The first Electrex instruments were installed to monitor the energy consumption and Power Quality. In late 2011, the plant obtained the ISO 50001 certificate.
Over the years have been added other energy analyzers, multi-function sensors to monitor and manage the environmental parameters (temperature / humidity and lux) and systems that allow to set Energy Automation scenarios and functions.
The Electrex monitoring system at the end of 2016 is composed of more than 500 devices. The data is collected and stored by the Energy Brain – a PC based software and shared within the plant by Energy Brain Cloud – the cloud software.
The main projects carried out in the course of 2016 are related to the lighting control, the management of the coolers and heating and cooling systems.
A significant activity in the field of energy efficiency has been made on KPIs (Key Performance Indicator), correlating, through the use of the Energy Brain platform the energy consumption with the internal and external temperatures.
At the end of 2016 the of Energy Pillar Leader of the CNH – IVECO presented the activities undertaken in order to extend outside the plant the experiences and take them out in other companies of the group.
In the presentation illustrated the energy performance of the “Painting” operational unit. The process was divided into several areas (total 19) to allow a greater detail of the analysis.
As a first step were identified those systems whose consumption was linked to the outside temperature and for these we have developed a new tool called the the Energy Brain KPI.
In the images here below can be seen the systems of:
- environment heating / cooling related to the use of natural gas
- environment heating / cooling related to the use of technological heat exchangers
- environment cooling
From the “model area” of the “Painting” unit it was developed a second system that allows to correlate the consumption of natural gas, heat and electricity to the outdoor temperature (for example process and environmental CTA: Call-To-Action).
To control, manage and analyze such a big number of measuring instruments it was needed a dedicated server on which was installed the Energy Brain software for the collection and management of the data.
In parallel, it was used also the cloud version of the software: Energy Brain Cloud. It can be accessed and used online via any browser by the various members of “Team Energy” on a dedicated domain: www.energystabsz.it
Energy Monitor – Electrex Energy Brain Cloud
With the new correlation analysis tools between the consumption of natural gas for heating and the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the following anomalies have been identified:
- when the outside temperature increases, the internal temperature decreases;
- there are major fluctuations in indoor temperature;
- the consumption of natural gas are not aligned to the performance of the outside temperature.
Calculation of waste – Automatic KPI analysis
One of the causes identified is the continuous operation of the smoke extraction fans, not related to the operation of the welding areas.
In the following graph, for example, can be noticed the continuous operation of the smoke extraction fans, not related to the operation of the welding areas. This leads to high consumption of electrical energy and waste of hot air (pushed outside the building).
New projects planned for 2017:
- Destratifiers management
- Implementation of a system for the management of the offices temperature
- Setup of a mimic diagram for the visualization and control of outdoor lighting
- Pilot project involving extractor hoods
- Electricity storage systems
Electricity storage systems
Monitoring and management of the heating carrier in the various departments
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The Electrex Monitoring networks are the ideal solution for energy audits, continuous monitoring (e.g. ISO 50001) and for energy efficiency projects (e.g. EU-Directive 2012-27 and White Certificates or Energy Efficiency Certificates).
The Electrex systems are modular and can expand over time thanks to the many possibilities of connecting the devices (Wi-Fi, RS485, E-Wi, ExpBus, Ethernet, NFC), and of display and management of the data collected.
With a single system, you can keep track of all energy carriers (electricity, gas, water, etc.), of environmental parameters related to them (temperature, humidity, luminosity, CO2, etc.), of process parameters (compressed air , calories, level, status, etc.) and automate the management of ON/OFF switches, automatic adjustments, remote management, alarms and more to achieve the main objective: to reduce energy costs by optimizing production.
