The Comparison, Measuring & Labelling of Energy-efficient Textile Machinery
Textile machinery is not a consumer
good
A classification of textile machines into
energy efficiency classes – analogous
to the consumer goods industry – is
not readily feasible. A textile machine
is not a consumer product that is
designed for standard applications and
comparable user requirements. even
textile machines of a particular product
type are usually designed for the
different demand profiles of the textile
manufacturer. The demands on the
machine result from the product to be
produced by the textile manufacturer
and/or the specific process that he
wants to perform. Textile machinery is
therefore generally built so that each
individual textile manufacturer can
determine his specific requirements for
raw materials, quality and productivity.
These decisions by the textile
manufacturer also directly affect the
specific energy use.
Innovative technologies, in the sector’s
view, must fulfil not only the functional
product requirements and lead to an
optimization of production processes,
but at the same time minimize any
impact on the environment. The
exclusive focus on energy
consumption however, is viewed
critically by the industry.
A large number of influencing
factors determine consumption
In the individual processes of the
textile production chain, the energy
demand and the percentages of
electrical and thermal energy are very
different. There are a large number of
heterogeneous main variables that
determine the energy efficiency of a
textile machine or a textile process. The
combination of processes and process
parameters is almost infinite. The textile
manufacturer, the demands on the
textile product, the material, the fibre
supplier and the manufacturer of the
machines all have an influence on
energy efficiency.
The basis of the electrically installed
capacity cannot therefore lead to aconclusion on the actual energy
consumption and the energy efficiency
of a machine. The assessment of
energy efficiency requires that the
amount of input energy is known.
Determining only the actual energy
requirements of the machine or the
process via measuring instruments for
electricity, intake air, compressed air
or process heat would also be
inadequate for this task. emissions
such as exhaust air or waste heat by
radiation or convection must also be
included in the analysis of energy
consumption.
Defining balance envelopes and
work processes
The energy consumption of a machine
category (the same types of machines
or processes) can only be determined
on the basis of an agreed work
process/operating point. After all,
nobody wants to compare apples with
oranges. Statements on energy
consumption are therefore only valid
for each process under consideration
and the defined parameters. Only with
defined balance envelopes and
benchmarks meaningful & comparable
energy consumption values for
machines or processes can be
discussed.
First, meaningful classifications of
machines would have to be made for
the evaluation of the energy
consumption of textile machinery. A
common process of energy efficiency
definition for these classes of
machines would have to be then
defined with product and production
parameters of typical production
processes. In this process, the
relevance for energy savings and the
potential benefit to the textile
manufacturer will be decisive for the
next steps for VDMA Textile Machinery
Association and its members.
CO2 footprint – also the
responsibility of the textile
manufacturer
A statement about energy
consumption is only significant in
NCM-APRIL 2020
48relation to the amount of product
produced (kWh/kg product). This
applies equally to the equivalent of the
CO2 footprint (CO2/kg product).
The most environmentally significant
proportion of the CO2 footprint is
created during the operation of the
textile machine. A reliable CO2
footprint for the operating phase can
only be determined when detailed data
is available from the textile
manufacturer about power generation
and thermal energy. The same applies
to the cross-sectional techniques used
in the textile industry, such as
compressed air, heat, air conditioning
and lighting, which make up a
significant share of the energy
consumption and which are also within
the area of responsibility of the textile
manufacturer.
Proper machine operation
Energy-efficient textile machines are
a prerequisite for energy savings. In a
complex textile process, however, only
the proper use of the machines
guarantees the expected total energy
saving. The textile manufacturer
himself is responsible for the efficient
operation of his machines. Greater
transparency of the relationships
between production settings and
resulting energy consumption helps to
optimize processes. With a corporate
policy which follows the Life cycle cost
approach (e.g. VDMA Specification
34160) for investments, the right
decisions can be made in many cases
even from an ecological perspective.
Spare parts influence energy efficiency
The textile manufacturer can make a
decisive influence on the energy
efficiency of his production technology
even through the choice of spare parts
and service intervals. Lack of
maintenance of textile machinery and
the use of inferior wearing parts reduce
the efficiency of machinery and
increase energy consumption.
Labelling is linked to ambitious
requirements
Machine labels that provide no basis