Case Studies

Aspiration Energy, Blog, Case Studies, Heat Pumps, Heat Pumps

How Much Is ‘Not Replacing The Diesel Boiler In Your Hotel’ Costing You Every Day? This Case of a 4-Star Hotel Has The Answer!

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[et_pb_section admin_label=\”section\”] [et_pb_row admin_label=\”row\”] [et_pb_column type=\”4_4\”][et_pb_text admin_label=\”Text\”] A heat pump is considered as a passive solar thermal system that can save up to half of what you usually spend for the diesel boiler. Let us consider this very simple example. A 4-star hotel was using a diesel boiler that consumed 40 liters of diesel, running  8 hours a day for the generation of hot water at 80 degrees centigrade. Now, let\’s see what difference it would make if we replace the diesel boiler with a heat pump. Calculating Boiler Capacity Installed First of all, we will calculate the heating capacity of a diesel boiler installed in the hotel using the formula where m is the fuel consumption rate. i.e., 40 liters for 8 hours a day CV is the calorific value of the diesel. i.e., 9500 kilocalories per liter n is the efficiency of diesel boiler i.e., 80%, calculating which gives the value of installed capacity of the boiler as 44 kilowatts. Calculating Heat Pump Capacity Needed The next step is the selection of heat pumps. If we use our standard model of 28-kilowatt heat pump, whose power input is 10 kilowatts, we should select two numbers to get the desired heating output of 44 kilowatts. In addition to this, we have to add the auxiliary load consumption by the circulation pumps which usually ranges from 1 to 1.5 kilowatts. So, the total power input could be 20 kilowatts + 1.5 kilowatts which is 21.5 kilowatts. Now let’s move to the savings part. Comparing Running Costs of Diesel Boiler With Heat Pump First of all, we will calculate the operating cost of the diesel boiler for one day. i.e., 40 liters of diesel used per day x cost of diesel per liter i.e., 70 rupees, which gives the value of 2800 rupees. Now calculating the operating cost of heat pump for one day i.e 21.5 kilowatts x  8 hours of operation x 8.5 rupees i.e, the unit cost of electricity, which gives a value of 1460 rupees. The difference between these two values, i.e, 1340 rupees, is our savings per day! Payback Period, Financial and Environmental Savings If you calculate the savings for one year by multiplying it with 360 days, their annual saving would be 4,82,400 rupees. Finally, if they start using heat pumps right now, the return of investment would be 1.5 to 2 years. By using a heat pump, they not only save the money but also reduce the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Contact Us to Get Started Thank you. As always, if you are looking for a contractor who can help you with replacing your diesel boiler and installing energy-efficient heat pumps, give us a call at 96777 63170 or email us on info@aspirationenergy.com [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section]

Aspiration Energy, Blog, Case Studies, Heat Pumps, Heat Pumps

Will Heat Pumps perform better for Automobile Engine Head Washing?

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Are heat pumps more cost-effective and efficient than electrical heaters in a hot water application for the manufacturing industry? Case of an Automobile Manufacturer Let\’s talk about a customer – Automobile  Manufacturer. The application they used hot water for is Engine Head Washing and the capacity of operation is around 28 kilowatts. Their temperature requirement is 50 to 60 degrees Celsius and they were running two shifts of operation. Results of the intervention We visited them to understand this application and gave an exact 28 kilowatts heat pump to meet that temperature requirement. You can see the installation photograph (below).   Before the installation of a heat pump, their average electrical consumption per hour was around 24 units. After the installation of the heat pump, it drastically reduced to 12 units per hour and they were able to save 86000 units per year. Not only that, but they were also able to reduce their carbon emissions. So, the heat pumps are not only cost-effective and efficient but also renewable and sustainable. How did heat pump make this achievement possible? How was that drastic reduction in the number of units even possible? The answer to this question lies in the ambient. Yes, the Ambient! A Heat Pump uses ambient temperature heat along with the heat generated with the usage of electricity. It converts that heat and transfers the heat energy from the ambient to the required heat output. So, the 2 kilowatt of ambient heat along with the 1 kilowatt of the electrical unit gives out around 3 to 4 units of heat energy output. So, this is the working principle and in summary, this heat pump is going to save around  5.5 lakh rupees for the customer, for that particular application. Can you achieve the same? If you are using electrical heaters for your hot water application, please feel free to call us on 96777 63170 for a demo of our heat pump. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Blog, Case Studies, Heat Pumps, Heat Pumps

