Electric pumps are extensively used in many industrial and commercial applications worldwide and account for about twenty percent of the world’s electrical energy demand. The useful energy consumed by the pumps is less than what they demand due to inefficiency caused by a number of reasons including the mismatch between the rated operating conditions and their actual operating conditions. Some studies including those done by the US Department of Energy, show that as much as 30-50% of energy consumed by pumping systems could be saved through equipment and control changes in the pumping systems. Zambia, like many countries, faces an electricity shortage. Improving energy efficiency in pumping related operations can help save electricity costs and thus promote sustainable development and ultimately reduce global warming. This document discusses various methods of reducing pumping related electricity costs which can be categorised under either mechanical or electrical methods. Preliminary energy audits on some pumping infrastructure for three water utility companies in Zambia were carried out and results showed various opportunities for saving electricity costs. Detailed study on selected pumping infrastructure revealed that as much as fifty four (54%) electricity cost savings could result at one pump station by correcting the operating points of pumps such that the Best Efficiency Points (BEP) on the pump characteristic curves matched the pumping system head requirements. / <p>Interactive presentation was done via Skype</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:kth-137984 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Siyingwa, Bennet |
| Publisher | KTH, Energiteknik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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