Cutting Energy Waste: Smarter Power Quality Solutions for Manufacturers

The modern industry continues to grow at an exponential rate. This raises the need for better and more efficient infrastructure, including proper power quality. The latter, in particular, is highly relevant to the modern setting as rising energy costs are a matter of concern for manufacturers. Having excellent power quality plays a huge role in significantly curtailing this cost.

Furthermore, with an ever-increasing emphasis on sustainable methods of manufacturing and running industries, the onus is on manufacturers to ensure the same methods are applied to power quality as well.

Hence, proper power quality not only aids industries from a monetary perspective, but it also allows them to adhere to international practices of sustainability, which are unavoidable at this point. Furthermore, power quality also ensures proper functioning and longevity of sensitive equipment, further highlighting its importance.

Since power quality has become such an important metric, the focus of this blog is on common issues that hinder it, best practices, and solutions such as harmonic filters, and how these practices will offer excellent returns in the long term.

What is Power Quality and Why Does It Matter?

Defining Power Quality

In a nutshell, power quality is defined as a measure of how well the input electricity aligns with the ideal conditions required for the operation of equipment. This covers various facets such as current, voltage, lack of harmonics and the reliability of the power supply.

How Poor Power Quality Leads to Energy Loss?

Here are a few ways in which poor power quality can contribute towards major energy loss for manufacturers:

- Drop In Efficiency: Since the input is not utilized properly to its fullest extent, and, in fact, even to an acceptable level, it leads to a significant drop in energy efficiency, thereby requiring more energy to perform a particular task. If the power quality had been excellent, the same task would have consumed far less energy, making the system very efficient.

- Heat Losses: Poor power quality also means that a lot of input power is not utilized or is wasted. This waste is released in the form of excessive heat, also known as a heat loss. Apart from being detrimental from a monetary, sustainability and energy efficiency standpoint, it also has other adverse effects on equipment.

- Increase in Reactive Power: Reactive power is defined as the power that is not utilized by the equipment but is required to run the circuit effectively. Therefore, the more the reactive power, the more wasteful the electrical system. Poor power quality directly contributes to an increase in reactive power, a situation most manufacturers are keen to avoid.

Broader Impacts on Manufacturing Operations

Apart from the adverse effects mentioned above, here’s how poor power quality impacts manufacturing operations:

- Damage to Equipment: Due to the presence of excessive heat and poor energy efficiency, equipment is more prone to wear and tear as well as complete failure.

- Increase in Downtime: Since the equipment has an increased tendency to break down, it will increase the overall downtime and bring down the productivity of a manufacturing operation.

Common Power Quality Issues in Manufacturing

While the consequences of poor power quality is evident, this section covers the probable causes of it.

Harmonics

Harmonics are a phenomenon where there is a distortion in the waveform, causing disturbances in the input power. It is absent when the load is linear, that is current and voltage are proportional to one another. However, in most manufacturing facilities, the equipment is exposed to non-linear loads, leading to harmonics and poor power quality. Proper solutions, such as active harmonic filters, can help address it effectively.

Voltage Imbalance and Fluctuations

While both imbalance and fluctuation are prominent power quality issues, they are quite different in nature. The former occurs when voltages in a multi-phase or three-phase system are not equal in magnitude, whereas the latter occurs when there is a significant change in voltage over a certain span of time. Voltage fluctuations include sags, swells, and spikes.

Power Factor Problems

Power factor is a very important metric in measuring power quality. It is defined as the effectiveness with which a system utilizes the input power, and is measured between 0 to 1. Here, 0 marks the lowest power factor, whereas 1 marks the highest. Ideally, manufacturers aim for a power factor close to 1, somewhere around 0.9. However, due to harmonics or some other underlying issues, the power factor level is compromised, providing a clear indicator of poor power quality.

Monitoring: The Foundation of Smarter Power Management

The first step towards improving power quality in the manufacturing sector is monitoring. Here are two facets of monitoring:

Power Quality Audits & Baselines

1. An excellent way to conduct a power quality analysis is with the use of power analyzers. These are devices that are specialized to measure electricity and power in a specific system. As they monitor current, voltage and other metrics, power analyzers are an excellent tool to record common power quality issues such as harmonics and voltage imbalances. Lastly, they can also be used to monitor power factor, which provides a clear understanding of the overall power quality of the system.

2. By measuring all these issues and metrics, monitoring creates a clear image of the baseline energy consumption for manufacturers. With the knowledge of energy footprint, it is easier to address individual issues and watch the power quality improve in real-time.

