Caterpillar, Integrated Manufacturing Operations Division
East Peoria, IL
Intern: Nishan Hundal
Bradley University
Caterpillar's Integrated Manufacturing Operations Division (IMOD)
manufacturing complex in East Peoria, Illinois covers approximately
700 acres just east of the Illinois River. This complex manufactures
track-type tractors (TTT) used in the construction and mining industries.
The intern was tasked to work on several energy efficiency projects.
Results:
The intern made the following recommendations:
- Update lighting in three IMOD buildings could save a total of
$100,000 a year.
- Install occupancy sensors in areas which are unoccupied most of
the time during the day and install photosensors in areas where
daylight can be utilized. These projects could save $17,000 a year
with a payback of 1.5 years.
- Install a system to recover waste heat and use synthetic lubricants
in place of conventional lubricants for the air compressors. These projects
could save $30,000 with a four month payback period.
- Recover exhaust hot air from fire-tube boiler stacks to preheat intake air
to reduce natural gas usage in the boilers. By installing turbulators in
boiler tubes and increasing the efficiency, this project could save a total
of $100,000 with a payback period of less than one year.
- Install vending-misers in cold beverage vending machines and snack-misers
in snack machines. This project could save $2,000 with a 2-year payback period.
These devices power down the machine when the surrounding area is vacant and
automatically repower the cooling system at one-to-three hour intervals.
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