Conservation of electrical energy in a petrochemical industry in Nigeria

Abstract

The petrochemical industry is generally energy intensive and electrical power energy forms one of the major sources of energy. A survey was carried out to gather data  relating to electrical energy generation and consumption in the petrochemical plant. Electrical power consumption varies widely among the many processes. The  technological and economic viability of advance control and power technology systems in the petrochemical industry is evaluated. Findings revealed that 42 percent of the daily power generated amounting to 27.6 Mega Watt is wasted. A conservative  projection calculated from plant documentation and computer simulation of processes shows that the industry has the potential to save 133943.11 Mega Watt of electrical power per annum. This is capable of supplying un-interrupted electricity for all the  communities in its area of operation in a year. A model for effective management of electrical power for the petrochemical industry is presented. The petrochemical  industry can achieve system reliability, higher productivity, reduce energy cost, and reduce down time and maintenance costs through proper conservation of electrical power.

Key words: Petrochemical industry, Control technologies, Power technologies,  Electric motors, Energy efficiency, Power Factor.