Challenge

For complex processing and production equipment, determining the energy profile of a complete machine can be difficult, making it harder for design engineers to identify where meaningful efficiency improvements can be made.

Engineering Approach

Mathematical models were developed to represent the energy consumption of individual machine components and operating states. These were incorporated into a purpose-built application with a graphical user interface, allowing design engineers to construct and evaluate the overall machine energy profile. Individual energy contributions were calculated and ranked, together with projected shift and lifetime energy consumption and cost.

Outcome

The application provided design engineers with a practical tool for identifying the principal contributors to machine energy consumption and evaluating opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of their designs.