Heat Pump Over LPG Boiler For Hot Water In Hotels – A Case Study of a 4 Star Hotel

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As hotels across the country are struggling with low occupancy rates and trying hard to reduce their operational expenses, one smart hotel owner figured out a simple solution that saves 70% on their energy bill. Curious about what that solution is? Watch the short video below by our CEO answering just that!  TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO Are Heat Pumps for Hot Water Bathing Applications Really Safer, More Economical and Environmentally Friendly For Hotels? We are talking about a 4-star hotel in Chennai where they were using LPG. They were consuming 35-50 kgs of LPG a day for hot water to cater to the bathing needs of the guests.  The increasing LPG cost was affecting their bottom line and what was more bothersome was the handling of LPG. The found it to be a safety hazard and found it more difficult to handle LPG. What is the solution? We gave a Heat Pump system – a more energy-efficient and safer product.  And we said we don’t need that much modification for the existing system; we integrated with the existing clarifier tank. It was also needing to handle variable heating needs from 40 degrees to 90 degrees Centigrade.  They also wanted a fool-proof system because it was critical to provide hot water at all times to the guests. So they wanted a monitoring mechanism to be an error-free mechanism.  We gave a 28kW Heat Pump system to them; We integrated it; We installed it on the rooftop that was extremely challenging.  We integrated with their existing hot water calorifier. We did it in three days. The integration was direct because the water quality was good. We didn’t need to install an extra heater, heat exchanger, extra circulation pump, or any of that. The cost was very low because of that.  With the 28kW heat pump system, we also gave a thermal energy monitoring system. What we actually did was to give it on the rental because they were not very sure that this heat pump will work for them, will it save for them, will it cater to all their needs, will it be reliable.  So, we gave the Heat Pump on rental to them. They looked at the savings; they monitored the savings using our heat monitoring system. We gave them our monitoring system as well. By looking at the savings they were so happy that they were willing to buy the system and convert the Rental into a CapEx.   The energy system replaced 35 to 50 kgs of LPG per day that cost about Rs.2500 every day for them and replaced it with electricity. Since the COP of the heat pump system was about 3, it consumed 1 unit of electricity to produce 3 units of heat and hence they spend only 900 Rs. a day and get their heating requirement for all their bathing water applications satisfied with only 900 Rs. a day.  Their payback period was less than 16 months.. less than 1 and a half years. This is how the installation looked on their rooftop.  Technically, this was a safer system..easier to operate..easy to monitor and control.  Financially, it saves 70% of their energy costs. They had a payback period of less than 16 months. Environmentally, although they were using a cleaner fuel like LPG, because the consumption was reduced one-third, because the heat pump was absorbing heat from the atmosphere and giving out as heat, the savings on CO2 in terms of environmental damage avoided was also about 11000 kgs over the period of last few months that we have operated the heat pump system. So, not only was it economical this was also ecological. So, overall this heat pump is going to save Rs.6.5 lakhs per annum for the customer.  If you are using any other thing other than a heat pump for heating, for bathing application or washing application in your hotel, we will be happy to suggest a heat pump system which can be safer, more economical, ecological…If you have any questions about whether it will work or not, you can always rent a system..you can try it out for a few months – see if it works for you and then convert into CapEx.  BUY IT AFTER YOU TRY IT!!! We look forward to hearing from you…Thank you. 

