CASE STUDY: Sustainability Rebate for Manufacturer

Challenge:

A manufacturing facility had several hundred sensors in their plant. The plant manager loved the idea of automating the monitoring of their steam traps but was having a difficult time getting budget for the project.

He knew how much time it took to do inspections and was pleased with the thought of potentially saving between $50,000 and $250,000 in energy costs per year but submitting a range of saving was not tangible enough for his management.

The cost savings as well as time and energy add up to a significant amount.

Solution:

Once the rebate amount was authorized he got the go ahead immediately to install Pulse monitors on all steam traps. It only took 2 days to install the entire system and they are now monitored in addition to tracking a number of other mechanical processes on the floor.

During the installation of the monitors they found a failed trap and since then they were notified of another failure. They know they would not have found either failure for many months and love the idea that the system is running more efficiently. Once the system had been in place for some time they realize how many other benefits they derive from remote monitoring of their system.

“I think it’s great that our gov’t has put these incentives in place. Every company should participate!”

Benefits:

• They were eligible for a state environmental rebate of $200 per sensor so the install cost very little

• They are calculating the amount of energy they are saving and did not have to shut down the system or spend much time installing at all, the system has paid for itself in a very short time

• Energy savings measures and sustainability initiatives are now part of their company KPIs

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USE CASE : University Enjoys Steam Health Benefits

Challenge:

Many universities use steam to heat their buildings. They like that steam heat is the most efficient and healthy type of heat for the buildings.

The humidity of the heat helps allergy sufferers. They are also quieter and the heat is more evenly distributed. However up to 96.5% of their greenhouse emissions are generated in the process. Many now have action plans focused on reducing those.

Up to 96.5% of their emissions come from their campus building’s heating system

Solution:

We always suggest starting with trying to reduce the number of failed traps in the system. We know that inspections can be challenging due to privacy laws and timing factors. By installing monitors on all stream traps after the term was over and students had moved out means universities can take their time and not have to bother anyone in class or in their living accommodations.

While installing the monitoring system they should also do a complete audit of steam pipes in the buildings and add a number of new safety procedures to ensure students were warned of temperature risks

Student health and safety is of utmost concern to school employees. Remote monitoring is key

Benefits:

• They are often able to retrofit their heating system with a Pulse wireless automated monitoring system for a very small amount of money

• Students will retain their healthy heating but in a safer, more efficient system

• Students will not be required to vacate their living or studying spaces to allow upgrade

• The university is able to add the saved CO2 emissions to their environmental sustainability success plan

• University maintenance will no longer worry about failing their annual steam system inspection and can plan their repairs ahead of time

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CASE STUDY: Medical Centre Safety Concerns for Maintenance Crew

Challenge:

A large medical clinic has thousands of traps throughout their many buildings. These are so integral to their operations that they have maintenance crews that check critical locations every 2 - 3 hours.

Some are located in hard to access spots which prove challenging for inspectors, even to the extent that sometimes workers can get burnt trying to get temperature readings to assess functionality.

Steam trap inspections took upwards of 5 hours per day.

Solution:

Monitors were installed on all steam traps and connected via LoRaWAN network to collect temperature and sound readings remotely. Failure alerts are now sent to maintenance department who can schedule repair at a time that is convenient to clinicians as well as operations. They have started doing failure trend analysis to be able to proactively calculate energy savings and resource allocation. Safety committee is thrilled with the new approach and has implemented mandatory training for specialized individuals who maintain HVAC system as well as steam.

“The amount of time we used to spend doing inspections was prohibitive. The steam system is an essential service.”

Benefits:

• Crews that used to do inspections every 2-3 hours are now working on a number of projects that had to be sidelined due to lack of time

• System is running smoothly and failures can be attended to immediately

• They have seen a reduction in their energy costs

• They no longer have to deal with process interruptions due to invasive inspections

• Safety infractions are now a very rare occurrence

• Exception reports and failure alerts mean they don’t need to watch dashboard all the time

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Read more on how Pulse helps hospitals make their steam system more efficient, safer and more reliable