Assessment OverviewLatex Paint Manufacturer
A team of students & faculty from the
IAC at the University of Delaware
performed an industrial assessment
for PPG Industries. The assessment
was sponsored by the Department of
Energy and was led by Center Director Dr. Keith Goossen, a faculty
member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. On
March 2nd, 2010 the IAC team employed a comprehensive assessment
methodology that considered energy,
waste, & process-related improvements. The team examined all large
energy-consuming equipment
&systems for potential savings. They
compiled a waste inventory & investigated the potential for waste
reduction or improved disposal/recycling methods. The team also
examined manufacturing processes
for potential improvements, &
emerging technologies were assessed
for potential contributions to efficiency improvements.
Applications
The assessment personnel of
the program identified and
evaluated opportunities to
conserve energy, minimize
waste and improve productivity. In this case important
opportunities for energy savings were found in lighting
upgrades, reduced consumption losses, boiler operation.
PPG Industries is a leading manufacturer of high performance and industrial coatings.
They produce a wide variety of products including marine coatings, automotive refinish, and industrial coatings in plants worldwide. PPG’s factory in Dover, DE
manufactures over 15 million gallons of latex paint each year.
Summary
Through the Department of Energy’s
Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)
located at University of Delaware, a
latex paint manufacturer was able to
realize a 23.9% reduction in electricity
and 83.4% reduction in natural gas,
resulting in a 34.6% overall utility cost
reduction.
Company Background
PPG Industries has a plant and office
in Dover, DE on 254,800 ft2, and
produces over 15 million gallons of
latex paint each year. At the time of
the assessment, the plant consumed
about 4,935,386 kWh of electricity
and 5,998 MMBTU of natural gas per
year. Existing plant Best Energy
Practices included an advanced electricity demand and consumption
monitoring system and wastewater
recycling and reuse.
Assessment at a Glance
-Implemented 5/8 of recommendations to save an
estimated $169,585 per
year
-Implemented recommendations to upgrade lighting,
optimize boiler operation,
reduce compressed air
losses, and repair steam
traps
-Payback periods of
implemented recommendations range from .4 to
7.1 months, averaging 2.6
months
Recommendations Implemented
The table below summarizes specific
recommendations that were made
during the assessment and were
implemented or will be implemented
in the near future. These projections
of savings & capital costs identified
during the assessment have been
established through engineering
analyses and research. As a result,
five recommendations were implemented by the company and are
listed below.
Not Implemented
Points of Interest
It was recommended to de-energize
the forklift chargers when not in use.
Currently the plant is considering
implementation of this recommendation which could save 2,330 kWh/year
in electricity consumption, reducing
the electricity bill by $190 per year.
Recommendations to improve boiler
operation and efficiency and reduce
steam losses combined to eliminate
over three-quarters of the plant’s
natural gas consumption each year.
These measures combined to save
the plant over 5,000 MMBtu in gas
consumption and nearly $75,000 in
gas expenditures per year at a cost of
only $5,000.
Implemented Recommendations
Assessment
Recommendations
(AR)
Annual
Resource
Savings
Service and repair mixing
dampers on the make-up air units 3,360 MMBtu gas
Total
Annual
Savings
Implementation
Costs
Simple
Payback
$50,300
$1,500
.4 month
Fix compressed air leaks and
implement leak check program
533,232 kWh
$43,192
$2,000
.6 month
Establish service maintenance
schedule for boilers
480 MMBtu gas
$7,180
$1,000/year
1.4 months per
year
Repair or replace failing steam
traps
1,164 MMBtu gas
$17,413
$2,500
1.7 months
645,000 kWh
$51,500
$30,000
7.1 months
$169,585
$37,000
2.6 months
Replace HID lighting with
fluorescent lighting
1,178,232 kWh
TOTAL
5,004 MMBtu