FRONTLINE - College of Engineering - North Carolina State University

eXTeNSION
update
Herb Eckerlin helps
industries “Save Energy Now”
This mechanical and aerospace engineer has been helping industry
conserve energy since 1992
The recent increase in the cost of energy has both consumers
and industry looking for ways to conserve. President George
W. Bush has called for energy conservation through improved
technologies and better efficiency.
At North Carolina State University, Dr. Herbert M. Eckerlin,
professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has
been teaching industries how to use energy more efficiently
since 1992 through the NC State University Industrial
Assessment Center (IAC), one of 26 university-based centers
across the nation that are supported by the US Department
of Energy (USDOE) for the purpose of helping industry find
ways to operate more efficiently. Eckerlin, who is a national
authority on boiler and steam systems, and his students have
visited 25 industrial plants each year to test equipment and
make recommendations for improved efficiency and energy
conservation.
The two main goals of the program are to provide energy
conservation and cost reduction assessments to small- to
medium-sized manufacturers and to educate the next gen-
eration of energy managers. Advanced undergraduate and
graduate students from the Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering at NC State University along with
experienced faculty conduct a one-day assessment of the
facility. Data on plant operations and energy costs are collected
and analyzed to determine potential conservation
measures. These measures are compiled into a technical
report detailing the recommended action, the potential
savings, the estimated cost of implementation and simple
payback period.
As part of the new USDOE Save Energy Now initiative,
Eckerlin has delivered four workshops this year. Co-spon-
sored by the State Energy Office of North Carolina and the
USDOE Save Energy Now initiative, the workshops focus on
providing plant personnel with practical methods for identifying
and implementing energy-saving methods in their
boiler and steam facilities.
Boilers are one of the major energy expenses in industry.
For example, one tire plant that Eckerlin recently visited
has an annual natural gas bill of $3.5 million. Reducing the
energy consumption by even a small fraction would have a
major impact on the plant’s expenses.
BOILERS ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR ENERGY
ExPENSES IN INDUSTRY. ONE TIRE PLANT
THAT ECKERLIN RECENTLY VISITED HAS AN
ANNUAL NATURAL GAS BILL OF $3.5 MILLION.
While energy conservation is the primary goal of the IACs and
the Save Energy Now initiative, the project also helps local
economies remain strong.
“Keeping energy expenses to a minimum is especially important
in today’s economy,” says Eckerlin. “If the energy cost of
a plant gets too high, it may close and move overseas, taking
away jobs from the community. We want to do what we can
to prevent that from happening.” �