August 2009 eNews
Metal Stamping Plant Chops Utility Bill $700,000/year with new Air-Filtration Units
Toyotetsu’s metal-stamping plant’s 330 welding stations utilize closed-system air filtration to reduce heating and air conditioning costs.
For any manager of a manufacturing installation, riding close herd on utility expenses is always a top priority. Complicating this challenge is the need to balance comfort, cooling, and heating against the need for smoke removal from metal fabricating processes such as manual and robotic welding and cutting, laser and plasma cutting, machining, grinding, and polishing.
Clean Air America engineers, manufacturers, installs and maintains a broad line of air collection and filtration systems for welding and other throughout the aerospace, automotive, laser, mining and construction industry.
Toyotetsu America’s Somerset, Ky., plant solved this dilemma by simultaneously installing a point-of-source, closed air filtration system for its 330 welding stations and a 2,500 ton heating and air conditioning system. Filtering welding-generated smoke in a closed system that returns treated air back to the plant cut usage of natural gas by up to 85 percent, for a savings of approximately $60,000 one month.
Toyotetsu’s Drive Toward Better Air Quality
A division of Toyota, Toyotetsu America’s line of business involves automotive stampings and the manufacture of motor vehicle parts, accessories and hardware. Its estimated annual sales currently stand at $82.9 million.
The plant’s 830 employees worked through hot and humid summers since its inception in 1995 without the benefit of air conditioning. On the floor, more than 30 welding robots and 300 spot welders generated smoke that was partially controlled with wall louvers, high-mounted bay fans and local exhaust fans that ducted the warm, smoke-filled air to the outside. On the lines, small personal fans attempted to direct smoke away from the faces of the workers, since the exhaust fans could not capture all of the smoke generated from the welders.
“It is essential that if you opt for air conditioning, you must also have closed-system air filtration, otherwise you are wasting tremendous amounts of money,†cautions Jorgen Brahm, senior vice president at Rome, Ga.-based Clean Air America.
“Whether it’s zero or 97° F outside, bringing in ‘make-up’ air at any volume above 50 percent is very costly and reduces the lifespan of the HVAC system through excessive use.â€
The project involved extensive use of a helicopter to install both the A/C and filtration units on the roof. The filtration units placed possessed 48 cartridge filters within each collector, for a total filtering capacity of 340,000 cfm.
Filtration Technology
Hoods at each welding station capture the smoke at its point-of-source, rather than unnecessarily venting the entire floor-space. Smoke then gets ducted to a plenum on the roof that feeds the collectors which utilize down-flow filtering technology to improve filter life by directing incoming dirty air downward through filters positioned vertically — as opposed to an angle — to readily shed dust. An on-line automatic jet-pressure wave periodically pulse-cleans the filters.
Electrical demands are lessened via the use of a variable frequency drive within each collector unit that automatically adjusts the air flow based on filter loading.
Installation
The project began in the spring of 2008 and involved extensive use of a helicopter to install both the A/C and filtration units on the roof. By May, 17 air filtration units were placed into service, each possessing 48 cartridge filters within each collector, for a total filtering capacity of 340,000 cfm.
Installation of the air-filtration project was finished, within budget, by the fall of 2008. At the same time, installation of 40, 50-ton A/C units, along with several smaller pieces, also was completed. Both systems were tied together via a single building automation system from Trane allowing facilities management to run everything from a centralized computer.
Rapid ROI
By not having to heat or cool “make up†air, the new filtration system enabled immediate utility savings.
In December 2007, the Toyotetsu plant consumed 3,921 cubic feet of natural gas, at a cost of $59,371.20, to heat the building. In December 2008, after installation of the air filtration system, only 556 cubic feet were required, dropping the monthly gas utility cost to $8,407.15. Taking into account electric utility savings when running the A/C system during the summer of 2009, annual utility-cost savings are projected to approach $700,000.
Installation of the air-filtration project was finished by the fall of 2008. At the same time, installation of forty 50-ton A/C units, along with several smaller pieces, also was completed. Both systems were tied together via a single building automation system from Trane ® which allowed facilities management to run everything from a centralized computer.
Aside from reduced energy costs, Toyotetsu also benefits from a cleaner plant environment: “Toyotetsu’s staff did a test after installation of the new filtration system,†says Brahm. “They found they had quite a bit more static pressure and a lot more cfms moving through the weld cells, so the personal fans at each weld station were no longer necessary. Additionally, temperature and humidity is now where it needs to be for employee comfort, so productivity may increase, especially during the afternoon shift.â€
Given the success at Somerset, Toyotetsu’s sister plant in Owensboro, Ky., subsequently chose to install closed-system air filtration units at its site.
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