London and Scandinavian Metalurgical Co Limited (LSM) is one of the leading producers of materials for the global metals industry, exporting over 70% of its production. They have a large number of energy intensive applications on site to produce metal alloys for industry as well as aluminium rod and optical powders.
LSM had started putting together a team to work on energy saving measures and asked E9 Limited to undertake an energy review of parts of the site through the BAT3 programme.
Dr Paul Cooper, Quality and Environmental Manager at LSM said “We had already had a Carbon Trust energy survey done and we wanted to look in more detail at some of the areas covered and to cover other areas we felt had been overlooked.”
“We talked with E9 and NAMTEC and decided that the BAT3 programme could help us pin down some of the areas that we could make efficiency savings.”
This was a wide ranging survey encompassing compressed air systems, extraction and filtration systems, heat recovery, plant efficiency as well as general energy efficiency measures. E9 used a number of different techniques including electrical measurement, thermography and ultrasonic survey to investigate different aspects of the production processes.
“It is important for us to not only do the measurement on site but also to understand the processes on site. You can learn a great deal simply by talking to operators and managers and understanding the operating procedures and parameters” said Marius van der Colff of E9 Limited.
At the end of the survey E9 provided LSM with a number of energy saving measures along with action plans for their implementation. The measures ranged from introducing new technologies to expanding the use of technologies already used on-site and some simple practical controls to reduce electricity consumption.
“The energy review helped us to define the issues on site and gave us good practical ideas which we can take forward.” said Dr Cooper.
Notes
NAMTEC is a not for profit organisation established to increase the competitiveness of the UK metals industry. Services include a technical helpline, signposting to the science base and project management. NAMTEC is financed by the Department of Trade and Industry, Yorkshire Forward and the European Union’s Objective One Programme.
E9 Limited operates from bases in Coventry and Sheffield, offering a range of industrial consultancy products and services. E9 supports industrial and manufacturing companies through development and change by implementing continuous improvements to company operations through a range of management and technical products and services.
