Incorrect sizing and the inefficient use of pumps contributes to about 10% of global energy consumption, says Grundfos business development manager for industry: India, Middle East & Africa Saahil Khan.

By optimising the pump design for energy efficient use and adapting the system to demand changes, while replacing inefficient products with “superior quality and superior higher efficiency products”, Grundfos is able to reduce costs and save up to 4% of global energy consumption.

Presenting during the company’s Smart Factories virtual event on September 16, Khan explained that Grundfos is able to positively contribute to energy savings and reduce lifecycle costs through innovation.

At first, the company reviews the materials that are being used before implementing a quality hydraulics system to improve on an end-user’s pump design. It then considers the use of its iSolutions range, which adds intelligence to a pumping solution.

“It can be a sensor, or controller that can add intelligence to your system,” he said, noting that the controllers are “different” depending on what is currently available in the market.

It can, however, also be a microprocessor-based controller, which is pre-programmed with application-specific control algorithms and can be applied to any application, whether it be water treatment or an industrial cooling application.

The controllers make use of pumping parameters, which it combines with smart control algorithms and performance parameters to “get the best out of the pump at any given time”.

On the other hand, when considering the service aspect, Khan said that Grundfos has a “dedicated team” that continuously works on energy optimisation services, which comes in three different levels – replacement, energy check and energy audit.

The first, as the name suggests, is where a product is replaced to increase efficiency through an improved hydraulic design.

Energy checks and energy audits, meanwhile, are more advanced offerings. Here, Grundfos’ energy check service option responds to a visual, or walkthrough assessment, of a pumping system, while an energy audit takes into account the actual parameters of the system.

“We, as Grundfos, will bring in our measuring equipment (like flow meter pressure transmitters and energy loggers) to log the system, and based on these inspections, we will then [provide] a report that will give a recommendation on what can be done in order to optimize the system,” Khan explained.

The energy audit report is prepared, as per the ISO 14414 pumping system energy efficiency standards, and gives the end-user insight into the complete pumping system, further providing the end-user with information about how to achieve energy savings.

Grundfos also considers how carbon emissions for the end-user can be reduced, and often suggests a greener or more sustainable pumping system.

“This could be a simple product-to-product replacement, or it can be a little more advanced where we optimise the system through the smart control algorithms, or it can be a combination of both where we change the product as well as add the smart device to the product to the control algorithm,” Khan explained.