Energy Technology

Energy Technology As A Separate Discipline

By

Gopinath S

[Published in 'The Hindu' dated 9 November, 1983]

Energy conservation and Management, which appeared on the Indian scene with the oil crisis of 1973, is now regarded as one of the important measures to reduce energy consumption and costs. Initial surveys and studies carried by many agencies throughout the country revealed that the basic methods of using energy were incorrect. Enormous reduction in energy consumption was considered feasible merely by improving operating efficiencies and maintaining set standards of housekeeping.

A look at the commercial energy consumption pattern at the national level (Table) will show the relative importance of energy in different sectors.

Commercial Energy Consumption Pattern

(In percentage)

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Sector                         Share in each sector               Coal                 Oil        Electricity

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Domestic                                 15.00                           1.50                 10.68        2.82

Agriculture                               10.00                             -                       6.18        3.82

Industry                                   41.00                           18.25                 3.24       19.51

Transport                                 34.00                             4.52               28.53         0.95

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Initially, energy conservation measures were applied mainly in the industrial sector though the chronic electric shortages in the agriculture and domestic sectors have also been affected. Some of the measures taken by the Government have been the creation of a separate Energy, Ministry, setting up of an Energy Board, and allowing 100% depreciation on equipment for energy conservation. The oil companies, the National Productivity Council, R&D organisations and other agencies have been carrying out energy conservation studies, energy audits and related works. The services of economists, management specialists, scientists and statisticians, have also been utilised for planning and development in the field.

How far have these measures been effective? A review of the performance so far shows a big leeway to be made up in many directions.

 

 

Marginal impact

In the industrial sector alone, an energy saving of 15 to 20 percent through better housekeeping was envisaged.  But in real practice, only 2 to 5 percent saving could be realised. The reasons for this poor performance are many.

Energy management of any system can be schematically shown in the diagram.

D

SYSTEM   F

                                                                                                OUTPUT

                                                                                                OTHER LOSSES

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                    ENERGY E                                                                                 PRODUCTS          

           

B        

                                                                                                A

                                                                                                                                    C

                                                                                                                        ENERGY LOSSES

 

The conservation measures can be categorised into six groups as follows:

A – Recycling of degraded energy in energy losses into the system

B – Recovery of a part of the energy losses and feeding as input

C – Reduction in energy loss itself by other means

D – Quality improvement of energy inputs suitable to the system

E – Inter-matching of different energy inputs

F – System modifications

Our approach at present is concentrated in the areas A, B, C and D which is merely better management of energy losses. The areas E and F have not been given due consideration till now. Moreover, the type of system in operation has a great impact on the ability to withstand any changes made for reduced energy consumption.

The two major aspects of the system are system efficiency and system stability. In most cases, the basic system efficiency is low because the designers, manufacturers and suppler save not given due importance to energy conservation. With the result, any changes made for reducing energy consumption make the system unstable. This is one of the main causes for poor performance in the energy field. But in some large industries like refineries and petrochemicals, where system efficiency is higher, savings to the tune of 15 percent and above have been achieved. Added to it, the system is provided with a good instrumentation and control system which aids in evaluation the stability of the system for any changes r modifications. Most industries lack even basic instruments for measuring temperatures, pressures and flows.

In other sectors also, we have faced a similar situation and energy saving has not been appreciable. Unfortunately, the energy demand in India is also unique in that nearly 45 percent of energy requirement is for non-commercial sources like firewood, dung cake, charcoal and agricultural wastes. Very little work has been done in the area of efficient utilisation of these non-conventional fuels.

Energy is a complex phenomenon which is affected not merely by its own characteristics but also by the system and the environment in which it is used.

Thus we see that the major factors coming in the way of optima utilisation of energy sources in the country are

-       Poor system efficiency

-       Lack of instruments and metering devices

-       Insufficient knowledge about the behaviour of unconventional fuels

-       Environmental conditions

If our objective is to reduce the net energy consumption in all spheres of life, we have to tackle the above factors first before trying to implement the conservation measures. This will be feasible only if we consider 'Energy' as a separate technology, in addition to treating it as just a resource for efficient management.

Energy Technology can be viewed as a subject of study covering all types of energy resources – commercial and non-commercial and their generation, distribution and utilisation patterns. It deals in depth with basic characteristics like physical and chemical properties, energy content, form in which it is available naturally and its behaviour in different environment environments.

The development of energy technology as a separate field will lead to concerted efforts towards solving the problems faced by different sectors in implementing conservation measures. With the availability of energy experts specialised in various areas it will not be difficult to venture into this task. The emphasis here is on technological rather than managerial approach. But for quick results, coordinated action will be necessary on the part of all agencies concerned. These include Government, designers, manufacturers and energy users.

The Government for its part can consider setting up an Energy Technology Centre on the line of Indian Institute of Petroleum and Central Fuel Research Institute. It can also promote intensive applied research on energy technology through existing research laboratories.

Designers and manufacturers should make use of the services of energy technologists at the design stage itself and ensure high energy efficiency of their equipment. They should also bring out recovery equipment such as air heaters, economisers and heat pipes I different capacity ranges to suit all consumers. All equipment must be provided with sufficient instrumentation and control mechanisms for continuous monitoring of energy efficiency. Energy technology will serve the manufacturing sector by suggesting suitable design changes in the equipment and in the development of metering devices.

Energy users in different sectors should consider it obligatory to regularly monitor energy consumption levels and optimise its use with respect to their operating conditions.

Energy technology can also be introduced as a subject in universities. It will have to be inter-disciplinary in nature covering diverse subjects such as heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, materials technology, chemical process principles, electrical engineering and electronics.

Energy technology, developed as a new field of study, can be expected to create better opportunities and motivate a new breed of engineers and technologists to come out with ideas for optimal utilisation of our energy sources.

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Gopinath S
Chief Executive
nRG Consulting Services, Bangalore
http://in.linkedin.com/in/gopimysore
http://nrgcs.blogspot.com/
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