Benchmarking Study for Energy Footprint of Water Bottling in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

A benchmarking study was performed for two local water bottling factories in Saudi Arabia. The energy consumption values were compared with internationally reported values. For the local water factories a detailed energy audit was conducted to determine the energy consumption. The power consumption and power factor of each machine in the production process was measured using an energy analyzer. For one of the local energy audits, the heaviest consumption of power was by the injection molding machine, which consumed approximately 37% of the total power; the compressors accounted for 24%; while the chillers took 18% of total power. The power factors of different machines were in the range of 0.7 to 0.9. A benchmarking analysis showed an energy use index (EUI) of 0.41 MJ/liter and 0.29 MJ/liter for the two water bottling plants studied in this research, whereas international benchmarks reported are around 0.25 MJ/liter. Major energy conservation measures suggested were improvement of power factor, elimination of compressor leaks, implementation of variable-speed drives, and insulation of pipes running from the chillers.

Keywords::

• Energy audit
• industrial energy efficiency
• Saudi Arabia
• bottled water.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are indebted to the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology—National Science and Technology Initiative Plan (KACST-NSTIP) research grant number 13-ENE-1703-09 for supporting this research. The help and cooperation extended by the local water factory in collecting the data is also gratefully acknowledged.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammad A Irfan

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mohammad A. Irfan, CEM, is a professor of mechanical engineering at Qassim University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He is also a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan. Dr. Irfan completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) in 1998. Following his PhD, he worked for 2 years in the US industry. His work was related to the design of industrial burners. He was awarded the Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship in 2008. During his postdoc, he conducted research on design of microchannel heat exchangers for industrial waste heat recovery. He joined Qassim University, Saudi Arabia in 2010. At Qassim University he continued his research on industrial waste heat recovery. At Qassim University he founded the Industrial Energy Assessment Lab with the help of a Federal research grant. He has conducted energy audits in various industries in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He has also received certification for Certified Energy Manager (CEM-AEE-USA) in 2016. Dr. Irfan may be contacted at [email protected].

Khaled K Esmaeil

Khaled Khodary Esmaeil, CEA, works in the Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, at Qassim University, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He also works in the Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, at Tanta University, located in Egypt. He participated in the establishment of the Industrial Energy Assessment Lab at Qassim University and conducted several energy audits. Khaled Khodary Esmaeil completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Department from Indian Institute of Technology, located in Roorkee, India in 2004. Following his Ph.D., he taught at the Mechanical Power Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Tanta University, Egypt. He was also a consultant and auditor for quality and environmental management systems, including energy issues, for several industrial organizations. He qualified as a Certified Auditor from IRCA in 2006. In 2008, he joined the Engineering College in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. At Qassim University, he was involved in research teams and projects involving energy utilization and efficiency for the residential and industrial sectors, as well as, the use of alternatives energy resources. He became a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA-AEE-USA) in 2016.

Abdulmajid A Murada

Abdulmajid Murad is currently a research fellow working toward the Master of Science degree at the Department of Information and Communication Engineering, Chosun University, located in South Korea. He is interested in interdisciplinary research, including signal processing, machine learning, deep learning applications, and distributed intelligence. Abdulmajid Murad received the Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Qassim University, in Saudi Arabia, in 2015. He worked as a research assistant in the Industrial Energy Assessment Lab at Qassim University.

Fahad A Almufadia

Fahad A. Almufadi currently serves as the dean of the College of Engineering, at Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Dr. Fahad Almufadi joined Qassim University in 2009 and has served in several academic and administration positions, including the head of the mechanical engineering department, vice dean, and now as the dean of the College of Engineering. He supports research activities in the college and, specifically, supported the establishment of the Industrial Energy Assessment Lab. He was involved in many research activities involving energy utilization and efficiency. He also supervised graduate students in this field. Fahad A. Almufadi received his Ph.D. from Ohio University (USA) in 2004.