An ABB variable speed drive solution has reduced the power consumption of the Valorsul waste-to-energy plant in Portugal by 9 megawatt-hours a day, equivalent to a saving of $320,000 a year at current energy prices. Valorsul processes the waste of Lisbon and much of western Portugal into valuable electrical energy, producing enough electricity to power a city of 150,000 inhabitants.

One-fifth of Portugal’s waste is processed and converted into electricity at the Valorsul waste-to-energy plant. Located on the outskirts of Lisbon, the plant recovers the solid waste of 19 municipalities in the capital and western Portugal, and turns it into 50 megawatts of electricity – enough to meet the needs of a large city.

Looking for ways to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the plant, Valorsul identified six fans with a high energy saving potential: three induced draft (ID) fans and three secondary air fans.

Please click Case Study by ABB for details.

The medical gases department of MTE Verifylab provides air and medical oxygen to hospitals and clinics. Their plants at these medical facilities are relied on to provide a steady and uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen. Recently, MTE Verifylab completed a project for 10 clinics operated by one of Columbia’s largest healthcare providers. Their innovative solution called for centralization of the data acquisition and the quality reporting functions at a telemetry facility in Bogatá, thereby eliminating the need for technical staff at each location. This reduced monthly operating costs 25%.

To ensure an uninterrupted 24/7 supply of medical oxygen, MTE Verifylab employed a two-level contingency system in addition to their main PSA generation supply system: cryogenic tanks and oxygen manifolds. As the operating costs for this PSA technology are up to 55% lower compared to these other contingency systems, a main goal is to maximize its use without incurring any risk of a cutoff in the supply of medical oxygen to the patients at these facilities. This requires real-time monitoring of every variable and automated switching between supply systems.

Please click Case Study by Yokogawa to download

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (27 March 2012) – The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces that it has produced a new technical publication, Foundation Fieldbus, Fourth Edition, by Ian Verhappen and Augusto Pereira.

The fourth edition of Foundation Fieldbus significantly expands the subject matter of the earlier editions of this popular book, not only to help readers stay current with this evolving technology, but also to enhance their understanding of Fieldbus. This edition provides in-depth coverage on Fieldbus communications and configuration, including calculation of macrocycle for Control-in-Field and in the host system and how the different forms of communication on the H1 Network work with each other to make Control-in-Field possible, including the use of these different methods to optimize network bandwidth.

More comprehensive step-by-step procedures are discussed for each stage of a typical Foundation™ Fieldbus installation: inspection and electric commissioning to ensure cable integrity, H1 Network commissioning, configuration and communications tests in the segments and spurs. Several new photographs and explanations help emphasize the proper installation procedures so readers can quickly identify and prevent potential problems when installing Fieldbus systems.

Passive Energy Efficiency is regarded as the installation of countermeasures against thermal losses, the use of low consumption equipment, and so forth.  It is vital, but insufficient, to make use of energy-saving equipment and devices such as low-energy lighting. Without proper control, these measures often merely militate against energy losses rather than make a real reduction in energy consumed and in the way it is used.Everything that consumes power must be addressed actively if sustained gains are to be made. This includes changing the culture and mindsets of groups of individuals, resulting in behavioural shifts at work and at home, but clearly this need is reduced by greater use of technical controls.

Please click White Paper by Schneider Electric to download the paper