Simulating Specific Energy Consumption for an Industrial Production Process

Abstract

The purpose of this article is the simulation of energy efficiency performance using a mathematical model of a unit process. A dynamic model of the process is used for its control. As the process is used for different production quantities, energy efficiency is investigated. Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) is one of the key performance measures of a plant or equipment. It consists of calculating energy consumed for producing a unit product. Hence, the model is used together with an observer and a controller to iteratively compute the specific consumption. For different trajectory to track (product type) and for different capacity usage, the iteration permits to get the corresponding specific energy consumption curve versus capacity usage. This characterization can be used later when operating to diagnose overconsumption of energy compared to initial equipment setup (equipment and control system). Finally, an industrial example is provided as a comparison to the simulation case.

Keywords

• energy efficiency
• process model
• process control
• specific energy consumption
• sec.