Boost energy efficiency
December 1st 2005 Condition monitoring systems can help boost not only the bottom line but also assist with improving asset and machinery energy efficiency ratings says Lisa Wilkinson, business development director, t-mac Technologies - the company behind the development and production of the condition monitoring, energy and building management system t-mac
Manually recording and monitoring conditions such as temperature, pressure, energy and flow can be a difficult task as it is not only open to human error but also differing judgment. It is also hard to predict what has caused an asset or machine, such as HVAC&R equipment or boiler, to malfunction without being on site to physically check how this has happened. It is here that condition monitoring technology, in the form of a building management system, comes to the fore taking on the time intensive and otherwise unworkable role of 24/7 monitoring and control.
The t-mac device is one of the new generation of Internet facilitated remote monitoring systems that can remotely monitor, record and provide critical readings and historic reports 24 hours a day/ seven days a week, on a number of criteria from temperature, humidity, pressure and flow to effluent, current and meter readings. While a data logging and reporting device is not a new concept, it is tmac's ability to automatically transmit remotely monitored and controlled information and allow users to access and easily analyse data via any Internet enabled PC at any time.
Energy and condition monitoring equipment such as t-mac, can be mounted directly onto or integrated within plant, machinery and HVAC&R equipment. It is then programmed to monitor the desired conditions, for example leaks and flooding or temperature and current fluctuations, and it will then send alerts to the site manager via SMS/email should the levels fall outwith preset criteria. It can also remotely shut-down machinery or turn it on if temperature levels, for example, become critical. It can also act an added security feature, sending alerts if machinery is operated out of hours.
Status data from the asset or machine and site emission, energy or flow information is gathered via analogue or digital inputs and then uploaded via GPRS (mobile network), Ethernet or telephone line at regular intervals, to a central server. Using graphs and tables, users can view information of equipment, machine or site conditions, associated wastages, energy and asset inefficiencies and costs by logging on to a secure web page through any Internet connection.
Proving energy efficiency
Condition monitoring devices can help 'prove' that sites are both energy efficient and managed responsibly, which is of particular importance in light of the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations for example.
These devices can also assist with undertaking energy audits to help identify authentic and often unusual energy saving opportunities, the Energy Saving Trust highlighted this in its recent study - monitoring energy consumption has an average payback of less than six months and an average return on investment of two hundred per cent.
Building management systems can account for the energy consumption of equipment through techniques such as: logging meter and sub-meter total gas, electricity and oil consumed within the building; measuring heating/cooling energy supplied to the building; monitor run efficiency of the water heater; and measuring the runhours of equipment that operates at a constant load. The t-mac device - listed on the Carbon Trust's Energy Technology List - is one of the few approved solutions that meets this legislation.
t-mac can determine and measure where and how much energy is being used over a specific period and compare it to annual targets. It can also provide users with the ability to identify opportunities to make substantial savings on running costs, for example by lowering a typical duty 22kw fan from 50 Hz to 40 Hz a user can save on average up to £8000 per annum.
Not only does t-mac's remote monitoring capabilities ensure equipment and site are controlled and managed 24/7, there is an immediate return on investment through the reduction in requirement for service engineers to undertake regular site visits to monitor critical conditions first-hand or employees hired to manually monitor site-based systems from a centralised location on a 24-hour basis. More articles from T-Mac Technologies: | 
