Case Study: AAK

Ensuring compressed air stays compressed

When your compressed air system springs a leak it has to work harder to compensate – and the effect on your energy bills can be profound.

AAK has miles of pipes distributing compressed air across the site. Now that the leaks we identified have been fixed, and the air intake temperature to the compressors has been reduced, AAK is saving 1 million kWh per annum.

Less hot air saves 7 million kWh per annum

Steam generation is an essential part of AAK’s production and a prime contributor to the organisation’s energy costs. Trident’s audit identified that leaks and missing or damaged insulation was reducing efficiency and costing AAK almost 7 million kWh every year. The improvements paid for themselves in just 8.5 months.

Engaging in energy management

Realising the full potential of energy saving is more than a matter of mechanics. It’s about making energy matter to your organisation, so that everyone shares a vested interest in spotting and fixing leaks, or suggesting the next efficiency saving.

Trident has helped AAK devise and implement a comprehensive Energy Management Policy. As part of the Policy, an Energy Committee is helping to raise the profile of energy awareness, making it a core component of day to day operations.

Trident’s training programme has helped staff understand the difference they can make in their daily
work. And sub-metering data is measuring the effectiveness of the policy across the manufacturing process.

In establishing a measure of consumption against production, we’ve helped AAK understand and control its baseload demands, and enhance its efforts to meet climate change commitments.

Intelligent motor control saves money (and motors)

How often are your organisation’s electrical motors needlessly running at full power? By replacing control and throttling valve systems, and controlling motor speeds with variable speed drives, we’ve helped AAK save almost 1 million kWhs. The changes have paid for themselves in less than 3 years.