Various Equipments Used In the Energy Industry

One of the most prominent industries in the world today is the energy industry, which is further segmented into Coal, Nuclear, Oil & gas, Power generation, renewable energy, hydro power, solar energy and some others. As complex as it sounds, this industry requires large amount of investment in plant, machinery and equipment. It is thus, very important to understand what is used and how to ensure a smooth functioning of the same. Some of the equipments used in the industry are as follows:

1. Power Electronics: This industry makes an extensive utilization of power supplies, imaging & testing of equipment, sensors, electric generators & motors, switches, actuators, converters, coils and transformers. As the electronic technology is progressing, buyers’ expectations are surging too. The expectations are to have the highest level of potential technology in the smallest object or equipment possible. Over and above this, durability, sustainability, and reliability of the equipment is utmost important and is a major consideration too. The reason for this is that the companies make huge amount of investments in acquiring these. They certainly cannot afford to lose out on even a single day of production as that will cost them a high amount of opportunity expense. Moreover, all these standards need to be maintained in alignment with the surging government regulations on environmental hazards, caused by electromagnetic emissions. It is essential that the equipment design is superlative and most suitable
for the processes of the organization.

2. Semiconductors: Some industries focus on devices like MCMs, lead frame packages, BGAs, chips and stack dies. The main challenge that the engineers face with this is the demand of the buyers for availing a reduced size of the equipment. The most recent processors have transistors that are smaller or equal to 28 nanometers. Moreover, the industry is highly subject to change with technology progressing every other minute. The equipment must meet the requirement of 3 Ps of the industry that is power, price and performance.

3. Wind Turbines: Wind turbines are one of the most important industrial equipments in the power generator and energy industry. These fall under the category of rotating machineries used by the industries. Just like all other rotating equipments, wind turbines require high durability, sustainability and reliability. Wind turbines, fortunately, has proved to be a major and effective source of alternative energy generators. Hence, it has become immensely popular and is prominently used all across the world.

4. Wire rope slings: These industries require high number of lifting and supporting equipments. Thus, use of wire rope slings is essential. Since the time it was discovered that tying different wire strands can make it strong, wire ropes came into existence in the industrial world. The existence of wire ropes is as old as 1800s, when it was first used in the mining industry. Here the manufacturers of wire ropes assemble various strands of wires made of stainless steel. The metal makes it highly durable and free from rusting. This also makes it extremely strong to lift, support or move heavy weights and keeps it far from being breakable. As the focus on quality is continuously increasing, the manufacturers are simultaneously increasing the standards too. Some manufacturers provide these wire ropes with steel tags marked on them. They also provide other important and relevant information. There are proof tests done for the industries and certificates that assures of the quality conformance.

5. Water turbines and pumps: These equipments are highly used in the energy industry. Water turbines and pumps use water to function. Some of these are used for more than one process. This includes the release of liquid (mostly water) in the reservoir during the off hours by the water pump. Once this process is done, the turbine extracts the power as and when there seems to be high demand of the same. However, the main requirement is that both the machines should be operating at the highest capacity. Pumps are one of the most significant equipments that cater to the needs of various industrial processes. The major functionality of the pump is to rotate or release the fluids in the respective reservoir. As the pumps functionality is highly complex, it uses quite a large amount of power for the processing. Thus, the government has imposed various regulations on the conformance and performance standards that one needs to comply with.

6. Steam and gas turbines: These turbines are mostly used by the industries to generate power and for other mechanical applications and processes. Nuclear and thermal power plants are known to use steam turbines quite prominently. One of the major considerations for steam and gas turbines is that they are highly efficient. However, efficiency should not be achieved at the cost of high fuel usage and increased carbon emissions that can harm the environment. The manufacturers of steam and gas turbines have improved the temperature operation by increasing it further and also the design of the blades. These changes have contributed to the higher efficiency of the steam turbines. There have been enhancements of combustor systems that contribute to the reduction of the carbon emissions from the turbines. While the upgrades in the cooling system technology resulted in the increased efficiency of the gas turbines.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

It is obvious that the effort, time and money invested in these plants are huge. The equipment and machineries are inter-linked, and if one malfunctions, every other process would cease. Thus, it is essential that preventive measures are taken by the industries to ensure smooth functioning of the plant.

The first and the foremost thing to do is to ensure that the equipment purchased are of highest quality standards in terms of its performance and productivity. The key to avail this kind of equipment is to choose the right manufacturer with highest scrutiny and past records. Ensure that the capabilities of the equipment are inspected by the best engineer of your firm. This will give a confirmation that the equipment will qualify to be used for your plant.

No matter how diligent you were while purchasing any machinery, there is a depreciation factor attached to it. Some or the other time, there are chances that the machinery is stops functioning. Hence to avoid this situation, try to follow all maintenance procedures for the equipment. This includes inspection, oiling and greasing, upgrading, repairing, changing parts, etc. Thus, proper maintenance and inspection of the equipment will prolong the life and save you huge amount of money.