Environmental Management Policies and Energy Technologies in Plant Engineering - Assignment Example

Energy Management Assignment Student No. Date: Course Work 1 Q1: Classroom Presentation In the News This week What is the story about? The story is about conserving energy using the right landscaping. The author of the story argues that one can design or modify their landscape and convert it into an energy saving tool in their homes. Who is affected, and why? The persons affected are people who live in regions that experience winter and summer in higher altitudes. The micro- environment around the home is also affected. What is this event going to cost (or save?) The only cost is designing of the landscape. When it comes to saving, a properly designed landscape is estimated to save up to 25% of household energy consumption for cooling and heating (Pandian). Who are the winners, who are the losers? The home owner is the winner. Landscape design as an energy saving tool does not only save 25% of household energy consumption, but also adds aesthetic beauty, minimizes landscape maintenance cost, and reduces noise and dust pollution (DelValle, Bradshaw and Larson). What are your conclusions? With good designing, a landscape can be used as an energy saving tool for heating and cooling in homes. Course Work 2 LO1.1: Analyse the environmental management policies relevant to plant engineering i. Each organization is supposed to have their own environmental policy that is supported by senior management. This policy should clarify how the plant complies with Environmental Legislations that affect the plant. ii. The company should clearly state its primary environmental objectives on plant activities that are likely to have a great effect to the environment. This policy is intended to be of benefit when it comes to improvement process. iii. A planned periodic audit is required of plants to ensure that their operation is effective in meeting environmental objectives, and that the plant operates in accordance with the required regulations and standards. Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is an initiative created to encourage industries to manage their environmental effects and report the progress made in environmental management. iv. Waste regulation policies require industries to ensure they follow the laid-out procedure for disposal of waste. v. The clean air act is a policy introduced in 1956 and 1968 to reduce smog and air pollution from industries that use coal, liquid or gaseous fuels. Q2: I. a. Waste Framework legislation – This is a directive that provides general requirements for disposal of waste and sets the basic concepts of waste management definitions in Europe. b. Waste stream legislation – This regulation sets the regulations for disposal of specific waste streams. c. Landfilling and incineration – This legislation provides the technical requirements for landfilling and incineration. d. Shipment of waste – This is a regulation that specifies the conditions under which waste can be shipped from one country to another within the EU. II. In the formulation of plant engineering policies, the above legislations have to be integrated into the business. They have to be considered right from sourcing the raw material, transportation, processing technologies to product sale and waste disposal. III. The biggest challenge is the cost of implementing the environmental management policies. LO1.2: Evaluate the types of energy technologies associated with plant engineering i. Fossil-fuel power – This technology converts chemical energy stored in fossil fuels into electrical energy. ii. Nuclear power – Nuclear power technologies use nuclear reactions to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. iii. Solar Power – This is a renewable source of power in which photovoltaic cells convert solar energy from the sun into electrical energy. iv. Hydropower – This is also a renewable source of energy where flowing water provides the energy to produce electricity. v. Geothermal energy – This is heat energy from the heated water below the earth. It is used to produce renewable energy. Q3: Solar Power: Advantages Disadvantages It is a sustainable and renewable source of energy Little maintenance is required Reduces electricity bills Diverse applications High initial cost Requires more space Energy storage is expensive Pollution during the manufacturing, transportation, and installation processes It is affected by bad weather. Only generates power when there is sun Nuclear Power: Advantages Disadvantages Less fuel is used to provide more energy Nuclear plants do not produce greenhouse gas emissions Reliable source of energy Production of nuclear waste Nuclear plants have a limited period of operation Nuclear accidents are fatal Geothermal Energy: Advantages Disadvantages Renewable and sustainable source of energy It is environmentally friendly Reliable source of energy High initial cost Potential of emissions if greenhouse gases migrate to the earth surface. Possibility of depletion LO1.3: Assess the various aspects of resource management in the context of plant engineering Aluminium – This material offers the highest energy savings -requiring as little as 4% of energy in recycling cans. Plastics – Recycled plastics need about 88% of resources required to make new plastics. Paper and glass – These materials have lower energy savings compared to aluminium and plastic – with