Figure 3. SIC 28: Distribution of Motor Population and Energy (by hp)

Source: Xenergy study, 2001

Savings opportunities

Motor use accounts for 59 percent of all electricity used in manufacturing. The following information is taken from Small Chemicals and Allied Products Manufacturers: a Profile of Motor Energy Efficiency Opportunities, a study commissioned by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and conducted by Xenergy in 2001. It gives an indication of where chemical processing plant personnel might find energy and related savings.

The chemicals and allied products industry (SIC 28) is the largest user of motor systems energy, accounting for 20 percent of the total industrial motor system energy use. See Fig. 1.

Within the chemicals and allied products industry group, SIC 28, the breakdown for motor system energy is even more pronounced, with four of the industries within this group comprising more than 75 percent of the total motor system energy use. See Fig. 2.

The distribution of motors within this industry group also is telling of the potential for increased motor efficiency, as the largest number of motors in the chemicals and allied products industry are those with hp levels between 1-5 (see Fig. 3), and the vast majority of all the motors in this industry are less than 50 hp.

As shown in Fig. 4, the largest motor-use applications (in terms of numbers of motors) within the chemicals and allied products industry are pumps and material processing. However, the application using the most energy is compressed air, followed closely by pumps and material processing. These areas represent the greatest potential sources of efficiency upgrades.

Figure 4. SIC 28: Distribution of Motor Population by Application and Energy Use

Source: Xenergy study, 2001

Getting started

A motor management plan puts plant decision-makers in the driver's seat to make the most cost-effective decisions when motors fail. By considering electric motors as a cost of production in the same way American industry looks at labor costs and material costs, these decision-makers could improve their facilities' overall efficiency and bottom line.

For more information about Motor Decisions Matter, visit www.motorsmatter.org, or contact DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies Clearinghouse at (800) 862-2086. Visit www.chemicalprocessing.com for an expanded version of this article, which includes a motor management case study.

Jones is the industrial program manager for the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and Mason is an industrial program associate for the consortium. Contact them at (800) 862-2086.