- Energy is very scarce commodity particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. Cost of energy is spirally increasing day-by-day. Generally pumping installations consume huge amount of energy wherein proportion of energy cost can be as high as 40 to 70% of overall cost of operation and maintenance of water works.
Need for conservation of energy, therefore can not be over emphasized. All possible steps need to be identified and adopted to conserve energy and reduce energy cost so that water tariff can be kept as low as possible and gap between high cost of production of water and price affordable by consumers can be reduced.
Conservation of energy is also important and necessary in national interest as the nation is energy deficit due to which problems of low voltage, load shedding and premature failures of equipment's are encountered. Some adverse scenarios in energy aspects as follows are quite common in pumping installations.
Energy consumption is higher than optimum value due to reduction in efficiency of pumps.
Energy is wasted due to increase in head loss in pumping system e.g. clogging of strainer, encrustation in column pipes, encrustation in pumping main.Selection of uneconomical diameter of sluice valve, butterfly valve, reflux valve, column pipe, drop pipe etc. in pumping installations.
Energy wastage due to operation of electrical equipments at low voltage and/or low power factor.
Operating point of the pump is away from best efficiency point (BEP).
Such inefficient operation and wastage of energy need to be avoided to cut down energy cost. It is therefore, necessary to identify all such shortcomings and causes which can be achieved by conducting methodical energy audit. Strategy as follows, therefore need to be adopted in management of energy.
Conduct thorough and in-depth energy audit covering analysis and evaluation of all equipment, operations and system components which have bearings on energy consumption, and identifying scope for reduction in energy cost.
Implement measures for conservation of energy.
Energy audit as implied is auditing of billed energy consumption and how the energy is consumed by various units, and sub-units in the installation and whether there is any wastage
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