Industry Best Practices Workshops
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) BestPractices™ Workshops
Interested in improving the efficiency of compressed air, motor, pump, steam, process heating systems, and data centers? Purdue TAP EES offers U.S. Department of Energy – Industrial Technology Program (ITP) training sessions and materials to help you reduce energy use, save money, and minimize waste through system optimization.
Improve your systems' efficiency by attending the following sessions on:
Compressed Air Systems
Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems — 1-day workshop
Find out how a compressed air system works and the benefits of optimal compressed air system performance. This end-user focused class demonstrates how to compute the current cost of your plant's compressed air systems, how to measure and create a baseline of system performance, and how to determine the impact of different compressor control types. Learn basic approaches for cutting costs; identify steps for proper system operation, maintenance, and point-of-use accountability; and tailor a compressed air system management action plan for your plant.
Who Should Attend: those with responsibilities related to the proper operation and maintenance of a compressed air system.
Fan Systems
Fan System Assessment — 1-day workshop
Optimizing industrial fan systems can take on many forms, but any fan optimization project must meet the needs of the process. This 1-day end-user targeted workshop highlights the benefits of fan system optimization and examines fan system performance characteristics and practical issues concerning measurement data. The session introduces the DOE's Fan System Assessment Tool (FSAT). This powerful analysis software helps you quantify the potential benefits of configuring fan systems for optimal performance, calculate the amount of energy use by your fan system, and estimate fan system efficiency. Learn how the software works, what data is required for FSAT, and how to interpret assessment results.
In addition, this workshop includes discussion to help you:
- Calculate the cost of operating fans in your facility
- Understand the interaction between the fan curve and the system curve
- Analyze the optimization potential of fan systems
- Create an action plan to improve fan system efficiency and reliability in your plant.
Who Should Attend: those with responsibilities related to the proper operation and maintenance of large industrial fan and blower systems.
Motor Systems
Motor Systems Management Workshop — 1-day workshop
This 1-day workshop helps facility personnel—maintenance staff, plant managers, and plant engineers—gain an understanding of electric motor systems management and skills to help them manage motor systems for reduced energy cost and increased reliability. The session covers technical and policy/procedure topics related to management of motor systems. This includes evaluation and selection of the optimum motor for each application; motor tracking inventory and maintenance actions; and development/use of guidelines or specifications for motor repair and rewind. Electric power system and management of power transmission and driven loads are also covered in relation to motor operation and use.
This session also identifies resources, such as organizations, standards, guidebooks, and technical assistance providers that can help plant personnel establish and manage industrial motor systems. In addition, the workshop provides an overview of DOE's MotorMaster+ (MM+) software and a demonstration of the tool's basic functions and applications.
Attend this workshop to:
- Select the optimum motor for specific industrial applications
- Understand the basics of using MM+ to evaluate motor purchase and repair decisions
- Understand how MM+ can be used to support other areas of motor systems management
- Establish an effective motor systems maintenance plan
- Develop guidelines for motor repair services and evaluate motor repair facilities
- Quickly locate resources for additional technical support on motor systems
Who Should Attend: those with responsibilities related to the proper operation and maintenance of large motor driven industrial systems.
Process Heating
Process Heating Systems Assessment — 1-day workshop
This workshop provides an introduction to process heating and process heating equipment, such as furnaces, dryers, ovens, heaters, and kilns, used by industry. The course includes discussion of combustion and other heating methods; heat transfer in furnaces; waste heat recovery; commonly used process heating controls; and emissions from heating processes.
You will learn:
- Practical tips on process heating and maintenance
- How to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from furnaces
- How to use DOE's Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PAST) software tool
The session highlights the use of PHAST, which helps users survey furnaces and heaters, identify major energy-using equipment, prioritize improvement opportunities, and assess available methods to improve thermal efficiency in an industrial plant.
Who Should Attend: Attend this workshop if you are a process engineer, plant operator, maintenance engineer, process heating equipment designer, plant or corporate energy coordinator, or consulting engineer or are in a position with responsibilities related to the proper operation of industrial furnaces, ovens, boilers, or other heating processes.
Pumping Systems
Pump System Assessment — 1-day workshop
Learn more about pump system performance characteristics. This course discusses performance problems encountered in everyday applications. The workshop covers practical issues involved in field measurements of fluid and electrical data and presents the Pump System Assessment Tool (PSAT) used to assess the performance of pump systems. Learn how the software functions, what data is required, how to use the software when measured data are not available, and what the assessment results mean.
