A technology that involves applying a finely calibrated magnetic field directly onto gas or oil fuel lines is generating dramatic savings for companies in a variety of industrial sectors.

When it comes to energy management, finely tuning fuel use can have a dramatic impact on the bottom line.

Maxsys, a company based in Walsall, England, has developed a novel fuel treatment system based on this and is achieving some notable successes across different industrial sectors.

The Fuel+ fuel treatment system improves combustion by applying a finely calibrated magnetic field directly on the fuel. The unit is installed directly into gas or oil fuel lines and can be installed either horizontally or vertically into the existing pipework. With no moving parts and no electrical supply requirement, Maxsys says the design and high standard of engineering guarantee optimum long-term reliability. The technology can be used with high- or low-pressure fuel supplies. In the case of heavy fuel oils, the systems are designed and manufactured to withstand temperatures up to 140°C.

One of the latest companies to adopt the technology is frozen food specialist Findus. The installation of the Fuel+ system at its Benton Lane plant in Newcastle has reduced by 6.6 per cent the amount of natural gas consumed by the three boilers there - a payback on the original investment of just 12 months.

The plant employs 400 people and frozen food manufacture is its core business. To provide steam generation for both processes and heating, the plant uses three Danks MOD125 Metric boilers all running with Saacke CG40-4960 burners. Fuelled by natural gas, until recently annual consumption stood at approximately 2.4m cubic metres.

“We are continuously looking at ways to improve on both our fuel costs and environmental impact,” said company spokesman Kevin Prior. “We have an energy team on site and we look at many different ways of saving energy from more efficient practices through to the possibility of using technology such as wind turbines.”

Maxsys contacted Findus to describe the service and benefits on offer through the adoption of Fuel+.

“Fuel+ looked to be a ‘win/win’ situation, where this proven technology offered a saving of at least five per cent typically,” said Prior. “As it turns out, trials and calculations conducted before and after the installation of Fuel+ concluded that we had gained a 6.6 per cent reduction in gas consumption. Naturally we are delighted with this outcome and it will enable us to achieve payback within 12 months. The reduction in carbon dioxide output is also welcome. The site is constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact as part of our Climate Change Levy agreement.”

The same solution has also been chosen by DS Smith Specialty Packaging for its plant in Launceston, Cornwall. Established for 40 years, the Launceston facility is part of the £1.7 billion DS Smith international group and is a hybrid plant manufacturing both conventional packaging and speciality packs.

It claims to be the UK’s foremost corrugated packaging manufacture. Products include high volume cardboard transit cases as well as speciality, decorative and heavy-duty packaging.

“With the cost of energy escalating massively and the increasing need to reduce carbon footprint, it seemed sensible to stage a review of our boiler plant,” explained quality manager Steve Porter. “I’d retained a mail drop from Maxsys about Fuel+ a few months earlier and I decided to give them a call.”

The ISO 9001:2000 and ISO14001-accredited company runs two ageing Danks gas-fired, steam-raising boilers at Launceston, which are used for both general heating and process heat.

“The results have been fantastic. Not only have we reduced our carbon emissions by cutting gas consumption by 5.8 per cent, we have also made substantial financial savings in the 12 months since installation,” said Porter.

A test protocol, for the assessment of the boiler plant performance with and without Fuel+ technology in place, was produced and agreed by both parties. Meter readings were then gathered three times a day by DS Smith Speciality Packaging for the duration of the test protocol period. The evaluation was based on the established CUSUM statistical model with regenerative analysis. The results identified that average gas consumption was 5.8 per cent lower following installation of the Fuel+ systems.

The new technology also helped the Cornwall plant carry off the top prize in the paper and packaging category of the National Green Apple Awards that recognise environmental achievement. The facility won the prize for reducing emissions to air, water and ground as well as working closely with local residents on environmental issues.

The third site to benefit from this technology is the First Milk Cheese Company's Haverfordwest creamery. Here, the Fuel+ energy saving systems on its three oil fired steam-raising boilers have led to a 7.5 per cent fuel consumption saving and a return-on-investment in less than one year.

First Milk is the UK’s largest dairy farming co-operative. The £500 million turnover business has three operating divisions: milk, cheese and ingredients. The First Milk Cheese Company is the largest UK-based cheese supplier with a 35 per cent share of the Cheddar market.

“We are always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of our operations,” said general manager Paul Rowe. “With ever increasing energy costs to satisfy the demand for process steam we looked at installing fuel saving technology at the site.”
 
The Haverfordwest creamery has been operational since 1930 and began cheese production in the 1960s. Currently the site manufactures over 20 000 tonnes of cheese for a number of major retail customers in addition to 35 000 tonnes of whey products.

Following a site survey by Maxsys and subsequent receipt of a proposal, the company looked at the advantages of fitting Fuel+ energy saving systems to its three heavy fuel oil fired steam-raising boilers at Haverfordwest.

“We looked at the proposal from Maxsys in further detail, and following visits to a number of existing Maxsys users it became apparent that other companies were seeing major benefits. Additionally, the five per cent verified savings guarantee played a major part in our decision to move forward with the project.”

The Haverfordwest creamery houses one Ruston Thermax boiler rated at 25 000lb/h and two fully packaged Byworth YSZ11250 boilers rated at 25 000lb/h. All three are fired on heavy fuel oil. The plant operates 24/7 with all of the boilers on-line to cover periods of high demand. Maxsys supplied and fitted three bespoke Fuel+ systems to each of the boilers. Fuel metering was already in place but water meters required installing prior to the project commencing.

Fuel meter readings were gathered three times a day by First Milk for the duration of the project. The results identified that average oil consumption was 7.5 per cent lower than predicted when the Fuel+ systems were installed.

“The project was put together on the basis that it would provide a significant return on the capital invested and in fact the project paid back in just under a year,” said Rowe. “Maxsys guaranteed that First Milk would save a minimum of five per cent on our fuel spend, so naturally we are delighted with the actual result of 7.5 per cent and it fully justifies the decision we made to ask Maxsys to work with us. The dairy industry is extremely competitive and it’s crucial that we invest in the latest technology to maintain our leading position. First Milk is also clearly leading the way with investments to reduce energy and carbon dioxide emissions. We have our own environmental targets to meet and this project has provided a significant boost.”

Paul Finnegan, sales and marketing director of Maxsys believes that the impact of energy prices means that the food and drink sector in particular knows that it needs to continue to be proactive about energy management: “The food and drink sector as a whole accounts for roughly seven million tonnes of carbon emissions per year and the sector and is undergoing ever-increasing pressure to significantly improve its environmental performance. Our business model gives the sector a unique, zero commercial risk means of significantly reducing its energy bills and our independently verified industry savings of over £460,000 in cash and a reduction of 4800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions demonstrate the significant contribution we are making to the food and drink industry.”