Blog, Case Studies, Solar thermal

Case Study – Solar Thermal System For Diesel Generator Engine Block Heating

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  ABSTRACT   Due to the rapid industrial growth in India, many corporate and industrial companies are moving towards renewable and energy efficient systems for their process systems to reduce their utility cost. As a new member to this venture, TVS Motors met with the pioneers of energy efficient heating solutions provider, Aspiration Energy Private Limited to utilize solar thermal energy for their engine head block heating. Initially, the electrical heaters with forced circulation systems were used to heat the engine block head to 55 °C.   Preliminarily, Aspiration Energy did an energy survey of electrical heater consumption pattern and temperature requirement and proposed a suitable energy efficient rooftop solar thermal system.   The 225 kW system is installed on the rooftop of the plant occupying a roof space of 749 m2. The modules have been arranged in a series – parallel combination to maintain the required temperature of 55 °C at the end application. The project was designed to deliver heat for 24-hour operations. A lagged, unsheltered storage tank had been installed which acts as a thermal energy accumulator. The thermal energy generated is accumulated inside this accumulator during the sunshine hours and utilized when the solar irradiation is not available.   The plant is installed on CAPEX model. Through the installation of 225 kW Solar ETC plant, the average savings per day is 1031 kWh and the average heater energy consumption per day is 169 kWh, for the one month performance observation.   This has enabled TVS to eliminate significant carbon footprint with the replacement of their energy source with a renewable source.   INTRODUCTION   For smoother starting of industrial generators, it is provided with water jackets over the engine cylinder for quick start in cold weather as well as reducing the diesel consumption at the startup. Typically, most of the industrial generators use block heater to serve this purpose. A block heater warms an engine to increase the chances that the engine will start as well as warm up the engine cylinder faster than it normally would in extremely cold weather.   The most common type is an electric heating element in the cylinder block, connected through a power supply. The block heater may replace one of the engine\’s core plugs. In this fashion, the heater element is immersed in the engine\’s coolant, which then keeps most of the engine warm. This type of heater does not come with a pump. They may also be installed in line with one of the radiator or heater hoses. Some heaters pump and circulate the engine coolant while heating; others only heat the still coolant in the reservoir.   The Diesel Generators of 4 numbers installed in TVS Motors use forced circulation engine heating systems. The rated capacity of each block heaters is 25kW. The heater maintains the engine block temperature to 55 °C.   BACKGROUND   TVS Motor is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India, with revenue of 11,244 Cr INR (2015-16). The company has annual production capacity of 3.2 million 2 wheelers & 1.2 Lakh 3 wheelers. TVS Motor Company Ltd (TVS Motor), member of the TVS group (Revenue around INR. 40,000 Cr in 2015-16), is the largest company of the group in terms of size and turnover.   TVS Motor, Hosur (TVSM) plant uses Diesel Generator as a backup power source during the time of power failures. To reduce the start-up time of the Diesel generator the engine head must be maintained at constant temperature and this is done with the help of forced circulation electrical heating system. Because of this continuous requirement to maintain constant temperature in the engine block, the electrical heaters consume about 1200 kWh per day.   With the help of Aspiration Energy, TVSM planned to reduce their power consumption along with their carbon footprint for this application.   The main objective of this project is to replace the existing heating system with solar thermal system on unused roof structure.   SOLUTION   After detailed study and analysis on the energy consumption pattern for the electrical heaters, Aspiration Energy came up with a highly efficient solar thermal system design with energy accumulator to serve the heat requirement for 24-hour operation of engine head block heating.   The designed capacity of total system is 225 kW and consists of 50 modules of 4.5 kW each. The solar thermal systems are designed in such a way that even at the winter season, the system will deliver the required heat output to maintain the engine block temperature at 55 °C.         The system is designed with butterfly-shaped Evacuated Glass Tube Collectors (ETC). Each ETC module is rated at 4.5 kW thermal capacity with 7.7 m2 aperture area.   The system was installed with 2 modules in series connection and 25 pairs of modules in parallel connection with reverse return header.   The primary circulation of the system was driven by a multistage centrifugal pump which circulates water from storage tank to solar thermal modules and back to storage tank. When solar direct radiation falls on ETC glass tubes, the water flowing through the tubes heats up and returns to storage tank. After multiple passes through the modules, the water can be heated up to 95 °C at maximum solar radiation.   The hot water stored in the tank is pumped by secondary circulation pump and delivers it to the plate heat exchangers installed for each generator.   The plate heat exchangers are integrated in such a way that the existing heater element is connected parallel to the plate heat exchanger – so that the electrical heater acts as the main heating element when solar thermal is idle in adverse weather conditions.   The engine heads are heated up by indirect heat transfer between the solar water and jacket water with the use of plate heat exchanger. The hot water from solar thermal modules flows in hot side while the jacket water from engine from engine circulation flows through the cold side.   After successfully installing the system, the average savings per

Blog, Case Studies, Heat Pumps, Heat Pumps

Electricity can be a clean and green source of heat! 