Who Should Attend: those with responsibilities related to the proper operation and maintenance of large industrial, commercial or municipal pumping systems.
Steam Systems
Steam End User Training — 1-day workshop
This course covers the operation of typical steam systems and discusses methods of system efficiency improvement. This end-user focused class demonstrates how to compute your current cost of steam, how to measure and create a baseline of system performance, and how to determine the impact of different boiler control systems. Learn basic approaches for cutting costs; identify steps for proper system operation, maintenance, and point-of-use accountability.
Who should attend: The training is designed for plant personnel, such as energy managers, steam system supervisors, engineers, and equipment operators, who have steam system responsibilities in industrial and institutional plants. The course covers three key areas of potential system improvement:
- Steam Generation Efficiency
- Resource Utililization Effectiveness
- Steam Distribution System Losses
The course introduces the Steam System Scoping Tool (SSST) and the Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT). The steam opportunity assessment tools developed by DOE's uses the Steam System Survey Guide (PDF 708 KB) as a technical reference. The training also introduces the 3E Plus insulation appraisal software and a course example is presented that uses this software.
Chiller Systems
Chiller Systems and Cooling tower Optimization — 1-day workshop
This course covers the operation of typical chiller systems and discusses methods of system efficiency improvement. Attendees will learn how system components can work against each other to waste energy and how they can work together to save energy. The instructor will cover best practices and best technologies and discuss how they can lead to reduced operating costs.
Who should attend: The training is designed for plant personnel, such as energy managers, steam system supervisors, engineers, and equipment operators, who have system responsibilities in industrial and institutional plants. The course covers the following key areas:
- Understanding the compression cycle
- Determine if a system is in balance
- Optimizing system performance
- Minimizing energy use
Purdue TAP EES Best Practices
HVAC Systems
HVAC Optimization and Heat Recovery — 1-day workshop
This course covers the operation of typical heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and discusses methods of heat recovery to improve overall system efficiency. The course focuses on ASHRAE standard 90.1 and the benefits that are gained by designing or retrofitting a system to this standard.
Who should attend: The training is designed for facility personnel, such as energy managers, plant and building system supervisors, engineers, and equipment operators, who have system responsibilities in industrial and institutional plants.
Fundamentals of Lighting
Fundamentals of Lighting - 1-day workshop
Learn how to reduce energy costs through the use of more efficient lighting technologies, improved system control and more during the Fundamentals of Lighting workshop. Participants will also learn advantages and disadvantages of different lighting systems, how to calculate energy cost savings, how to evaluate opportunities and make the business case for investments that reduce energy cost, and how to determine potential energy savings through changing technologies and installing automatic controls.
Who should attend: those with responsibilities related to the purchase, operation and maintenance of lighting systems. This is a great workshop for members of energy efficiency teams who do not have a strong technical background and who want to learn energy efficiency basics.
Energy Savings 101
Energy Savings 101 - 1-day workshop
This program provides real-world case studies and the tools necessary for industrial facility personnel to incorporate energy efficiency into financial decision making. The training is designed to teach attendees an overview of energy sources, uses, and measurements. Participants will learn how to analyze an electric utility bill, identify the major components of a mechanical system, and develop long-term energy savings strategies using a “systems” approach to minimizing energy costs.
Who should attend: This workshop is appropriate for facility managers, plant engineers, maintenance supervisors and any professional staff with an interest in reducing energy costs and an organization’s environmental impact.
This is a great workshop for members of energy efficiency teams who do not have a strong technical background and who want to learn energy efficiency basics.
Data Center Energy Efficiency
Data Center Energy Efficiency - 1-day workshop
Learn about ways to improve the energy efficiency of data centers and other energy-intensive information and communication technology (ICT) facilities. Developed by DOE and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), this workshop provides information, tools, and environmental best practices in the areas of data center/telecom power and cooling. It also covers IT systems efficiency opportunities identified by partnering organization The Green Grid. Discover how to use DOE's free DC Pro Tool Suite to perform energy assessments on data center systems. You will also receive a workbook and CD of the presentation materials, voucher for one free ASHRAE datacom book, and 50% discount coupon off other ASHRAE datacom books.
Who should attend: The training is designed for facility personnel, such as energy managers, plant and building system supervisors, engineers, and equipment operators, who have responsibilities related to the operation of data centers and the buildings in which they are located.