GRUNDFOS CASE STORY

A change in the mix reduces energy consumption

by 50 per cent
The water sector accounts for 2.4 per cent of the total
energy consumed in Denmark; 65 per cent of that is
consumed in wastewater treatment alone. Not surprisingly
energy efficiency has become a top priority for the Danish
Water and Wastewater Association (DANVA). DANVA has
committed itself to reducing the national water sectors
energy consumption by 25 per cent by the end of 2013.
One wastewater plant, Drsbro, has risen to the challenge
with an on-going and in-depth investigation into how it can
save energy:
We are always seeking new ways to lower our energy
consumption. Energy is a big expense and as a public
institution we are under constant pressure from local
authorities to lower our operating costs and our impact
on the environment, says Kurt Poulsen, Production
Manager at Drsbro. Recently he headed a project
in cooperation with Grundfos that significantly lowered
energy consumption.
Good for the environment and budget
Wastewater entering the plant at Drsbro goes through
a series of processes to extract the clean water. Mixers
are used to move the water between the various tanks,
using ten per cent of the plants total energy consumption
in the process. Together with Grundfos, Drsbro set out to
investigate if it were possible to save energy by replacing
the mixers in two of the tanks with Grundfos flowmakers.
The analysis and test demonstrated that the replacement
had reduced the tanks energy consumption by 50 per cent,
which is naturally reflected in the energy bill. It also showed
that the overall replacement would equate to a reduction in
C02 emissions by around 11,200 kg/year.
With this project we once again proved that it pays to do a
thorough analysis, because huge amounts can actually be
saved once you look into optimising your processes. In this
case we were using a lot of unnecessary energy keeping
the water flowing in the tanks, Kurt says.
Hopes for the future

The Drsbro plant tested the AFG.22.130.77

flowmaker from Grundfos.
The payback time on implementing the new
flowmakers will be around four years.

DANVA is currently evaluating its 25 per cent energy

reduction goal, with results like the ones achieved at
Drsbro furnishing high hope for the upcoming results.
The results from Drsbro prove that our goal of a 25 per
cent energy reduction by 2013 is not only an ambitious but
also a realistic one. As we have seen with other cases it
really pays off to take a close look at the processes as the
potential savings are often bigger than first anticipated,
says Helle Katrine Andersen, Head of Water at DANVA.
An experienced partner
With increasing demands from legislators, and general
pressure to keep running costs as low as possible, Kurt
says Drsbro needs to stay on top of its game in the energy
arena at all times. He adds that its a situation in which it
is a real advantage to work with an experienced partner.
He says:
There is no sense in buying a car that can hit 200
kilometres an hour if all you are allowed to drive is 110.
Likewise, there is no sense in buying a pump or a mixer
that uses more energy than you need. Grundfos has the
experts to find the optimal solution with the minimum
energy consumption.
As a direct result of the projects success, Drsbro
is beginning another project together with Grundfos to
optimise the mixers in their sludge tanks.