Real-Time Monitoring Technologies

Some common tools that can aid in real-time monitoring of power quality include sensors connected to Internet of Things (IoT), and analytic tools that are powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Here’s how they can be implemented effectively:

1. Install the sensors on various panels where they can accurately measure different metrics within the system.

2. Integrate the sensors with the analytical tools to create a real-time dashboard that shows all metrics in an easy and quantifiable manner.

3. Set alerts for when certain metrics, such as power factor or harmonics, cross a certain threshold so that mitigation steps can be taken immediately.

Solutions to Improve Power Quality & Cut Waste

Power Factor Correction

Power factor can be improved in two ways: static power factor correction or dynamic power factor correction. The former method uses a fixed bank of capacitor banks, whereas the latter uses different means to achieve variable reactive power compensation. A classic example of this is a Static Var Generator, which is designed to adjust according to varying loads.

To implement these types of power factor correction:

- Measure the existing power factor of the system
- Select the type of power factor correction based on the type of load conditions
- Track the impact of implementing power factor correction

Harmonic Mitigation Devices

Since harmonics can cause overheating and create problems for equipment, the best course of action to address them is to use an active harmonic filter or a passive harmonic filter. Active harmonic filters handle the harmonics by sending a signal that is equal in magnitude but opposite in phase, thus neutralizing its impact. A passive harmonic filter is better suited for steady, constant harmonic distortions.

To accurately implement harmonic mitigation devices:

- Identify the source of harmonics, such as variable frequency drives
- Choose active harmonic filter or passive harmonic filter based on load profile

Smart Power Distribution Components

Smart power distribution components are used to reduce the overall reactive power within the system. Some common examples include capacitors and synchronous condensers, which are also a form of capacitors and are an expert solution in tackling reactive power within the manufacturing sector.

These devices are used optimally by:

- Survey and monitor the reactive loads acting on the circuit
- Add the compensation devices according to the nature and magnitude of the reactive load
- Monitor the transformer and conductor for losses

Advanced Approaches: Energy Recycling & Smart Integration

Waste Heat Recovery & Cogeneration

To further improve power quality in manufacturing, many are resorting to recovering waste heat. Waste heat refers to the excess heat generated during the operation of equipment. Nowadays, manufacturers are using technology such as on-site heat-to-power conversion that utilizes the wasted heat and converts it to electricity.

Smart Grids & Demand-Side Management

Another to further improve energy is by opting for strategies such as peak shaving and Volt/VAR optimization. Peak shaving is a technique to reduce power consumption by smartly reducing power in other areas so that the equipment with high demand can receive maximum power. Volt-VAR optimization, on the other hand, aims to manage voltage levels and reactive power effectively with the aid of voltage regulators and capacitor banks.

Measuring ROI and Long-Term Benefits

By careful monitoring of data and implementing the appropriate power quality solutions, one can reap excellent long-term benefits such as improved energy efficiency, sustainability, reduction in reactive power and more. Here are some solid ways to measure these metrics and benefits:

- A marked reduction in energy consumption costs. For optimized systems, this can be anywhere from 5 to 15 percent.

- A clear decrease in equipment downtime and an increase in overall equipment lifespan

- Significant improvement in power factor

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

Here’s a brief checklist of how the implementation of power quality systems will look like:

- Conducting an energy audit to know where the baseline power quality is at

- Identify the biggest problem areas, such as harmonics, voltage fluctuations, etc.

- Based on the problem areas, prioritize solutions such as active harmonic filters, capacitor banks, and so on

- Implement the solutions with the aid of the respective vendors

- Install monitoring and analytics tools to check the effect of power quality solutions in real-time

- Based on the monthly data, make changes accordingly

FAQs

1. What is power factor correction?

Power factor correction is the process of compensating reactive power by various means to improve power factor, thereby reducing wasted energy.

2. How much energy can power quality monitoring save?

Various studies have shown that manufacturers can see up to 5–15% reductions in energy costs via monitoring and correction.

3. Do harmonics really waste energy?

Yes, harmonic distortion can cause excess heat and energy inefficiency. This is why proper harmonic mitigation using solutions such as active harmonic filters or passive harmonic filters reduces energy wastage.

4. Is waste heat recovery cost-effective?

In a typical industrial setting, heat recovery and cogeneration can help turn wasted heat into usable power. This boosts the overall efficiency of the system significantly.