recycled materials saving more than 50% of energy. Q6. i. Thermal transmittance (U-Value) = R value = U-value = ii. Heat transferred, A – Area (m2) U – Heat transfer coefficient (W/m2K) – temperature inside – temperature outside iii. Energy consumed in one week = 3900 W = 3.9kW/h So, in one week = 655.2 kW/h The actual heat loss may be higher than this value due to other factors such as wind and roofing material. This can be reduced by using insulation in the building. LO2.3: Identify industrial and commercial activities where energy conservation procedures can be adopted Such activities include: Construction of commercial buildings Transportation Industrial systems and equipment Industrial processes Q7. i. Cost benefit analysis: Bulb type Power consumption (W) Hrs./day #of bulbs Lifespan (hrs.) Cost of replacement after 5 years Energy use after 5 years(kWh) Energy cost after 5 years Total cost £ Incandescent 60 24 18 1500 1576.8 47304 4730.4 6296.4 LED 6 24 18 25000 946.08 4730.4 473.04 1419.12 Savings = 6296.4 – 1419.12 = £ 4, 877.28 ii. Payback period : #Month Incandescent bulbs LED bulbs Replacement cost Power cost Total Cost Buying cost Power cost Total cost 1 - £4730.4/ (5yr x 12 months/yr.) = £78.84 £78.84 £540.00 £473.04/ (5 x 12) = 7.884 £ 547.884 2 - 78.84 157.68 - 7.884 555.768 3 54.0 78.84 290.52 - 7.884 563.652 4 - 78.84 369.36 - 7.884 571.536 5 54.0 78.84 502.2 - 7.884 579.42 6 - 78.84 581.04 - 7.884 587.304 7 54.0 78.84 713.88 - 7.884 595.188 Thus, the payback period will be slightly less than 7 months. iii. #Year Incandescent bulbs LED bulbs Replacement cost Power cost Total Cost Buying cost Power cost Total cost 1 5x3.0= 15 £0.936 £15.936 £30 £0.0936 £ 30.0936 2 6x3.0 = 18 0.936 34.872 - 0.0936 30.1026 The payback period for replacing this bulb is slightly below 2 years. Replacing this bulb will immediately cut down the power consumption (and power bills), as well as the cost of maintenance. The payback period is as calculated below: Course Work 3 LO3.1 Assess systems which will provide an energy analysis Energy analysis systems are aimed at quantifying the performance of devices and characterizing how these devices interact with one another. These systems include open source software tools such as MATLAB, Modelling tools and, exergy and carbon mapping systems. Q8. CHP cogeneration produces both electricity and heat energy. A fossil fuel is burned to release heat energy that boils water to make steam. The steam is used to drive a turbine which drives an electricity generator. The heat energy is captured and used to heat water that is piped to homes and commercial buildings. They are used in areas that require hot water such as industrial sites and in areas where homes need heating to maintain warmth in homes during winter. Examples of places where CHP has been introduced is California – where it supplies about 11% of US total energy (9,220MW) and a significant source of GHG emissions reduction. He Sankey diagram of a typical CHP is as shown below: Figure 1: Conventional vs. CHP plants LO3.2: Review a documented system analysis relating to energy distribution. Q9. Energy in the UK national grid is generated from: Gas (31%), Coal (31%), Nuclear (18%), Renewable energy - wind, bio-energy, hydroelectric, solar (19%). The amount of electricity generated from gas and coal vary each year depending on the fuel prices. Electricity demand in the UK is subject to fluctuations during the day, across the week, and on a seasonal basis. There is a higher demand during the winter than during the summer. Demand is influenced by irregular events such as televised events or television programmes, and extreme weather. During the night hours, the demand is usually low. Figure 2: Seasonal and daily variation in electricity demand in UK. The UK electricity supply corps up with these fluctuations by use of component generation technologies that are more flexible and adjust according to the power demand at a particular time. LO3.3: Evaluate the appropriate cost-saving technique for the chosen situation Q10: I. Figure 3: Cross-section of an insulated pipe. II. Without insulation: Heat loss through the pipe (Q) = Q annual = Fuel consumption to cover for this heat loss = Annual cost incurred = III. Wall thickness 10mm 20mm 25mm 32mm 38mm 50mm 60mm 75mm 90mm Cost per pipe per metre (T&M) £6.00 £7.00 £8.00 £9.00 £11.00 £14.00 £20.00 £26.00 £35.00 Cost for 50m 300 350 400 450 550 700 1000 1300 1750 Cost of fuel after insulation 328.37 192.08 164.18 139.34 125.05 106.28 96.04 85.45 78.10 Total annual cost 628.37 542.08 564.18 589.34 675.05 806.28 1096.04 1385.45 1828.10 Hence, optimum thickness = 20mm (considering 1-yr cost) IV. Comparing the annual cost of uninsulated pipe and that of the insulated pipe, the payback period will be much less than a year. V. The results above suggest that the running cost is saved by replacing uninsulated pipe with an insulated one. Insulation materials such as polyurethane rigid foam, polyisocyanurate rigid foam, phenolic rigid foam, polyethene and synthetic rubber cannot be used in this case because the maximum temperature they can withstand is below 180oC. Calcium silicate and magnesia are can withstand high temperatures but are expensive. The best alternative to rock wool would be glass wool – it is relatively cheap and can withstand temperatures up to 230oC. Other factors that may be considered include wind effect and boiler efficiency. References Read More