Energy efficiency in continuous galvanizing lines

This paper aims at analyzing the process and system parameters in galvanizing lines using a decision support system. Real time galvanizing line data from the facilities of the participating companies were collected and entered into the decision support system called Galvanizing Energy Profiler and Decision Support System (GEPDSS) [1].The major process and system parameters which are of interest to the galvanizing industry were varied in the decision support model for insight into sensitivity of these parameters with respect to energy efficiency. The results and trends of the variables are analyzed with a particular focus on energy consumption during both production hours and downtime to better understand the productivity of production lines. A detailed analysis is undertaken to study potential energy and cost savings achievable if new pot hardware of increased life were adopted, downtime was decreased or other energy efficiency measures were implemented on a line. Finally a comparison between the amount of energy consumption by the participating lines reported by the decision support system and the actual energy bills of those lines was done to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of GEPDSS.