Energy Efficient Lighting Design Criteria: Cost-Effective Solutions in an Industrial Environment

The continual rising cost of energy, existing outdated lighting technology, and inefficient lighting designs have given property owners the opportunity to improve their facilities by retrofitting their existing luminaires with an energy efficient lighting system. A lighting retrofit uses the existing electrical infrastructure to replace, relocate, or convert existing luminaires with the latest generation of cost-effective components. New lighting technology has emerged within the last 6 years that generates energy savings of 40% to 50% while maintaining existing light levels. These upgraded and field-tested solutions lower energy consumption, generate a healthy financial return on investment, and can improve both the quality and quantity of light in the task area. As with any other solution, a cost-effective lighting system must be designed and engineered carefully to accommodate the needs of each work space. Simply installing a new lamp into an existing luminaire will not necessarily guarantee substantial energy savings or an improved lighting environment. In any space that uses electric lighting, the lighting designer must evaluate potential solutions for energy consumption, maintenance concerns, delivered light levels, hostile environments, and the overall economic impact of installing and long-term operation of the new system. In this paper, the author will discuss energy efficient lighting design criteria and how a lighting designer properly engineers a retrofit project to deliver energy savings without sacrificing light levels. The discussion includes a summary of both traditional and emerging technologies, and the long-term impact on energy consumption, maintenance, return on investment, lighting quality, and delivered light levels. Paper published with permission.

The Power of Insulation in the Citrus Industry

Insulation is a forgotten technology that can provide an unrivaled return on investment. The Citrus Industry is not an exception. Insulation is the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ of the construction industry: It receives very little respect and is taken for granted. Insulation is a powerful resource when designed, applied, and maintained properly. Yet, this technology is often forgotten or put on the bottom of the list and ignored. A recent survey conducted by the National Insulation Association of more than 160 industrial plants, manufacturing, engineering, and architectural firms found that: • Most had no idea of the payback period, rate of return, with the use of insulation, nor a method to quantify costs versus savings • Many acknowledged that numerous areas of insulation were in serious need of repair • The majority did not understand that insulation had any real environmental “tie in” • Some did not consider additional insulation necessary: “the plant is working fine” • Many could not relate corrosion under insulation to having anything to do with the insulation • Most acknowledged their specifications were outdated • Many confirmed they did not have a dedicated job function to address insulation specifications or anyone who was the “insulation champion” • Many did not think of insulation as a system or requiring any special design review or technical consideration That survey confirmed the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ characterization and formed the basis for the foundation of a major industry educational and awareness initiative. The benefits of insulation are in many cases invisible and long lasting. This technology is not some mysterious myth. Possibly it is misunderstood and under appreciated due to lack of knowledge. Calculating the operational benefits and the return on investment can be relatively simple. However, an insulation system does not have any moving parts, computer chips, or fancy gauges, and it is certainly not sexy. Maybe that is why in many circles insulation is not an exciting topic of discussion, even though it is a time tested and proven technology that can often provide an annual return on investment greater than 100%. There has not been a more important time in recent history than now to think about insulation differently. The Citrus Industry is not immune to that thought process. Paper published with permission.

The Development and Application of Resin Systems for the Treatment of Citrus Products Containing Pulp and Cloud

This paper describes the resin treatment system developed by Bucher Alimentech NZ Ltd. (BAN) for the treatment of Citrus Products containing pulp and cloud. These products can be pure juices, core or pulp washes, or peel extracts and comminutes. The system does not use filtration membranes to first clarify the feed stream, instead a pulp reduced stream containing cloud is treated through the resin beds. Processes including debittering, colour adjustment, and ratio adjustment are described. Benefits are defined. Paper published with permission.

