Mexico. The redesign allowed the contracting company to achieve a 60% reduction in energy consumption, optimization of Specific Fan Power (SFP), and a savings of $475,000 USD over a period of 5 years.
The original design, proposed by the competition, used an isothermal steam humidifier, which unnecessarily increased energy consumption to 246.4 kW/h at that stage of the process alone. In addition, the design featured an SFP of 4 kW/m³/s, which far exceeded current energy efficiency standards. The objective was to reduce these values and meet the customer's expectations in terms of energy savings and optimization of the operation.
Solution
Systemair presented a redesign with 4 Geniox air handling units, highlighting the following key changes:
- Energy recovery: a recovery system was introduced that allowed the size of the cooling coil to be reduced, lowering consumption from 268.3 kW/h in option 2 to 194.8 kW/h in option 3.
- Elimination of the isothermal steam humidifier: it was decided not to use an isothermal humidifier, completely eliminating its energy consumption in option 3. This represented a direct reduction of 246.4 kW/h.
- EC fans with IE5 motors: Replaced competitive fans (IE2) with EC high-efficiency fans with IE5 motors. This allowed the SFP to be reduced to 1.88 kW/m³/s, compared to the 4 kW/m³/s SFP of Option 2. Fan consumption was also reduced from 84.48 kW/h to 39.68 kW/h.
Results
With the implementation of the redesign based on the Geniox UMAs, the results were:
- 60% reduction in energy consumption, from 599.18 kW/h in Option 2 to 234.48 kW/h with the redesign of Systemair.
- SFP optimization from 4 kW/m³/s to 1.88 kW/m³/s, significantly improving energy efficiency.
- Complete elimination of the consumption of the isothermal steam humidifier.
- Estimated savings of $475,000 over a 5-year period.
- A return on investment in less than 5 years.
Conclusion
Thanks to the implementation of the Geniox UMAs, Systemair's redesign not only optimized energy consumption, but also surpassed the original design in terms of operational efficiency, cost savings, and return on investment. The integration of IE5 high-efficiency motors, the elimination of inefficient systems such as the isothermal humidifier, and the incorporation of an energy recovery system were key to achieving these results. This case shows how a proper technical approach can transform industrial operations and ensure superior efficiency.
