place, the system can be easily Considering the large number of sensors mandated by national, international and expanded. One common application is to required, these devices must be standardized, provincial legislation, networking and smart optimise the use of rooms in commercial radio-based, self-powered and easy to retrofit. building control facilitate digitalization of heating buildings. For example, if 30-40% of the desks The energy harvesting technology from and air-conditioning systems by providing remain unused on a regular basis, it is worthwhile EnOcean enables new and existing buildings to information about a building’s actual energy to introduce a hot-desking concept. To do this, be sustainably digitalized and made smart – efficiency. Likewise, conformity to regulations additional presence sensors are needed that without any cables or battery waste. dictates that the various disciplines must be record the presence of people in a room or at a intelligently interconnected and digitalized in desk and send this information to the cloud, EnOcean www.enocean.com
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FEATURE BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
three-piece connector, even when working with CAT6 cable. This makes terminations faster, simpler and more SMART SOLuTIOnS consistent, whether using CAT5e, CAT6 of CAT6Acables. Conductor wires do not need to be accurately trimmed to for smart buildings a specific length; instead, installers simply need to remove an appropriate section of jacket, remove the centre Smart technology is proven to reduce energy consumption. Brett spline (if present), untwist the pairs into the right order, and trim the ends Smyth, general manager of Ideal Industries EMEA, explains how flat. The cable can then be slid into the consistent and compliant data network terminations can help connector until seated. The unit has been designed with open ends that allow conductors to be ntroducing smart technology tailored completely fed through the connector to meet a building’s occupancy patterns before crimping. The cable can be andI the tenant’s commercial requirements pushed into the connector to ensure is a proven strategy for reducing energy the twisted pairs are as close to the pin consumption and avoiding energy waste. contacts as possible, and that the jacket We have come a long way since the is seated beyond the primary strain days of basic timers and PIR sensor relief for a secure connection. Thanks to lighting control systems, with smart the clear connector design, the installer building networks that are both flexible can then visually inspect and verify the and programmable to ensure they can correct wiring order, ensuring greater be adapted to changing needs. However, accuracy and fewer errors during the with increasingly sophisticated smart installation process. building systems comes a requirement for Once the wires have been fed through, increasingly complex data networks, and Designed to completely will not be evident until the system is the installer can pull the cable into the installing those networks requires a large re-think the traditional tested. Finding the issues on the plug, allowing the twists to be pulled to number of terminations. RJ45 assembly and network at this point can be a needle- the front of the connector. This provides Each termination requires attention to crimping process, IDEAL in-a-haystack exercise. better radio-frequency performance and detail to ensure a robust and compliant Industries’ FT-45 If the conductors are too long, minimal untwisting. solution allows installers connection. In a multi-storey office meanwhile, there is a risk that the pairs The versatile FT-45 Crimp Tool designed of smart networks to block, any smart building installation or speed up and simplify could be left exposed outside of the plug to be used with the IDEAL Industries retrofit project is likely to involve the termination of body or cable jacket. This not only looks Ft-45 Modular Plugs further enhances multiple operatives carrying out the RJ45 plugs sloppy, but could also hinder performance the right-first-time consistency of this terminations, and consistency can be on the network. In this scenario, the approach. With a single crimp cavity for compromised by individuals working conductors can also move out of place; an RJ-45/8-position connectors, it is capable with varying standards of quality. Time issue that is likely to remain unnoticed of crimping Ideal Feed-Thru standard, pressures can also jeopardise quality until the cables are tested. shielded, and unshielded connectors for and consistency, with tight programmes To overcome both of CAT5e, CAT6 and CAT6A cables. The causing terminations to be rushed. these potential data installer simply squeezes the handle to When consistency and compliance are network termination the closed position to cleanly shear the compromised, identifying the issues, contractors need to excess conductor wires and leave a terminations on the system that adopt a technique that will smooth, flat finish – crimping and need to be rectified can be an offer complete consistency cutting the cable in a single action. onerous and time-consuming for every termination, task. The answer, regardless of the number of A PROGRESSIVE APPROACH therefore, is to ensure installation operatives involved, To make it easier for installers to switch terminations are without increasing the time from conventional RJ45 connections to carried out in a way needed to complete the work. It was FT-45 system, IDEAL Industries has that guarantees best these requirements that led to the introduced two new FT-45 kits. These practice and consistency, development of IDEAL Industries’ FT-45 include the FT-45 modular crimp tool, regardless of the number of Feed-Thru modular plugs and crimp tool. the IDEAL PrepPro cable stripper and the operatives and time pressures on site. IDEAL Data T-cutter, along with a choice THE BENEFITS of either 50 unshielded connectors or 25 INSTALLATION ISSUES The FT-45 kits include Designed to completely re-think the unshielded and 25 shielded connectors. Data networks require field-termination of the FT-45 modular crimp traditional RJ45 assembly and crimping The speed, simplicity and consistency CAT5e, CAT6 of CAT6A cables using RJ45 tool, the IDEAL PrepPro process, IDEAL Industries’ FT-45 solution the system offers makes FT-45 a popular modular plugs. The more complex the cable stripper and the allows installers of smart networks to choice for installers, linking a progressive network, the greater the number of RJ45 IDEAL Data T-cutter, speed up and simplify the termination approach to installation with the assemblies and terminations required. along with a choice of of RJ45 plugs by eliminating the need progressive smart technology that is Conventional installation methods either 50 unshielded to trim conductors to a precise length helping to reduce energy consumption require conductors to be trimmed to an connectors or 25 before inserting the cable into the plug. in our built environment. exact length before the plug is placed unshielded and 25 The Feed-Thru Modular Plugs are onto the cable. If the conductors are too shielded connectors single-piece connectors, so there is IDEAL Industries short, circuits will remain open, but this no need for installers to assemble a www.idealindustriesemea.com/en.html
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