Abstract
A compressed air system (CAS) is one of the most common and energy-consuming systems in manufacturing. To practice more economically and environmentally sustainable manufacturing, manufacturers need ways to reduce the energy costs and carbon footprint, resulting from a CAS in their production systems. While preliminary energy studies on a CAS and on machining processes are available separately, existing research studies rarely analyze energy costs using a tool that considers both a CAS and production systems. Therefore, in this study, we propose an energy simulation tool that combines a CAS and a production system to evaluate the effects of a CAS and production parameters on energy consumption and costs at a factory level. In particular, we develop a time-discretized algorithm for simulating a CAS to accurately consider the dynamics of CAS parameters such as pressure and flow rate. From 48 simulation case studies, we show that changes in a CAS such as proper HP sizing, a reduction in compressed air leaks, and a decrease in the discharge pressure can increase productivity and reduce energy costs by up to 11%. The simulation analysis from this study suggests a way to help manufacturers and researchers find more sustainable ways to achieve energy-efficient configurations for production systems including a CAS.
Highlights
The industrial sector accounts for about 32% of the total energy consumption in the United States [1], making it an important factor to consider when analyzing economic and environmental sustainability
We consider the parameters V, L, PL, pressure (cfm) and (PU), CM, HR, sudden compressed air demand (CS ), and interarrival time (IAT) of parts for a compressed air system (CAS) and production system to see their effects on energy performance at a factory level
We proposed a time-discretized energy simulation model for a rotary screw CAS with the load/unload controls integrated with milling machines to estimate the power demand and energy consumption for a manufacturing system
Summary
The industrial sector accounts for about 32% of the total energy consumption in the United States [1], making it an important factor to consider when analyzing economic and environmental sustainability. The monthly electricity cost for manufacturers generally comprises an energy charge (monthly total kWh × USD/kWh) and a demand charge (monthly peak kW × USD/kW) When lowering their kWh consumption or peak kW, manufacturers can reduce energy costs and resource consumption since high demands from consumers require power suppliers to invest additional capital into the building infrastructures related to a power system [2]. Basic energy consumption formulas are available for calculating the kWh consumption of a CAS, but the operational aspect of a CAS along with a production system has not been studied well in the context of sustainable manufacturing. Researchers have applied simulation techniques to material removal processes such as milling and turning to evaluate the impacts of various production parameters on energy performances and to estimate the factory level energy costs [2,12]. It would be beneficial for improving the manufacturing sustainability with an energy simulation study including both a production system and a CAS to be conducted to see the combined and individual effect of each on the energy performance measures
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