Energy Analysis and Diagnostics: A Computer Based Tool for Industrial Self Assessment

Abstract

The United States has a high per capita consumption of energy when compared with other countries in the world. In order to remain competitive in the "global marketplace", US manufacturing must extract the highest percentage of productive energy from each BTU of energy produced. This paper describes the design and development of a computer based tool (ENERGEX) which aids the industrial user in developing energy conservation opportunities (ECOs) in plants. The software system is capable of recommending ECOs in areas such as boilers, motor selection, analysis of belt driven systems, destratification, insulation of heated surfaces, and air compressor operation. The system has been designed so as to query the industrial user on aspects related to the plant, from which the most appropriate ECO list is and presented for further analysis. The paper describes the design of the software system, elements of knowledge base design, data transfer, and input/output design.