Fuel savings bring speedy payback for Campbell

Campbell Grocery Products has recently installed the innovative and patented Fuel+ energy saving solution at its Worksop site in Nottinghamshire.

Campbell Grocery Products, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company, has recently installed the innovative and patented Fuel+ energy saving solution from Maxsys at its Worksop site in Nottinghamshire.

Since commissioning took place some 18 months ago, the company has enjoyed an impressive 5% reduction in gas consumption and has already recouped its initial capital outlay for the system.

The Worksop plant manufactures some of Campbell's most recognisable brands.

Its five autonomous manufacturing centres are: Oxo, Homepride Cook-in-Sauces, Batchelor's Super Noodles, the Batchelor's Mushy Pea cannery and the company's R and D facility.

Campbell is justifiably proud of its record as an environmentally conscious organisation.

In an age where reduced energy consumption can contribute greatly towards the arrest of global warming, few companies can claim to be doing more than Campbell.

Add to this the cost benefits, from reduced energy consumption, National Allocation Plan targets being achieved or beaten and Climate Change Levy discounts, and it is easy to see why the company was keen to learn more after it was first approached by Maxsys in early 2004.

Maxsys provides cost effective energy saving equipment across a wide range of industries, including food and drink, chemicals, paper, steel, minerals, textiles, cement, pharmaceuticals, glass, printing, rubber, manufacturing and bricks, as well as process and space heating for the public and private sectors.

The company's Fuel+ pre-treats fuel (gas and oil) supplied to the burners of a unit to enhance combustion, producing a cleaner burn and reducing carbon emissions.

Maxsys offer guaranteed savings of at least 5% or any capital outlay made by the customer to Maxsys is returned.

Other benefits include a reduction in emissions that provides assistance in achieving the Climate Change Levy discount, achieving the target for Carbon Dioxide emissions under the EU ETS as well as reduced maintenance and downtime.

"Although Maxsys approached us, I had heard of the system", explains Mick Blackburn, Energy Manager at the Worksop plant.

"Fuel+ improves combustion by applying a precisely calibrated magnetic field to the fuel".

"The unit is installed into the fuel supply line before the burner".

"Maxsys guaranteed that we would achieve 5% energy savings".

"We agreed that once it was installed the effectiveness of the system would be independently monitored and verified by ABB".

"If the system fell short of 5% return, all our money would be returned - hence it really was a situation where we couldn't lose".

In September 2004 Fuel+ was fitted to the boiler system at Campbell, which consists of two gas fired boilers with four burners.

Fuel+ units are designed for installation into vertical or horizontal pipes.

There are no moving parts and no electrical supply is required.

The boilers at Campbell operate for 24 hours a day, five days a week under variable load conditions.

After six months of operation the system was assessed independently by ABB using a statistical technique called CUSUM, which compares predicted with actual steam generation.

The cumulative difference is plotted and if an improvement has occurred the chart should indicate a rise in steam generation.

ABB concluded that over the post commissioning period 316,500kg more steam was generated than would have been expected, which is equivalent to an improvement of 5%.

A simplified check also verified this impressive result.

Pre-Fuel+, the boiler system at Campbell averaged 13.25kg of steam generated for every cubic metre of gas consumed.

Post installation showed 14.14kg of steam produced for the same quantity of gas consumption - a rise of 6.7%.

"It's very pleasing that the Fuel+ system is hitting its 5% target", says Blackburn: "and even more satisfying that we have already recouped our capital outlay".

"At Campbell we are always looking to improve our environmental procedures".

"This directive is now issued at corporate level and as an organisation we are keen to try anything that will help us improve our energy efficiency".

"Fuel+ assists with this aim as well as many other things, such as reduced CO2 emissions".

Another important factor is the contribution made by Fuel+ towards Campbell achieving its 80% Climate Change Levy discount.

If an organisation fails to reach the targets set out in its agreement with the Government then it will not be able to claim the 80% reduction in the levy.

However, the company is already way out in front, as Blackburn explains.

"Our targets are already set up to 2011, however, because of the work we have already undertaken and the systems we have implemented, including Fuel+, we are already meeting our targets for 2010", he says.

"Our aim is to lead rather than follow - a philosophy that is standing the company in good stead for the future".

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