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Industrial process heating consumes a lot of energy. Of this heat, the low-grade variety (typically < 120 C) is about 3737 kToe (Kilo-tonne of oil equivalent) which is about Rs. 18,400 Crore (US$ 2.8 Billion) annually. Of this, the top 3 consumers are Automotive and ancillaries, Food processing and Textiles, accounting for 44%. While textile and food processing use a mix of input fuels to cater to the need, automotive industries almost exclusively rely on higher grade fuels such as electricity, diesel, LPG etc to satisfy the heating heads. Component washing and pre treatment form the bulk of this need.    If you look at the above chart, it becomes evident that it is better to use electricity for heating rather than diesel. However, there is a better way to use electricity – using heat pumps. Solar heating is obviously cheaper and a great option for reducing the energy cost burden. However, as with solar PV, solar thermal is also infirm, necessitating its use only as a back-up. But with heat-pumps, it is entirely possible to eliminate your fired systems and run on electricity.In a previous post, I had shared how we could achieve a 50% reduction in energy cost for a truck manufacturer using heat pumps, which is reproduced here.     Industrial process heating with temperature requirements up to 90 C can now be addressed using advanced refrigerants and high-temperature heat pump compressors being introduced in the market. Here is a demo unit available at IIT Madras in the Energy and Emissions Lab, developed in collaboration with Aspiration Energy.     

Blog, Case Studies

Aspiration Energy conferred the Climate Solver Award for 2013

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The world is currently addressing the imminent threat of climate change, renewable energy systems are thriving, and governments are bringing in more and more initiatives to mitigate greenhouse gases.Climate Solver Award is one such initiative by The World Wide Fund in association with the Government of India, and other stakeholders like innovation incubators, industrial associations and business networks that play an important role in helping and supporting climate innovation solutions.The Wild Life Fund awards small to medium scale enterprises for their potential to produce renewable energy technologies that reduce the carbon emissions. More details about the award can be found here.      Aspiration Energy, a sustainable industrial heating solutions provider, was awarded the Climate Solver Award in the year 2013 for executing eight commercial scale solar thermal installations for industrial process heat projects equivalent to 1 MW.     The scale and numbers have since drastically increased with the company now saving around 1000 MW of energy.Also, carbon emissions, around 2.5 Megatonnes, and energy savings amounting to nearly 4 Crores have been prevented owing to the projects running under Aspiration energy.The projected savings, from the next 10 years, will be around 200 Million tonnes of carbon.It is this commitment towards sustainable industrial solutions that make it the leader in this industrial solar thermal sector in India.With a ‘more than happy’ client base from the savings given, cutting edge technology, and committed principle towards a better the future looks bright

Blog, Case Studies

Too Good To Be True – Heat Pump Case Study

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\”Too Good to be True\” – That was the reaction of a leading global Trucks Manufacturer, when Aspiration Energy told that replacement of Electric Heaters with Heat Pump will reduce more than 50% of energy consumption for one of its Industrial processes. The Truck Manufacturer was skeptical about Heat Pumps and challenged Aspiration Energy to prove its claims about the energy savings. Aspiration Energy accepted the challenge, installed a Heat Pump at its own cost, and proved how Heat Pumps not only reduce energy consumption for the process by 80,000 kWh/year(53%), but also reduce the carbon foot print by 70,000 kg Co2/year. And the story has a happy ending. The Trucks Manufacturer has ordered more Heat Pumps for installation n some of its other sites. How did Aspiration Energy reduce electricity consumption and Carbon footprint? Download the case study here.

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