October 2010
Top Story
The Boston Consulting Group Identifies WPT as Key Energy and Carbon Saving Technology
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) quantified the net carbon impact of the Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat (WPT) from Cypress Envirosystems in a study for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)…More
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WGR Improves Safety at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant
RND Pharma to Expand WSTM Program to 2,400 Steam Traps at Headquarters
The Boston Consulting Group Identifies WPT as Key Energy and Carbon Saving Technology
The California Smart Grid Center Demonstrates WPT is Needed Solution for Connecting Buildings to Smart Grid
WGR Improves Safety at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant
Wireless Gauge Reader Reduces Worker Radiation Exposure and Boosts Efficiency at Nuclear Facility
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant worked with Honeywell Process Solutions to use the Honeywell-branded version of Cypress Envirosystems’ Wireless Gauge Reader (WGR) to reduce radiation exposure for its workers and improve its monitoring capabilities. The WGR reduces the time required for operator rounds, lowers the potential for error, and provides near real-time data to optimize the system.
Gary Von der Esch, Vermont Yankee Power Plant’s operations manager, said “with the WGR installed, our operators can perform rounds and observe plant conditions without spending additional time in high-radiation areas to manually record gauge readings,” He continued, “the operator can now take the gauge reading in seconds from any network computer—reducing time, human error and expanding system monitor data points—but most importantly reducing radiation exposure.”
With data being collected every 15 minutes, the production manager can monitor trends, understand variations, set excursion limits, and enable personnel to respond to evolving situations in a timely manner. Von der Esch emphasized, “going forward, Vermont Yankee will establish a feed from the WGRs to the process computer, which will allow the system data from the WGRs to be captured and mapped against other system data for analysis.” More
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RND Pharma to Expand WSTM Program to 2,400 Steam Traps at Headquarters
Successful pilot demonstrates avoided exposure to hazardous areas and payback in less than one year
RND Pharma (actual customer name confidential), a Fortune 150 global pharmaceutical company, identified the Wireless Steam Trap Monitor (WSTM) as a solution for improving the performance of its 2,400 steam traps at its technology headquarters. The expanded program is the result of a successful pilot on 12 steam traps, which achieved a 12-month payback through reduced steam loss and saved labor. In addition, the pilot demonstrated improved safety and reduced damage to the steam system.
“The Wireless Steam Trap Monitor installation has provided us with a solution that cost-effectively addresses our need to save energy and increase safety and reliability across our entire complex,” explained the Manager of Utility Steam Plant Operations at the RND Pharma Technology Center Headquarters.
When a steam trap fails “open”, the early detection provided by the WSTM significantly reduces the steam wasted compared with less frequent manual monitoring. When a steam trap fails “closed”, it destabilizes the efficiency of the steam distribution system, which in turn wastes energy. This also causes damaging water hammer that may lead to broken piping costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, not including the lost
production impact during the repair downtime. The seriousness of piping breakage also heightens the safety issues to those that may be present at the failure point.
The WSTM has a built-in web-based user interface which provides any user visibility for history trending, graphs, and alarming/notification. It also provides comprehensive reports with an energy summary which shows steam loss and the cost associated with the loss for analysis and auditing – no new software or operator training is required to implement this solution. The WSTM data can also be easily integrated into existing automation systems via OPC or BACnet interfaces. RND uses OPC to integrate the WSTM with their Wonderware Utilities Management System. More
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The Boston Consulting Group Identifies WPT as Key Energy and Carbon Saving Technology
BCG Quantifies Net Impact of Leading Technologies for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) quantified the net carbon impact of the Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat (WPT) from Cypress Envirosystems in a study for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). The WPT was selected as one of six leading solutions chosen for this study—Evaluating the Carbon-Reducing Impacts of ICT. The report shows impressive reductions in both energy consumption and carbon emissions from the WPT.
BCG’s case study of the WPT was based on a retrofit of a 300,000 ft2 building. The WPT installation reduced energy consumption by 2,207 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day and reduced CO2-equivalent emissions by 345 tons per year. These savings translate to one ton of CO2-equivalent and 2,300 kWh per year for each WPT deployed.
This study and methodology for evaluating the carbon-reducing potential of new technology initiatives provides businesses, policy makers and industry with a common yardstick for assessing carbon savings arising from technology-based solutions such as smart motors, smart logistics, smart buildings, and smart power grids. It is hailed as an important step toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions. More See full BCG report here.
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The California Smart Grid Center Demonstrates WPT is Needed Solution for Connecting Buildings to Smart Grid
Test confirms game-changing reduction in cost, time and disruption to retrofit existing buildings for the Smart Grid
The test by the California Smart Grid Center (CSGC) confirmed the WPT’s significant reduction in cost, time and disruption to retrofit legacy buildings, and enable them for Smart Grid Auto-Demand Response connectivity. The CSGC is funded by the California Energy Commission and is the unbiased proving ground for Smart Grid technologies in California.
“For the Smart Grid to reach its full potential, we will need smart buildings to talk to it. Developing low cost and non-disruptive ways to make existing buildings ‘smart’ is a very important problem to address,” said Emir Jose Macari, Dean of the College of Engineering and founding Director of the California Smart Grid Center at Sacramento State. “The Cypress Envirosystems’ WPT system was installed in record time and has performed flawlessly for the three months of the demonstration test. I am impressed with the system’s performance but above all because of the non-invasive nature of the devices and the installation.”
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The patent-pending hybrid pneumatic and digital technology employed by the WPT opens up the potential
for millions of legacy buildings to participate in peak load reduction through auto-demand response programs enabled by communications with the smart grid. In addition, the WPT enables energy efficiency strategies which were previously impractical due to long investment payback and disruption to building occupants required with other solutions. More Learn more about CSGC here.
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