Implementing a Real-Time, Energy-Efficient Control Methodology to Maximize Manufacturing Profits

In modern manufacturing facilities it is imperative to maximize profits by reducing energy costs while maintaining or enhancing production operations. To achieve this goal, one must understand the complex energy dynamics of the manufacturing system to properly identify inefficiencies and energy savings opportunities on the production line. The energy system dynamics focus on how energy is consumed by the production line at any given time. The energy profit bottleneck (EP-BN) is defined, which provides the machine that, when the downtime is reduced, leads to the highest overall profit increase. This EP-BN is a more general definition over the traditional throughput bottleneck. The EP-BN explicitly considers the cost of energy, which was previously ignored or treated as insignificant in traditional throughput analysis. This bottleneck is used in conjunction with an energy opportunity window control methodology that reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining throughput. The energy opportunity window duration and frequency is numerically analyzed for a real-time control scheme.