Software Tool Development
| ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
The Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) maintains a suite of powerful, on-line tools that industrial facilities are successfully using to identify the best opportunities to save energy and costs. These tools focus on key plant utility systems that account for about 80% of all energy used by industry. These systems include motors, pumps, compressed air, steam, process heat, and systems that emit NOx.
The tools identify and assess the opportunities for energy and fuel savings without proposing a product, technical solution, or design change. Each tool is developed by a partnership with DOE and industry stakeholders. For select tools, training is available to help users apply the tool correctly.
The ITP Tool Strategy (PDF 458 KB) defines a plan to build on this success by improving the software and expanding industry's awareness of and access to them. The Tool Strategy discusses the critical role of these tools in illuminating energy use and loss in manufacturing facilities, establishes a clear vision and goal, and sets forth objectives to encourage increased industry use of the tools to achieve plant-wide energy savings. To achieve these goals, ITP will focus on four key strategic pathways. Download Adobe Reader.
- Integrate the tools to unify the look and feel of each tool, and package them in an on-line tool suite to increase plant-wide awareness and use of the tools;
- Maintain, upgrade, and develop the tools to preserve their value over time and to maximize industrial energy savings;
- Develop and foster existing partnerships with industry and organizations to increase industry energy awareness and tool use; and
- Develop new methods to train tool users to maximize tool effectiveness and minimize the time required to learn each tool.
ITP Software Tools for Industrial Energy Systems
(This link will open a flash movie in a new window. Download Macromedia Flash)
- Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT) — Estimates the impacts of key steam system improvements. Generates results detailing the energy, cost, and emissions savings that up to 16 different improvements could achieve.
- Steam System Scoping Tool (SSST) — Evaluates a facility's steam system operations and management practices against best practices.
- Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST) — Surveys process heating equipment and identifies the most energy-intensive equipment. Performs energy (heat) balances on selected equipment (furnaces) to identify and reduce non-productive energy use. Compares performance of the furnace under various operating conditions and test "what-if" scenarios.
- AIRMaster+ — Assesses compressed air systems, models existing and future systems upgrades, and evaluates savings and effectiveness of energy efficiency measures.
- MotorMaster+ — Identifies inefficient or oversized facility motors and computes the energy and demand savings associated with selection of a replacement energy-efficient model. Includes motor inventory management, maintenance logging, and a price and performance database.
- Pumping System Assessment Tool (PSAT) — Helps user identify energy savings opportunities in pumping systems and quantifies those opportunities in both dollars and electrical energy.
- NOx and Energy Assessment Tool (NxEAT) — Assesses and analyzes NOx emissions and applications of energy efficiency improvements at petroleum refining and chemical plants. Inventories emissions from NOx generating equipment and compares various technology applications and efficiency measures that affects overall costs and reduction of NOx. Performs "what-if" analyses to optimize and select the most cost-effective methods for reducing NOx.
- Fan System Assessment Tool (FSAT) — Assesses the efficiency of fan system operations. Identifies savings opportunities, analyzes system data to rate efficiency, calculates energy savings, and identifies fan systems that are not operating at best capacity.
- Combined Heating and Power Tool (CHP Tool) — Identifies opportunities for CHP units. Includes a directory of CHP units in today's market and gives cost and payback estimates.
- Plant Energy Profiler Tool (PEP Tool) — Assesses plant-wide operating practices against an industry energy-use baseline. Generates energy maps that identify areas of high energy consumption and potential energy savings throughout the plant. Produces a score card that provides guidance and justification for energy savings projects. Makes recommendations for use of energy management tools, such as pump and steam system optimization, to reduce energy consumption.