An Intelligent Procedure for the Methodology of Energy Consumption in Industrial Environments

Abstract

The concern of the industrial sector about the increase of energy costs has stimulated the development of new strategies for the effective management of energy consumption in industrial setups. Along with this growth, the irruption and continuous development of digital technologies have generated increasingly complex industrial ecosystems. These ecosystems are supported by a large number of variables and procedures for the operation and control of industrial processes and assets. This heterogeneous technological scenario has made industries difficult to manage by traditional means. In this context, the disruptive potential of cyber physical systems is beginning to be considered in the automation and improvement of industrial services. Particularly, intelligent data-driven approaches relying on the combination of Energy Management Systems (EMS), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analytics provide the intelligence needed to optimally operate these complex industrial environments. The work presented in this manuscript contributes to the definition of the aforementioned intelligent data-driven approaches, defining a systematic, intelligent procedure for the energy efficiency diagnosis and improvement of industrial plants. This data-based diagnostic procedure hinges on the analysis of data collected from industrial plants, aimed at minimizing energy costs through the continuous assessment of the production-consumption ratio of the plant (i.e. energy per piece or kg produced). The proposed methodology aims to support managers and energy-efficiency technicians to minimize the plant’s energy consumption without affecting the production and therefore, increase its competitiveness. The data used in the design of this methodology are real data from a company dedicated to the design and manufacture of automotive components and one of the main manufacturers in the automotive sector worldwide. The present methodology is under the pending patent application EU19382002.4-120.