Sign up for our newsletter

Sustainable gain through partnership

Through a longstanding collaboration, Herøya Industripark AS and Opt-E have achieved significant savings. The partnership has been expanded over time, creating value for both parties.
two men pose and stand by a yellow railing, protective equipment, below is a pumping station, large raw water pumps, blue signs on each pump. Herøya Industripark AS and Opt-E have achieved significant savings: from left, Petter Thomassen, Product and Operations Manager at Opt-E, and Audun E. Thorsen, Head of Infrastructure and Process Systems at Herøya Industripark AS.

Opt-E is a technology company that optimizes energy consumption in pumps and fans that consume a lot of energy.

"One of the things we're involved in is, for example, the delivery and operation of pumps in the fishing industry, control of cooling systems for main machinery onboard ships, and energy optimisation in ventilation systems with measurements of CO2 and temperature in buildings. We are where a lot of energy is consumed," says Petter Thomassen, product and operations manager at Opt-E.

Impressive dimensions

The cooling water pump system at Herøya is large. "It has impressive dimensions, is robust, and of high quality," says Thomassen. "In addition, it has an advanced monitoring system (Opt-E Scape) that ensures longer pump lifespan and provides more energy-efficient operation."

 

two men, yellow helmets, posing, leaning on to yellow rails, grey concrete wall behind them
During a customer visit: Geir A. Olsen and Petter Thomassen, both from Opt-E.

Expanded collaboration

The collaboration with Herøya Industripark AS began in 2017 with basic deliveries, with plans to expand gradually.

"Opt-E brings process technology to the table," says Audun E. Thorsen, head of infrastructure and process systems at Herøya Industripark AS. "They have expertise in control systems behind pumps and motors and contribute with suggestions for improvements and problem-solving."

"We subscribe to an optimisation system for the operation of pumps and motors in the pumping station, focusing on safe and stable operation combined with low energy consumption. The system was implemented in the spring of 2020. Since then, we have made fine adjustments together to find the best solutions for all operational situations and expanded the collaboration."

Advanced vibration analysis

Opt-E collaborates with the vibration analysis company Amps.

"While Opt-E measures and displays the vibration that we humans can feel, Amps has its own tailor-made system that alerts on frequencies that are much higher and which we do not detect. However, these frequencies are still harmful to bearings and result in wear and tear," says Thomassen.

"We then integrate the local data with the data we collect from the pumps in the same time series. The customer gets everything in one place and has a good system for planning."

 

two men, posing, standing, smiling, wearing PPE, concret hall behind.
Partners in collaboration: From left, Petter Thomassen, product and operations manager at Opt-E, and Audun E. Thorsen, head of infrastructure and process systems at Herøya Industripark AS.

Reduced maintenance

Audun E. Thorsen believes the system works very well for maintenance planning.

"We have been able to reduce maintenance and lubrication intervals, resulting in less wear and lower costs. The collaboration with Opt-E began with measurements of pressure, flow, and temperature. Now we have built up the delivery into a larger package that we are very satisfied with," says Thorsen.

 

Read more about Opt-E here.

 

Also read