An Electical Arc-Flash Hazard Analysis Primer: Reducing Arc-Flash Hazard Exposures Through Engineering Controls

The problem of electrical workers being injured or killed by electrical arcs and blasts is one of the most significant safety issues in the industry today. Accident data reveals that over 2,000 people are severely burned annually by electrical arc blasts on the job (1) and many others receive less severe burns that still result in significant pain and suffering to the victim. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the arc-flash hazard analysis (AFHA) process and general guidance for those organizations wishing to integrate AFHA into their overall electrical safety program. The electric utility industry was the first non-academic group to study arc-flash hazards (AFH) when they noted that electrical workers often received the most severe burns from their clothing igniting and continuing to burn long after the initiating arc had extinguished. In particular, man-made fibers such as polyester, nylon, and rayon were known to melt and stick to the worker’s skin following an AF, and this resulted in burns many times worse than had the injured worker been wearing no clothing at all (2). Subsequent studies were performed by private organizations and they impacted both the engineering and safe work practices associated with industrial plant operations. The primary standards or studies included: • IEEE 1584 Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations • NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace • OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269: Electrical Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Standard Of these documents, the IEEE 1584 Guide was most influential to engineers because it provided formulas for calculating incident energy levels, arc-flash protection boundaries, and a host of other important variables necessary to evaluate AFH in the work place. The term ‘incident energy’ refers to the amount of heat concentrated per unit-area of the skin. Incident energy is measured in calories per square centimeter (cal/cm2) of skin surface area. For reference, a value of 1.2 cal/cm2 will result in a second-degree burn of human skin (3). The principal reason why AFHA is necessary is that studies revealed that electrical arcs are somewhat unpredictable events (4), and there were many cases where seemingly innocuous energy sources (small transformers) produced incident energy levels that far exceeded the limitations of flame resistant (FR) clothing or other forms of personal protective equipment. It became obvious that the best method for protecting employees from AFH would be to evaluate the hazard level and then mitigate it through the use of engineering controls. Paper published with permission.

The Use and Misuse of 300 Series Austenitic Stainless Steels in the Citrus Industry

The 300 series austenitic stainless steels have been used extensively and successfully in the Citrus Industry for numerous applications. Material cost and corrosion resistance to both citrus products and cleaning solutions for maintaining sanitary conditions has made type 304 and type 316 stainless steels the material of choice for process equipment, tanks, and piping systems. However, corrosion failures have occurred and many have been the subject of forensic investigations to determine the cause and provide recommendations to avoid future, similar problems. Historically, the primary modes of corrosion failure of T304SS and T316SS have been experienced not only in the Citrus Industry but also in the chemical and petrochemical industries. These modes of corrosion include localized corrosion in the form of pitting and crevice corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking. Successful long-term performance is best obtained when (1) the correct alloy is selected for the application; (2) piping and equipment are carefully fabricated and passivated prior to being placed in service; and (3) the process system design and operation minimizes stagnation and solids deposition, especially at elevated temperature. A table listing the composition of the most commonly available and specified 300 series austenitic stainless steels is shown in Table 1. Paper published with permission.

A Process and Economic Model for the Real-Time Optimization of Operating Profit in a Citrus Feedmill

During the past 6 years, increases in energy costs have adversely impacted the profitability of feedmill operations. The market values of dried feed, molasses, and d-limonene have not sufficiently increased to offset this additional cost. Lacking alternatives to processing wet peel, many of the large citrus processors have operated feedmills at a financial loss. The optimal operation of a citrus feedmill requires that a combination of process, resource cost, and product market value data be analyzed and translated into actions that will maximize operating profit or minimize operational losses. In particular, variations in peel volume and moisture content, evaporation requirements, product market values, and resource costs require that a detailed process and economic analysis be routinely performed to achieve optimal financial performance. As a result, the complexity of achieving optimal performance on a day-to-day basis can be overwhelming to operators and managers. This paper discusses operational challenges that are common to many citrus feedmill operations, and proposed solutions. The basis for these solutions is a mathematical process and economic model that utilizes operational data to forecast production quantities and operational costs for a specified set of operating conditions. Equations are developed for optimizing energy usage, solids value, and operating profit in real-time. In addition to optimizing daily performance, the model can be used to determine optimal product yields, train operators and managers, determine the technical and financial merit of capital improvement projects, establish realistic performance targets, and devise accurate cost accounting drivers. Paper published with permission.