METHODOLOGY
Methodology/ Project Steps/ Project Cycle
(6-9 months)
Step 1: Evaluate Opportunity
The first step of the process is to gather the necessary information to assess if there is an opportunity for energy savings at the client’s facility. SEMAN will request the necessary data which will assist in evaluating the opportunity. The client should provide the following information if available.
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Electricity Bills (last 12 to 24 months).
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Electrical single-line diagrams.
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A list of the installed Power Transformers with their nominal data.
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A list of the most important motors and their technical data.
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A list of the installed power electronics like Variable Frequency Drives, DC Drives, Soft Starters.
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Important Lighting Loads and their technical data.
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Connected existing Capacitors & Filters.
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Any electrical measurements and recordings (optional).
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After collecting the above, SEMAN will input them into its pioneered artificial intelligence system (Fuzzy Neural Network), which has been developed over the years using data from hundreds of customers across all industries. The AI algorithm will compute the minimum (guaranteed) energy savings percentage which can be achieved in the facility. Along with this percentage, SEMAN will provide a financial offer and a cost benefit analysis to the client, including the payback period and ROI.
Step 2: Conduct the Scientific Study
After the signing of the contract, a team of electrical engineers will visit the client’s premises to gather measurements-recordings across the various electrical loads for the scientific study. This study will help SEMAN investigate in depth all the power quality issues within the facility and their sources.
After gathering these measurements, the data will be taken back to the office to run Finite Element Simulations & Load Flow Analysis to investigate:
-The reduction of efficiencies of power transformers & electric loads due to poor power quality.
-All the possible current & voltage harmonic resonances across the electrical installation.
-The power losses at the cables due to proximity & skin effects.
-How the electric loads interact with each other regarding voltage drops and harmonic resonances leading to lower efficiencies.
By using the above simulations results and the special requirements (environment and space restrictions) of the facility, SEMAN engineers design the custom-made interventions in order to:
-Cancel all the possible current & voltage harmonics resonance circuits.
-Optimize the power quality across the entire electrical installation leading to better efficiency for the power transformers, electric motors, MCC boards and cables.
-Stabilize the voltage at the nominal level at the motors and thus maximize their efficiencies.
Finally, the advanced mathematical tools of SEMAN predict how much electric energy saving could be achieved once the above-designed custom-made interventions are installed.
Step 4: Validate the Results
After the installation is complete, the engineers will proceed to the commissioning and testing of the custom-made interventions. The interventions will be energized, and various tests will be performed to ensure they are working properly. Then, the engineers will commission the systems according to the findings of the scientific study and the live measurements captured by the control units of the interventions.
Once all systems are working properly, a committee of both the client and SEMAN will perform live verification measurements to validate the effectiveness of the project and confirm final completion and success of the project.
Furthermore, the energy savings result will be verified using predictive mathematical models which correlate energy consumption with the independent variables that affect it, such as production output. The model will be computed using the available data at each facility and its effectiveness and predictivity will be evaluated using the appropriate statistical tests, depending on the type of mathematical model used (linear or other). After establishing a basis or a model which accurately predicts consumption prior to the date which the SEMAN systems are switched on, the model will be used to accurately predict the energy savings after the SEMAN systems are installed and powered on:
More specifically, the model will predict how much the energy consumption would be without the SEMAN equipment on, and by comparing these values with the actual energy consumption while the systems are on, the savings or avoided energy consumption will be calculated, verifying the final savings result. For more information regarding verification, refer to the Know-How page.
Step 3: Build and Install the Interventions
The third step of the project cycle is to build and install the interventions. The scientific study will determine the technical specifications of the custom-made interventions and the blueprints will be provided to the factory for construction. Both hardware and software components will be developed and built over a period of two to three months.
Upon completion of construction, the panels will be shipped off to the client’s premises to begin the installation. The installation can take between 1 to 4 weeks depending on the scale of the project. There will be no need for interruption of production or a shutdown for most of the installation: The panels can be mounted and anchored, the cable racks and conduits can be installed, and the cables can be routed up to the points of connection, without the need to disrupt operations. Then, each intervention can be connected to the load one at a time or during a scheduled shutdown. Because these panels are connected in parallel the connection time in usually short (between 40 minutes to 1 hour per panel).
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TECHNOLOGY
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