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A comprehensive energy conservation study of the Dairy plant at Gomtipure, Gujarat. was carried out by PCRA.This Dairy is engaged in the manufacture of various qualities of milk & also other milk products like buttermilk & ghee in their plant. The total milk received per day is around 1.60 Lakh litres. Annual Production of the plant Liquid milk – 51046.6 kl. There are 2 nos. boilers-, both oil fired 1 TPH each, for generating steam for use in the plant. One
boiler is in operation & the other is stand by.
Annual F.O/LDO consumption is 433.55 Kl. The unit takes its electricity supply from the GEB .The contract demand is 500KVA. Electricity is
consumed in a variety of equipment in the refrigeration plant compressors & auxiliary equipment
like cooling & chilled water pumps, air compressors, water & milk pumps & lighting. Annual electricity consumption is 23.78 LakhKWH

A comprehensive energy conservation study of the plant was carried out by PCRA, The identified total annual energy saving potential is around Rs. 26.17 Lakhs on a recurring basis. The energy audit has identified several areas for energy conservation in thermal & electrical energy. The steps identified for energy conservation are given below:

The excess air levels in the boilers is very much on the higher side. It is recommended that the unit replace the present nozzle with a new nozzle. It is also recommended that the unit procure a
combustion analyzer & reduce the excess air levels such that the oxygen % in the flue gases is 3.0%. This will result in improvement in boiler efficiency.
It is recommended that the unit descale the water side of the boiler. This will increase heat transfer from the flue gases to the water leading to lower flue gas temperature & higher boiler efficiency.
Furnace is stored in 2 nos.main storage tank of capacity 20000 lts each. It is recommended that the furnace oil storage & service tanks should be drained at least once a week. This will ensure that all the water is removed from furnace oil & prevent sludge formation.
Steam line insulation was in good shape in the plant in. However, some the valves & flanges on
the PRV stations are not insulated in the plant. It is recommended that the valves & flanges be
insulated with box type insulation to reduce radiation losses.
It is observed that 3 traps is found to be blowing I.e. leaking steam. The total nos. of steam traps tested is 11. Also 1 trap was found to be having body leak It is recommended that these traps be also attended to.
It is recommended that the condensate be recovered from the CIP hot water tank trap as well as
from the pasteurizer hot water tank overflow.
The power factor of the plant is satisfactory. However, it is observed that it fluctuates from month to month. The average power factor for the dairy is 0.984. It is recommended that the power factor be improved to unity consistently. This will result in savings in electrical bills .
The contract demand for the dairy is 500 KVA & the minimum billable maximum demand is 425
KVA. It is recommended that the contract demand be reduced to 440 KVA. This will reduce the
minimum billable maximum demand to 374 KVA & lead to a reduction in the electricity bills.
The air compressor & the identified pump motors are overloaded. It is recommended that the air
compressor & all the pumps identified be inspected & serviced to reduce the power consumption.
When an induction motor is rewound , its efficiency drops by at least 1 % each time it is rewound.
This results in excessive power consumption in these motors. It is recommended that these motors be replaced with new high efficiency motors. This will result in savings in electricity. Besides savings in electricity, savings in rewinding costs are also realized. It is recommended that pump motors be monitored every month for seal leakage & the seals replaced on a monthly basis for the pump motors. This will reduce motor burnout & result in improvement in motor efficiency.
It is recommended that the refrigeration section be modernized by installation of an instant chiller, screw compressor , PHE condenser & a forced draught cooling tower.
Along with the compressor, the IBT also has to be modernized. It is recommended that liquid level
controller & ice thickness controller be installed on the IBT. This will reduce power consumption
in the refrigeration section.
Present lighting single phase voltage is 210 to 215 volts. Nowadays lighting transformers are
available, which reduce the voltage to around 200 volts. The reduction in voltage also reduces
power consumption with little reduction in lumens emitted by the light source. The savings due to
installation of lighting transformer is 20% of the power consumption.