To make progress on the path to sustainability, one must pay attention to the auxiliary processes: plastic pipe specialist Hewing is launching a new production line and requires more cooling water than before. But does this also mean higher energy consumption? Not necessarily: with energy optimization and intelligent pumps, there is still significant efficiency potential in fluidics. Read how Hewing arrived at an efficient pump solution that pays for itself in less than three years and benefits both the wallet and the environment.

To produce, one must make an effort. Thus, the plastic pipe specialist Hewing expects an increased need for cooling water as part of a production expansion. Instead of simply adding a third unit to the two installed unregulated centrifugal pumps, the plant operator brought in Grundfos industry partner and pump specialist Hermann Reckers GmbH & Co. KG. Together, they checked, audited, and identified significant efficiency potential.

The Situation

Previously, the pipe manufacturers used two older, unregulated centrifugal pumps to keep the cooling water circulating. This system, which had been in use for more than ten years with varying degrees of success, had already reached its limits during full-load operation. It was hardly conceivable that the projected additional requirements could have been met with it. 

"The new production required an additional ten cubic meters per hour, according to the plant manufacturer," explains Artur Pletz, Sales Manager at Reckers. Industry associations such as Europump estimate that around 20 percent of the world's electricity consumption is attributable to pump drives^[1]. In other words, every fifth power plant worldwide runs solely to drive pumps.

So, it's worth taking a closer look at pumps. But where are the saving potentials hidden? Energy Check and Energy Audit are the building blocks with which Grundfos allows operators like Hewing to benefit from pump know-how: First, experts from Grundfos and Reckers compared the pump data on the nameplate (such as head and flow rate as well as the motor's rated power) with operating parameters such as operating time, age, and process requirements. From this, Grundfos calculated possible saving potentials. "We took stock and uncovered initial weaknesses but also found that the plant manufacturer's data did not match the situation in the plant," explains Pletz.

The next step was the Energy Audit, in which the pumps were thoroughly tested. Operating data such as pressure, flow rate, and power were recorded over a typical three-shift operation, allowing for an assessment of usual consumption and demand curves. This process not only determined the load profile but also identified the saving potential for each pump. Concrete proposals for an optimized pump system were also included: "The Energy Audit also takes into account pipeline losses, which are recorded during the measurement and contribute to an overall picture of the plant," explains Grundfos sales engineer Jürgen Wiese. 

"The customer always asks, 'What does an investment cost and what does it bring?'" says Artur Pletz. Here, the full potential of energy optimization becomes apparent: those who replace old, unregulated, or inefficient pumps with intelligent, networked, and speed-regulated ones often recoup the purchase costs within a few years, says Pletz. After all, around 95 percent of the life cycle costs of pumps are attributable to energy consumption and maintenance, as the pump expert emphasizes.