Energy savings estimated at over £60,000 have been made at a UK tyre plant following an energy and heat loss survey
An energy and heat loss survey carried out by ERIKS at the Pirelli manufacturing plant in Carlisle has made energy savings which, the company estimates, will amount to a total in excess of £60,000.
Carried out by ERIKS’ condition monitoring division, the survey made extensive use of modern thermographic techniques to identify areas of heat loss. Many of these would have been difficult or impossible to detect and quantify in any other way.
Pirelli commissioned the survey after evaluating in detail the methods that would be used by ERIKS. The survey took just two days to complete at a cost to Pirelli of under £600 per day, and it caused negligible disruption to the company’s operations. After analysing the data obtained, ERIKS presented Pirelli with a detailed report that included individual thermographic images and remedial recommendations for every area of heat loss identified.
“A few of the problems we found, such as missing insulation, were readily apparent,” said Mark Eagling of ERIKS. “But others were much more obscure. For example, we found cases where the insulation looked perfect but was, in fact, ineffective because covered insulation had degraded to the point it was not detectable by normal methods.”
Remedial action recommended in the ERIKS report was, in every case, simple and inexpensive to implement. Pirelli has now taken the necessary steps to address the issues identified in the survey. As a result, the company is, for a total expenditure of just a few thousand pounds, enjoying massive savings on its energy bill as well as substantially improving the environmental performance of its Carlisle operations.
