Importance of measurement accuracy for energy saving in HVAC processes

Abstract Today, globalisation and competition force companies to continuously discover and evaluate cost saving potentials and to define concrete actions to get a benefit out of the found potentials. Competiveness is crucial in the markets, where many suppliers and demanders for goods and services are acting. To secure the own position in high-competition markets, the net margins must be assured. Since prices are under constant pressure, the only possibility is to reduce the costs of produced goods and services by either increasing the efficiency or reducing the costs. This is quite simple to understand but very tough to implement. In order to comply with increasing quality and safety requirements for handled products for example food or drugs as well as with energy efficiency enhancement, it is mandatory to secure stable climatic conditions in HVAC processes. At the beginning of each process control loop there is a sensor, detecting the climatic parameter for example relative humidity (RH) and transferring the signal to a transmitter, which converts it and relays it to the Programmable Logic Controller unit (PLC). Hence sensors are a key element in each HVAC process system and should be carefully selected according to important criteria such as accuracy, stability and reproducibility. That way the requested product quality can be assured and operation costs reduced and last but not least - energy costs saved. 1. Introduction In most industrial processes the impact of the electricity bill is a major cost factor due to increasing energy costs. Consequently the costs of produced goods contain an increasing percentage of costs related to the use of energy in form of electricity. But why are the energy costs increasing? The answer is simple; the electricity exploitation became more expensive in the last years. Some so called green power technologies have a sub-optimal efficiency rate and high infrastructure and transportation costs too. Just think about the electricity distribution from a desert area to populated areas in the case of solar power or wind power generators in the sea. The environmental safeguarding has its price and this affects the cost per unit of electric power. Now, how to cope with this situation of higher prices for production factors such as electric power? The following example shall illustrate where and how costs can be reduced and at the same time the environment safeguarded. Example 1: Energy cost reduction in HVAC plants (general) Cost reduction means not just pull the plug, but optimise a whole process from A to Z from the energy consumption point of view. A HVAC plant is an excellent example to show how many and what factors are playing a role and how they can decide if the amount of the electricity bill will be terribly high or reasonable low.

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First of all, what means HVAC? HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) refers to the technology of indoor environmental comfort. HVAC system design is based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. HVAC is important in the design of industrial and office buildings, which are regulated with respect to temperature and humidity, normally using fresh air from outdoors.

Typical components of HVAC systems include dampers, supply and exhaust fans, filters, fan filter units, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heating and cooling coils, ducts and also various air parameter detectors, of which the most important are relative humidity, temperature and pressure sensors. This equipment is used either collectively or individually to provide processed air with a defined humidity and temperature level and keep it stable in production processes, storages, laboratories, clean rooms, office buildings, museums etc. The biggest opportunities for energy efficiency optimisation arise during the design phase of new facilities. It is generally cheaper to install energy-efficient HVAC equipment during the building construction than to retrofit an existing building. Therefore it is recommended to integrate the energy saving concept from the very beginning of the facility planning. The room for improvement in such cases should not be underestimated. As per experience we can say that 5 to 8 years of facility operation costs can easily reach the full amount of the whole investment of the plant. It is a matter of fact, that energy optimised processes excel by lower maintenance costs, less spare part expenses, less working hours for service and repair and longer life time of the HVAC equipment due to the use at minimum or medium load. Beside the operation and maintenance costs there is also the ethical point of view. Not directly and maybe not immediately, but fiscal relief can also bring some cost savings for example in the form of CO2 certificates. Last but not least and difficult to quantify in cash we should mention the positive image of a green company, respecting and safeguarding mother nature. This is of relevance, especially in some industries reputed as "dirty industry". Energy saving potentials: We distinguish different energy saving potentials, the ones with no immediate cost saving impact or payback and the others with an immediate or direct cost reduction impact. In general, energy consumption optimisation following an energy saving concept means to consider all kinds of potentials and all elements of the whole HVAC process chain that generate payback at short-, mid- and long-term. Potentials and actions with mid- and long-term payback: 1) Workplace schedules: Adjust workplace schedules to energy use during the hours there is most demand for electricity. If employees start working earlier or have lunch during the hottest hours of the day, savings on air conditioning, lighting and other electricity use are possible. 2) Prevention of solar entry: Prevent solar entry & air conditioning lost during the summer. Use shades & blinds to keep the sun out. Use light-colored roofing material and exterior wall covering for high heat reflectance. Incorporate outside trees to create shade.

