State-of-the-Art Technologies Cut Total Operating Costs by Improving Cooling System Efficiency, Enabling Water Conservation and Reuse and Increasing Human Productivity
TREVOSE, PA.---August 3, 2010---GE (NYSE: GE) today introduced a technology platform called TrueSense™ that gives users previously unavailable tools to optimize productivity and increase water savings in the monitoring and control of cooling water systems, which are used in heavy manufacturing industries and large commercial and institutional facilities to cool production equipment and for air conditioning. TrueSense automation and knowledge management capabilities will allow users to free up time and resources to focus on critical processes that are core to their business.
TrueSense integrates three new and unique functionalities into one platform: direct online monitoring of critical water chemistries; personal instrumentation that dramatically cuts offline testing time; and a powerful data analysis and display capability that provides deep insight into system status. TrueSense is a tangible result of GE's focus on developing solutions to address water management challenges even in the toughest operating conditions.
Cooling water systems are essential to production in many industrial plants and for comfort cooling in commercial and institutional facilities. Corrosion, deposition and microbiological fouling must be kept at bay to avoid damage to equipment and system inefficiencies, which can result in losses in production and/or excessive water and energy consumption. In addition, microbiological growth that is not tightly controlled can result in increased employee and community exposure to health risks such as Legionnaires' disease.
"Maintaining cooling system efficiency to manage costs and minimize our water footprint is a critical aspect of our operation," said Terry Black, water treatment supervisor at NMLK Indiana, a Portage, Ind.-based steel mini-mill specializing in the production of hot rolled coils. "With TrueSense, we now have seen the impact of a much more precise and timely understanding of our water chemistry. This information has enabled us to optimize the amount of chemicals and water that we use and gives us the ability to operate the system more efficiently, leading to cost savings and less water used."
Decisions about how to operate a cooling system from a water treatment perspective impact total operational costs related to fresh water consumption, energy consumption, cooling tower treatment chemicals and wastewater discharge. Optimization of a cooling system using TrueSense can yield an estimated total operating costs savings of 25 percent or more when enabled with the right treatment chemistry. In a moderately sized industrial cooling tower, a system running under optimal conditions could save nearly $400,000 per year in fresh water acquisition costs alone.*
TrueSense is the result of simultaneous technical advances in the measurement and control of critical cooling system parameters, in both online and offline modes of operation. Key elements of the new TrueSense platform include TrueSense Online for Cooling, TrueSense Personal Water Analytics (PWA) and TrueSense View.
- A core element of the platform is TrueSense Online for Cooling, a single unified online technology that can directly measure and monitor multiple core chemistries that are applied for effective cooling water treatment such as orthophosphate for corrosion control; proprietary polymers for deposit control; and the management of halogens like chlorine or bromine for microbiological control. TrueSense Online provides a better understanding of cooling system status, enabling users to tighten control parameters to avoid or better respond to system variation and upsets, reduce water use and costs and to lower total cost of operation.
- TrueSense PWA is a digital field-deployable, rugged, personal water sampling system that complements GE's online offering. TrueSense PWA measures multiple critical parameters with a single 3 ml water sample, accomplishing this in minutes versus the half-hour that offline testing protocols typically require, slashing sampling times by an estimated 80 percent. It minimizes the need to maintain an inventory of reagent chemicals and equipment for testing and considerably cuts testing costs.
- The final element of the platform is TrueSense View, a knowledge-management solution for system visualization, analysis, alarming and reporting. TrueSense View arms plant personnel with the right information in terms of content, frequency and form, with the flexibility to have data stored either locally and/or on the Web. In addition, wireless features minimize deployment time and cost. TrueSense View is compatible with other platform components.
"Industry is facing new challenges, whether it is the need for a more productive workforce, reducing water and energy consumption, dealing with lower quality feedstock or the ability to monitor the performance of critical assets. GE is addressing these challenges with knowledge management and automation technologies, like TrueSense, that will help industrial users reduce their fresh water use, meet regulations and achieve cost reduction and productivity goals," said Glen Messina---global business leader, chemical monitoring solutions business, water & process technologies for GE Power & Water. "We will continue to invest in technology for the future, including developments around advanced chemistry and automation, which coupled with GE's extensive knowledge of water treatment technologies, can facilitate dynamic data exchange to make industry more productive."
Click here to hear Glen Messina discuss GE's automation and knowledge management strategy.
The TrueSense platform is designed to work in conjunction with GE's most advanced cooling chemistry, GenGard with Stress Tolerant Polymer. The synergy between these two technologies enables optimal performance of cooling water systems with forgiving chemistry that performs even in the toughest conditions.
While TrueSense is designed to be a highly accurate, easy-to-use, cost-effective integrated tool set, all components can perform separately as needed, maximizing the efficiency of existing systems. These technologies will be available in major markets around the world.
To download TrueSense photos, please click here.
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* Results may vary.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com
GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy---GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas---work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.
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