Ahlstrom Filtration LLC
Taylorville, Illinois
Intern: Eric Miller
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
The Ahlstrom facility in Taylorville is a manufacturer of automotive filter
media for use in oil, air and fuel filters. The facility employs about 100
people and operates around the clock.
The intern identified opportunities to reduce energy consumption at the facility,
as well as followed up on several projects that were initiated by the intern
from the previous summer.
Results:
The intern worked on the following energy efficiency projects:
- Worked with plant electricians to install both occupancy sensors and CFLs
in the main office area. This project has the potential to save
over $3,000 per year.
- Identified and tagged leaks in the compressed air system, which were repaired
by maintenance for a savings of over $15,000 per year.
The following energy efficiency projects were identified by the intern:
- Replace the compressed air knife on the dust collection system with a blower
air knife. This has the potential to save over $51,000 a year.
- Install occupancy sensors in all high-bay fixtures in the warehouses and
other low-traffic areas.
The intern collected data and contacted vendors to follow up on several projects
that were initiated by the 2008 intern. These included:
- Researching the use of a ram extruder to further dewater the paper pulp
sludge. The intern identified potential buyers for the sludge. This
project has the potential to save $50,000 to $100,000 per year.
- Continuing outside engineering and design work for a new regenerative thermal
oxidizer that will decrease natural gas consumption by over $1.22 million
a year.
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