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3) Prevention of air conditioning loss: Close doors & windows to outside to keep in cooler air (e.g. automatic door closer with spring). Close outdoor air dampers & check damper leakage. Use operable windows for ventilation during mild weather. Potentials/actions with short-term payback: 1) Exhaust fan controls These fan types remove processed air, which has been already processed and therefore "paid" to be cooled, heated and humidified. It would be favourably to install timers and switches to shut off the exhaust fans when they are not needed, such as when the building is unoccupied. 2) Maintenance of cooling equipment: Coils should be regularly cleaned, belts and filters changed and leaks fixed. The operation should also be checked for economiser operation mode as well as adequate refrigerant levels. Maintenance activities here can save up to 10% of space conditioning energy use! 3) Heating equipment maintenance: Leaky heating ducts should be patched and steam leaks fixed. Furthermore the blower coils and heat exchanger surfaces should be cleaned regularly. Other inspected elements should be belt drives, dampers, valves etc. 4) Humidifying equipment maintenance: Check regularly the accuracy of RH/T sensors (calibration and adjustment if needed). Inspect humidifier regularly (heating elements, check water levels etc.) 5) Reduction of air conditioning hours: Install time clocks to turn off the system when the building is unoccupied and shut off HVAC when not needed. Use HVAC night-setback controls. Adjust thermostat settings for change in seasons. Install separate controls for zones (e.g. meeting rooms, vestibules etc.) Energy-saving investments: 1) Measurement equipment: Measurements must up to 8 times more accurate as the final accuracy in the process field. This is due to the sum of tolerance chains of all equipment. Stability eliminates short and expensive check and calibration/adjustment periods. For cost efficient control, the measured RH/T values must be accurate and reproducible, independently if they are increasing or decreasing as otherwise control starts to fluctuate due to the sensor hysteresis. Result: measurement equipment should be evaluated and selected carefully and should match the final process field accuracy requirement. 2) Air filters: Dirty filters cost more to use, overwork (higher air volume needed) the equipment and result in lower indoor air quality. New filters are much cheaper at full cost consideration. Result: filter replacement schedules should be defined.
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3) Fan Filter Units (FFU): Moving air makes a high temperature/humidity feel comfortable. Fans can help delay or reduce need for air conditioning. So temperature might be set 3 to 5 C higher and each degree of higher temperature can save about 3% on cooling costs. Result: adaptation of fan filter unit drives, e.g. gear ration with new pulley can improve fan speed at same motor rotation; use variable speed drives for fast FFU speed adaptation; use variable speed for all FFU on ceiling (much more efficient than single control). 4) Maintenance & Service: As already mentioned before, maintenance is very important. This keeps HVAC systems running more efficiently. Result: a regular maintenance & service plan should be implemented. Example 2: Energy cost reduction in clean rooms thanks to accurate measurement The high-end measurement technology plays a more and more important role in state-of-theart clean rooms. Since product, operator safety and product quality requirements are the longer the more demanding it is a must to select suitable equipment before building a new clean room. Not only a stable and reliable production process but also in the aspect of economic and ecologic operation and maintenance is an important issue. Thereby it should be paid special attention to the accuracy of the measurement sensors. Very often the evaluation of measurement equipment is driven by purchase costs for the devices. This goes often at the expense of the measurement accuracy, reproducibility and stability. But just these characteristics are not only essential for a stable operation of the clean rooms, but allow also considerable cost savings in terms of energy. Unfortunately recurrent costs caused by operation and maintenance are not considered sufficiently in the capital budgeting. A full cost breakdown would show that an investment in high-end equipment pays off. A rule of thumb says that for controlling a process parameter the measurement has to be at least 6 to 8 times more accurate than the finally required actual value at the point of action. This leverage factor is caused by the cumulated tolerances over the whole process control chain. Measurement devices, controlling units, ventilation flaps, air humidifiers, fan filter units etc., all of these components have a own inaccuracy and adding all of these result is a leverage factor of 6 to 8. Example: In a clean room the relative air humidity (RH) shall be controlled with a tolerance of +/- 6% RH. If factor 6 is applied, the required accuracy of the RH sensor should be +/- 1% RH. With factor 8 even +/- 0.75 % RH! The problem is that only few measurement climatic sensors achieve such high accuracy levels. For such purposes, specific measurement technologies are required. For example, resistive electrolytic sensors for relative humidity or extra-sensitive, auto-calibrating membrane sensors for differential air pressure measurement. Figure 1 below shows the Tolerance fields of different humidity sensor technologies.

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Not only the accuracy and stability are important factors though but also the cost reduction potential of such sensors, which assure a stable control process and help to keep stable environmental conditions. The sensor accuracy has a direct impact on costs for osmosis water preparation needed for air humidification as well as the electric power consumption. Table1 below shows the cost costs comparison using different sensor technologies. Where costs can be saved: Optimisation of ultra pure water preparation for air humidification Extended lifetime of fan filter units Extended lifetime of air humidifiers Extended on-site calibration cycles Extended accuracy and stability check cycles Reduced maintenance e.g. replacement of air/water filters, ventilation flaps, dampers, humidifier electrodes etc.)

As result the marginally higher initial costs for high-end measurement sensors pay off after a short operation time. Thanks to a stable clean room environment the product quality stays high and the energy consumption is reduced.

Figure 1. Tolerance fields of different humidity sensor technologies

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Table 1. Calculation of cost saving potential using the optimal sensor technology Conclusion: Cost avoidance programs are no longer optional, they are necessary. A look at the system efficiency and not just at the unit efficiency is recommended. Even the most efficient humidifier may have a low performance if the sensors have not enough accuracy and stability or have a high hysteresis. No system can achieve the best efficiency if a mechanical system has dirty coils or filters that restrict air flow or loose fan belts, un-tight air dampers etc. Some of efficiency improvements are even at no cost, others will require some investment. However, implementing a maintenance plan, installing controls and upgrading equipment are good ways to optimise energy costs and keep the product quality high. But bear in mind that the saving potential varies according to the design of the system, the operation method, the control and monitoring and last but not least the operator competences. The more the energy saving concept is integrated in the daily process the higher the amount of savings.

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