Panasonic cuts emissions by using simulation technology
Panasonic in Japan has developed a simulation technology that enables its factories to reduce CO2 emissions. Adopting this technology, coupled with employee efforts to conserve energy, a Panasonic factory has successfully reduced CO2 emissions per basic unit by 46%. The company now plans to spread this technology throughout the group. The simulation technology allows users to evaluate factory processes that use energy-consuming manufacturing or power supply equipment by conducting a simple yet precise test.
The simulators evaluate and optimise conditions for using air-conditioning equipment, high-pressure air – typically used in cleanrooms – and drying/baking furnaces. They then determine power-saving solutions tailored to each factory.
Up to now, operation of the drying process has relied on the experience and intuition of engineers, but it was difficult to predict the impact on product quality when manufacturing conditions were altered. The simulator can find optimal operating conditions for the furnace by predicting not only the drying conditions – based on estimated internal temperatures, humidity and air currents of the furnace – but also the final drying quality characteristics.
The operation and maintenance of cleanrooms requires a large amount of energy. Once the air conditioners are set, however, it is difficult to change the settings because environmental factors such as airborne dust, temperatures and humidity in the cleanroom can influence product quality. In addition, analysis by the conventional air-conditioning simulators had poor temperature accuracy of ±2°C, meaning they could not accurately assess power saving for cleanrooms that require analytical accuracy of under ±0.5°C.
Panasonic's new technology adds the analytical boundary conditions separately, making it possible to predict the air currents, temperature, humidity and pressure of the overall factory, including air-conditioning equipment for the cleanroom and external ventilation, with a high degree of accuracy.
High-pressure air is usually continuously supplied to the equipment used for various processes through a complex system of pipes linked to several compressors in the factory. The design simulator can model piping diameter and layout for the entire factory to find a piping layout that minimises pressure loss. Users can therefore review the piping network and operating conditions in the factory, resulting in reductions of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
By introducing the simulation technology, Panasonic's Energy Company has reduced CO2 emissions at its rechargeable lithium-ion batteries factory in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan.
Panasonic plans to expand this power-saving approach to its state-of-the-art battery plant currently under construction in Osaka. http://panasonic.net/